How to bid traveling gigs

[Jonesy Jones]

Would love your sage advice.

If I were bidding on a gig that included local interviews/content, that would be easy.

However, I am going to be bidding on a gig where the interviews/content requires traveling, and I'm wondering how that should affect my bid. For simplicity sake lets leave traveling expenses out of the equation.

So, do I simply bill for all days that I'm not able to be hired for other work? Do I discount traveling days where no shooting is happening, just travel? Do I only charge for shooting days, making the traveling bit irrelevant?

[Jimbo]

Hello,

I normally approach bidding/quoting with a fixed day rate for filming/editing/travelling to keep it simple. If there is 1.5 days of travel, 1 day of filming and 2 days of editing then I quote 4.5 x Day Rate. I think of travelling as lost time where I could have been filming/editing.

However, there are always exceptions. At the moment, with new clients where I think there might be more work down the line with them, I'm offering a 20% introductory rate on my day rate on the first job (I'm very explicit in the final invoice that the day rate is at 20% discount) so I can get a foot in the door. This gives me a chance to show them the quality of my work and how easy I am to work with. Also, for a recent quote for a job in Finland with a new client, I quoted 1 day of travel where it was really 1.5, making a point of it but letting them know that I'd love to work with them. I may have got the job without the discount, but I wanted to increase my chances of securing it, especially as there should be more work down the line.

Generally I try to give myself a bit of wriggle room with the quote too. A lot of companies, especially smaller ones, will ask if there is anything I can do to bring the quote down.

I hope that helps! Good luck!

 

[AaronChicago]

With travel, I would bid on the full job at one price, and make a note that says excluding travel fees which are paid by the client.

[BenEricson]

The norm in my experience has been 60-65 percent of the day rate for off days. Of course, you can probably adjust based on the client/distance. 

Day Rate = 1000

Travel Days = 650 

[Jonesy Jones]

So it sounds like charging a full day for a travel day is not uncommon, nor is giving a discount on travel days. Probably depends on the scope of the project and my interest. 

Definitely will bid the project as a whole and adding the notations is a solid idea I hadn't realized. Thanks guys.

[Fritz Pierre]

I would bid the days you are not able to work for someone else as full days...this would include traveling to the starting location and returning home....if the job lasts longer than 5 days...say for example starting on a Monday, and you don't normally work weekends, then you would not bill them for weekend days, but if you then continue on Monday you'd be back to billing...I presume they're covering your hotel expenses and or meals...so anything that reasonably takes you out of the running for earning money elsewhere you bill for.

[Ed_David]

Scout and shoot days are full day rate.

Travel day is half day rate.

Down days u dont get paid for.

Per diem on a travel gig is usually 50 to 100 dollars a day

[webrunner5]

On 5/6/2017 at 9:23 AM, Jimbo said:

Hello,

I normally approach bidding/quoting with a fixed day rate for filming/editing/travelling to keep it simple. If there is 1.5 days of travel, 1 day of filming and 2 days of editing then I quote 4.5 x Day Rate. I think of travelling as lost time where I could have been filming/editing.

However, there are always exceptions. At the moment, with new clients where I think there might be more work down the line with them, I'm offering a 20% introductory rate on my day rate on the first job (I'm very explicit in the final invoice that the day rate is at 20% discount) so I can get a foot in the door. This gives me a chance to show them the quality of my work and how easy I am to work with. Also, for a recent quote for a job in Finland with a new client, I quoted 1 day of travel where it was really 1.5, making a point of it but letting them know that I'd love to work with them. I may have got the job without the discount, but I wanted to increase my chances of securing it, especially as there should be more work down the line.

Generally I try to give myself a bit of wriggle room with the quote too. A lot of companies, especially smaller ones, will ask if there is anything I can do to bring the quote down.

I hope that helps! Good luck!

 

I am not sure I would lump shooting, and editing in as the same cost to do?

[Jonesy Jones]

13 hours ago, Ed_David said:

Scout and shoot days are full day rate.

Travel day is half day rate.

Down days u dont get paid for.

Per diem on a travel gig is usually 50 to 100 dollars a day

Pretty much exactly where I figured I'd land. Thanks Ed.

13 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

I am not sure I would lump shooting, and editing in as the same cost to do?

Not same cost, but if you're being paid for both, some clients just want to know the bottom line.

[IronFilm]

Travel days means half days (which get charged at roughly two thirds rate of your daily rate). 
Plus of course they cover traveling expenses.