Thanks Rob, I'll check it out, appreciate it..


any other comments re pricing for videographers?


ken

I'm sure you want comments from others to get a wider perspective but...

Generally the rate would break down as cost for the person and cost for the package. When I've talked about rate with DPs I've worked with they generally talk about an overall rate for themselves with a package.

In the bay area the rates are usually for 10 hours with OT starting afterwards and DT starting at 12 hours. You usuallly pay for the 10 hour day even if you only work 6 hours. If you're working 5 hours or less, people will usually charge 60% of their rate, as long as you agreed to this ahead of time. If no agreement was made, people usually charge the day's rate. After all, if you'd told them it would be a short day, they might have been able to take another short job that day.

A person with an equipment package charging a rate for both is as close to being a contractor as you're going to get. If they really want to be a contractor then they should hire the rest of the crew and bill you.

Crew Connection seems to me to fall under the description of "Contractor". They handle payroll, worker's comp, insurance, etc. Of course you still need your own insurance but theirs should be the primary one to handle on the job injuries, I'd think.

There's a lot of misuse of the term "Contractor". I'd consider most freelancers to be freelance or temporary employees. A contractor would be the entity you contract with to get the job done. Really, that's the production company.

In your case a contractor would be the company contracted to come to the event, shoot it to your general requirements, and deliver the tape to you. You provide the requirements and dealines, they handle the execution. You write checks to the contractor, they pay for rentals and crew.

There is a reason to do it this way and that is that you don't want the liabilities of being an employer. If you pay the individual freelancer who shows up with a personal tool bag, is directed by you, has her hours set by you, and is payed by the hour, then she is likely to be considered by law to be an employee. At the very least, if a conflict came up about pay or other claims, that state's labor relations board would schedule a hearing in that state that you would be required to attend or have a judgement against you (just like small claims court) if you fail to attend. It might be that the state would determine at that hearing that she was really a contractor but you'd have to travel to that state for the hearing in order for it to get that far.

Getting that crew person to sign a contractor's agreement may not help you if that state considers the circumstances and decides the person wasn't truly a contractor. (What those agreements do is discourage action, not prevent it.

All this is to say that it'd be better to contract with Crew Connection and get all the legal stuff tidied up.

Rob Mack

Here in Madison, Wis. $1K/day is not uncommon. Anywhere from $100/hr and up for a pro cameraman w/pro camera and lighting is about minimum.

Sounds right.

Rob Mack

Videographer:

Up here in Northern Alberta we charge 1200 CAD for each DSR 500/570, Miller 50 tripod, Frezzi sungun, one (1) Sony boradcast wireless (the one with the receiver that goes between the camcorder body and batter)/WRT 510, and field monitor.
(When we get the 2/3" XDCAM HD next year the rate for HD will be only about 250$/day more becasue that is what shooters from Edmonton are charging for HDV and people up here can't differentiate between HDV and HD).

4 instrument redhead kit is 50$/day, softbox additional 25$, ellipsoidal 35$. 2 Pin spots 25$/day.

Matthews Doorway Dolly 100$/day

Sound/lighting guy with FP24 & two more UVX(?) series wirelesswith ECM-77B mics, ECM 672 & boom 700 CAD/day.

4 X 4 GMC Sierra charged by the kilometre portal to portal.

Ken -
I've spent way too many years on the road with strange crews.

So whatever you pay, make sure you've got a personal recommendation from a reputable source. Every state has a film commission with a bunch of pros in it. Call a local production company or TV station, and ask them who they suggest - most shooters have their own equipment. Rates vary greatly based on locacation and how busy they are, i.e., you can get way better rates in MIami in the summer, than in the winter, etc.