Day rate

The day rate is the agreed fee for a complete shoot day — regardless of how many scenes, setups or motifs actually arise that day. It is fixed before the acceptance, stands in the contract and is the basis on which every further agreement builds.

Which ranges apply here

The amount follows the type of production. A photo production is paid at 250 to 600 euros per shoot day, a video production at 400 to 1,200 euros. For event accompaniment without sexual acts 200 to 500 euros per day are provided.

Within these spans it is not chance that decides, but the production’s budget, the scope of the role and the question of how much shoot time you save the crew. The full list with payment routes stands on the pay page.

What a shoot day covers in time

The word day is meant more literally than newcomers expect. Ten to twelve hours are normal, counted from travel and including hair and makeup, build, waiting time between setups and wrap. The pure time in front of the camera is the smaller part of that.

That is not harassment but a consequence of the technique: lights are reset, matching is checked, a setup is shot several times. Anyone who converts the fee into hours therefore arrives at a different value than at the first look at the figure. How such a day runs in practice is shown in the article a shoot day from arrival to wrap.

What moves the amount up or down

• Scope of the usage rights granted: a worldwide, unlimited Buyout is worth more than a spatially and temporally limited use and has to be reflected in the fee.
• Role and effort: a leading role over several shoot days against a short engagement with one setup.
• Lead time: short-notice enquiries for which you cancel another date can be negotiated better than bookings with weeks of lead.
• Experience and reliability, because both measurably save shoot time.
• Extra services such as recordings for Behind-the-Scenes material or stills, which are to be assessed separately.

Before you accept

Clarify in writing what the fee covers and what it does not. Three points belong there: the scope of the usage rights, the treatment of travel and overnight costs (see expenses), and the rule for the case that the shoot runs longer or is cancelled at short notice. A cancellation agreement is negotiable, but only beforehand.

In calculation terms the day rate is turnover, not income. Tax, travel, tools and cancelled days come off it. For your own planning the number of realistically achievable shoot days per month is therefore more important than the amount of a single fee.

This entry places the term in context and is not a substitute for tax advice; for your concrete figures tax advice or the tax office is competent.