Project hours

R

rob norton

Veteran
Is there a way in PP/resolve to see how long you've been editing a project? It'd be good to know how many hours have gone into certain tasks and overall projects.
 
Cant answer ref the NLEs.. but I keep track on a google sheet which can (or not) be shared with the client or other collaborators
 
That's easy or hard, depending on if you want to calculate in procrastination, distractions, breaks and other kind of interrupts with time to get back into the flow or not.

If you don't, OS create all kind of data on processes that are started and from that you can derive the information you are looking for.
So, if you think that you have discipline made of steel, process up-time (current minus start time) minus sleep and/or hibernation time equals the editing time.

If you don't have that kind of discipline when editing, that's just the time your favorite editing application is running.
[That kind of bean counting dates back in the days when CPU resources were quite expensive and limited (and today are but on a different scale)].

Tasks not related to editing such as task logging, corresponding, taking notes etc can diminish working enthusiasm.
There is an elegant solution to this, but not for the tools you are using.
 
Yep I find I edit in short hard sessions.

A log would be of use.

You may also investigate a third party logger - I believe such exists.

I know my architect chum has a good billing system that is project tracked
 
Thanks guys, those seem like some good workarounds.

I thought there would definitely be a way to track this in-program and think at least one NLE would have the feature.
 
Is it popular for post-production freelancers working from home to still charge by the hour in 2018?

Just wondering...because I never understood in this particular case how one should go about it. I've always wanted expensive fixed rates for everything (no matter if I ended up over-charging or putting in way more work than I was paid for). I basically evaluated the project and relationship (is it worth it?) and did it that way.

When I was an intern almost 10 years ago, I would mention to more established people in the business that I didn't understand how individuals do this because there are editors that are faster and more talented than others, so how can you accurately calculate hours? Like it might take you 20 hours for a project, which would include the first rough draft and all of the client's modifications until all parties involved are content, but it might take someone else 10 hours.

And I imagine some people lie too?

No one really had an explanation and just brushed it off as a case-by-case basis, which actually makes sense. I guess if a company thinks you should be doing it faster (or better) they will tell you or move along to someone else.
 
NorBro said:
Is it popular for post-production freelancers working from home to still charge by the hour in 2018?

Just wondering...because I never understood in this particular case how one should go about it. I've always wanted expensive fixed rates for everything (no matter if I ended up over-charging or putting in way more work than I was paid for). I basically evaluated the project and relationship (is it worth it?) and did it that way.

When I was an intern almost 10 years ago, I would mention to more established people in the business that I didn't understand how individuals do this because there are editors that are faster and more talented than others, so how can you accurately calculate hours? Like it might take you 20 hours for a project, which would include the first rough draft and all of the client's modifications until all parties involved are content, but it might take someone else 10 hours.

And I imagine some people lie too?

No one really had an explanation and just brushed it off as a case-by-case basis, which actually makes sense. I guess if a company thinks you should be doing it faster (or better) they will tell you or move along to someone else.
Click to expand...

It matters less for a large post house, where the editors are probably on a salary anyway. I interned at a post house that specialised in trailers and like you mentioned, there were pretty solid people in each role, so I'm sure they could easily cut them loose.

I'm sure this isn't news to you but for the individual who deals directly with the client, the editing terms can extensively cut into your time i.e. not shooting or editing more projects so the fixed fee can come back to bite you if the edit drags on and you make way less money on post production. I've seen freelance editors charge by the hour and by the day. It seems like there's little difference in how much things end up costing.
 
I hear you...regarding the fixed fee it's also worth mentioning that in my particular case they were always short videos (no longer than 4-5 minutes). So the editing was always the same and pretty straightforward (usually just swapping clips and/or soundbites). Very fast and simple.

I have never edited any movies or TV series' or documentaries, nothing with special effects/etc., and I wouldn't agree to a fixed rate for that unless I knew what I was getting into (like working on something with people I've worked with before and there was a guaranteed high # to take home).

I feel some salary editors are really underpaid for the amount of "editing stress" they have to go through everyday for their day rate. But others seem to have it really good based on their particular set of skills and the content they work on.
 
Expensive fixed rates?

"Full" (fool) rates?

This guy is pretty good at explaining the fool's rate and how you should do business, try to watch the whole session.
 
I've bookmarked it as the feedback sounds interesting...but there is never one way you should do business.
 
He touched quite a bit of ways to do business in there and argument why not.

If you find the time, it's entertaining to watch how he provokes the group to challenge him and then how he fights out every stereotype and urban myth thrown at him.
 
I have one client I literally bill hourly. . .start the clock running when project starts, send bill, whatever the amount, when done. Honestly, I hardly ever edit for anyone BUT this one guy. HOWEVER, with anyone else, I always submit a quote for what I estimate it will take (still based on an hourly rate, and I would, for example, estimate 25 hours), and pray that it isn't twice or more that amount of time. I factor in that they'll want x number of revisions that will take x hours, where after that, that is, once we've exceeded my allotted hours and the revision hours, I would start billing them hourly for additional revisions. If I do go over ( a 25 hour estimate takes 40 hours for instance), I suck it up and say "oh well, all the better to estimate with next time." In reality, I can't remember the last time I edited anything significant for anyone other than the aforementioned hourly client.
 
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