Part Time Video Editor Rate

[Spencer Whiteman]

Hi guys, I was recently offered a part time job as a Cinematographer/Editor for a Creative agency in Michigan. We went out to lunch together to talk about themselves and how the company came about and their reason for doing what they do. It went very well, they've been around for quite some time and they just re-branded themselves a few years ago and are focusing more on Brand storytelling through video. (Even though they specialize in web design and photography as well). They took me to their office which is actually in the basement of the owners house lol,(they just put a offer down in an actual office which is quite nice) although it is very cool! They have multiple Imac stations as well as 2 editing stations, one of them consisting of a Mac pro with 64 gbs of ram 8 core etc(seems legit right?). Anyways I'm rambling, they offered me a job to work 2 days a week as an editor and shooter, they edit on Final cut pro x, (I have always used premiere pro) so that'll take a little time to get used to, but I'm also 19 years old, turning 20 in March. So One of the guys I went to lunch with called me the next day, to discuss pay. He said we would like to start you off at $13 Hour(But for me to film they would still pay me my half day rate of 350 and full day rate of 550 as they sub-contract me from time to time). At that I was a little confused and upset, I was expecting closer to $20 an hour. I said I will get back to him about this. The office is about an hour away from me on a day without traffic, could be an hour 30 with traffic. So initially 2-3 hours of driving a day. They typically create videos for all types of clients but right now they've been marketing skilled trade companies and organizations. I do realize that I'm young and I don't have a degree in film or editing. But they also highlighted during our little lunch discussion about talent and that's what they want, they could care less about the degree or certificate. So my question is, are they trying to take advantage of me because of my age? Am I getting offered a very low rate or is this normal and I'm seeing imaginary articles and blog posts about editing rates that are way higher( I do understand the price difference between freelance editing jobs and ones like this offer). I'm not super new to this, I've been doing this for a couple of years and have quite a few projects ranging from weddings to brand marketing videos to music videos. What are your thoughts? I would love to hear, thanks.

Here is my site with my work: http://www.spencerwhitemanvisuals.com/

 

[Louis Maddalena]

Hello Spencer,

I watched your stuff on your site, you definitely have an eye for story and composition. I think working for $13 an hour for shooting and editing is selling yourself short. While I think it might be difficult to break in, I think you may find that breaking in will be easier and possibly more money if you find yourself some PA jobs on some real sets that know how much you'll be worth when you actually have a camera in your hand.

 

[Ryan Sauve]

That seems pretty low. Based on what I see on your site, you're worth a hell of a lot more than $13/hour but it's a supply/demand driven market so unless there's an abundance of abled editors in your area, you should be charging more. It's a specialized skill that requires a lot more than working at a Tim Hortons. Don't sell yourself short. I didn't go to school for film (learned everything on my own) and my editing rate starts at $90/hour for non-profits and goes up from there. For what it's worth, I've been doing it for about 4 or 5 years now.

 

[Craig Parkes]

The question I would ask is what advantage do you gain working part time for the company?

I'll be honest, when I got my break into this industry it was coming into a place and working at probably a similar rate as you were being offered at a full time rate. However that was a number of years ago and things have changed dramatically since then.

Firstly, the infrastructure required to develop a client base in video production has dropped dramatically. Literally a few grand of equipment and a $150 worth of website hosting can get you started. By your existing videos you likely have everything you need to compete with these people as a business entity rather than work for them part time, apart from a few things - experience and connections in the market place.

I would NOT go in and work with others on a part time basis on that rate, especially with the travel times you face, no matter what. However, if I thought they were good people who I could develop a long term relationship with, who had good clients I wanted to work with, and were doing good work that I wanted to emulate, I would offer to come in and work full time with them, at whatever full time rate they could afford, IF I could afford to live on that AND I thought would learn the right things, and there was a very clearly defined timeline to getting paid a proper rate - with milestones and goals and a level of transparency about what the company actually will need to achieve to pay a reasonable wage.

Don't be impressed by gear, or the promise of fancy new offices - that stuff can be financed by debt, it doesn't mean anything. Ask them how many clients they have, how many clients they have in the works, how soon they would expect to be able to employ you full time on proper rates based on those goals, and what sort of margin's they are aiming for from their clients when it comes to video work to make that happen.

Also see what they are handling on the video side in addition to the content creation (Placing the video content as advertisements, relationships with P.R. and marketing firms, S.E.O optimization for the videos - all the things that will make the video have value beyond just what the client thinks it's worth paying for the video.).

The reality is this - Video is the new desktop publishing - Just like printing was a specialist job in the early 90's and then became everything somebody could do in their office and their homes with computers and printers, now Video is something everyone can do with their iPhone and Youtube. Ensuring you are getting involved with a company that knows how to add the necessary value to that video content and get their clients to pay for it, rather than just now moving into video because it's something they have to do to keep their clients (but don't really understand) is absolutely key.

You don't want to be taking an in house role if it's just a way for them to save money and keep their current rate of growth - instead the reason to take an inhouse role (especially at a lower rate) is so that they can undertake explosive growth and end up giving you lots of work for you reel, winning enough clients to pay you what you are worth, and building a business that is strong enough to assure you more job security than you would have as a freelancer.

If you and they both understand that goal - and the reality is that they just can't commit to the risk of paying you more for more hours until those clients have been won, then your choices are

A. Remain someone who freelancers for them and hope they grow on their own, while expanding your own client base so that you are not relying on their business growth for your income growth (going it alone - the normal road for a freelancer).

B. Join their business for what they can afford, but not on a part time basis - be their full time even if they are not paying you full time, become invaluable, add value, and work with them to see the business grow as part of a team - ensuring that your hard work now is recognized and that there is some contracted trigger for it to pay off. Because if they are going to be successful they'll NEED you full time sooner rather than later - but if you treat it as a part time gig to begin with you might make a compromise (saying taking on another part time job) that won't allow you to make the leap to a full time position when they need you to (which still may be before they can pay you properly to do it).

If you aren't willing to be big on the company (and also able to convince them to bet on you a little bit in terms of them offering you some very clear and reasonable targets for them having to offer you a full time role) then there is no point in taking a low rate.

So - either suggest you turn up every day, work full time hours, learn everything you can from them and help them build their business as best you can in the process, or keep freelancing.

Part time work for low pay is a request that shows a lack of confidence. It might be ok for them to be cautious around you if they think you are comparatively inexperienced and that's the reason to try you out on a low wage for a short period of time (agreed to by you), but it is NOT okay for them to be cautious around having you full time because they don't think they can win enough clients fast enough to warrant a full time person and they are just trying to offer a cheaper rate by having you in house so they can get more work by charging clients less than they would be having you work freelance - because that is an approach that will mean they will NEVER charge clients enough to pay you proper rates.

 

[Nick Morrison]

1) Counter offer for $20/hr. See what they say.
2) Just so you have a reference, most broadcast editors in NYC with 10 years experience get $50-75/hr (not including equipment, just labor).

 

[Elsie N]

Question is... do you have an option for making money or advancing your career for the time in question?

It sounds like you may be fairly compensated for your camera work and by working for this company you may grow to be indispensable. As Nick said, make a counter-offer, but don't make it an either/or... bargain with them... at least get them to pay during travel time as your last bargaining chit. Then, if you come to an agreement they will know you are a tough negotiator when it comes time to get a raise. Be cognizant of your worth to the operation as it grows. Tell them in advance they are going to need to set aside some of their increasing profits to pay you... so don't overspend on glitzy stuff. '-)

Maybe you can work your way into an ownership position eventually if you decide you like working for this company. Otherwise, make contacts while working for them that may benefit you later on. It sounds as though you are o.k. with the working relationship other than the pay. Maybe starting out is not the time to over play your hand in re: pay. Become indispensable and name your own price.