I wouldn’t say that I have a “going rate” but I do have a base line determined by average rates of competition in the surrounding area.
This is actually something I’ve talked about with a few of my producers, things that used to be done for 15,000-25,000 10 years ago, must now be done for 1,000-3,000, and it is up to the filmmakers to find the profit in those rates.
The biggest problem is the huge influx of people who will do it for free, and the number of companies making their first videos. A company that has never created a video before will be most tempted to do it for free. They have no idea how expensive things were, and have no expectations of skill level. When the project is done, they either enjoy the product they have and continue to look for people who will do it for free (won’t be the same people), will hate the process/not see the expected results, and never do it again, or learn that spending money is required to achieve the results they are looking for.
Now, that’s not to say there is no situation when working for free is a good idea, in fact there are several situations where it is the best idea. The saying is ‘Time is money.’ so treat it like money, invest it wisely. It’s about determining which projects have a higher chance of generating return on investment, and those that have a near zero ROI.
Dudley Do-Right says:
“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right!”
“Remember to always look before crossing the road.”
