Negotiating a video editing fee with an up coming reality show

D

dcmhutch

Member
Greetings!!

I was talking to a point person that needed a camera person/editors for an up and coming reality show. The person explained that there is a budget in place and asked how much I charge for editing. I responded in asking him the length of each episode and he said "about 28 minutes and there will about 10 episodes".

I'm a 4 1/2 year experienced videographer that has done music videos, participated in a few short films and directed live events but I've never been asked about how much I charge for JUST editing in general.

What would be a fair price to charge the point person? Should I charge per episode? Again, it's ten 28 minute episodes.
 
What is fair and what they will actually pay you are two different things.

"Reality" shows are notoriously cheap and pay crap for both production and post.
 
You could quote a price for each show, with an hourly charge for additional work.

But if this new reality show is a first by the producers, charge by the hour, in other words avoid it.

And if they employ new camera persons, a bigger question could be the tech problems. Good luck.

Cheers.
 
Editing! I can't get away from this machine because I gave a flat rate for a job. I talked to a friend of mine who works full time as an editor. I asked him, "how do you manage the multiple iterations?" He told me "everyone is protected by money." That is they charge by the hour. They will estimate hours for stuff as a way of "budgeting" but it's all hours. If someone wants a change, that's cool, just more hours.
 
Thanks for the feedback fellas :)

So the consensus is to charge hourly. So what is the going rate for video editors? $25, $35, $50 an hour? I think I'm pretty decent in Final Cut Pro. Definitely not a beginner in the game.
 
Actually there's another way that i typically build in protection and still offer flat rate fees: the flat rate fee includes X number of hours. clients don't typically think about what that breaks down to, and i usually give some overhead for good measure. But the invoice/contract states that once the hours have been filled, additional hours will need to be purchased for the work to continue, and a consultation will address how many more hours are needed to complete the task.

Then it's just a matter of giving little notes when milestones are reached with the project. For instance, in an email showing a rough cut or assembly, note how many hours remain within the budget.

Some might say that's too much and in a way overbearing and will make a client uneasy, but in the case of reality tv, you need to be on top of them, or else they most certainly will be on top of you, riding it out to their complete satisfaction. OK, that sounded dirtier than i intended, but you get the point. Be clear about what you're offering and use emails as your papertrail. and as always be kind and courteous and explain exactly what the client can expect of you not just in editing, but in your business practices so that there are no surprises.
 
As Matt pointed out earlier, what's fair and what they will actually pay are likely two different things.

I have been contacted a few times to work on reality shows and turned down each one as their idea of a day's wage and my idea of a day's wage were nowhere in the ballpark. "Yes we understand it's not much money, but it's an opportunity for a steady gig".... No, it's the opportunity for me to be locked into very low pay for an extended amount of time.

Good Luck!

Dave
 
dcmhutch said:
Thanks for the feedback fellas :)

So the consensus is to charge hourly. So what is the going rate for video editors? $25, $35, $50 an hour? I think I'm pretty decent in Final Cut Pro. Definitely not a beginner in the game.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. My friend's pro shop charges > $150 an hour but there are no compromises and they are crazy fast on turnaround. I cannot in good conscience, and because of just entering the space, charge that much. You have to figure out what your time is worth based on how productive you can be and still provide a good value. I think $50 is right but if you know it takes you a while, then I would go no lower than $35. After that it becomes an opportunity cost.
 
dcmhutch said:
So what is the going rate for video editors? $25, $35, $50 an hour? I think I'm pretty decent in Final Cut Pro. Definitely not a beginner in the game.
Click to expand...

The "going" rate will vary with market and experience. But the real question is what's your going rate?

Ask yourself a few questions first:
1- How much to I need to earn each month to meet my own financial needs? You may want to multiply this by 1.5 or 2 to give yourself a comfortable cushion.
2- How many hours or days can I realistically expect to work in an average month? Divide #1 by this number to reach a target rate.
3- What is the "going" rate for my services in my market segment? If this is less than #2 you need to do something to change your situation.
4- What talent or skill can I bring to the table that's special? How can I use this to raise my rate?
5- How can I add value to the client without incurring unreasonable cost to myself? Can I use this to raise or justify my rate to a client?
 
Most "shows" won't work with anyone on a per hour charge. They want a flat fee per show.
As long as the scope of work is understood by each party then editing could go forward.
The biggest problem with any editing is getting paid….

You might have to edit one show and then I would get paid upfront before editing another one….
 
dcmhutch said:
Thanks for the feedback fellas :)

So the consensus is to charge hourly. So what is the going rate for video editors? $25, $35, $50 an hour? I think I'm pretty decent in Final Cut Pro. Definitely not a beginner in the game.
Click to expand...

Really depends on the market you're in, the going rate in your market & how much they have budgeted. Though I think $25/hr is probably very low.

Many big post houses charge in the range of $200/ hr.
 
zijital said:
Really depends on the market you're in, the going rate in your market & how much they have budgeted. Though I think $25/hr is probably very low.

Many big post houses charge in the range of $200/ hr.
Click to expand...

No reality show will pay $200/hr.

They are bottom feeders who try to get the most for the least.

As Michael mentioned above they will most likely try to get you to agree to a flat rate.
 
mcgeedigital said:
No reality show will pay $200/hr.

They are bottom feeders who try to get the most for the least.

As Michael mentioned above they will most likely try to get you to agree to a flat rate.
Click to expand...

Yes, most producers think of editing just like shooting…..they want not just a day rate - but
a rate per show….they never work open ended on a per hour basis…
It might take a novice editor 100 hours to edit a "show". And a more experienced editor might
do it in 20 hours? Plus producers are not just going to want an "editor"….
You have to be good at Photoshop and After Effects and maybe a 3D program.
And having some audio experience is helpful……
Most producers I work with will not farm out different elements of a show.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top