Thea Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 So maybe this isn't the right place to ask this, but hey. I'm in New York, and am starting to freelance draft for some lighting designers. At the moment, I'm transfering a groundplan into spotlight, and then mid-january I'll be cleaning up the rough plot. The trouble is that I have no idea what I should be getting paid for this. It's for a show outside of New York, so it's not a Broadway payscale, but it's not too far off (Berkeley Rep). Any ideas? Advice? Thanks. Quote Link to comment
Rick Martin Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 My advice to you Thea is this: stop working until you have an agreement between you and whomever is paying you. Quote Link to comment
Thea Posted December 28, 2006 Author Share Posted December 28, 2006 Of course I'm waiting to really start until we have this worked out, but that's not the issue, the issue is that I don't know how much I should be asking for. I don't want to undersell myself, but I also don't want to name something too high. Quote Link to comment
Jim_Allen Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 How much do you need to make for the time it will take? Add 30% and use that as a starting point. Most producers understand the negotiating process. Quote Link to comment
CipesDesign Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 1) How much do you need to make per month? 2) How many hours do you (want to) work per month? 3) Divide the fist figure by the second and you'll have your hourly rate. Quote Link to comment
jan15 Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 1) How much do you need to make per month? 2) How many hours do you (want to) work per month? 3) Divide the fist figure by the second and you'll have your hourly rate. That can't be right. I did it just like you said, and it came out to $10,000 per hour. Quote Link to comment
CipesDesign Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Ha ha Jan. Can I come work with you ;-) Quote Link to comment
C. Andrew Dunning Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 You may want to look into the Stagecraft Mailing List (http://stagecraft.theprices.net/). There was a thread discussing this question within the last few weeks. Might give you some direction... Quote Link to comment
Thea Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 Thanks, I figured it out. For those interested- I'm charging 17.50 an hour. Apparently people go up to 25, but that is more for super-fast people who are working for places that can afford that. Quote Link to comment
Jim_Allen Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Good grief, you can live on $17.50 an hour in New York?????. For someone with CAD drafting skills I would expect to pay that in Michigan. Quote Link to comment
Thea Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 Well, I asked around and most of what I heard was 15-20. I'm good at it, and I own the program, but I'm not quite great yet. Besides, that's not all I'm going to be doing. (and it helps that I have roommates, therefore relatively cheap rent). But hey, if you know people who will pay me more, send them my way. Quote Link to comment
Jim_Allen Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Will do. Do you have a resume? How much CAD work, non lighting, have you done? Email it to me: jtallen24@cablespeed.com Quote Link to comment
islandmon Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Thea, since you're just getting started in business, it may be best to match your fees to the scale of the project. Set a base mobilization fee then add a percentage based on the project budget. This approach allows for upfront payment and then places the fee limits squarely on the shoulders of the Project Manager. See if you can live with 5% with a minimum of $500. Suggested reading "The Hunger Artist" by Franz Kafka. Quote Link to comment
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