“Can you tell us about your rates?”
We often receive these questions via email enquiries. I don’t really want to disclose this information because other companies in my industry may also see this page, but I have been asked many times, so I will explain honestly. Here is what I can tell you about my fees and those of my teammates.
First, my labour costs as a Director of Photography are USD 750 per day. And my labour costs for working as a camera operator for another Director of Photography are USD 600 per day. Per day means up to eight hours. If I spend more than eight hours on location, I charge an additional $100 per hour.
Second, before I explain the personnel costs of my teammates, let me give you some background. They are all independent and bilingual freelance videographers, photographers, sound recordists and fixers. We form a team for each project and work together for international clients. Since they are all independent, they decide their own rates. The figures given below should therefore be taken as a rough guide. These are labour costs and do not include filming equipment or transport costs.
Personnel costs of filming (as at Oct 2022)
Director of Photography: 750USD
Camera operator: 600USD
Camera assistant: 450USD
Drone operator: 600~700USD
Sound recordist: 600~700USD
Fixer/Local producer: 600~700USD
Hair&Make: 400~500USD