What to charge for editing? at DVinfo.net

Tim Joseph · February 3rd, 2003, 04:02 PM

I shot a concert video for a guy last weekend and he wants me to compile the footage into a music video along with the CD he gave me of his band. No problem except...

My questions is what do I charge the guy? I only charged him $25/hr to shoot the video. Should i continue to charge the same hourly rate to throw this together or should i charge less or one flat rate? Thanks for your help!

Dylan Couper · February 3rd, 2003, 04:16 PM

Don't charge him a flate rate!!! If you are going to charge a flat rate for anything, charge it for the shooting, not the editing. If he doesn't like your cut, or wants to make changes you could end up spending 3x more time cutting it than you thought you would.
If you are skilled, know what you are doing, and fast at it, I would continue to charge the same rate.

K. Forman · February 3rd, 2003, 06:10 PM

If you are only going to "Throw it together", I would charge far less than the $25 you charged for the shoot. ALWAYS treat every customer like they might be the only one. If word gets out you do slop work... they might be.

With that said, charge according to your skill and experience level, and always, like Dylan said, by the hour. The worst thing I have ever heard is, "Could you just...". It is almost like a plea for free work.
Keith

Michael Westphal · February 3rd, 2003, 09:50 PM

Agreed. Charge by the hour. But don't sell yourself short. Will you just be compiling simple shots to edit out stuff between songs, or will you actually be editing a Music Video to tell a story from the music?
One is relatively easy, two is much more difficult. Charge accordingly. Also don't forget you are pricing your expertise AND your equipment. Recover your costs and pay for your effort. Edit like a pro, get paid like a pro.

Then there's the whole science of negotiation. For simple projects I usually charge $50 an hour to edit. For more complex projects I have charged as high as $300 an hour. If the client doesn't twitch when you quote a price, then you are probably leaving money on the table. (This can be ok, we're not being greedy, just honest and ethical. I have done projects for free if the client can't afford it but I feel the "advertising" and educational value is worth the effort expended. But, sheesh, don't let other clients find out you've worked for free...)

Have fun.

Billy Mallari · November 28th, 2006, 11:55 AM

Would you charge less for the rendering time? If yes how much?

Steven Davis · November 28th, 2006, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billy Mallari

Would you charge less for the rendering time? If yes how much?

Not to piggy back too much on this thread, but I think rendering time would be like equipment wear and tear. It's just part of it, sometimes you might feel like charging for rendering, especially if you only have the one machine to use, then you feel like you're workflow is at a dead standstill untill you finish rendering. But I would render over night if you can. But no, I wouldn't charge for rendering time, but that's just me.

February 3rd, 2003, 04:02 PM	#1
Tim Joseph Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Winter Park, FL Posts: 35	What to charge for editing? I shot a concert video for a guy last weekend and he wants me to compile the footage into a music video along with the CD he gave me of his band. No problem except... My questions is what do I charge the guy? I only charged him $25/hr to shoot the video. Should i continue to charge the same hourly rate to throw this together or should i charge less or one flat rate? Thanks for your help! __________________ =================== Scheezo Have Camera, Will Travel-

February 3rd, 2003, 09:50 PM	#4
Michael Westphal Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Baton Rouge, LA Posts: 166	Agreed. Charge by the hour. But don't sell yourself short. Will you just be compiling simple shots to edit out stuff between songs, or will you actually be editing a Music Video to tell a story from the music? One is relatively easy, two is much more difficult. Charge accordingly. Also don't forget you are pricing your expertise AND your equipment. Recover your costs and pay for your effort. Edit like a pro, get paid like a pro. Then there's the whole science of negotiation. For simple projects I usually charge $50 an hour to edit. For more complex projects I have charged as high as $300 an hour. If the client doesn't twitch when you quote a price, then you are probably leaving money on the table. (This can be ok, we're not being greedy, just honest and ethical. I have done projects for free if the client can't afford it but I feel the "advertising" and educational value is worth the effort expended. But, sheesh, don't let other clients find out you've worked for free...) Have fun. __________________ Michael A Westphal

November 28th, 2006, 11:55 AM	#5
Billy Mallari Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 84	How about for rendering Time? Would you charge less for the rendering time? If yes how much?

February 3rd, 2003, 04:16 PM	#2
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	Don't charge him a flate rate!!! If you are going to charge a flat rate for anything, charge it for the shooting, not the editing. If he doesn't like your cut, or wants to make changes you could end up spending 3x more time cutting it than you thought you would. If you are skilled, know what you are doing, and fast at it, I would continue to charge the same rate.

February 3rd, 2003, 06:10 PM	#3
K. Forman Capt. Quirk Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Middle of the woods in Georgia Posts: 3,596	If you are only going to "Throw it together", I would charge far less than the $25 you charged for the shoot. ALWAYS treat every customer like they might be the only one. If word gets out you do slop work... they might be. With that said, charge according to your skill and experience level, and always, like Dylan said, by the hour. The worst thing I have ever heard is, "Could you just...". It is almost like a plea for free work. Keith