Naturally, one of the first questions I get when jumping on board is: What's your daily rate?
I don't have one. I charge for the project, not for days. Counting time is risky – especially for the producer. I remember this recent tender. The treatment designer was hired for two days. At the end of the second evening, ding-ding, the time's up, here's the latest version, bye y'all. 'Wait,' said the producer, 'the director still has some feedback.' 'Apologies, the deal was two days,' the designer replied. The producer ended up hiring a different freelancer to complete the job.
I get it. The designer had another job lined up. It's not her problem that the project took longer than the producer expected. While it's definitely legit to work like this, it may not be very fruitful for the project. After two days of collaborating closely with the designer, the director had to switch. It's not a tragedy, but it's not a comedy either, especially given the crazy pitch timelines.
Imagine you start seeing a therapist, you finally get used to them, and after a few sessions, they tell you they are moving to another town, but 'don't worry, there's a great substitute'. Awesome. You'll have to start from scratch and get used to a different approach. Even if the new therapist was better, it's still such a drag to start over because you've already done some work with the first one. (This actually happened to me, and unfortunately, the new therapist sucked. If I were to finish the treatment with her, I definitely wouldn't win the pitch.)
This is why I set a time range of up to X days, and during these days, I'm all yours. But you don't have to pay me for each. Otherwise, you'd tend to squeeze my work into fewer days to save money. But if we have time, why not use it all and increase our chances of winning? Of course, if you need it done in two days, you'll get it. But it doesn't change my fee.
What changes it, then? The creative effort. If the project has five scripts, I charge more than if it only has one. If the director contributes to the writing, I charge less than if it's all on me. These factors aren't always tied to time. Some projects flourish with a quicker tempo, while others benefit from a slower pace. In both cases, I want to feel I've done my max. You know what I mean? There is a link between fee and feelings.
Anyway, I'm definitely happy that therapists set their fee based on time, and not the creative effort. Although it would certainly be an interesting kind of feedback. The higher the price, the bigger the shit you're in.
Comentarios