What are FCP editor,s rates and charges per hour?

Hi guys,
Does anyone know what the fcp editors rates are per hour, from minimum to maximum for cutting movies and commercials?
Anyone please,
Thanks,

Z

Are you trying to figure out what to charge?

Everyone's rate varies on experience and other factors like overhead; if you're running a facility and you have major equipment and employees, your rate is gonna be higher than if you're working solo in your own home. It also varies by project; for commercials you might charge by the hour but on films you would negotiate a day rate based on an estimate of how long post-production will last.

JK

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SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

Visit the Motion Picture Editors Guild website at www.editorsguild.com to get Union rates. I would recommend you not work for anything less! If you're non-Union, also include benefits (medical,... ). Anything less and you're just screwing yourself and everyone else!

Robert Moore (wmusa@woomza.com)
WOOMZA.com
Santa Monica, CA
USA

Thanks Robert,

Zia

The Union Scale of $500/day on a 5 day guaranteed week is an interesting figure.

Of course, so is the $3,100 member initiation and processing fee, after 200 demonstrated hours of work with W2s and 1099s to support that. I stopped reading before I got to the annual Union dues schedule.

I heard SAG is $2,000 signup for $500/day rate, which is a better deal, in front of the camera than behind.

I'm OK at $350/day. Too bad some of that 'day' is often spent working around Mac OS/FCS bugs, having nothing to do with the Client's content or final product. Like after several hours of work when you get that "File Open" error when trying to save, and can't save! (And, "NO" I don't wait hours to Save, I Save every few decisions, but as others have reported here, ultimately in a work session one of those file system errors happens and you have to Quit without saving changes - because you can't!).

I charge a little more than that, but $300 -- $350 a day seems like a reasonable rate to most folks. For sure if you're editing a motion picture as a union/guild member it's gonna be more, but your standard industrial video project is gonna have a WAY smaller budget...

So far, my hourly rates have kept pace with the budgets on my projects and I'm making enough bank each month, so I know I'm in the right ballpark. Not too much, but just enough to scare away the folks who want a lot of editing done for $100 ("But it's a great piece for your reel!"

JK

_______________________________________
SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

Thanks John,
All this info is very important and very valuable to me.
When you say $300 to $350 day, are you talking about 8 hours a day or more?

Zia

8-10 is the range, depends on who you ask. Decide how long you want to work each day and go from there. I don't charge overtime, I just charge the client by the hour if they need me to work so damned late...

JK

_______________________________________
SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

I think the rates state here are about right for freelance, non-union,... $300 to $350 day, sounds typically, and reasonable (I guess?). I prefer the Union rate and benefits. Meeting the Union guidelines are easier than you might think.

Nick Baer, sounds like your system needs some serious tuning! I don't have many problems at all with the systems I build and use. It's weird because I always hear these problems, like you can't expert EDL's, or import EDL's successfully with FCP,.. but I've been doing without any problems! The file open problem you describe,... I have not encountered that,.... Like I said, I suspect your system, or your clients system needs tuning. Even you, or your client needs a consult, I can tune that system for you and get it working properly.

You're right about saving,... I save pretty much after every edit! All computers crash,... it just happens. Mine do crash,... but very, very rarely,... but it's that rare crash that always happens at the tightest deadline that kills you!

As far as Union goes,... the benefits, in particular medical/health, are, basically, the best in the world! Well worth the initial fee, and the dues are not very much.

One thing MPEG (Local 700) is useless about is helping any members find work, and the roster is a waste of time!

Also, the OT protection is very, very nice,... like 1.5 from 8 to 10 hour day (or something like that?) and double time after that (after 10 hours, Holidays,...)!

Plus, the Z1 is a weekly call,... if they use you only a few hours, on a single day, they still pay you for the week.

As far as acting goes,... let's see you get a good, steady acting gig! I'd do that, if I could find it!

What is "the Z1" ?

Some years ago, it was common that professional wages started at $50 per hour. I imagine that inflation has pushed this figure higher. Ultimately, rates will fluctuate based on several factors including the market and the editor's level of experience. Professionals tend to work on a per-diem basis rather than hourly, especially if they are traveling to a customer's facility to perform the work.