Freelance Sound Designer/ Mixer rates

[Nemosonic]

I am being given the opportunity to go freelance as a TV sound mixer/ sound designer meaning that there is a producer (within a TV broadcaster), interested in employing me on a freelance basis. This is something that I was interested in doing for some time now. But I am not entirely sure how to charge people. And none of the colleagues that I know work as freelancers. I live in London.

Would anyone tell me what is considered to be a reasonable daily rate?
Or should I be opting for an hourly rate instead?

I am sure it will be a combination of both, depending on the job. But if someone could give me the a rough starting point that would be great.

I wouldn't like launching out a freelance career overpricing clients. And I definitely wake up one day that I have been the cheapest dude in town!

[KMcK]

I would suggest finding out what the daily Union rate is for that kind of work, and then going under by a good 30% or more. Basically if they're hiring you they're saying they want to stay clear of Union scale and the payouts that go along with it, so if you're too close to that rate they'll feel like they might as well pay the full scale and get a real pro.

Just my 2 cents (er, pence)

[friendlybunny]

This is something that you will need to figure out based on many different factors.

You should be looking into how much it costs to run your freelance business. e.g. cost of equipment, upgrades, rent, media etc. Then you need to find out how much you want to earn. This will be of course based on how fast you can work and how much experience you have.

If you can keep your overhead low, than maybe you can charge a low rate. But that is hard to do in this field.

[RecRoom]

Originally Posted by friendlybunny

This is something that you will need to figure out based on many different factors.

You should be looking into how much it costs to run your freelance business. e.g. cost of equipment, upgrades, rent, media etc. Then you need to find out how much you want to earn. This will be of course based on how fast you can work and how much experience you have.

If you can keep your overhead low, than maybe you can charge a low rate. But that is hard to do in this field.

Indeed. When I started freelancing I charged a pretty low rate. I had some experience, but I was pretty unsure of my skills. Confidence goes a long way in this business, so I encourage you to consider your competition, your market, your expenses, AND your skills/experience. Don't just charge what the other guy is charging.

[froyo]

Hello. My advice on this subject is to charge as much as the market will bear. Sometimes in business we may make decisions for the short term that affect everybody later on in the long term. Make sure you don't come up with too low of a rate.

Sometimes it's easy to begrudge somebody charging say $200 an hour; you may think to yourself 'man that's a bit steep', etc. But hey, if somebody is paying that person $200 an hour, that means there is a market for it and maybe some day I can charge $200 an hour. However by undercutting that rate today I am ensuring that no one, including me, will get that rate in the future.

Charge a fair rate for the professional services you will provide, and charge as high as the market will bear. This very often is different from region to region, so do check in your region to see what's happening there. Good luck.

P.S. KMcK had great advice on the -30% union.

[Nemosonic]

Cheers all for the feedback. The union advice is really good and I'll start making inquiries first thing tomorrow.

But the fact that I don't know any other freelance editors makes me think:

Is this a field that in the UK there is market for? Are there any other London based sound mixing freelancers in this forum? Every single person that I know either works for a post studio or for a broadcaster.

Regarding my skills, I am pretty confident. Although I consider that I am at the beginning of my carreer (3 years of solid post pro work - radio production before that), I have mixed around more than 25 shows for an international broadcaster, I've composed music for a handful of promos, sponsorships and some comms, a spanish feature film, a long form documentary and a handful short films. What I makes me a bit insecure, is that I've never sat down next to a top flying sound mixing engineer and learn the secrets of the trade by him/ her (but I would like to put down a different post on that subject at some point). And I've got a decent set up at the home studio (centered around a HD1 Mac Pro).

[friendlybunny]

Originally Posted by froyo

Hello. My advice on this subject is to charge as much as the market will bear. Sometimes in business we may make decisions for the short term that affect everybody later on in the long term. Make sure you don't come up with too low of a rate.

Sometimes it's easy to begrudge somebody charging say $200 an hour; you may think to yourself 'man that's a bit steep', etc. But hey, if somebody is paying that person $200 an hour, that means there is a market for it and maybe some day I can charge $200 an hour. However by undercutting that rate today I am ensuring that no one, including me, will get that rate in the future.

Charge a fair rate for the professional services you will provide, and charge as high as the market will bear. This very often is different from region to region, so do check in your region to see what's happening there. Good luck.

P.S. KMcK had great advice on the -30% union.

I don't think charging less than someone else means that you are undercutting them.

I think (experienced) producers, directors, and clients understand the cost of doing business.

If you are working out of your house, then your rates should definitely be lower than a large post house with higher overhead.

There are many projects in both the high and low end of the field.

[MIKEROPHONICS]

We have virtually no unions in the UK since Mrs Thatcher smashed them..
Average London rates for post sound £40 per hour for good mixers, the fluffier ones get 30-35. The good people are busy. I would add some equipment charge on top too. Remember, the production are saving a ton in using you compared to Soho rates of £120 an hour minimum.
Charge too little and you will find it hard to ever charge more and will be pigeon holed as cheap. It's a game of poker..... Raise you.?

[Charles D. Ballard]

Charge a cheap rate and people will see your work (and skills) as cheap - not up to par...

[HD2]

First and foremost, you need to find out why they want to hire you as a freelancer. Is it for your skills as a mixer or is it that they think they will get you a lot cheaper? I suggest you ask the producer what their budget is for the work you will be doing. It would seem by your post that you have done some work for the producer while at a facility. If that is the case then find out what they are paying the facility and then work out a comparable price from that. I would be inclined to ask for the same amount as they are already paying but maybe be a bit more flexible with OT rates. ie. just charge the same hourly amount up to 12 hrs. If it is really your skills they want then they shouldn't mind paying.