2012Legal / Business Practices forum
Pricing strategy for Steadicam rental and operation on corporate video shoots
14 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- When operating Steadicam on corporate shoots, billing one day of work as one day of rental (1:1 ratio) is standard practice in live television and protects rates across the market
- Corporate video budgets typically exceed broadcast budgets, making full daily billing sustainable without needing weekly discounts
- Steadicam rentals differ from general broadcast equipment rentals because the gear requires customization and accessories for each specific job, camera, and working conditions
- A Certificate of Insurance protects the operator by allowing claims against the client's policy, while the deal memo specifies responsibility for deductibles and damage costs
- Weekly discount structures (such as billing six days as four days of rental) are used in episodic television and feature film production but not standard for corporate work
Depends on
- Discussion reflects pricing standards primarily from the San Francisco Bay Area market in 2012
- Responses indicate significant regional variation in pricing practices, with different standards for live television versus corporate shoots versus feature film work
- One participant claims full-week discount structures do not exist as described, suggesting disagreement on terminology or market conditions
- Limited discussion of whether these rates apply to equipment-only rentals versus operator-plus-equipment packages