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Home: Video University Forums: Marketing & Business:
business measurement

 

 


adtr
Veteran


May 24, 2006, 11:18 AM

Post #1 of 4 (5042 views)
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business measurement Can't Post

How often do you run a time and motion study on your studio to see what your workflows are and how effectively you use your time?
What are your top 5 income service segments?
In what ratio do you split your time shooting/editing/marketing/sales/admin?
How often do you raise prices and by what %?


Colvin Eccleston
manchesterweddingstudio.co.uk


krissimmons
User


Mar 31, 2007, 2:18 AM

Post #2 of 4 (4448 views)
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Re: [adtr] business measurement [In reply to] Can't Post

You ought to have programs in place that allow you to monitor these things on a daily basis. You can literally make changes every day that will improve profitability. Once you figure out which work flows work best, document them and make sure everyone in your studio follows them exactly as they are documented. A few quick tips related to project profitability include:

1. Document how many hours you spend on every project
2. Create a spreadsheet that includes the hours you originally budgeted for the project
3. Put the hours you actually spend into a spread sheet that is divided into functional categories (planning, scripting, shooting, editing, etc.)
4. Literally watch the numbers at the end of each day to see how you are comparing to the original budget.
5. Make creative or management decisions that will help you get back on track if the numbers show you are on your way to being over budget.
6. At the end of the project, see whether you were under/over budget and discuss with your team (or think about yourself if you fly solo) why the budget was/wasn't met and what can be done to improve/duplicate in the future.

I use this technique every day in my studio and it allows me to effectively manage several projects that are being worked on simultaneously by several producers. It's a great tool!
____________________________
Kris Simmons
Executive Producer & CEO
Fire Eye Productions, Inc.
http://www.FireEyeMedia.com


hlanden
The Dean / Moderator


Dec 10, 2007, 3:22 PM

Post #3 of 4 (3897 views)
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Re: [adtr] business measurement [In reply to] Can't Post

While a spreadsheet is nice, even a simple paper Log sheet for every job is very helpful. You are billing your client by the hour anyway. When you keep a log sheet for every job, you can always show your client exactly where the budget and work stands. (this doesn't apply to wedding videos, but it certainly does for business videos.) Three general categories: Planning/scripting; production (shooting, animation); post

Enter times in the log sheet as decimals rounded to the nearest quarter hour. This makes adding very simple. And if you used a Letter of Agreement, this helps keep it all clear and straightforward.

This gives you important information on where your billing stands. To give you profitability, have to factor in the figures for equipment and other overhead.

For business videos, the right kind of proposal should be linked to the Letter of Agreement which you and your client sign. This agreement will spell out how many hours in each category and what rate they pay.

See

Professional Video Producer
http://www.videouniversity.com/course.shtml

Hal
Professional Video Producer course


grinner
User


Aug 20, 2009, 6:45 AM

Post #4 of 4 (732 views)
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Re: [adtr] business measurement [In reply to] Can't Post

How often do you run a time and motion study on your studio to see what your workflows are and how effectively you use your time?

I chill when I'm tired and work doubles when needed. I don't spend time thinking about it either way.

What are your top 5 income service segments?

Post, turn-key productions then videography

In what ratio do you split your time shooting/editing/marketing/sales/admin?

70 percent post, 30 percent shooting. I do no marketing or sales. I invloice on sundays before the kiddoes wake up.

How often do you raise prices and by what %?

You raise em when ya need to weed out some clientele. It's by far the most diplomatic way to do it. The last time I did it it was by 50 percent. It did indeed do some weeding.

;)


grinnerhester.com