average edit time and pricing

Steve Laramie

Steve Laramie

Veteran
I am DPing a 2 hour long feature and also editing it this summer. The edit will be very standard very few vfx. The director was appalled when I told him the edit would take 2-3 months not including blowing it up to 35mm. Am I out of line here or is that a pretty ambitious deadline as is. Lets also factor in the fact that the film is in indian and i dont speak a word of indian so Ill be looking back and forth with the script. Also what would you charge for this? I am getting 9,000 to film it so I dont want to beat him up to much on the price.
 
Well, are you also doing sound work? I assume you'll be doing what minimal graphics there are based on what you said, so you'll be basically doing ALL the post work on it?

And seriously? 2-3 months is hugely ambitious - especially when there's a language barrier. Other than you checking back with the script, you'll have to check with the director to make sure the right takes were used. Is he going to help with the selection of clips? That might be an asset so that you can go in afterwards and use the good takes he chose.

I understand you don't want to "beat him up" over the price, because you got a good rate for shooting...however, editing is hugely time consuming and WILL be your full-time job should you decide to stick to this 2-3 month timeline.

Let's do some quick and dirty math here:

8 (hours) x 60 (5 days/week, 3 months) = 480 hours

If you were to decide to charge a low rate of $150/day, you'd make $9000...which works out to be about $18.75/hr.

This isn't entirely bad, but its not the greatest pay either. There is a LOT of work involved in editing a feature and you might even have to put in some more hours.

Don't lowball yourself because he paid you to shoot it. This is a completely separate job and should be treated as such. I wouldn't go lower than $9000, especially given the timeline.

Good luck,

Kegan
 
Thanks for the advise. Unfortunately it doesn't look promising that I will get anything over 3,000 for this. I might tell him i'm just going to do rough audio work and have him find an audio editor.
 
In that case, I would only do a rough audio edit, if any at all. $3000 you say? I remember you're a younger guy and the experience of editing a feature film could be very advantageous for you at this point in your career.

You need a plan of action to make sure you don't get screwed then. Firstly, I would make sure that the 2-3 month timeline goes out the window. Make up your OWN timeline on how much time you can put into this project based on your other priorities (other gigs, school, etc). Make it a little more reasonable, so that the project doesn't last forever, but you also don't give everything up for a 2-3 month span busting ass for $3k.

Secondly, I would be firm with him sitting down with you and helping select the clips used. Tell him that you NEED him for the initial selection process and then you'll update him periodically after that. This will make the process much smoother. If you can go through with a shot list and pick the good takes with him, it makes it easier to work around the language barrier when it comes to the actual editing.

Outline your own expectations and goals for the project and as long as you're reasonable, he should be as well with his. If he's not willing to fork out much dough to get it edited, he can't expect it to be done well AND fast.

Kegan
 
Yeah I will be off from school but working part time. When we log the clips in well mark the good takes and name everything so it moves smoothly.
 
have an editor give you a bid. There is no reason for it to take more than a few weeks tops with color grading, sound design, the whole kit & kaboodle.
If looking for a bid, I'll offer to do it for a flat 15k.
 
For reference, it took me roughly 480 man hours to edit (Logging Individual Clips After Capture, Grading, Audio, Editing, etc) the 1 Hour, 57 Minute documentary I just completed. Bill appropriately, and then some for all the time you'll spend banging your head against the wall.
 
Just read the $3,000 quote and laughed.

If you want to do it for experience and you think it's worth it, go ahead. Otherwise, give him what $3,000 worth of editing a full feature... He won't be happy with the results unless you're amazing.

Just realize that editing your first feature length film (or production or whatever) for release is an eye opening experience and afterwards you'll definitely understand why editors get paid what they do.
 
I am at a point where I am in need of money this is why I am considering editing this. I don't think it's going to be a very good movie so I'm not doing it for the glory. I'll see what I can work out with the director.
 
crank it out in a week and it can be cost effective for you. Working on it fulltime, it can certainly be done. I imagine you scared him away with that 3 months stuff.
 
if an editor came to me selling him or herself on how fast they could whip through an edit, I'd run in the other direction and never look back. on a feature-length doc or narrative, i want to know the material is being absorbed, options are being discussed/explored and revisions are being made.

I understand you need work, but this project sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen. what can you learn from the "experience" of cutting something you've intuited as mediocre, other than "it's a headache"? and if you slam this together in a week or two, it will definitely show. leaving you with a hastily assembled, poorly executed film on your resume.

$3,000 is a good rate for five days. and an okay rate for two weeks. A feature should take two to three months to cut full time. If it was me, I would pass and find a better project, as an assistant or apprentice if necessary.
 
I don't think it's physically possible to bust a 2 hour foreign narative out in a week even if I had a fridge full of monster and crystal meth ha. I think I will do it for 3,000 and 20% of all profits ( he seems convinced it will sell but I know not to count on it). It will be good for me to be able to say I edited a feature.
 
okay, i hope you have fun with it. it could be quite valuable, perhaps, for you to take this opportunity to learn to put your personal investment in the technical execution of the shots to the side, allowing performance and emotional continuity to guide the cut. i know a few DPs who also edit and all of them struggle with this to some degree.
 
Well, if it's your first feature length edit for mass release, at least you'll learn some good lessons and get your devirgining out of the way.
 
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