2013Legal / Business Practices forum
Steadicam gear rental rates and negotiation strategies for television and film productions
13 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- The standard gear rental rate for a three-day week is one thousand dollars per day, with day play rates also at one thousand dollars per day
- Production companies sometimes attempt to prorate weekly rates down to daily rates, treating a five-day booking as if the daily rate should be lower than the established standard
- Invoicing with the full non-discounted rate followed by line items for applied discounts helps operators track concessions given and provides flexibility for future negotiations
- Live event work operates under different pricing models than scripted television, typically ranging from six hundred to seven hundred dollars per day for seven-day work weeks
- Low-budget feature films may request significantly reduced rates such as five hundred dollars per day or flat project fees, which represents a departure from television industry standards
- Operators should establish rates in writing through deal memos to prevent disputes over compensation structure
- Willingness to decline unfavorable offers is necessary to maintain market rates across the industry
Depends on
- Pricing practices vary significantly between television productions, live events, and low-budget feature films
- Market rates have shifted since the discussion occurred in 2013
- One participant noted that actual payment often differs from stated rates regardless of invoicing method
- Discussion of four-day and five-day work weeks suggests the three-day week standard may no longer be universal