Retainers sound like a commitment. In practice they're usually cheaper than hourly once your monthly studio time crosses a threshold.
How it works. You block a fixed number of studio hours per month in advance — 10, 20, or 40. We invoice you once a month on 30-day terms. Your hours carry a blended rate that's 10-15% below ad-hoc.
The math, worked. Ten hours per month at AED 350/300 ad-hoc is AED 3,100 (350 × 2 + 300 × 8). At the Solo retainer's AED 280/hr blended rate it's AED 2,800. Small. Twenty hours — AED 6,100 ad-hoc (350 × 2 + 300 × 18) vs AED 5,200 at the Pro retainer's AED 260/hr. Forty hours — AED 12,100 vs AED 10,000 at the Studio retainer's AED 250/hr. The savings scale.
But the real value isn't the rate. It's priority access. On retainer you get the pick of calendar slots before non-retainer bookings can reach them. For agencies that live on tight client deadlines, this is worth more than the rate cut.
You also avoid re-negotiation. No quotes. No back-and-forth. Your PM books slots through a shared calendar, you approve monthly.
When it makes sense. You're doing more than 2-3 shoots a month, some of them client-urgent. You want predictable monthly studio cost. You'd rather not send 10 PO requests a month for the same vendor.
When it doesn't. You shoot once a quarter. You prefer zero commitment. The hourly rate is already fine — no reason to complicate.