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Author	Topic: Pricing
bobaandy123 Registered: Jan '05	Date Posted: 3/19/08 5:29pm Subject: Pricing
	I had some interest from a colleague who wanted me to shoot a short (2-4 minute) project of his. Basiclly, id be doing everything execpt acting, including assistiant directing. My question is how to price it, do you guys charge some sort of hourly thing, or is it one flat fee? And how much is an acceptable price? -----signature----- "I know the movies! Why don't Spielberg?!" ~Michael “Dorkman” Scott, Geekza! Episode 50
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Darth_Abdax Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 3/19/08 5:36pm Subject: RE: Pricing - Date Edited: 3/19/08 5:39pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Darth_Abdax
	A flat fee would work best. Basically charge whatever you think you're worth, and whatever he thinks he can pay. Be sure though to take into account how much actual work you will be doing. Sometimes it's good to say to yourself "Ok, this job will take close to 20 hours of my time, and I'd like to make $15 an hour." So then tell your friend you'd like $300 for the whole shebang. -----signature----- I aim to misbehave.
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jedistan Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 3/20/08 6:30am Subject: RE: Pricing
	I think that's excellent advice. I helped a friend with a similar type of job estimate, the one thing you should account for is if this will be under the table or not. I'm not suggesting skirting the IRS at all, but I imagine this is different than say when you would shoot your cousins wedding and they give you some money. If you're going to be reporting this as income, it's probably best to do your estimate and then double it because the Tax-man's going to take quite a bit. Perhaps those who do alot of freelance could chime in on that and how they handle it. -----signature----- "DVD - A young filmmaker's best friend. Bonus features, commentary, and making of docs are as useful as film school." - The wisest film professor I ever had. http://MTSFilms.com
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AdamBertocci Title: Manager: Fan Films Registered: Feb '02	Date Posted: 3/20/08 8:24am Subject: RE: Pricing - Date Edited: 3/20/08 8:24am (1 edits total) Edited By: AdamBertocci
	Speaking as a freelancer re: taxes, it sounds complicated, but it's not. At my level of income, if I am paid on a W2 (i.e. no self-employment tax), I can expect, oh, 25% of my check to go to the taxman when all is said and done; this is based on many different things I pay taxes on, not just paychecks. At any rate this is just an illustration. Self-employment tax is effectively 14.1%, so if I am given $100 as a freelancer, I know to keep only 60% and set aside 40% of it (25+14.1, rounded up for convenience and safety) for taxes. Now. Let's say someone comes to me and offers me a job that I'd charge $100 for were I to be on a W2. That would mean about $75 posttax profit. But if he were offering me the job as a freelancer, I'd charge $125 to make up for the self-employment tax (60% of $125 = $75). If he pays me under the table, I might charge $75 flat. Those are obviously simplified numbers and don't take into account other factors for why you might change your rate. I'm just showing you how I handle things for this tax discussion. Rick McCallum loves you! -----signature----- "Run Leia Run", "The Chopped-Off Hands of Star Wars" and "The Fan Film Menace"... ... and now the award-winning "Brooklyn Force". Check 'em out. http://www.runleiarun.com
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DVeditor Title: Fan Films Evil Overlord (manager) Registered: Dec '01	Date Posted: 3/20/08 12:02pm Subject: RE: Pricing
	Very good info, part of good business when freelancing is paying (rimshot) careful attention to taxes and marking up slightly when needed. Don't lose food money when you can cover yourself with a slight increase if needed. -----signature----- CK Hicks http://www.ckhicks.com http://dveditor.deviantart.com TFN on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2202937735
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