rates

[Grinner Hester]

the going rate ranges from free to 300 bucks an hour. Only you know what it is you need to do a job and make a profit without chasing the client away.
As a national average (subject to change market to market) you will find the average freelance rate is 50 bucks an hour and the average rate for a decient edit suite is 175 an hour. If your suite is not an edit suite but a computer in a basement, just stick with that 50 bucks an hour as a way to talk em into allowing you to stay home and edit in your underwear as opposed to puttin on the dockers and doing it at their place.

[Johnsabbath D’urzo]

the company that is doing the show pay there editors about 1,500 per week as a flat rate. should i tell them that includes about 50 hours, i think people get paid less if your working on a long term show, is that right? i do charge 50 per hour on commercial and corporate is the price the same for television? what should i be asking for? and i do have a edit suite in the basement, it’s a full suite same as most bigger production companies in the city. I charge 175 per hour for me and my suite. does the price change if i’m going to be editing a tv show compared to the commercials that i have been doing?

[Bill Dewald]

[johnsabbath d’urzo] “the company that is doing the show pay there editors about 1,500 per week”

Um, there’s your answer. Your $50/hr rate is 33% higher than what they pay. Thats a pretty big gap.

So you can –

A. Explain your rate and try to find some middle ground (many on this forum often argue against lowering your rates).

B. Take the pay cut – chalk it up to changing fields (from corporate and commercial to reality TV), if that’s the case.

C. Respectfully pass.

[Grinner Hester]

at 1500/wk you have to look at what you are making right now.
I’d respectfully pass as that would simply put me in the red. I’d offer the two days work that buys at their place and let them respectfully pass.
You will find no more diplomatic way to pass on a lo/no gig than for them to not be able to afford you.

You are right though, if you sign for for a series, it does pay less than a one day gig but it usually pays about 750 per day for series work. A real series would not dare pay lower than that becaise knowong they get what they pay for, they simply need more than that.

[Johnsabbath D’urzo]

I know my studio rates are $175 per hour, but it’s not everyday. at the moment i only have one client the brought me about 16k worth of work this year. do i take the series or pass it up? what is the going rate for editors on a series working at there place using there equipment? i can charge extra in it’s in my studio but how much extra? i spoke to another editor there and i said i would ask for about 600 per day for working on the show he said no way they will never pay that much. what do i do? my clients bring me work but its last min stuff all the time, do i take a more stable gig and do my clients ant night? this is a very hard decision for me. or do i tell my clients about i might be booked on a show for a long time and tell them that they need to give me more time with there project. but everything has been last min for about 4 years i can never get a schedual from them they just say next week sometime you will start my job. if i’m in another editing house and my clients need my during the day what do i do? this is very hard.
just thinking if i take freelance at another editing house i might meet other contractors in the business and that might give me more work at my studio, even if they are offering me a lower rate for the steady work. i want to try and plan a family soon and just need some steady cash. what kind of rate should i charge the studio and do i keep my existing clients? please help.

[Shane Ross]

$1500 a week is Assistant Editor rates here in LA…except for very low end basic cable shows. The going rate for editors out here also averages about $50/hour…even on long term gigs. I, like Grinner, would respectfully pass.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Moody Glasgow]

I’d agree, 1500/wk is pretty low unless you are working North Dakota, and are getting fully bennie’s…

moody glasgow
editing.compositing.design
My Demo Reel

[Johnsabbath D’urzo]

i know it’s low but i live in toronto canada , don’t know if people would pay $750 per day for a reality show. what do you suggest that i try to work out, how should i approach the meeting to try and get as much money as possible? i don’t have much experience in cutting shows but have tones of experience cutting tv spots. i work with fcp and after effects. what would be a good rate to charge with my gear and without my gear? is there anything that i should be aware of going into the meeting. how should i approach this to try and get as much as possible. i think that they want to flat me out for the week and dont know how long the contract would be yet. is it right to say so much money would give you so many hours, and over 50 hour’s is it common to charge overtime rate and if so how much, also is it common to charge more money for working on the weekends….please help

[Bill Dewald]

[johnsabbath d’urzo] “don’t know if people would pay $750 per day for a reality show”

According to your earlier post, they won’t. There’s no negotiating trick that’s going to close the gap between what you want and what you say the show pays.

So, go into the meeting – when money comes up, be honest about what you expect to be paid.

If it’s very important to you to move into reality from “tv spots”, then take the pay cut.

But honestly, I don’t see how a producer would pay top dollar for a reality editor with “not much” experience cutting shows. Be aware of how you will handle that topic in your meeting.

Good luck!

[Johnsabbath D’urzo]

it’s no really important to cut show instead of tv spot, i really like the ad world, the only reason that i want to cut the show is because the work is steady, and i don’t have to chase for the money. do i charge over time for the show, what are some good pointers for negotiations during the meeting? I want 60 per hour
i think they might pay 30 per hour .