Field Guides / Pricing

The profitable quote checklist

Four sections, one contingency line, and the fee that pays you to run the job. Most video businesses are missing at least one of these.

The checklist

1. Section one: pre-production. The thinking, planning, scripting, scheduling and logistics, priced as work. If it's not in the quote, you're doing it for free.
2. Section two: production. Shoot days, crew, kit. The part everyone already quotes.
3. Section three: post-production. Edit days, revisions included (say how many), grading, delivery.
4. Contingency: 10% of the subtotal, its own visible line. It covers what every real production knows happens: weather, reschedules, the extra half day. A real number, not a number pulled from the air.
5. Section four: the production company fee, 15 to 30 per cent, at the bottom. Never start below 15. It calculates on the production cost (subtotal plus contingency), and it pays for what the client is actually buying: you carrying the risk and running the job. Nothing is hidden; it sits on the quote in plain sight.
6. Check the maths before it goes out. Fee on top of contingency on top of subtotal. Round nothing down to be nice.

The rule of thumb

Every quote gets all four sections. The full worked anatomy, with the maths shown, is here: Anatomy of a profitable quote.