HELP ASAP!! How much should I charge...?

[Chillicat14]

I'm a film major and since we have low budgets to make our own films I tend to do a lot of the make up and Special FX makeup for our short films. And I've gotten pretty good at it so a lot of people are spreading the word!!

But now people want to hire me for their sets and are asking me how much do I charge and I have no idea what a good rate is!

So the question is: How much should I charge per hour on a film set? And if they want me for a "whole day" shoot (12 hours) how much should I ask for?

PLEASE HELP!

 

[LC]

i charge

100/hour
350/ half day (4-6 hours)
600/full day (8-12 hours)

 

[QueenBam]

I would charge for:

the product you used. say you bought a $40 primer and you used 1/4th of the bottle... (and you'll probably have to buy cottonballs and qtips and

sponges and whatnot) charge for that

lashes, charge for that

transportation (gas) keep that in mind if the location isn't near you

and just a base pay on top of that.... whatever you would like

it also helps to explain to your client WHY you are charging what you charging... and offer touch-ups on set also. free OR not, whatever

 

[pebblesbuddy]

I agree with baci. Charge a flat rate. Charging by how much product you use will take too long to figure out and almost seems like a waste. No offense.

I run a bakery and don't really base everyone on how much flour, vanilla I use per cake or cookie. You know how long that would take me to figure out

It's mainly about labor and what you feel like your time is worth. And include gas up to a certain point. Like after 30 miles start charging per mile you go.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[aeni]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chillicat14 I'm a film major and since we have low budgets to make our own films I tend to do a lot of the make up and Special FX makeup for our short films. And I've gotten pretty good at it so a lot of people are spreading the word!! But now people want to hire me for their sets and are asking me how much do I charge and I have no idea what a good rate is! So the question is: How much should I charge per hour on a film set? And if they want me for a "whole day" shoot (12 hours) how much should I ask for? PLEASE HELP!

You need a full day rate and kit fee. Only in films, TV, and commercials does the kit fee exist. When you start to book bigger films you'll also get a budget amount to spend on product for the film but a lot of times (on smaller or student films) the budget is also the total amt of money they've set aside for an artist.

I don't know where you live because every state is different and every artist charges differently. In my experience here in AZ smaller-med budget films can afford anywhere from $50-$250/day with no OT charging. If it were me starting out, I'd charge $100-$150/day with a $15-$50 kit fee (depends on how many actors, FX, etc). Try to see a script before you start negotiating and do sign a deal memo.

Don't forget you may need to negotiate a budget for continuity photos. You may want to print them out, polaroid, or lug your laptop around with you all the time.

And last thing: see if you can apprentice/intern/assist a working film MUA. Each film set is different, but you'll learn a lot from them by simply helping.