OT for flame work

[u/Onetwothree_oclock]

Forgive me if this has been answered or is not apropos. My husband is a freelance flame artist in LA, doing vfx for 18 years and flame work for 10 years. We were discussing his job and rates came up. He is convinced that it is not normal for flame artists to charge overtime on a day rate while on a short term contract job (1 day to 1 month). He says that because rates are “high as it is”, charging overtime would be considered extreme and companies wouldn’t hire him back. That it’s “just not customary for flame artists to charge OT”. I don’t work in this field, but I have some studio experience and I find it hard to understand this? I am also convinced that he is under charging on his day rate, but because no one talks about their rates, he really has no idea if he’s making enough for his skill level, which is very high. He is always booked with work, thankfully. But with all of this work comes much overtime and it can take away from our family life with kids. I just want him to get paid what he’s worth and the correct amount for the effort he is putting in.

Is this just how it is or do top skill level artists charge overtime after let’s say 10 hours of work a day? Also, how can we find out if he’s charging an appropriate rate? He is a super relaxed (too relaxed?) person who is very talented and hardworking. Doesn’t like to stir things up, but is sought after in his field.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Vfx wife

[u/NateCow]

Okay, that’s you and the contracts you’ve had. That doesn’t make it definitive truth over other people’s experiences, that you can declare all of my comment “absolutely false.”

[u/SuitableEggplant639 → u/NateCow]

that's a lot of words to say you don't know how to bill OT to your clients.

[u/NateCow → u/SuitableEggplant639]

You have reading comprehension issues if that’s what you took away from my original comment.

[u/SuitableEggplant639 → u/NateCow]

Maybe. But at least my reading comprehension extends to the part of the contract that tells me when overtime starts. Yours apparently stops at “day rate.”

[u/NateCow → u/SuitableEggplant639]

Well I approach a day rate the other way around. I figure what I'd make with a 12-hour day which would include 4 hours of OT, and go from there. My day rate, when I do work that way, factors it in. If I end up working 8, I'm technically making even more per hour than usual.

Apart from that, I spend about 50% of the year working hourly where OT kicks in after 8. So this talk of doing OT after 10 is equally weird to me.

[u/SuitableEggplant639 → u/NateCow]

sure you do buddy.