What is a fair price for a videographer?

[even sven]

I am starting to get some freelance video jobs coming in, and I have no idea what to charge.

I am a recently graduated film student. I have some experience doing commercial video work, but not much. I'm looking to do some freelance work to help ends meet. I have a very nice three chip "prosumer" digitical camera, decent shotgun mic and excellent tripod (no lights, though) and I'm pretty darn proficient. I don't have ready access to editing facilities but I kind of have access. I hate editing, but luckly most the stuff I'm doing (taping people giving speeches, or teaching classes, or whatever) is pretty low on editing.

I need to come up with a fair hourly rate- probably with a two hour minimum. Most videographers seem to charge $100.00 and hor and $75 an hour to edit. I'm not that experienced and advertise myself as "rock bottom prices", so I've got to charge less than that. I just accepted a job for three hours spread over two days with no editing for $175 and he seemed thrilled at my rates. What do you all think is fair?

[emulsified]

I'm digging into memory for this, but I think we paid our semi-professional videographer 500 dollars to shoot about three hours of our wedding.

That was just for the shooting, one camera, no editing. And that was a steal compared to the professional ones we looked into, who were $1000 or more for similar packages.

Get into weddings. It's quite the racket.

[merge]

All I have talked with recently were somewhere between $800-$1500.. (for a 7 hour wedding)

The $1500 package had all kinds of extras.. like DVD's to send to people..
The most common price was $995.
If you are just getting started go a bit cheaper than everyone else for a little while.. and raise your prices after you have clients who will give you a referral if needed.

[SmackFu]

Ask most brides about fair pricing and the last thing they'll mention is the videographer.

[FilmGeek]

It depends on where you live and what you're shooting.

Wedding videography is a lot more intense than setting up a camera and taping someone speaking or teaching.

I charged $25 an hour for city council meetings, and got free chinese food to boot.

This is in a smallish midwestern college town, so I would expect more in CA.