What should I charge to produce a landscaping commercial?

MTsquared

MTsquared

I have a buddy that has a landscaping business (So no actors, scripts, or sets to build). I recently got the GH2 and he is impressed with my talents and wants me to produce him a commercial. I'm not exactly sure of what he is going to want, but I'm guessing mostly slide shots of all of his work and maybe a few handy-cam glide shots. I already have the slider and a handy cam, so I don't need to purchase those with the budget. I will be doing everything from shooting, to sound, to editing, to color etc...

I've never charged for anything before, so if you guys could give me suggestions that would be awesome.
This will be shot in the Central Valley of California and will be shown on local television networks.

How much (a ballpark figure) should I charge for a 30 second commercial, a 1 minute, and a 2 minute commercial?

I'm not sure exactly what length he wants yet. We will be having our first meeting about it on Sunday.

Thanks for your time. -Mike T
 
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Interesting. That's far lower than the few other sites I have visited. Some of them state $1500. But I felt that might be a little too high for some shots of landscaping.
 
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Ask your client which example from dlevanchuks post he wants, then parse out your costs.

DP, Production Sound, Grip, Gaffer, HMU, Etc.

Equipment Rentals, Security, Craft Services, Etc.

Editing, Color Correction, Audio Post, Music, Etc.

Once you have that figured out, double the price. 25% or so of the profits will go to Local, State & Federal Taxes, Social Security, etc., then there's travel costs, insurance, equipment depreciation, etc. If your costs are $2,000 charge $4,000; you'll net about $500 to $1,000 for your pocket by the time all is said and done.

The most important thing is that your client must, repeat MUST, know that s/he will get what s/he pays for.
 
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:lol:
Great videos!
But totally true: length is only 1 parameter of many that go in the machine to calculate the cost of a production.

Don't forget to ask him about music and voice-over.
And what about models/extras? (no, I read)
Does he want that too?
Those things are rarely free, since it's a commercial.

If there are some larger landscaping projects in his portfolio: you could consider using timelapse shots as well to add 'drama'.
 
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MTsquared said:
So a rough estimate for a quick commercial of landscaping and cement sculpting is around $200 to $500?
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No. What product is being advertised rarely decides the fee
a producer will charge. Landscaping and cement or a car
dealership or a retail store is all the same when it comes to
setting a price. You charge by the shoot and not by the content.
$1,500 is very low for a commercial regardless of what business
it’s for.

This is your first paid gig - are you comfortable working to $200?
If so, charge $200. If your client can afford $500 and is willing to
pay that, you charge that.

You’re doing this commercial alone? No one else involved? Figure
out how much time you will spend and then figure out what you
feel you are worth per hour and charge that. If it will take you two
hours to shoot and five hours to edit and another two to prepare it
for local TV then you will be spending nine hours total. $200 is $22
per hour.

How many hours will you take for the entire commercial?
 
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1 day pre-production, 1 day shoot, 1 day post
No one else on set, with my REALLY low day rate of $350 (low even in a fickle market) = $1050 just for my time.

Add in actors, light rental, sound gear if you don't already own it, insurance if you need it... it adds up... and you'll eat all that cost at a low-ball rate. If you just want to build your portfolio, don't charge them (just for the air time), and make the commercial you want to see on your own dime.

As soon as they pay you, you have to give them what they want, even if it's the second commercial posted ;)
 
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How long will it take to shoot? 3 or 4 hours?
How long will editing take? a day, two?
Just the time, not counting travel expense, any rentals or new gear purchases, etc...
For $300 youll be working for less than $10 an hour.

Keep in mind what you charge now will set a tone for your next client, and the next.

The cable company here will come out and shoot for two hours and do two hours of editing for $800.

Maybe start there?
 
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For travel, He has a nice installation in his backyard, and he lives half an hour away, plus to any of his other installations. Depending on what he wants shot of it (It's a pretty intricate installation) that could take a whole day. Then he has other ones he's done for like apartment complexes, hotels, etc... that he might want shown. I'll find out Sunday how many different locations he wants.

As for editing, that will depend on what he wants. Probably a day or two of post. Even more if he wants me to do the graphics for his logo and stuff. Plus time for VO if he wants it.
 
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directorik said:
No. What product is being advertised rarely decides the fee
a producer will charge. Landscaping and cement or a car
dealership or a retail store is all the same when it comes to
setting a price. You charge by the shoot and not by the content.
$1,500 is very low for a commercial regardless of what business
it’s for.

How many hours will you take for the entire commercial?
Click to expand...

I mention landscaping to show that I won't be having a script, actors, insurance, and probably nothing complicated with lighting (if any). Pretty much me, my camera, and my dollies.

As for hours, a few days counting shooting and post I'm guessing.
 
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What abut the VO? Is it going to be a pro or the owner or a combo of both? Or is it going to be music and graphics only?

And, by the way, you WILL need a script so you know what you need to shoot. The commercial should already be finished in your head if not completely storyboarded.
 
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MTsquared said:
As for hours, a few days counting shooting and post I'm guessing.
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So you, all alone, no crew, no lights, no audio. A few days.
"a few" meaning three? Four? In that case the price you
quote should be a day rate. "X" amount per day for shooting
and "X" amount per day for post.

Quote what you think you are worth. How many hours per
day will you shoot? How many hours per day will you do the
post work? Make sure you contact the local station that will
be airing the spot so you know exactly what they need. They
will not just take a DVD or .mov file.
 
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