How much to charge....?

PostHack

I recently made a corporate video for a very big multinational. Payment wasn't really discussed initially (I have done some other work for them in the past). The video is almost 5 minutes long. There was a day of filming (talking heads and b-roll type stuff) and about a day and a half editing. Does anyone have a ballpark figure? Should I charge per finished minute of video like has been suggested?

Any suggestions from people with experience would be great. Thanks.

redstarmark

I am an editor and I would usually charge 150 to 250 per day depending on my relationship with the client. I would also up my price if they needed me to make new graphics or author the DVD.
I know that some camera men can charge more maybe around 300 per day or less depends on experience, quality and equipment used, for example if the used lighting it may cost more.
Also as producer or director you must include your own fee.
It will be easier for you and your client of you break everything down on an invoice.
Hope this was some sort of help. Also don't get ripped off as it happens way too much in this business

ScumLord

You should be able to break down your own costs and then start from there. If you can show where your costs are going and how much it's costing you it should be easier to build up a bill for your client. If you just show up with a number on a piece of paper they could start questioning the price, if you don't have real answers it will be hard to argue with them.

Always keep track of what your spending.

Tactical

In the photography end of things I take everything into account for the coming year, (project costs for fuel can be tricky though ) including a modest income and arrive at an hourly figure.

This figure is an ideal figure and a starting point for any negoations, allowing a little flexibility.

You've got to fully cover all your costs, including electricity and all those little extras that we often overlook, and then make a wage for yourself on top of that.

The quoted figures don't seem that unordinary or high to be honest with you. You've spent two and a half days on this job, so that deserves two and a half days wages.

Also consider usage of the end result. In the photography world, image usage also attracts different fees. For example an image just used in a single media (say print media) attracts a particular fee. If several media are used (say print and internet publishing) then a different fee is attracted. This progresses if different areas are now included. They are a multinational company so take usage into consideration. This doesn't mean a high fee but rather a fair fee around the industry norm for proposed usage.

For photography I charge an hourly fee plus any image usage fees if appropriate.

Don't forget to bill for any items specifically required for the shoot that you would not normally have used in a shoot or edit.

PostHack

Thanks all for your replies. I'm actually trying to get a job with the company at the moment, so I have to wait until that's sorted to see what will happen...