PRICING & HOW WE WORK
First, we talk. Send us an email at info@stagewolf.com.au or give us a call and tell us what you’re working on. No need for a lot of detail (just the important bits)—just some words about your idea, what it is, how it’s different than everything before it, what you are imagining (Always try to provide a video/ photo example of something similar), and how you see us helping. We love email and we’ll get back to you quicker than you’d expect.
Next, we’ll find out more. We want to know why you’re excited about what you’re making and why you think other people will be, too. We’ll set aside some time to have a phone conversation and we’ll get a sense of what’s great about your product/ service. It’s important to start the conversation when the product or service you offer (Or maybe it's a song you are looking to make a video for) is far enough along to give us a good idea of what it’ll eventually be, but still give us enough lead time to put the right amount of care into helping translate it to video.
What happens next is we’ll spend some time developing and writing up what’s called a treatment. This usually takes the form of a short piece of text—usually less than a page—we describe to you how we see the video. What’s the concept, why we know it’s the best idea, and what resources we will need to achieve it. Sometimes, if it makes most sense that we get some money for this part, which is called the “creative engagement” and means we’re not writing on spec, or “for free”. When we move forward to the project phase, that money gets absorbed into the rest of the cost because we’re nice people.
Speaking of time, how long does a video take? This is the second-most common question—so common that we’ve come up with a standard answer: on average, a video will take approximately 5-8 weeks from inception of the idea to final delivery. Of course, this number can vary, and if you’re in a super rush and your product is incredible and you’re launching it in 3 weeks and you have a lot of money, then we can probably talk. But the age-old equation of fast/cheap/good applies. So give us some time to make it right.
Speaking of money, how much does a video cost?
Without knowing a whole lot more about your project, we cannot provide a set cost of how much a video or photoshoot will come to. The price of a video or a photoshoot depends on a few things, like the nature of the creative concept and the resources, including but not limited to on camera talent, size of camera crew, props, lighting needed, studio set, etc
Do you know that our typical crew size is 6-30 people who are aces in their chosen profession? A lot of people, right? Of course, there are times where some events require only a crew of 2-3, but we can't let you know that till we get to know a bit more about your project.
Our clients fall into three categories
1. Indie developers and small, bootstrapped startups.
This can be great for clients without a lot of capital, and it can be great for us as an adventure and a creative outlet.
These are nearest to our hearts because this is where we came from, but we only take a handful of these clients every year. We love that they embody the spirit of risk-taking that makes good things happen, and in that spirit, when we work with these clients, we’ll structure payment plans and try our best to provide the best possible video at the lowest rates by using smaller crews (asking you to get close friends involved to volunteer as crew to some extent) and use minimal equipment.
If we love what you’re working on, if we know that it’s one-of-a-kind and it’ll captivate the world, and we like who’s behind it, we’ll work with you as an investment, in exchange for your trust in our taste, and a little bit of cash. These videos cost one dollar sign. $
2. Reasonably well-funded startups Kickstarter videos, Fashion Magazines, Social Media Campaigns & International record label signed bands.
These make up the bulk of our clients. They’ve got the interest of some people with money to invest, they think (know) that their product is going to be a lot bigger than it is now, and they’re happy to put some money into the video to get it right. These videos cost two dollar signs. $$
3. Big corporations, Creative ad campaigns & Web series (Documentary, youtube channel videos & Films).
We’re doing more and more of these lately. Mostly for web, sometimes even for TV! They can be fun because there are resources to do things correctly—to make things look amazing, without squeezing the rates of the many talented people who work with us, and because big companies have been known to innovate just as well as smaller, more agile ones. Some of our favorite clients have been enormous brands that respect the creative and know what it takes to make great things and have giant bags of money. Of course, as always our videos will be amazing, but in this case, they will be spectacular! These videos cost three dollar signs. $$$
What do you get for your dollars?
Good question. We basically act as a creative agency and a production facility in one, so we almost always write, plan and shoot the Photo- sessions and videos we make. We love that we can be a part of the whole process from beginning to end. We shape the concept and put all the finishing touches on, including the editing, visual effects, music and everything. When we quote you an amount of money for the work, that amount is all-inclusive. Generally, we like a booking deposit to get going, so we’re not out-of-pocket for the shoot. Then we collect the remaining when we go into post-production, Standard stuff.
For events however, we take a booking deposit to secure the date, and require the remaining payment 10 days prior to the day of the shoot.
When we make a video for you, we should agree in advance on where your video is intended to be seen. That is to say, if you plan to buy air time and broadcast the video on TV as a commercial, we should know this at the beginning because the people who make and appear in TV commercials work for different rates than people who make video for the web and independent music videos and Online series, plus if we are the ones choosing the backing music and jingles for the video, we need to secure appropriate licenses for use. But as long as we know, you’re golden.
Why do our videos and photoshoots cost more money than you were expecting
(or less, or exactly the same as)?
Interesting question. It’s easy to assume that making good videos is easier than it looks. But in fact, it takes a great deal of skill, taste, and labor to do things well. So you can rest assured that not only do we tend to achieve production values comparable to the TV and film industries on tight budgets, the right amount of your money will end up on screen, where it’s supposed to be. We operate like a lean startup, and that spirit pervades our work.
By operating as a creative studio, we’re able to work with a larger number of clients doing neat things because there are a lot of you out there and we love to work with you.
Last thing you should know is that you can be as large or as small a part of the process as you like. Some clients enjoy brainstorming creative ideas and others want no part of that. Some clients nitpick the kerning of every piece of text, and others would rather leave it to us. We work with all sorts of clients and have been doing so for years!. We’re here to work with you.
Most importantly, we’re here to work with innovative people making good products. When we get to do that, all goes well.
CONTACT US NOW TO INQUIRE ABOUT OUR SERVICES AND HOW WE CAN GET YOUR IDEAS ON FILM!