What are going rates for Video like?

[W.Y.Photo]

I may be filming a dance video for a choreographer shortly which I know will take quite a bit of time and effort in terms of editing and post. The final product will be around 3 minutes long.

I'm just wondering what going rates for things like this are.. am I going to be immediately turned down if I ask for 800-1000 dollars as a flat rate? or is that asking too little for this type of service?

I've never done commercial or promotional video outside of volunteering for events. I have experience shooting video quite a lot, but if anyone has some tips for things to watch out for that could also be very useful.

 

[KmH]

There are no 'going rates'.
Rates are all over the map based on how much business acumen/experience/credibility/salesmanship skill each videographer has and the market conditions where the videographer does business.

You might want to get - fotoQuote Stock and Assignment Photography Price Guide

 

[runnah]

Hard to say. Without knowing your area or skill level.

I charge (well my company) about $100 per hour of filming and $45 for editing. Mind you we are VERY low because of the way things are structured and we aren't a typical VP company.

So take my last project which totaled $10k for a 45 minute documentary. Very cheap by VP standards. Also this was a one person crew (me) so double the rate per each additional person.

 

[W.Y.Photo]

There are no 'going rates'.
Rates are all over the map based on how much business acumen/experience/credibility/salesmanship skill each videographer has and the market conditions where the videographer does business.

You might want to get - fotoQuote Stock and Assignment Photography Price Guide

Apologies, What i mean to ask is if my ideal price of around 800-1000 dollars going to be viewed as extreme by my client. I've never done work for pay in this field so I'm fairly ignorant on the average rates for videos like this.

Though I find 800-1000 to be a fair price based off of what I am bringing to the table and how much work I will be doing I'm not certain if the client will view the value of such a video in the same manner. The video is essentially a promotional/portfolio piece that will show her dancing to her own choreographed steps from different angles with a little bit of creative flare to enhance the viewing experience.

Hard to say. Without knowing your area or skill level.

I charge (well my company) about $100 per hour of filming and $45 for editing. Mind you we are VERY low because of the way things are structured and we aren't a typical VP company.

So take my last project which totaled $10k for a 45 minute documentary. Very cheap by VP standards.

Thanks!! I was hoping you would respond!! That reference is nice to have. I'm glad I'm not vastly over or under-charging then.

 

[runnah]

There are no 'going rates'.
Rates are all over the map based on how much business acumen/experience/credibility/salesmanship skill each videographer has and the market conditions where the videographer does business.

You might want to get - fotoQuote Stock and Assignment Photography Price Guide

Apologies, What i mean to ask is if my ideal price of around 800-1000 dollars going to be viewed as extreme by my client. I've never done work for pay in this field so I'm fairly ignorant on the average rates for videos like this.

Though I find 800-1000 to be a fair price based off of what I am bringing to the table and how much work I will be doing I'm not certain if the client will view the value of such a video in the same manner. The video is essentially a promotional/portfolio piece that will show her dancing to her own choreographed steps from different angles with a little bit of creative flare to enhance the viewing experience.

Hard to say. Without knowing your area or skill level.

I charge (well my company) about $100 per hour of filming and $45 for editing. Mind you we are VERY low because of the way things are structured and we aren't a typical VP company.

So take my last project which totaled $10k for a 45 minute documentary. Very cheap by VP standards.

Thanks!! I was hoping you would respond!! That reference is nice to have. I'm glad I'm not vastly over or under-charging then.

NP, just bear in mind that my rates are based on pure per/hr time. I work for a larger company and we often do side projects like this for clients for whom we are doing large multi-million dollar construction projects. So we don't have to worry about things like overhead and paying for equipment.

If this wasn't the case I would certainly charge a lot more to cover everything to make a business run.

 

[W.Y.Photo]

Absolutely. Sounds like a good gig you guys have got going on!!

 

[runnah]

Absolutely. Sounds like a good gig you guys have got going on!!

Yes and no. Too long to get into but it's not all roses.

 

[Light Guru]

What i mean to ask is if my ideal price of around 800-1000 dollars going to be viewed as extreme by my client. I've never done work for pay in this field so I'm fairly ignorant on the average rates for videos like this.

Though I find 800-1000 to be a fair price based off of what I am bringing to the table and how much work I will be doing I'm not certain if the client will view the value of such a video in the same manner.

Sounds like a client to avoid then.

 

[dennybeall]

It's always useful to know what the going rate for a job is in your area but you have to also consider what the value is to the client. If he's on a beer budget and you want to only deal in champagne then it's not going to work unless you can sell him on the better product.

 

[W.Y.Photo]

What i mean to ask is if my ideal price of around 800-1000 dollars going to be viewed as extreme by my client. I've never done work for pay in this field so I'm fairly ignorant on the average rates for videos like this.

Though I find 800-1000 to be a fair price based off of what I am bringing to the table and how much work I will be doing I'm not certain if the client will view the value of such a video in the same manner.

Sounds like a client to avoid then.

I don't even know her that well. I couldn't tell you if she would be. Just because I'm uncertain doesn't mean she's a client to avoid.. What I do know is she's smart and informed in her field of choreography from the short time I spoke with her. I'm just not sure if she can afford a 800 dollar shoot straight out of college.

 

[dennybeall]

Why not just ask her what it's worth to her and then decide if you want to do it for that? Taking into consideration that she's an acquaintance and it's something new to you that you'd like to learn and add to your portfolio.

 

[vintagesnaps]

What a prospective client can/can't afford is up to them, not you... I don't think anyone can necessarily tell you exactly what to charge. If you're going to charge for your photography work get some professional resources, try PPA or American Society of Media Photographers.

It's great that she's smart and informed in her field, but if she's a recent college grad with a limited budget that seems up to her to find what she can afford. Seems like people that primarily want cheap might pass on reasonable rates and keep looking.

Guess it's up to you if you want to do this at a somewhat lower rate for the experience, but you probably don't want to set your pricing so low that then it's hard later to charge a decent rate (because she tells a friend how cheap you were and then that's all the friend who wants to hire you, wants to pay...).

 

[KmH]

ASMP recommends the pricing software I linked to - fotoQuote Pro.

 

[W.Y.Photo]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I'll mention to her that I have a few options for studio's and equipment and ask how much she can afford to spend then work out a price from there. I'll keep you updated on how it works out.