Happy Sunday morning Stage 32 Community coming at you from Fort Myers Florida. I wanted to share this article about what many of us face from time to time; especially starting out in sound design. This was written from the perspective of a game audio composer/sound designer, but this can also translate to film projects.
There is one aspect of this article that I do not follow, and that is #5. "Reduced scope" meaning if the client can't afford your full rate, then you do half the work. I would never do this. Why? Because my name is attached to the product. I never half-ass anything I do no matter if it is half of what I normally charge.
What you gain from sticking to your guns is continual experience in your craft, and a happy client that may return to you when they have a much bigger budget. They see you were willing to take a cut to put in your all as a creative. Nonetheless, this article is very informative, and worth reading all 7 alternatives.
https://www.asoundeffect.com/7-alternatives-to-working-for-free/
2 people like this
Nice article about the working for free issue. Lots of times people will put themselves out there with the hope that they will learn along the way, and many times an employer will see it the same way: "Your payment is the experience!"
We've made it a point to never let anyone work for us for free. Even if it's something simple like sending out an email every so often, we still pay them for their time. Mostly because we've all been in that situation of 'working for free.'
And while money should be the priority, if you can make a bargain with an employer for something of worth in return, then that's still a win, if your needs are met.
1 person likes this
Excellent share!
1 person likes this
Great article, the first few seem pretty tough to make it worth your while but I definitely understand the concept. I'm going to try some of these out from time to time. I agree that #5 is a big no-no. If my name is attached to the project, I can't deliberately lessen my quality because that might mess me up for the next gig!
Anyway, always good to brainstorm alternatives to advance your career.
Sam Chambliss That's excellent Sam. Thanks for sharing!
1 person likes this
Solange Plaza Glad you took the time to read it, and hope you pulled something from it that is useful!
Esan Myers I agree with you! It's either all, or nothing :) Thanks for reading Esan.
Kyler Boudreau Looks like a lot of us are on the same page, good to know! Thanks for your feedback Kyler.