ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

11 years, 6 months ago - Radar Music Videos

Thanks very much, that's much appreciated.

If you're interested, we set £500 as the lowest budget a commissioner can set for a promo on Radar. Then we have another price point at £2k, we get feedback that's a common price point for career-oriented directors.

11 years, 6 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

£5k if I like the track, £8k for anything else as a baseline minimum. Below that, someone else can take the job, there's no margin in it.
Yes, produced pop promos in the past, now with everyone wanting them for next to nothing and MTV showing 'reality' programming over pop promos, not for ages.

HTH

11 years, 6 months ago - Ned Hussain

The first ever music video i shot was for free, no budget just "whatever". Then the second was going to be the same but i pushed for some £'s to be spent, not my fee but for production. So we did, also this fresh label wanted broadcast release (MTV etc). We shot it for £50 though people think thousands were spent. And guess what, they didnt even release it except online (YouTube). After that i set myself a minimum. Either a good budget to work with and small fee. So the third video i shot i got exactly that. Even though it was cheap (i mean real cheap) and i worked over the limit it has now international broadcast release. As im growing as a MV director i am raising the bar and the budgets i work with until i am commercially known and repped.

Hope that was insightful,

Ned

11 years, 6 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Depends on the production level, but unless you can pay everyone properly for 2 days shooting, preproduction, postproduction, all the messing about paperwork-wise, insurance, hires and some profit, there's no starting point to work from. Saying '£10k' will mean nothing whatsoever without ascertaining what costs are inside and outside of the budget. For instance if I propose a studio shoot, passing for the studio, power, parking, catering overheads, but it involves the artist traveling to Scotland, whose cost is that? And hotels for them? Will they also bring management needing hotels, what standard hotel etc. So just plucking a price out of the air is more dangerous than talking it through. People will remember the first, lowest number but also remember all the cool stuff they added in.

However, last time I looked at radar the only gigs to bid on would mean effectively subsidising the production. £200 isn't a days hire of a camera, it isn't a days wage for a professional, it's barely the catering budget, so it's all a little moot!

11 years, 6 months ago - Radar Music Videos

And then £5k...

11 years, 6 months ago - Radar Music Videos

Hi Paddy,
we're interested in whether people personally set themselves limits, thanks.
Do you?
Do you make music videos?
The only briefs on Radar at £200 are lyric briefs.
Caroline

11 years, 6 months ago - Adeline Royal

Hi there, I am very happy you are talking about this subject as I have been recently thinking about it. I know it is hard to get into the business but it breaks my heart to see adds saying I will make your music video for 80 pounds. Later clients come to you telling you that making a budget for 300-400 pounds is very expensive, which is actually already quite cheap. I do have my limits but they all depend on the nature of the video, and the costs involved of course, never going under 300 as there is no margin. However, as I said, there are people out there, announcing music video services for less than 100 pounds and therefore affecting the trade! at least they should be saying they are students or they are charging that price in order to build a portfolio. Thanks, Adeline.