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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

How much does talent cost?

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Harva Raj

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filming equipments these day cost a lot less compare 10-20 years ago. but salaries for those who handle the equipments are fairly remain unchanged. if lets say i want to make a music video in LA area and provide the camera,lens,support system, how much salary am i expected to pay the director, DOP, focus puller,hot models,transport,location?
(Post Production is in-house)

i would like to know the salary by area or country, like vegas, NY, UK, germany, japan and such.
 
Salaries range from Zero to a Gazillion, meaning you offer what you can afford... and you usually get someone to work for that offer, though a really low rate might not get you the cream of the crop. Or you may get lucky, who knows, especially when it's slow in the industry.

Rates are really a percentage of the overall budget, which is generally not an abstract notion but a concrete number. You take that number, subtract your equipment costs, post costs, insurance, locations, etc., the cost of your talent in front of the camera, and what's left over tends to be the crew costs. And that will generally be tiered in some manner, though some really tiny shoots may offer sort of a flat rate for most every key member of the team.

If you want some sort of guideline, you could start by looking at IATSE guild minimum rates.
 
How much moolah does a Director or DOP make on a typical big-label music video? I guess most videos are 1-3 day shoots? I'm just curious. I'm just looking for some ballpark numbers.
 
Tom said:
How much moolah does a Director or DOP make on a typical big-label music video? I guess most videos are 1-3 day shoots? I'm just curious. I'm just looking for some ballpark numbers.
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yeah, I've always been curious about that as well.
 
Tom said:
How much moolah does a Director or DOP make on a typical big-label music video? I guess most videos are 1-3 day shoots? I'm just curious. I'm just looking for some ballpark numbers.
Click to expand...

10% of budget is a good ballpark for an established director and that's including conceptual elements as well. I'm not sure about DP's but that gives a basic indicator. Might be hard to get to 10% and there are those "named" directors that command ridiculous fees.

Happy Holidays,

J.
 
Jason Francois said:
10% of budget is a good ballpark for an established director and that's including conceptual elements as well. I'm not sure about DP's but that gives a basic indicator. Might be hard to get to 10% and there are those "named" directors that command ridiculous fees.

Happy Holidays,

J.
Click to expand...

Thanks. what is the average budget of a Label produced video?
 
Brandon said:
Thanks. what is the average budget of a Label produced video?
Click to expand...

It goes all over the place. There is no average budget. I've done both $2500 videos for a major label, as well as $30K. They go up from there to $100-$150K for a not-exceptional big budget video. Beyonce gets $200K+ vids, but only because she moves units at WalMart all day long. I imagine the latest Metallica vid in the desert was $250K-ish.

Budgets in music videos have been a steady decline since about 2003. From 1999-2003 things had escalated to incredible levels, where almost every baby band a major label would be trying to break would get a $100K video to start off with. Now, the same type of band in the same situation will get something from $10K to $30K. Anything under $50k is likely only a one-day deal, unless it's a unique deal where second days have minimal/no crew. Many, many vids over 50 are one day deals as well.

Directors typically get 10%, that's true, but they are also the first ones to throw away their fee when things get hairy (although my recent big-boy lesson is stop throwing away my fee when things get tough). In the trenches of music video, many directors barely get paid. A lot of us directors are starting to do more on our videos so we can get paid. Shane Drake edits all his own stuff. Roboshobo does After Effects on his own to my knowledge. I edit and color, and what's scary is nobody at the labels are complaining that I'm not going to Riot or some such.

DP's get $700/day on up. The guys making more than $2K are probably names you've heard of. It is most definitely not a get-rich-quick scheme, the people doing it repeatedly are the people that have it in their hearts despite the stupid hours, bad day rates, and sometimes crappy treatment from overextended production companies.

FYI, the above is just per my experience and perspective. I know there are some here that could and should say something different just to give another view. Mr. Uhry? Care to chime in on the sorry state of our business? :biggrin:
 
sky1walker said:
filming equipments these day cost a lot less compare 10-20 years ago. but salaries for those who handle the equipments are fairly remain unchanged. if lets say i want to make a music video in LA area and provide the camera,lens,support system, how much salary am i expected to pay the director, DOP, focus puller,hot models,transport,location?
(Post Production is in-house)

i would like to know the salary by area or country, like vegas, NY, UK, germany, japan and such.
Click to expand...

In my diatribe above, I forgot there was this question behind it all. I will give typical rates at the, say, $20K budget level the way MY producer does it. Some producers go way lower than this:

Director: 10% of budget

DP: $600-$800/day

1st AC: $450 (more if you need a crack guy, or have tough shots/focus)

Transport: depends on what you need. Moho? 5 ton grip? cargo van?

Location: LA locations are $$$. Conversations usually start out at $2K-$4K. Can go down if you only need a couple hours there. Then there's permits. They start at about $650. $800 is very typical. To get a permit you need insurance. Can be done in a very ghetto way for about $400/day.

You can see how $20K is about the minimum needed to do things LA-style legit with a small crew of 8-10 folks.
 
Thanks, Nate. Very informative :)
 
NateWeaver said:
In my diatribe above, I forgot there was this question behind it all. I will give typical rates at the, say, $20K budget level the way MY producer does it. Some producers go way lower than this:

Director: 10% of budget

DP: $600-$800/day

You can see how $20K is about the minimum needed to do things LA-style legit with a small crew of 8-10 folks.
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Yeah, same shoot in another town could be $8K. And that's happening.

Based on the music video directors I'd say Nate's info is the same as what I've heard. In the director's fee you also have to consider they might be spending 2 weeks on the project. So the DP is possibly making more money and having an easier life if he just shoots it and walks away.

And the director has to spend a bunch of time listening to songs and creating then pitching the concepts... IF they are repped (and it ain't easy to get repped). Every video over $50K might have 50 or more directors pitching concepts. You might get 1 in 20 pitches sold.

Like everything, you better be really passionate about it 'cause your competitors are. I almost wonder if smaller towns might be a better place to do it. Every band still needs videos for myspace etc. The budgets would be lower but there might only be 2 or 3 guys in town shooting them all.
 
Brandon said:
Thanks. what is the average budget of a Label produced video?
Click to expand...

I've worked on a few...80k - 150k was the range I experienced
 
Wow, it doesn't sound like music vid directing is a real ticket to riches.
 
Tom said:
Wow, it doesn't sound like music vid directing is a real ticket to riches.
Click to expand...

not anymore at least...hasn't been for 10 years maybe a bit less.

I love shooting music, just ain't any money in it, however I always tell clients that want to shoot music to let me say yes or no on a project to DP...more often than not I will work for a lot less or even next to nothing because it's a chance to experiment or do something creative.

Eric
 
Some (big) music vids are still made for > 500k... A few production companies won't touch music vids for less... The director will generally get 10% of overall and the DP will have a VERY nice day-rate... That's not me of course, but day-rates are still on par with a good editor's. Some with cameras supplement that rate with the built in camera rental... All this coupled with the fact that music vids typically will go into time and a half or longer make the money very good sometimes
 
Mark Mannschreck said:
Some (big) music vids are still made for > 500k... A few production companies won't touch music vids for less...
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Very few, Mark. 6 years ago there were many more. I've got friends at Warner, they tell me what's up often.

And even companies like HSI and Anonymous have to put up with lower budget jobs to get the ball rolling on their baby directors. Companies often do draw lines (the company I'm about to roll with, their lower limit is $20K), but they often make allowances for special situations.
 
I guess the reason I'm rebutting some of these responses is not to be an ass, but to make it clear to an outsider that budgets, in general, are in a freefall from what they've been in the past.

That, to me, is a part of the question of "average".
 
Commercial DP rates are average $4000-$4500 a day. That is for a "typical" commercial - I.E. not low budget (where you will make little more than the 1st AC) and not some specialty spot that will hire someone like Harris Savides for much more.

Higher end music videos will be about the same.

That said...if it is good creative and an interesting director, some will work for less.
 
Music videos are tightening up. The biggest budget I've directed this year is $95k. The biggest one I've written on is $130k. But my bread and butter is $30k Christian / Country / Rock videos. (better to work a lot I say than wait on the big ones)

I get 10% to direct but that includes the treatment. I typically write three or four treatments a week and only one out of every five or so hits so that's a lot of unpaid time.

My brother and I co-direct and I usually DP but on the bigger shows I'll bring in a DP. Typically they will get $2500 a day. Hope it helps!
 
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