Freelance Rates

[E_Tedeschi]

I was wondering what the general feeling was about what constitutes a reasonable hourly rate for a freelance editor/assistant editor for film and or TV work.

There seems to be some debate within the circles I travel in, and I'd love to know what others think.

Enzo

[stephen]

As a TV editor who can edit on AVID or FCP, use Photoshop & After Effects I charge $57 an hour plus GST. (I am a company, so have to pay company tax, personal tax, GST, workcover & superannuation.) My rate card is as follows:

Standard Shift Rate
Weekdays & weekends, including public holidays, 8am - 8pm
$57.00 ($62.70 including G.S.T.)

Evening Shift Rate
Weekdays & weekends, including public holidays, 8pm - 12am
$65.00 ($71.50 including G.S.T.)

'Graveyard' Shift Rate
Weekdays & weekends, including public holidays, 12am - 8am
$75.00 ($82.50 including G.S.T.)

Every new financial year I raise my rate by CPI.

I don't seem to have a problem getting plenty of work at this rate. I mainly do broadcast tv shows.

I have an assistant editor, who I use on various programmes, who charges $25 an hour plus GST.

I am curious what others think of the assistant editor rate... it seems pretty fair to me.

Compared to other editors I know my rate is quite high, but I truelly believe they are under selling themselves. To be honest, I get quite annoyed at other editors not charging enough. IT HURTS US ALL.

[E_Tedeschi]

That sounds about right to me, Stephen.

As for Assisting, one of my gigs at the moment is assisting on a primetime tv show, and $25 an hour is about right.

Your hourly rates are pretty much on par with what I ask as well, but like you said, some think it's too much, and that really gets up me!!

e.

[Crinoid]

Good on you Stephen for putting your rates out like that.

Anyone care to suggest some common going rates for long-form work??

About 5-6 years ago, a certain pay TV sports channel went bust and there were a quite a few sport editors floating around with not much to do.
Directly after this sad occasion I remember being a sport editor with "not much to do" and being told point-blank by a certain free to air network with a regular WIDE transmission of WORLD events pertaining to SPORT, that the freelance rate was $35 an hour like it or lump it.
2am the night before Grand final, I was liking it, I needed the work, I had a mortgage, and I knew I was clawing down everyone else's the rate by accepting it. (3 machine tape suite 2ME row mixer 1 channel ADO, drop a geny ? no prob !)

Could I have negoitiated a better deal - No , market forces at the time dictated the rate.

Was I wrong to play along - Yes.

Did I have a choice at the time - not that I can see, even with the benefit of hindsight.

Would I make the same mistake today? - You betcha, I've got 3 kids. and I'm not much interested in pushing trollys

My 10 cents.....- bargin as hard as you can, and always stay honest as to what you can achive in the time frame. Regardless of the hourly rate, you will still have to deliver the goods.

Also, no matter how much young'ns try to under cut the old farts, crusty old editors will ALWAYS get the best gigs in the end, because it's all about relationships.

Build relationships, and....
Die with clear conscience.
WaZ.
:-)

PS... go home, spend time with your family, they're more important than the film.

[Neil Ryan]

Originally posted by stephen
As a TV editor ... Standard Shift Rate
Weekdays & weekends, including public holidays, 8am - 8pm
$57.00 ($62.70 including G.S.T.)

Stephen,
based on the above, you could get asked or pushed into working 60 hours (5 days @ 12 hours (8am - 8pm)) at your base rate.
Would you let this happen? Do you stipulate a number of hours worked per week?
What about breaks, especially lunchtime, but including short breaks during the day?

Also, do you very often/never take on jobs for a set fee? If so, what have your experiences been.

Are you tending to work for the same people/organisations mostly, who understand your rates? Or mostly new clients who might want want to 'barter' your fees - especially AFTER the job?


Thanks for helping this discussion along; wages/income is always difficult to talk about ...

[stephen]

HOURS
I put a ceiling on my hours at 50 per week. That would be the MAXIMUM. I personally prefer to work a 4 day week, between 32 - 38 hours. Clients have deadlines though and I try to be flexible. Having said that, I tend to establish early on what the workload is going to be like, and even suggest a 2nd editor if I feel it is going to be too much for me.

BREAKS
I always include lunch breaks in my hours. Meaning if I work 9am-5pm I charge 8 hours. I usually eat my lunch while working, then try to take a half hour walk outside to get some fresh air, vitamin D and stretch my legs. I am not so good at giving myself other short breaks - I tend to drive myself a bit too hard while working. I try to time any breaks with rendering fx.

CONTRACTS
I recently finished a contract for 16 weeks on "Bread" - a lifestyle/reality/small business show on Network Ten. It was the first long term job I'd agreed to signing a contract, rather than sticking to my hourly rate card since I went freelance. (3 and a half years now.) It was quite a positive experience - I made sure I put in lots of safe guards about my hours, conditions, and even what I was and was NOT responsible for. I still ended up checking what my fixed weekly income translated into as an hourly rate. It was pretty close to my rate card.

CLIENTS
I have a small group of regular clients who know my rates. When I start with new people, I always establish rates first. You cannot 'barter' after the job. EVER.

[Bill]

As editing systems have become cheaper some have been wondering when or if the time would come when and editor will be expected to arrive at the job with their own editing system, be their own tech support, grader, onliner etc. As we all know this is already happening on some of the "Off Broadway" jobs. Frequently the ones for minimal pay, maximum promises etc etc.

Well rumour has it (unsubstantiated by me as yet) that it has now happened on a major job. The story goes that some of our finest Sound Editing cousins may have finally broken the job drought and scored a slab of top end work. The story goes however "that we're terribly sorry guys but we can't afford to pay for the gear".

A glimpse of the future?

Hope it isn't true.

[stephen]

I am considering moving from payment terms of 30 days to 14 days. Apparently many cameramen now do this. I have a couple of clients who regularly pay late, so perhaps this will help reduce this problem - or at least flag it a little sooner.

What do others think? Frankly I am surprised this thread isn't more active. What are your experiences on the whole 'freelance rates' topic?

[Daz]

Working in London, I always invoice on a weekly basis. The idea is that if some of them are delayed at least some will get through. Sort of like financial sperm, swimming along, desperate to impregnate my bank account! But it still generally takes about a month to get paid. If you can set up a direct banking arrangement that can speed things up a bit.

Mind you, most production companies treat their freelancers better than facilities companies & agencies, who often have to wait up to three months to get their loot!

daz