Re: Never Gets Old: Value for the Price

Or to put it simply, do the hours estimate in your head and give them the final number.

Don't every even allude to finished minute as a formula because it's not!

Consider all your expenses for the gear and, in fact, live expenses. When thinking of the budget, could you live on this (pay all your business and life expenses) if you were to make this on all your jobs. If it can meet your expenses good, if not, it's not the way to run a business. It's too low.

We don't know what your expenses are but you seem to describe a half day shoot with the rest of the work done in post. You don't allude to knowing how long post will take. You could be describing a job in which the client does the script and narration and you do lower thirds or you could be doing a Fox Network Sport Show Open.

$2K might be OK for a low budget thing, a half day shoot, one man band, a day or two of post. If you're including a crew and days of compositing, paid professional narrator, script writer, heavy After Effects, they you're on the low side.

If you're truly a, one man band operation, $600-$1200 an 8 hour day would be a very rough lower budget ball park. It depends on your cost of gear/living, your skills, etc, of course but the above is a better guide than "finished" minute. It's how many hours/days of your life to do the job. It's "finished life" rather than "finished minute."