Have you been refused overtime payment?

[Webby]

The FFC claims that the proposed schedules of projects it supports would never lead to the erosion of the quality of product or professionalism of practice in the Australian film industry.

If you feel that you know differently please respond to the simple poll I'm posting here but also contact us confidentially in response to the President's email that will reach all members soon.

[Fiona]

The Producer acknowledged that the work needed to be done, but had not budgeted for overtime, so I was paid under the guise of "Per Diems" (tax savings???).
It is difficult but if you are working in a situation where work is building up leading to overtime, it is up to you to look at the schedule and alert the Producer to the fact that you can't see the production finishing on time.
Do this before you do the work.
If you can put forward a valid argument, you can usually get some adjustment that will make life sane.
It is rarely the editor's fault so you shouldn't suffer in silence, that just perpetuates the problem. Many factors go into a film needing more time -lack of consultation at the start leading to underbudgeting & underscheduling, lack of knowledge about the best way to achieve something "out of the box", shooting over ratio, change of direction as the script develops, lack of satisfaction at approval screenings. You shouldn't have to wear the overages that result from those events unless you were the one that gave the bad advice to start with.
Editing is a thinking sport, and that needs to be factored in right from the start. It's no point being optimistic about that time before you start, because you will wear the consequences if you accept a schedule of six weeks when you know in your heart it will take ten.
You are usually working in a partnership with the Director, and explaining your needs to them can help you articulate your argument and gain an ally.

Fiona

[rachelw]

Fiona has hit it right on the head. Although we sometimes wonder how it is possible to cling tenaciously to our jobs whilst saying 'it just can't be done in four weeks', it's a part of our jobs to be realistic about what we are hired to do, and what we are capable of doing. You simply can't output good work on an ongoing basis if you are overtired, which is the most common result of an overambitious schedule. If a director or producer doesn't like that, because their budget is established, it really is their problem, not yours. But you have to be honest and up front about your thoughts on how long a project will take, and also firm with how many hours a day you put into your work - we work crazy schedules at times, but we certainly don't have to work ourselves to death! If you worry about justifying your time and workflow, keep a diary in the suite, and write in it what you do with your time, requests from directors/producers, all the silly stuff you have to face in the day. Keep it seperate from your project notes as a personal diary, so it's easy to access and follow. It is a great way of checking your time management on a project.

[Daz]

I find that a squeezed edit schedule is often a result of things having gone over in other areas, i.e. pre-production and shooting: "We'll make up the time lost in the edit." Of course, the reality is that uncertainties in planning and overruns in shooting result in even more difficulties when it's time for post production.

I think what is really disappointing is when I try to get into a dialogue with production early about how a film is going to be made, how it's going to be shot, craft as well as technical issues - only to be cold-shouldered under the pretext: "We're shooting, we're shooting - we're far too busy to worry about the post!"

Rachel's diary idea is great. I also make sure to turn my Avid on when & start & off when I stop (as opposed to leaving it on all the time) so there is a log of my hours. I'm very careful to specify at the start of a job what a standard week is & under what circumstances overtime kicks in. I make sure to contact the Production Manager directly if an overtime scenario looms & get it in an email - so there's no questions later about who agreed what with whom. This is unfotunately born of bitter experience where I've had to row with Production Management to get paid after the event. Touch wood: haven't lost one yet!

The best advice I think is to be thick skinned about getting paid and not feel as if the production is doing you a favour. This doesn't rule out passion, commitment and a desire to get the best film possible - it just means you deserve to be paid!

daz

[grinner]

I look back at all the free hours I worked as an editor on salary.
I could say it's a bummer but I gave them in trade for steps toward where I am today and will be in 15 more years.
My point is I don't think anyone who has ever been denied OT was really that surprised. This udually happens when we take a gig and ignored that inner voice that told us that getting paid would be a bonus. We do these things because we either believe in the project or just ourselves. If these are done knowing it's the experience that is the payment, modern currency is a bonus.

grin