Nino
09-01-2006, 09:38 AM
This week I worked four days, one with my 600, one with a 790 Digibeta PAL, one with a Varicam and another with a F900.
As expected the frequency that I use other formats beside the 600 is steadily increasing. Until now I’ve been charging my clients my full Betacam package and added-on camera rentals if I use other formats beside my 600 or my Z1. However times are changing and although I did not get any complains yet, I can sense unhappiness among my clients having to pay for a camera that I’m not using. Of course I don’t know if this is costing me jobs; for sure they will not tell me that. We both have mutual interest in keeping each other happy but I’m sure that when it comes to money loyalty takes a back seat.
I feel that in all fairness some adjustments have to be made, and unfortunately this will mean less money in my pocket as many clients are supplying the cameras because they have special deals with rental houses thus effectively eliminating any profit that could be generated from the rentals. Keep in mind that the rentals are being delivered to my door the day before the shoot and picked up the day after or the same evening of the shoot, so there’s no time involved in me picking up and returning the cameras to the rental house.
Let me add something to this, actually there’s extra time involved. Right after the camera is delivered after traveling thousand of miles via air and via delivery messenger I give it a full work-out. That’s at least one hour of my time.
I have been tossing a number of formulas to come up with a number but I would like to hear how others are handling this so I can follow some sort of uniformity, not as much as what we charge but how we charge.
As expected the frequency that I use other formats beside the 600 is steadily increasing. Until now I’ve been charging my clients my full Betacam package and added-on camera rentals if I use other formats beside my 600 or my Z1. However times are changing and although I did not get any complains yet, I can sense unhappiness among my clients having to pay for a camera that I’m not using. Of course I don’t know if this is costing me jobs; for sure they will not tell me that. We both have mutual interest in keeping each other happy but I’m sure that when it comes to money loyalty takes a back seat.
I feel that in all fairness some adjustments have to be made, and unfortunately this will mean less money in my pocket as many clients are supplying the cameras because they have special deals with rental houses thus effectively eliminating any profit that could be generated from the rentals. Keep in mind that the rentals are being delivered to my door the day before the shoot and picked up the day after or the same evening of the shoot, so there’s no time involved in me picking up and returning the cameras to the rental house.
Let me add something to this, actually there’s extra time involved. Right after the camera is delivered after traveling thousand of miles via air and via delivery messenger I give it a full work-out. That’s at least one hour of my time.
I have been tossing a number of formulas to come up with a number but I would like to hear how others are handling this so I can follow some sort of uniformity, not as much as what we charge but how we charge.