going rate for a full time dvd authorer

[Max Kovalsky]

It depends what kind of work (i.e. level of clientele), your location, your level of experience and your reel if you’re also doing graphics. I’ve seen rates range from $12/hr to $60/hr in New York alone. If they’re looking for a one-man-show, I would expect their rate to be on the lower end.

Max
—
Blu-ray author/producer
New York
Area4.tv

[Nick Ito]

meaning if they want you to do everything that usually indicates they are cheaping out on the salary?

in a professional enviorment encoding menu design and dvd authoring are typically seperate departments?

[Max Kovalsky]

Exactly. The reason is that people who work in the DVD industry are specialists – a menu designer usually can’t author, compressionist has no interest in design, and the author’s head is too full of code to think about graphics and video quality. There are also QC specialists who know a little about it all, but probably couldn’t put a disc together on their own. If they’re looking for one person to do all, their volume is likely to be low and their clients are probably not quality-obsessive, both of which will translate to a low salary.

Max
—
Blu-ray author/producer
New York
Area4.tv

[Nick Ito]

excellent info.

that gives me a piece of mind…
even though i am still expected to do it all:(

lol

with that being said…
i am looking to sharpen up on my encoding lingo…
i dont want to sound like i dont understand it but the truth is i dont.
any good resources you know of for me to pound all those hd/encoding terms into my head?

this is my weak spot… im gonna spend the weekend sharpening up on my lingo and comprehension any suggestions?

[Josh Snider]

What type of companies hire DVD authorers as a specific position? Just curious, because I do a bit of it, and like it, and would love to have a job where I can focus on it…

I’m in Boston, moving out to the Bay Area in the fall.

Josh

[Max Kovalsky]

Go to either LA411.com or Newyork411.com and look under DVD authoring in the post section. Many of these companies will have one or more dedicated author on staff.

Max
—
Blu-ray author/producer
New York
Area4.tv

[Nick Ito]

thanks guys.

i got the job by the way.
buy me a beer and ill tell you how much i make lol.

[Michael Sacci]

I would venture a guess that when you move out of NY and LA most DVD authors (authorers?) are going to handle it all. The one except might be menu design. But then again most of these are probably not turning quite the same quality.

[Gloria Kohlmann]

Hi.

I am a performance artist (do live art to music in front of people (0#- thousands). I have gotten an offer to do a series of live art DVD’s to music and narration that are going to marketed across the USA. Ok, we are talking to “the producer” TOMORROW.

I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT the going rate is in California for someone to do this … ( nice guy, honest clean business etc. Has his own studio). Someone else is paying for all this, not me. Dream come true.

HELP.
glori k

[Michael Sacci]

Gloria,

You have posted this in an old forum which means most people will never see this. It is also not good form to jump in on someone elses thread like this even if it was active. Better to start a new post. I see that this is your first post so all is forgiven 🙂

Now to your post it is not clear what you are asking. Are you needing to price up all the creative on this project, the performance, video production and post production all the way through DVD authoring. Please list the parts you would be involved with and your experience in doing so. I would do that is a new Post also.