7 replies to this topic

[dbird32]

I have been asked to develop a graphic package for a tv show. I am fresh out of school and we never really covered budgets regarding motion design. They are asking for a concept for a 20 second intro, stingers, bumpers, promos, and lower 3rd.

Is there any budget templates out there I can use as reference to help along the way? What does a graphic package like this cost? How many days does a project of this scope take. I came up with a sample budget for everything. It is 13 days @ $264/day ($33/hr it works out to). Am I short changing myself?

I have developed a contract of my own but is there contract template out there that someone can refer me to use as reference in case i am missing anything important.

Thanks,
Dbird32

[beckmanvfx]

I have been asked to develop a graphic package for a tv show. I am fresh out of school and we never really covered budgets regarding motion design. They are asking for a concept for a 20 second intro, stingers, bumpers, promos, and lower 3rd.

Is there any budget templates out there I can use as reference to help along the way? What does a graphic package like this cost? How many days does a project of this scope take. I came up with a sample budget for everything. It is 13 days @ $264/day ($33/hr it works out to). Am I short changing myself?

I have developed a contract of my own but is there contract template out there that someone can refer me to use as reference in case i am missing anything important.

Thanks,
Dbird32

Is this an established client or somebody pitching a show to a newtwork? $3400 is very very low.

[dbird32]

Yes there are an established tv network in Canada . The show airs this October. What they've told me is there budget for this is $3000-$3500. The intro is all graphic based that will include footage that has already been shot by for the pilot. Any help or advise is appreciated.

Edited by dbird32, 12 July 2010 - 06:44 PM.

[misanthrope.]

$264 a day is suspiciously low. You KNOW there are going to be multiple revs of each, and endless nights of tweaks to cover any side input the project manager gets (which will magically not be covered since their budget doesnt go up high enough).

Now, I'm not a mega-pro by any stretch, but I had a full schedule for 4+ years at $45 per hour (only stopped because of medical reasons). I didnt charge overtime, but i was precise with my records.

Personally, I'd be a little suspicious of a production that is looking for what is essentially an entire branding package for that little.

Edited by misanthrope., 12 July 2010 - 07:41 PM.

[dbird32]

I made changes to the original quote. I changed it to 120 hours @ $33/hr. Which works out to $3960 for the total project. With regards to the revisions, In the contract I have granted two revisions for each part( e.g intro, lower 3rd, and bumpers). Each additional revision beyond the additional two that were granted at the beginning be will be at $33/hr.

I would really there a link to a contract template that can be viewed or purchased to refer to?

Edited by dbird32, 12 July 2010 - 08:43 PM.

[anothername]

That's extremely low for a graphics package. There is no template or formula for quoting on something like that as far as I know (time and budget for graphics package would vary wildly depending on what is wanted, budget of the show etc.) You need to estimate how much time it's going to take you and quote based on that. If you are fresh out of school this can be hard to figure out since you can't base it on past experience.

Try breaking the whole job down into as many individual tasks as possible and estimate time for each then add it all up...then double it. Most of the time on a show package you need to please several levels of people (the actual director or producer of the show, people up the chain of command at the network etc.) dealing with the all the notes always eats up more time than you think it will.

Edit: The scope of work doc and aiga contract in this thread might be useful

Edited by anothername, 12 July 2010 - 08:49 PM.

[dbird32]

Thanks for the advice. This is whole process is a learning experience and but a challenge I'm looking forward too. One thing I forgot to mention is that we are in small market that has lower rates than compared to a places such as Vancouver or Toronto. I have talked with other people within the industry who have done some similar work and they have said the price is reasonable but not extremely low. I figured being a newcomer to the scene my rates are lower but will rise in time as my portfolio grows. There is huge opportunity for future work with the client and I did not want to over budget something that has the potential to turn into long term work. Is this wrong?

I have submitted a budget for 120 hrs @ $33/hr. This includes 2 revisions for each task(e.g intro, lower 3rd, bumper and etc.). I have stated in the contract that each additional changes beyond the the two will charged at a hourly rate of $33/hr.
The show is 12 half hour episodes and will have the same intro for each episode. Anymore advice will be great and thanks for your perspectives!

Thanks,
Dbird32

[beau+++]

I'm in a mid-sized Canadian market as well and did a lot of these types of gigs when I was starting out too. Canadian TV budgets are always going to be a lot lower than American ones, so unfortunately it's pretty common to be asked to pump out quick, cheap show packages like this. The budget you mentioned is pretty standard for the really low-end Canadian stuff. Certainly nothing wrong with doing these to get your foot in the door, just keep in mind that it's going to be almost IMPOSSIBLE to ever convince this studio that you're worth more later on, or that they should budget more for graphics in future projects. Obviously that sucks in a small market when there's only a handful of studios able to send work your way.

One thing I learned early on is to make sure clients realize they're getting a hell of a deal when you do gigs like this. Politely explain that you're willing to do it within their budget this time, but that normally these things cost quite a bit more. It hardly ever works, but I did have one client that actually started budgeting a lot more for show packages. 4 or 5 years ago I was doing packages for them with budgets exactly like yours (2-3 weeks for the whole package). Now that same client still comes back to me except now they have a budget of 6-8 weeks just for the intro at a much higher hourly rate.

I guess in short what I'm saying is: Small markets mean there isn't much work to be had, and often in small markets Avid Editors are making their own (awful) graphics for these shows. If you want to stay in the small market and succeed, you need to convince people your work is worth more than their small budgets allow, and hopefully convince them to give you more later on. Or move to a larger market, or do remote work for larger markets (remote is a lifesaver, lots of work coming from the States with much higher budgets).

Edited by beau+++, 13 July 2010 - 03:50 PM.