how much should I charge for a music video?

Hey again everybody,

just wondering how much money an independent filmmaker should be asking for a 3-5 minute music video. that doesn't include the cost of transportation, food for crew, paying crew, etc (it's their responsibility to pay for all parts of the video right?). i recently have been getting a lot of requests to do music videos and i've been asked by one band how much i charge. i've never been paid to do video work but i feel that the work i produce is of good, professional quality (which is why people come to me in the first place, i assume) so i want to know what you guys think is fair for an "amateur" filmmaker to be paid for the creation of a music video. i would be directing, writing, shooting and editing it so keep that in mind when considering pricing. thank you so so much in advance, can't wait to hear the lovely sage advice from the masters here.
 
i've never been paid to do video work but i feel that the work i produce is of good, professional quality (which is why people come to me in the first place, i assume)

I know many, many cam-ops who are flooded with requests for unpaid gigs - not because they are excellent, but because production doesn't want to have to pay them. I'm not implying anything about your work (I'm sure it's stellar) - just know that requests for your talent will probably taper (and come from a very different clientele), when making that transition to a more professional status requiring payment.

Now to the meat of it...

much money an independent filmmaker should be asking for a 3-5 minute music video. that doesn't include the cost of transportation, food for crew, paying crew, etc (it's their responsibility to pay for all parts of the video right?) (...) i would be directing, writing, shooting and editing it

How much do you want? That's how much it is. :bag:

If the producer/band/musician/ said to you, here's a crisp $100 bill. It's all yours, if you just direct, write, shoot & edit the music video - would that make you happy? Maybe it would; maybe it wouldn't. I have no idea how much you need to satisfy you.

If that sounds good to you - that's great. If $100 sounds like bullshit... then what number would make you happy? :hmm:

For starters, you should be considering all expenses that you'll be having to account for:

One project harddrive to edit on
One project harddrive to backup on

That's easily $150 right there, for starters...

Your transport costs (gas)
Your equipment rental costs (camera rental)
Your equipment rental costs (your gear)
Your production insurance costs (as distinct from project insurance)
Partial cost of new software/plugins... meh, stopping right here. List goes on, including cost of your time, etc.

You know, thinking about it - why not ask them what their budget is? No point asking for $900 if the band/prod is only willing to part with $400 for the whole kit & kaboodle.

TLDR: Whatever makes you happy. :cool:
 
Sit down with them and discuss it. Throw a number out there.
If they don't like it, they'll say so. Then ask what price they had in mind. If that's too little, say so.
From there, try to work a happy medium. If that fails tell them you can't produce the kind of quality work to benefit them on that kind of budget.
 
You can also offer a "menu" of services. For my audio post business I offer the gamut from "Gourmet" audio post services - a thorough dialog edit, detailed Foley and sound effects, spotting & editing of the score & source music, and a comprehensive surround mix - to a "Fix and Mix" - a quick clean-up of the given production sound, only the most essential Foley and sound effects and a basic stereo mix - and, of course, รก la carte - multiple shades of gray in-between "Gourmet" and "Fix and Mix." My job is to cram as much into the given budget as possible.

So perhaps that can be your approach; a basic, fast "on-stage" video to at the micro-budget end all the way up to a Michael Jackson "Thriller" budget. You can also find out what assets the band has - lights, locations, groupies & girlfriends for extras, locations (clubs/halls) etc., etc., etc. - and make them do a lot of the grunt work; you'll shoot and edit, everything else is up to them.
 
Lots of good advice above.

I would also add that if the band can get you some airtime with the video, it could lead to more exposure and more doors opening for you.

That does not happen often - but it does happen.
 
Actually, there are many considerations if you say how much you will charge in a music video? You need to StudyGeek all the cause of time you work on and how you do the video, it is quality or just you did a video is fine? That's the things to consider.
 
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Maybe I am actually asking something a little different than what I posted earlier. The question is more centered around how and when to go about talking about pricing, rates, variable charges, etc. I just mostly don't want to surprise the clients by mentioning the pricing either too soon or too late.
 
You may have to look at what you think makes you more valuable. Some charge a perfect amount that said clients may agree to, but may not want to conduct business after said project. Others may welcome your worth time and money where your services may continue in that field. In other words, you may have to deal with a certain low expected sum in order to network and allow others see what you can do at such value, when you gain notoriety your value increases. It is about you, i have seen some that value themselves because they can produce and create better than others, therefore pricing themselves as equal or more because of said talents where they only garnish low projects throughout the year. As a beginner you may be too expensive.
 
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