Pricing & Negotiating: Food/Drink Product Photography For A Holiday Campaign

By Andrew Souders, Wonderful Machine

Each month, we explain a recent cost estimate, contract, or purchase order in the form of a Pricing & Negotiating article. By redacting the names of the photographer and the client, we can share useful information that would otherwise be confidential. You can read more about our Pricing & Negotiating services on the Consulting Services page of our website.

Concept: Product Photography for a Holiday Campaign in collaboration with a celebrity
Licensing: Publicity and Collateral use of 4 still photos and 1 animated GIF for 1 year
Photographer: Still Life/Product and Food/Drink specialist
Client: Sparkling beverage brand

Summary

I recently worked with a photographer to develop an estimate for a holiday-themed product photoshoot for a well-known beverage brand’s collaboration with a high-profile celebrity. The project involved creating still life images of a holiday table centerpiece featuring the client’s product alongside the celebrity’s co-branded food item. We considered the various creative needs, including product shots and lifestyle setups where hands would interact with the product.

The deliverables included up to four high-resolution still photos and one animated GIF intended for digital PR, social media, and the client’s website, with a one-year global license. The shots were primarily designed for web use, however, there was also the possibility of some print use.

Fees

The client provided a shot list outlining key visuals and requested Publicity and Collateral licensing for one year of global use. The creative and licensing fee was set at $5,500 for producing the still images and animated GIF, which we felt was in line with the single shoot day and somewhat limited use. Additionally, we added a pre-production day to help with coordination, studio setup, and creative planning, at a cost of $750.

Crew

Though the project’s production requirements were relatively simple, we decided to include the photographer’s preferred assistant to ensure everything ran smoothly. This covered the assistant’s day rates for both the prep/set build day and the shoot day, with a rate of $500 per day, bringing the total to $1,000 for two days.

Styling

The creative brief emphasized the importance of some festive styling for the tablescape, which would serve as the backdrop for the products. The photographer took on the basic prop styling, and we included $250 for 5 hours of prop sourcing and $800 to purchase props and décor items. We also brought in a food stylist for two days to ensure the products looked their best on camera. The food stylist was responsible for sourcing supplemental ingredients and food items to complement the products, so we budgeted $2,000 for two days of prep and styling work.

Casting and Talent

The brief called for a hand model to interact with the products in several shots, so we budgeted $360 for the hand model’s session, which included a $300 half-day rate and a 20% agency fee. The model’s usage fee for one year of global publicity and collateral use was budgeted at $1,200.

Locations

The photographer had a local studio they worked with regularly, so we included one rental day for the set build and one for the shoot. The studio rental was budgeted at $500 per day, bringing the total to $1,000 for both days.

Equipment

While the photographer was able to provide most of the necessary gear, we included a supplemental budget of $750 for any extra equipment rentals and their kit of cameras, lenses, lighting, grip, and a workstation.

Meals

We allocated $300 to provide light meals for the crew on the shoot day, ensuring everyone had breakfast and lunch.

Miscellaneous

We included a $250 budget for miscellaneous expenses to cover any potential additional costs, such as parking and mileage.

Post-production

For post-production, we allocated $600 for retouching four images, with each image receiving up to one hour of work at $150 per image. Additionally, we allocated $500 for editing a 15-30-second animated GIF to complement the still images.

Results

The photographer was awarded the project, and the shoot is slated to commence before the holidays!

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