Re: Blade II language: The price of conlanging

Levi Caddell wrote:

> Hummmm,  I am a more than a bit surprised at some of the comments.  I am
> just wondering if any of you actually have your own business - one where you
> have to support yourself and your family, not a hobby business.
>
> To give you an idea of such a value I spoke with a friend who produces local
> commercials here in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.  His formula was:
> - Price a full time job doing this would pay times 3
> -Then realizing as a consultant that your work will not be steady you will
> need to spend about 50% of your time looking for work.  So, take that number
> times 2.
> - Also, the cost of material used, insurance, etc.  This should be about 10%
>
> Now the numbers.
> - Average professional makes about $24 per hour in this area.  A Ph.D..
> would make about 3-4 times that, but let us take the average.
>
> 24 x 3 = 72 x 2 = 144
> 144 x .10 = 14.4
> 144 + 14 = 158
>
> You should be getting about $158 per hour for your work.
> Figure a 8 hr work day:  158 x 8 = $1264 per day.
These are the kind of numbers that my freelance graphic designer friend started
throwing around when I asked his advice.  Being used to academic salaries, I was
shocked.  Now I know how he's able to afford a nice car and an expensive
computer and 4 vacations a year.  :-)


> I would guess that it would take at least  24 man hours of work to present
> them with a basic dialogue if you do it right.  However, keep in mind that
> directors and producers will want you to make all kinds of changes.  Will
> they pay for this by the hour or should you roll it into the lump sum
> figure.  At $3000 your price was a bargain for them.
I was estimating about 30 hours work, including changes.


> If Snipes is in this move he alone will be making millions for his role.
> The support people will be paid union or guild wages.  You might want to
> check what they are being paid.  However, remember you have a Ph.D..  They
> may not even have a HS Diploma.
Of course, if the movie doesn't have Wesley Snipes (and lots of cool special
effects and fight scenes) in it, nobody will go to see it.  By contrast, if the
vampires in the movie just speak subtitled gibberish, nobody will care.


> This may be a hobby for some of us, but you are a professional linguist.
> As a registered Interpreter for the Deaf I used to make $55 / hr back in the
> 70's and 80's.  People who translate languages for business purposes often
> make much more.
> Matt, don't sell yourself short.    My producer friend here said they would
> probably be coming back to you if they are smart.
Comforting words, but I seriously doubt they will call me back.  I certainly
wouldn't call back if *I* were the producer!  :-)


> Also, I have been kind of wondering... Do you know what Prof. Fromkin was
> paid for the first script?
I'm dying to know, but I can't think of any way to find out.  The production
company that's doing the sequel is completely different from the one that did
the original movie, so those guys wouldn't have any idea.  There's a slight
chance Prof. Fromkin's widower would have some idea, but even if he did, I
barely know him and would *not* feel comfortable calling him up and asking him.

And Rosta wrote:

> > $3K is, I think, about a month's gross salary for me & what
> > you described doesn't sound like a month's work.
That's more-or-less what I told my graphic designer friend.  He just scoffed and
said that I was grossly underpaid!  :-)

Originally I was going to charge them $1000 for the whole thing (that's still
TWICE what the producer wanted to pay).  My friend said that I was being
completely ridiculous, that I had no business selling myself short like that,
and that I should demand $3200, not a penny less.  He was adamant about that.
(So was my partner Daniel, who kept lecturing me that, since we didn't need the
money, he would be extremely disappointed in me if I priced myself too low.)

You can see why I was so torn up about this whole price thing.  Nobody has the
LEAST idea what's involved in conlanging.  There's nothing like a steady market,
and consequently no standards and no reasonable expectations.


> > It seems a shame to abandon the project, especially because no
> > way will the producers be able to find anyone else able to do
> > as good a job; they could contact me for a recommendation, but
> > I'd tell them you're the best!
Thank you!


> > I'd suggest pricing yourself at a rate equivalent to the rate
> > you're paid as a professional linguist. Then get back in touch
> > with the producers and offer to sell them $500 or $1000 worth
> > of your time. The product they get is whatever you can achieve
> > within the time they're willing to pay for. If they get less
> > than they were expecting then that should show them that
> > they underestimated what they were asking from you. Hopefully
> > this arrangement would be more transparent & the producers
> > could see they weren't being chiselled.
Well, it's too late now.  I've already put it behind me.  I'm not calling them
back, and they're almost certainly not calling me back!  It's not worth the
trouble for some stupid little movie.  (I'm not being bitter when I say that.
The movie really is stupid.  Trust me, I read the script!)

Matt.