WOW!! Good thread!!
Thanks for the complements guys.
1st off, my favorite comment ever, that I use the most, I got from Jay Rock a while back was:
'You cant even rent my camera body at Samys for that rate"
Then I called up Samys for a rental price and he was way on point with that comment.
The competition in porn is very high. And in LA its even tougher. All of the guys still shooting are good, real good.
Jay Rock is No-Joke really good. Super high end shooter. When Jay gets a good budget, he kills it. But when you start stripping his budget down, he can't turn out the same quality of content. Cinematic DSL is an easy 10-12 hour day.
So what do you take away from the budget 1st? Make up artist? Location? PA? 2nd Camera man with DSLR? Food for set? Try booking around the agents? Taking away any one of the things, will fuck with the quality of the end product Seriously.
Then you got a shooter like
DWB. This guy is at the top of his game at what he does. Don't try fucking with this guys rate. your just going to piss him off. I don't care what you think he pays talent. And don't think you are going to come into Thailand and do what he can do at his quality level. Just prey you don't go to jail for 2 years for trying. You for sure will if you have not shot there before.
I remember being at a Kings game with DWB and asked him about what he does to get his shoots done. DWB told me in confidence, because I reassured him that I never plan on shooting Lady Boys in Thailand. After he told me what it takes, I had that much more respect for what he actually does. Mad respect!! And I love DWB!! Great dude!! Class Act!!
Another funny thing DWB told me was: "Clients are always telling me they want my pics to look like Vince Voyer's pics" He further told me, "I would to see Vice Voyer 1st come to Thailand 2nd, get his gear into a hotel room without getting arrested".
I was laughing my ass off!! But at the end of the day, DWB is right. He is a serious specialist at what he does, and he should get paid for it. And
fuck anyone trying to fuck with his rate!!!!
Then you got
Jim Gunn. One of the most OG dudes in this business. Super solid shooter, gets 1st time girls all day long, good quality content, and has one of the most impeccable business reputation in porn. Cant say enough good things about him with out sounding like a Homo. Love this guy!! (No Homo)
And you have the man, myth the legend
Dean Capture: Well he's Dean Capture, Nuff said.
Also rounding out this group of shooters and new to GFY, but not new to porn is
Stills By Allen. This guy, I shit you not, he shoots 25 times per month, Stills and some video. He is one of the absolute best Photogs working today!! Not kidding, no bullshit! He turns down a lot of work because he is always booked out. Check him out.
StillsByAlan.com
Aln is one of my closest friends in the Biz. We have been friends for about 9 years. We talk daily and he is one of the key reasons why my Photo Game is where its at.
You also got Mat Dalton, BM Bradley, Nick Malilo, Bare Footsie and a few others that slip me right now.
All of the guys are solid and when they ask for a rate, its because thats what they charge. Why? Shit! Because there are a lot of costs that Clients don't factor into the charge.
Example: I had a scene with a particular Porn star, got through the whole day. Stills, dialogue, story, hardcore stills and 17 min. of sex footage. Girl complained that her Butt was hurting, etc. Im not going to force the issue. I don't do that. But with location, crew, time, time that this model wasted, dicking around etc, i was into the shoot $1200.
So i rescheduled the scene, for 3 days later, the girl no-showed me morning of. Had to pay an additional $200 location kill. I worked that day for free and ate $1400 that I will never get back. This is one story out of 5+ i get per year.
At the end of the day, I don't bill my client for "my problems". I can't. But thats one of the big risks we as content shooters take when we go to work.
When you as a client hires one of us, you will be getting a quality product shot in a timely manner, not the problems we incurred to make that content. And trust me, we all have fucked up stories. All of use!!!
Now, do I work with lower budgets? Yes I do. Not a problem, but don't expect it to look like a Brazzers or Babes scene. Why is that? Outfits, Nice locations, extras, specialty props, all cost money.
I work with a bigger budget, but that budget is itemized in detail. My client sees where every dollar goes before I get my wire.
And if you think I can shoot where I shoot and skimp, on the all of the extras that the script asks for and that make the scene, so I can make a few extra dollars, I can't!!! Because all of the directors that shoot where I shoot don't skimp! They are all fucking Studs!! These guys are ringers and we are always in competition with each other. The competition keeps us all sharp and on point.
So if you are looking for a shooter, a quality shooter with a reputation, serious experience, and you are unhappy with the quote, ask for a rough break down of costs. But I will tell you this: For a more complex shoot, and not solos, Shooters will want to make at least $500-$1000 clear before taxes for a 10-12 hour day. And don't think that there is no time put into a shoot days before with scheduling, booking, location scouting, prop shopping, wardrobe shopping, etc.
This is mostly around LA, because thats all I really know, but others from other spots will have similar experiences.
Also keep in mind, If you cancel a scene same day with a name girl with an agent for what ever reason, the shooter has to pay a $200 Kill fee. So that $200 comes out of the shooters pocket. That cost doesn't get passed to the client.
Just a little insight to what we as content shooters deal with. A bit long, but some good info.
Just Dave