How much is enough?

[Arnie Schlissel]

[David Roth Weiss] ” always have to know, “what’s the objective, what’s the big picture?” Directors hate it when I ask ’em that stuff.”

I’m always annoying my clients by asking “What’s the story?” or “What’s this scene about? Is it about the star of the movie, or is it about the cool visual effect that you want in the background?” Pi$$es them off to no end.

[Arnie Schlissel]

[ixthus27] “I know that two of the editors doing the same work that I will be doing are making $65+ plus a benefits package. They have about 6 years with the company, which is significant, I know. “

Plus how many years of experience before that? I doubt they walked in there with no prior experience in the field.

Also, what happens if the show doesn’t get picked up for a 2nd season? Will you be 1st in line for the next show they pitch?

[Mike Cohen]

Does the offer seem appropriate for where you live? That is, is $45K in New York or LA = $45K in Arkansas or Des Moines? Presumably not due to cost of living etc.
How does the salary compare with what you can make freelance given the ideal situation of consistent gigs 52 weeks/year.
As others have pointed out, benefits can be worth a lot. If you are freelance and do not get health insurance from your spouse or union, there is a lot of value in group benefits.
Finally, if 4 years of work experience has given you the skills to impress a company to offer you a job cutting a network show, and cutting network shows is where you want to be going, then this sounds like a great opportunity. The experience to develop your skills is also worth something.
So let’s say the value of the job is:
1. Actual salary = $45,000
2. health benefits = $5,000 – $10,000
3. 401K, if matching contributions = $1000+, not to mention tax advantage
4. Paid experience developing your skills (vs. paying for training given a lack of freelance work, or for that matter taking the time un-paid to develop skills without doing it on company time or freelance gig time) = $could be a lot
5. Not having to support your own gear could equal $10,000 per year if you can earn money without buying things like computers, software upgrades, cameras, tape stock etc.

Also consider the negatives. If you work at home, are you prepared for a 9-5 gig with drive time, office politics, being low man on the totem pole? Make sure there is room for advancement and you won’t have to wait for the senior editor to die before you can make more money. Also what about vacation time. Having to wait 5 years to get 2 or 3 weeks can be a drag. Perhaps an extra week of vacation up front can offset your perceived lower pay.

Consider the big picture. Good luck.

Mike Cohen

[Grinner Hester]

Only you can answer this question. While you will always get paid less than you are worth, only you know how much you need to make ends meet. I cant make em meet for 45k anymore so I simply have to pass on every gig under that magical number that’ll pay all my bills. This is a math thing more than a pride thing. Never take the first offer though. It aint as if they ever pay what is first requested.