Getting paid for an editing gig, how much should I ask for? - General

So I got this quick job to edit some action scenes for a film production in Washington DC. I got recommended by a friend of a friend and this is my first time doing a job like this. I can do it, and I can do it pretty easily, but my question is how much should I be asking for? I'm having a hard time coming up with figures since it's such a specific topic. [I]Background[/I] I use assets from the Action Essentials pack in my work which cost me about $100, plus my subscription to the adobe creative cloud ($9.99 monthly), and those are pretty much my only spendings relevant to this job. It would probably take me about 12 hours of work to get the shots to production quality level. I'm thinking of asking for somewhere around the range of $175-$225 (usd), but I'm worried that may be asking way too much. People with similar experiences, what do you have to say? Here's some of the promotional material put out last year. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XvUgRMeko0[/media] Edited with some better material.

That stepped on trailer looks like it was edited by someone who just installed photoshop and after effects...

[QUOTE=eurocracy;46090300]That stepped on trailer looks like it was edited by someone who just installed photoshop and after effects...[/QUOTE] [url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXCNH9TAHsbGvt8kixI0SfQ][img]https://yt3.ggpht.com/-8UCg4rmZ9s0/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAA/IpoR3S8Dyak/s100-c-k-no/photo.jpg[/img][/url]

OP is rakeem harris?

Ask what you think is fair, if you think $175 (or more) is what you deserve then ask for it. This isn't about scamming them for more money so don't start thinking about what if they think it's too much. Value yourself high and if they give a counter offer, consider it and if it sounds fair accept it. If you think you deserve more then say so and give concrete reasons why, such as average industry wages, materials/software/licenses whatever, just have hard facts as to why you deserve and are worth what you charge.

Compare it to an hourly wage job. Then try and determine how long it will take you. Say you made $10 an hour, and say you worked on it 3 hours a day for a week. That'd hit around 150. Bear in mind those are example numbers and it's all an estimate anyways. Base the wage on how much effort you feel you put into it and how much time you estimate you'll use. Plus if they ask how you found the number it won't be hard to explain

I wouldn't say ~$200 is too much for 12 hours of work, but I'm Danish you know, so that's actually still a fair bit below what I'm earning on my non-specialised job. Anyway, before you even think of charging money, you need to do a much better job than the one shown in the OP. It's honestly pretty shit (it looks like the picture is interpolated (? - I don't really know much about the technical aspect of film editing, but it looks like you chose some bad settings when finalizing your project; it's especially visible on the text at 0:42), it looks like it was made in movie maker. I honestly almost wouldn't take money at all if you're at that level of competency - you could take it as an opportunity to practice your skills, because you seem to need it. And are you also shooting this gig? If so, what kind of camera do you have? If people are paying you for this, they can expect a certain degree of quality. Now, I'm not just trying to shit on you here, but you should really work on your skills a bit more before doing stuff like this. Do you know how to use your program? Like, do you [I]really[/I] know how to use it? You should be totally comfortable with your editing environment, otherwise you won't get a chance of making it look decent.

I charge more than that for 12 hours [i]Audio[/i] 'editing'.

Honestly, if it's your first time, $150-250 is acceptable, assuming you put out decent work. I've done photo shoots/editing/voice shit for people on the side. For a lot of stuff like that, paying under $500 is a steal. As long as you put in effort and give them a nice product, you are NOT screwing them over. [editline]h[/editline] If I were you, I'd charge $100 up front, then $10/hr. Assuming the editing takes around 10-15 hours, you'll get a decent pay.

even if they don't use the work and you did as requested - charge them. don't let them fuck you over or let them use you - it's never going to change their attitude towards industry folk

[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;46095373]I wouldn't say ~$200 is too much for 12 hours of work, but I'm Danish you know, so that's actually still a fair bit below what I'm earning on my non-specialised job. Anyway, before you even think of charging money, you need to do a much better job than the one shown in the OP. It's honestly pretty shit (it looks like the picture is interpolated (? - I don't really know much about the technical aspect of film editing, but it looks like you chose some bad settings when finalizing your project; it's especially visible on the text at 0:42), it looks like it was made in movie maker. I honestly almost wouldn't take money at all if you're at that level of competency - you could take it as an opportunity to practice your skills, because you seem to need it. And are you also shooting this gig? If so, what kind of camera do you have? If people are paying you for this, they can expect a certain degree of quality. Now, I'm not just trying to shit on you here, but you should really work on your skills a bit more before doing stuff like this. Do you know how to use your program? Like, do you [I]really[/I] know how to use it? You should be totally comfortable with your editing environment, otherwise you won't get a chance of making it look decent.[/QUOTE] The stuff in the trailer isn't mine, it's the directors. I haven't touched the film yet. In the OP, I mention that I'm only editing some of the action sequences. Rest assured, I can produce a quality result. If I couldn't, I wouldn't have the balls to ask money for it. Thanks for the tips guys. I really appreciate the help.

[QUOTE=TheGoodDoctorF;46098589]The stuff in the trailer isn't mine, it's the directors. I haven't touched the film yet. In the OP, I mention that I'm only editing some of the action sequences. Rest assured, I can produce a quality result. Thanks for the tips guys. I really appreciate the help.[/QUOTE] Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you edited that piece. Disregard my post, then.

[QUOTE=TheGoodDoctorF;46098589] Rest assured, I can produce a quality result. [/QUOTE] well now you have to post some of your work

Actually sounds like you're underselling a little bit. I might ask for a little more even

[QUOTE=outlawpickle;46094220]Ask what you think is fair, if you think $175 (or more) is what you deserve then ask for it. This isn't about scamming them for more money so don't start thinking about what if they think it's too much. Value yourself high and if they give a counter offer, consider it and if it sounds fair accept it. If you think you deserve more then say so and give concrete reasons why, such as average industry wages, materials/software/licenses whatever, just have hard facts as to why you deserve and are worth what you charge.[/QUOTE] Don't ask what [I]they[/I] think is fair, as invaribly, the number they give will be biased towards them not paying as much, instead, ask them how much their [I]budget[/I] for the project is and if it's decent enough, work out your price form within that.

Pff, if you got $110 expenses for it, plus 12 hours of work, you charge $110 and factor in what you value your work at. If it'll take you 12 hours fuck, give them $300 total as a quote and then negotiate from there. I'd say never settle for less than $250 on this though.