What are your thoughts on being a Preditor?

[David Roth weiss]

Welcome into the sunlight Rebecca, no need to lurk in the shadows.

All that you have said is quite true. Taking on multiple responsibilities guarantees nothing but longer hours and more responsibility. Seldom is there more money or any more glory. I much prefer wearing one hat whenever I can, but that is a rarity nowadays, and more is expected of most of us.

Meanwhile, I believe “preditors” who can really write well tend to get noticed more. So, take the time to polish your words and make them really shine, and I think you’ll find greater reward.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

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A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.

[Mike Cohen]

I thought that post was going to conclude with…”and I didn’t have a contract.”

In other words, being a preditor is a situation that can lead to being taken advantage of, if your compensation does not keep up with your responsibilities. Look out for numero uno – yourself. David is spot on, make your skills highly refined and you will eventually earn your keep.

I guess I am a preditographectmanager.

Mike Cohen

[Arnie Schlissel]

There was a study released a couple of weeks ago which said that people who habitually multitask are not good at any of the things they do, that they do everything poorly. (Since that came out, I’ve been pushing back at the guy I work for, asking him which things should be done badly, or which thing was worth missing the other deadlines for.)

I think the “preditor” concept is promoted by people who don’t particularly care about the quality, only that they get to bill top dollar for underpaying someone else.

If you have an opportunity to either edit or produce at a higher rate, then do that.

To continue to work 2x as hard for 1/2 the pay is to endorse the concept that working 2x as hard is worth only 1/2 as much. You’re also endorsing the concept that your work only deserves 1/2 the value, 1/2 the attention and 1/2 the quality.

If you can command a better price from clients who value the quality, care and effort you put into your work, then I don’t see what the question is.

Arnie
Post production is not an afterthought!
https://www.arniepix.com/

[Jason Jenkins]

I am a one-man-band and I enjoy the variety of doing a lot of different things. I write, shoot, direct, edit, design, etc… While I can’t compete with the best in any one of those categories, I am actually good at all of those things.

Jason Jenkins
Flowmotion Media
Video production… with style!

[Walter Biscardi]

[Rebecca Gillaspie] “People used to tell me that I have an “edge” over other producers because I can cut. I don’t see how it’s benefiting me, though.
“

I teach many Producers how to edit because it’s good for them to:

1 – Understand how the editing process really works, especially when they see how many shots they could have gotten while in the field, but neglected because they felt they “didn’t need them” or “didn’t have the time.”

2 – Allow them to do as many rough cuts as they want without having to pay me.

Then they bring their cuts to us to tweak, finish, add graphics, music, mix, etc….

I’ve been a “Preditor” for about 10 years now and it’s great in the sense that I can do everything if needed and I have learned how to schedule / budget shoots to the point of designing my original programming. But to do it full time would result in me spending more time for less work than I do now. I have three editors working with me, about to expand our facility by almost four fold and will probably stop editing in the very near future to step back to manage the productions and serve as an assistant producer / post supervisor for most projects. Colorist is the role I’ll step into the most since I’ll be able to do just step in and work a few days at a time instead of the 8 months I’m investing now on a documentary.

So do what you do best and hire really REALLY good people to work with you. It takes longer to earn more money, but it’s been a real steady and slow rise in income for us over 9 years and it looks like 2010 is just going to be insane. Most folks seems to be struggling these past two years, but we’re still on a steady track upwards.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
Credits include multiple Emmy, Telly, Aurora and Peabody Awards.
Owner, Biscardi Creative Media featuring HD Post
Biscardi Creative Media

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[John Davidson]

Preditor is what you call yourself when you’re an editor who makes lots of editorial decisions and occasionally bangs out a script. If you’re a producer who edits occasionally, you still call yourself a producer, because there’s little value in letting your clients know you do the technical work, too (they anticipate technical screwups).

Some producers that edit have developed lucrative business billing for editor, machine, and producer time – and doing everything themselves on their own equipment – OR – they take an entire project’s budget and ‘get er done’ all by themselves. There’s a market for people who can do both jobs well, but it should only be done at double day rate, minimum.

[Kim Huston]

Fancy word for being taken advantage of.

Kind of like “intern” 😀

It’s great to be good at more than one skill, but you have to be compensated for it. Also in notoriety terms, being called The Producer and/or The Editor is WAY more impressive. Preditor is just kind of an industry buzz word right now.

[Milton Hockman]

I think it just depends on the shop you are in. Some shops are very sectioned off: editor, producer, director, graphics, etc.

Other shops you do multiple tasks: edit and graphics, direct and shoot, shoot and edit.

But some places do try to take advantage or just don’t know what’s industry standard. For example, i saw an add in the paper for a local college looking for a person to Direct, Edit, Shoot, Produce all media for them. And guess what they were paying!! 40,000!! what a rip! First I thought, those types of people are rare to find (all skills) and when you do, you’re only paying them just above an Edit II salary!

So, just depends on the company you work for and what “you” want to do. If you don’t like it, try and find another job where you only edit. or produce, which you prefer.

Personally, I think its a valuable skill that you have learned as a Preditor. When i was coming up through the ranks, I learned everything. I can edit, shoot, direct, produce, create websites, compress for the web, design print ads, etc. And so I started my own business because “I” can do all those things and get paid what I am worth.

With your skills you can do way more with a project than just an editor. I say take those skills and start doing freelance on the side and slowly start your own business. You already know how to find clients and edit videos for them, so now get paid what “you’re worth!”

Owner
Plus More Media Group
Website Design – VA, Corporate Web Site Design – PlusMoreMedia.com
Marketing designs and videos that do more for your business!

[Mark Suszko]

I dislike the “Preditor” term, I think it’s a litle too cutesey and ambiguous to outside people. I would have to constantly explain why Chris Hansen really doesn’t want me to “have a seat over there”.

I guess I’m lucky. In my job, I’m nominally a producer, but I do every function, either alone or in teams with others just like me. I do any and all the functions that need doing: I can write, produce, direct, edit, animate, Foley, make music, voice narrations, a little bit of compositing… and I like it like this.

The things I do most often are shoot and edit and direct, and I LOVE it that I get to wear that tri-corner hat, because I KNOW that Me as the shooter won’t stop until Me the Editor thinks there’s enough material to cut with, and Me the Director doesn’t have to guess what the other two voices in my head have done or how they plan to do something, and if that approach fits in with the overall plan. Cuts down on meeting a lot when you just have them in your own skull.:-)

So for me it is more of an artisanal approach than that of a technician on an assembly line. I love the variety and would be unhappy doing just one narrowly-defined function every day, in and out. I’d get awful good at it… until I eventually quit. Or just got too bored to care.

Now, do I get paid as if I’m three or more distinct people? No, not here; I’m salaried, and I get paid the same no matter what I’m doing or not doing. It would be very hard to put every function I do on it’s own time clock and punch-in and out as I change functions. I don’t live like that.

[Rebecca Gillaspie]

“I’ve been a “Preditor” for about 10 years now and it’s great in the sense that I can do everything if needed…”

That’s how I operated best in the past. When I’m at a production company, I use my skills mainly to be able to communicate with people in their language and step in the edit bay only as needed. (Meaning there’s a time crunch, or the editor just isn’t delivering what I want.

In that sense I do have an edge. But knowing how to do several things and actually trying to do them all are different realities.

I have to quit wasting my time on low budget crap where I work twice as much to make my rate, so I can be in a position where I can hire the right people to crank quality material out in an efficient matter. It’ll take a little patience on my end, because I may not bring as much money in at first, but the way I’m working right now is not sustainable.