What should I charge?

[Jonathan White]

Hello all. I'm a new member and would be grateful for a little wisdom. Some friends are in the process of setting up a film company and, due to the happy partnership we've enjoyed on previous projects, have asked me to give them an assessment of my fees for future work by stating a minimum and maximum plus a "middle" fee.

Right.

So what do I charge? I want to be fair and would want to suggest a range that does some sort of justice to the service I provide in its own right.

At this point I was going to outline all the possible variations I could dream up on the theme of "How To Show Me The Money" but I was confronted by the leering face of my ignorance and the realisation that y'all (or some of you at any rate) are far more likely than I to have experience-fed intelligence on what the variations might be.

So, humbly awaiting the deluge, I beseech you to aid me in my (relatively mild) strife.

Many thanks.

[Anne Goodwin]

Are you yourself a partner in this film company or will you be an outside contractor who does work for it?

[Jonathan White]

Initially I'll be contracted to work on projects as they come in although they want me to score everything that comes their way which might lead who knows where as volume (God willing) increases.
EA Goodwin said:

Are you yourself a partner in this film company or will you be an outside contractor who does work for it?

[Anne Goodwin]

Sorry to take so long to get back to you Jonathan but here are my thoughts. (By the way, I am a music engraver.)

1. You will need to keep some distance between you and your friends for a successful professional relationship if the arrangement is such that you will be working "for" them;
2. Given that you are not going to be a partner in the film company, then you will be setting up your own business as a self-employed person/contractor. Your friends in the film company will then become your "clients."
3. No one can "tell" you what to charge really; you need to determine for yourself what you think you are worth, in keeping with what current market conditions will bear. This takes research and talking person to person to other people who do what you do.
4. In terms of the request to provide a high-end, medium and low-end quote, I would NOT do that. You should only provide the high-end quote. This leaves room for negotiations on a project by project basis.
5. To briefly share my own recent experience with fees, I did all of the above, negotiated, offered discounts, did the work and the end result was that I received about 75% of my "high-end" fee which is about what I expected and wanted.
6. I recommend going to a conversation started by Denny Schneidemesser entitled "Payment or . . . how much is it worth?" in 'The Business of Composing Section. There are other such conversations in that section as well.

I hope this helps. :)

[Jonathan White]

What a response! It's humbling that you've taken the time to provide what seem to me a good set of principles which I can apply. The conversation you pointed me too has also been invaluable. Now feel much better equipped to address the issue with something approaching confidence so thanks very much.

It's a tonic to have some input from someone who certainly appears to have a clear knowledge of his onions!



EA Goodwin said:

Sorry to take so long to get back to you Jonathan but here are my thoughts. (By the way, I am a music engraver.)

1. You will need to keep some distance between you and your friends for a successful professional relationship if the arrangement is such that you will be working "for" them;
2. Given that you are not going to be a partner in the film company, then you will be setting up your own business as a self-employed person/contractor. Your friends in the film company will then become your "clients."
3. No one can "tell" you what to charge really; you need to determine for yourself what you think you are worth, in keeping with what current market conditions will bear. This takes research and talking person to person to other people who do what you do.
4. In terms of the request to provide a high-end, medium and low-end quote, I would NOT do that. You should only provide the high-end quote. This leaves room for negotiations on a project by project basis.
5. To briefly share my own recent experience with fees, I did all of the above, negotiated, offered discounts, did the work and the end result was that I received about 75% of my "high-end" fee which is about what I expected and wanted.
6. I recommend going to a conversation started by Denny Schneidemesser entitled "Payment or . . . how much is it worth?" in 'The Business of Composing Section. There are other such conversations in that section as well.

I hope this helps. :)

[Anne Goodwin]

Sigh . . . you should at least peek at my profile. Even though my settings are currently set for friends only, my gender is clearly explained. :) No offence . . . but quite amusing. I've made errors too by not checking someone's profile before commenting or responding. :) Maybe I'll put my photo back up . . .

[Jonathan White]

Oops! Did take a peek in your direction but clearly my peeking needs work. Apologies.

EA Goodwin said:

Sigh . . . you should at least peek at my profile. Even though my settings are currently set for friends only, my gender is clearly explained. :) No offence . . . but quite amusing. I've made errors too by not checking someone's profile before commenting or responding. :) Maybe I'll put my photo back up . . .