sparrman

And so we veer off-topic...(I know, I helped...) No, of course the rate would be different. But I'd still figure the cost of the shoot, celebrity, 3D work, etc., and give them a price for the whole spot, period. Not to sound high-falutin', but if you commission a painting from Picasso, you don't pay him based on how many hours he says it will take him to do the painting! You pay him a flat amount based on the demonstrable quality of his accumulated body of work thus far. It's a perfectly legitimate way of establishing pricing; I know several animation houses that price this way. What business is it of the client's how long it's going to take you? I've nothing more to say on that point, but if anyone else feels comfortable mentioning a per second or per minute rate for typical "car commercial" motion graphics, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks for the feedback thus far. Not to veer my own thread off-topic, but I just feel a firm quote on the spot (per second, per minute, or whatever) is fairer than figuring some "hourly rate" for myself. As someone posted in another thread here, he might be able to do something in 2 hours that would take someone else 2 days, but does that mean he should get paid less? So if anyone else cared to venture a per second or per minute rate for finished motion graphics, it would be most appreciated. Thanks!

Hey all -- Simple question: What would be an appropriate "per second" rate for finished motion graphics work on a local commercial? The local newspaper here wants a 30-second TV spot, which I plan to create in After Effects. Apparently it's being designed at the paper, and I would take that art and animate it. Just the typical stuff; flying logos, bouncing text, graphics zipping on and off, etc. Rather than deal with an hourly or day rate, I just want to give a flat bid for the finished spot. I am a one-man "studio" and would be working from my home office. This is not a huge market like LA or NYC, but a pretty large midwestern city. I found in a couple of places online a rate of $60 per second (so a 30-second spot would be $1800). Does that sound about right? Thanks!