Craigslist: now I've seen it all...

mainstreetprod

mainstreetprod

Veteran
At first glance this Craigslist ad looks like an OK deal - a quick $1000....

But when you think it over... you would be getting a glorious $8.33 to shoot and edit each 60 second spot!





videographer/editor to shoot/edit video $1,000




compensation: $1000
I am looking for a videographer/editor to SHOOT and EDIT and UPLOAD a total of 2 hours of video, similar in style to the ones below with the actors reading short scripts on a white background . Each final uploaded video will be about 60 seconds in length (that's about 120 deliverable clips) and all very similar, so editing will be very easy.​

http://videojac.com/acupuncture/


http://videojac.com/attorney/


Pay is $1,000 for the full complete project. Perfect, if you are a video student or entry level video editor. If you need it, You will have full access to my small home video studio setup . It has everything needed to shoot and edit these simple type of videos, HD camera, lav mic, lights and editing computer with CS6. I need this done asap in under 1 week. If interested email work samples or questions call

Thanks.
 
I think a day or two is a bit of wishful thinking. Realistically it would take about a week if it was done in a smart way but thats only $25/hr...not great money but craigslist is a buyers market.
 
meh... I've done a lot more work for a lot less in this business.

This one... figure 30-45min to light it, color and sound in cam, ~4 hours in the shoot (120 60s scripts? Yeah, that's not getting finished in 2 hours) about half that to tear down, single lock-down cam with digital punch-in, slate openings to ID the biz, one title object to duplicate per vid, trim head & tail, two cuts for a punch in (paste attributes), queue output, upload, beer. It's not funding anybody's Alexa, but it's doable.
 
mcbob said:
~4 hours in the shoot (120 60s scripts)
Click to expand...

Forget about retakes, when have you ever recorded 2 hours of on screen talent in only 4 hours. If you rush through it maybe you can film it in 8 hours but I still think 16 hours is a more reasonable timeframe for shooting not including setup and breakdown in order to do it properly in a simple manner.
 
The money aint great for this, but if you have some kickass talent you can crank this out in a 6 hour block if you're lucky. If you get stuck with talent with no teleprompter skills, this will take an eternity.

At least they are offering money instead of donuts, or experience!
 
I've shot a ton of doctors and lawyers (that is, not pro presenters) reading scripts in the ~60-90min range in about 2-3 hours. Either use a simple promoter or cue cards just below camera to get the eyeline right. With their budget, one good take, done. I've done larger-framed white backdrops in similar time to what I quoted. Yeah, if you're not used to doing these in tight schedules, it will take much longer and you'll earn a lower hourly rate. Experience pays off sometimes.
 
Yeah, if I were bidding this job I would probably quote something more like $2k. It's not impossible, but still pretty low-ball for my taste. It's pretty obvious that whoever this contractor is isn't the end-user, so I immediately wonder what they're charging for the deliverables.
 
I would definitely say prompter is necessary. You will never get non-pros to crank out 60 error-free seconds of speech without 10 billion takes. You probably would want every read "perfect" in one take otherwise you'd be editing stuff together for each one. . .120 times. Advise against cue cards below lens 'cause unless the shot is pretty wide you can see eyeline is just not right. Also, you'd have to write/print out those cue cards! 120 of them!
 
The ad is specifically targeting students. That's $8.33 a video more than they usually get offered and 120 identical clips will be a lot of grind experience they wouldn't get working on their own projects, might well push them up and over that first hill of a steep learning curve. If I was a student living with/off my folks this would be a good deal. It is grunt work, only a student would be excited to do it. The price no doubt factors in the likelihood the first 30 will be noticeably inferior to the last 30.
 
If you need it, You will have full access to my small home video studio setup . It has everything needed to shoot and edit these simple type of videos, HD camera, lav mic, lights and editing computer with CS6.
Click to expand...

If the guy has everything….why doesn't he do it?
And he does not say if the $1000 includes the actors or not?
Most actors I know want $350 for a days work.
Plus, who makes the final decision? What if the client has re-takes
or does not like a read?
 
HVXguy said:
If the guy has everything….why doesn't he do it?
And he does not say if the $1000 includes the actors or not?
Most actors I know want $350 for a days work.
Plus, who makes the final decision? What if the client has re-takes
or does not like a read?
Click to expand...

Good questions, all of which need to be ironed out in advance and put into a contract.

That being said, I've been unemployed for some long that I would take this gig in a heartbeat.
 
HVXguy said:
If the guy has everything….why doesn't he do it?
And he does not say if the $1000 includes the actors or not?
Most actors I know want $350 for a days work.
Plus, who makes the final decision? What if the client has re-takes
or does not like a read?
Click to expand...


My guess is that he's subcontracting. I'll bet he's getting $2000 for the work and wants to sit back and let someone else do it.
 
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