Great job on your first video. There are a couple of things that could be improved upon but nothing major and since you've already delivered the final copy and the client is satisfied not really worth bringing up. I am also just starting commercial work so look forward to the evolution of this thread.

Cheers!

I think you'll do well!

@spacewig @kavadni @peternap-- Thank you!

@truestory-- True story indeed. Discounting is a slippery slope, and that's one of the things we're struggling with. Our portfolio's too limited to be charging what the established houses get (~2k/minute), so we're taking discount jobs like this one to build it up in the meantime. Hopefully not for long...

The goal is to to figure out how to make video that looks and sounds like this:

For a tenth what than these guys spent -- and NOT lowering our rates, of course ^_^

Anybody have paid work to share? I'm interested in commercials, government, and events as well...

I've been a video editor for 10 years. Its gone "well" financially but I'm on the verge of going crazy w this career. Here is my advice. Don't spend all the money you make, save up. Read books and eventually you'll be smarter than 90% of the retards that work in production. Most of these people are in it just for the money so that they can feed their children. The result is 95% of the bullshit, propaganda, and commercials to keep people consuming garbage. Im still working as an editor, but i can't stand the directors, producers, etc i work with, they are fucking ignorant. Everyone wants to produce reality shows, its entertaining when you're young and making money feels good, but then you get older, wake up, and say "i hate the media.... oh wait, I'm somewhat part of the problem... certainly not the solution."

People in production are whores (including actors obviously), pay them, and they'll make or say what ever you tell them to.

So make some dough, buy a house, rent it out and go live in a 3rd world country for nothing.

Most people in production make garbage. People should read good books, not watch videos.

@fatpig Good point.

Right now I prefer to invoice nothing but the video and whatever added options the client selects. (+graphic animation, spokesperson, aerial). It's a product, not a service, right? Hours and expenses are unnecessary information.

But how you price that product is the hard part...

@fatpig Here's our current system:

1. Meet with potential client to figure out their needs
2. Create a concept that would satisfy the client. Price it based on your costs and time. (Talent, rental, gear depreciation, hired crew, + all your hours). Possible here to make two prices, the optimal price and the minimum you would do it for.
3. Pitch the concept to the client, they buy it or not. Maybe they bargain you down from the optimal, just hold fast at the minimum.
4. Get 50% upfront
5. Produce to a presentable cut, keeping the client in the loop throughout
6. Present to client for any changes
7. Make final changes
8. Deliver final cut, watermarked
9. Get remaining 50%
10. Deliver final cut, clean

As far as figuring out your costs, that takes research and experience. I know that for us it can vary up to 20% off our estimations, so you've got to factor that in, too.

Does anyone with more experience have advice on the process?

And in the interest of everyone's educational benefit, my rate before was $800, my kit came out to $1000, and I changed my rate to $1200, which is still on the low side of standard in my area (Seattle, WA). Also, I have a BFA in photography, and have been shooting video for about 3 years now.

I work for a corporation on a small internal video team, so for the past five years, corporate video has comprised of about 80% of what I do. I might think and act differently if I were doing freelance work, but from my experience, my biggest takeaways are these:

1. If the client provides a buzzword and bulletpoint-thick script that reads like a PowerPoint, then maybe it should just be a PowerPoint. If you can convey this, you are showing them that you are not just a button-pusher, but that you're also someone who is thinking about their bigger goals. It may cost you a job in the short run but it can also build trust with your client, help them to NOT create a bad video, and lead to more projects down the road. (Sometimes, you'll get blacklisted for doing this, and the client will go out and find someone will make them a moving PowerPoint -- but are these the people that you really want to be working with anyway?)
2. Just because an employee is a subject matter expert in their field or is a rockstar at what they do does NOT mean that they will be a good presence on camera, especially in the capacity of an anchor or a narrator. Every once in a while you might find an exception to this, but it's rare. If you need an on-camera presence, encourage the client to consider hiring an actor and make them a part of that process.
3. Rather than asking, "and when will you need this?", ask the client if the video is meant to be screened at a particular event. This will keep them from pulling a random date out of the air that you'll have to work late nights to meet (but that won't actually have any benefit to them). I can't tell you how many times I have killed myself to turn around a two-day edit, only so that it can sit on someone's desktop for two weeks.
4. In addition to your own milestones, set milestones for your clients that they must meet in order for you to meet the deadline that you have agreed upon. This includes when the script will be finished, and when their feedback for each draft is due.
5. Try to limit the number of reviewers by educating your client about the negative effects of "too many cooks in the kitchen." Sometimes clients feel that sending creative drafts out to big committees is a safeguard against being held accountable for something, especially if they are new to the world of video. Let them know that it can potentially compromise their deadline. Ask them in the beginning to think about which three key people need to see the drafts.
6. Accept that the client may not see things your way, and you may end up creating something that is unwatchable to you and that you would never use as a portfolio piece. I don't think that this is different from the advertising, event or wedding arenas for that matter. Sometimes it is just unavoidable.

@QuickHitRecord: This is superb!

@QuickHitRecord You are so right about the people that are put in front of cameras. A teleprompter can help the forgetful!

I'll also add that on every job you'll get a bit of footage that you really like, but many times the client won't - their choice wins!

I would say that we often get asked to keep including the product or company name, which can be long and adds too many seconds and wrecks the flow of the story.

My favourite comments are:

@mark_the_harp my business actually increased after the rate change, but I should also ad that at that point I started taking my work more seriously and pushed the envelope a little more in terms of what I could create artistically. I think the work is what kept my business going, and the rate change kind of kicked me in the ass to get there.

edit: ok, the above is true, but i think i should ad that I am not a regular shooter. so, while my rate of business did increase, its kind of hard to really quantify, as before i was shooting maybe 3 projects a year, and now i am shooting maybe 6.. for me it has been a big change, but for someone who works more consistently, idkkkkkkk...

Researching non-profit promo videos, I came upon this one:

Great, huh? Anybody got a guess on production budget?