Documentary Rates

[danlee]

Hi guys,
I was just wondering what the going rate is for an hour long documentary with 8 weeks of offline editing time (ie how much for editor and how much for machine oh and also an assistant).
Any indicators would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Dan

[shaun]

$1200(ex GST) week for editor is probably the lower end of the scale. For an assistant probably $600-$700 or an hourly rate for digitising. For equipment, who knows. If it's the editors gear its usually negotiable as a package.
Hope this helps.

[Matthew]

Try $1500 per week.

I think as a rule of thumb producers should be prepared to pay as much for the gear as their editor.

[stephen]

I always think you should work it out by the hour - even if it is just for your own benefit.

$1,500 a week for an editor? Is that 5 days x 8 hours? So a 38 hour week translates to around $40 an hour? (Not including G.S.T.) Hmmm, I hope people consider that the LOWEST end, payment-wise. I mean after you take your personal tax, company tax, superannuation, workcover insurance out there ain't a whole lot left to live on.

Edit suite costs obviously vary depending on the facilities, so that is a little harder to place a single figure on. Is it just DV editing? Offline only? Uncompressed SD? Colour grading? Photoshop, After Effects, a scanner? Does the suite have a broadcast monitor? Production music library? Tech support, phone, internet, kitchen-ette, heating, air conditioning, parking, gym, pool, personal masseuse????

[danlee]

Thanks everyone for helping me out and for making sure that I didn't undercharge.

Dan Lee

[Fiona]

I have to say I was quite angry when I read the rates that are being quoted here, particularly when I had just navigated to the ASE from the AFC budgets site!!!
Do you really want Producers quoting the rate (as seen on the ASE site) at $1200.00, or even $1500.00 per week???
As Stephen mentions you have a lot to factor in (nearly 30% should be allocated to super & holiday pay- so consider that deducted from your pay if you are not PAYG.)
The Alliance has a list of job & pay hierarchies. Editors are at the same level as DOP's- do you know any DOP's that earn less than $400.00 a day?
So charge what you are worth, don't forget the pay structure is designed to factor in that you don't work 52 weeks of the year, and is higher accordingly.
So how about $1800.00?
Of course you negotiate if a job is low budget, long term or worthy in some way but make $1500.00 your lowest, not the starting point for negotiations.

Fiona

[Daz]

This is completely irrelevant, but rates in London for freelancers vary from £800-£900 per week for entry level editors cutting 'reality TV' or magazine style shows, up to £1250 per week for experienced editors working on big budget 'Landmark' documentaries. I've also seen rates here go up to £1500 per week if you can include conforming/online work in your deal.

Exchange rate: £1 STERLING = $2.4 AUSSIE DOLLARS

daz