FCP editor
- Thread starter JimSlaton
- Start date
Zak Forsman
Major Contributor
in Los Angeles, the majority of freelancers charge day rates that range from $350/day for someone just starting out to $1200/day for a top experienced producer/editor (aka "preditor").
$50/hour rate is equivalent to a $500/day editor as a freelancer's "day" is typically considered 10 hours. some editors will do "half days" for less than five hours, but not many -- the rationale being they can't book another gig for the other half of the day.
or you could go to craigslist to get someone even cheaper, but you get what you pay for. a very common scenario i found myself in was someone would call me about a job, i'd tell them I was $600/day, more if they wanted to rent one of my bays, they'd go with someone else they found on craigslist, three weeks later I'd get a call asking me to clean up someone else's mess, and i would politely turn them down.
$50/hour rate is equivalent to a $500/day editor as a freelancer's "day" is typically considered 10 hours. some editors will do "half days" for less than five hours, but not many -- the rationale being they can't book another gig for the other half of the day.
or you could go to craigslist to get someone even cheaper, but you get what you pay for. a very common scenario i found myself in was someone would call me about a job, i'd tell them I was $600/day, more if they wanted to rent one of my bays, they'd go with someone else they found on craigslist, three weeks later I'd get a call asking me to clean up someone else's mess, and i would politely turn them down.
Last edited:
Drew Ott
Wish I were banned.
I have a few questions about freelance editing.
1. Would the editor just be given all of the files and be asked to put them together however they want?
2. What if the directors want input on the edit?
3. Can't an editor just lie and say it took them 3 weeks of 10 hour days to edit something that only took them 2 hours? This is obviously an exaggeration of how one might lie.
1. Would the editor just be given all of the files and be asked to put them together however they want?
2. What if the directors want input on the edit?
3. Can't an editor just lie and say it took them 3 weeks of 10 hour days to edit something that only took them 2 hours? This is obviously an exaggeration of how one might lie.
it does not work that way, if you start pulling a fast scam like that, you will burn yourself bad and fast, one thing I learned in this business is that good work and bad work spreads like lava, your reputation is all you have and if you scam someone like that most likely the client is going to tell everyone they know end then some. but if you do a kick ass job and the price is right on target then you are golden, now if it is taking you longer to edit something something I always do is call the client so they can see what's the hold up, maybe a voice over is jacked up or maybe the director did not get a certain shot that is needed, you never know, we editors get thrown curve balls all the time
that is why we get to charge so much :grin: