Advice on getting into Video Editing/Production

Clipman · #1 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 11:10 AM

I have had a passion for films since I was young, and I did a degree in film studies way back in 1999. Due to the job market where I live and other practical pressures, I wasn't able to look for work in film or video production and had to settle for generic office work.

Back then we were using 3 VHS machines and a clunky mixing desk to edit. Rollback of 3 or 4 frames was not uncommon, and it was a time-consuming task to get the smallest of edits just right.

During all this time I considered myself reasonably computer-savvy, and the ethos of "drag and drop" filtering over to almost all software packages is one that I recognise and understand.

In the meantime, obviously, video editing packages are now on computer, and from the small practice sessions on Adobe Premiere, I can see how easy certain elements have become.

I know editing, far more than the comprehension of editing software, is an understanding of form and pace, which I consider myself to have. The software and technical side is something I would have no problem learning.

At 36, hardly fresh out of college or anything else for that matter, would it be feasible to find work doing such stuff? I don't particularly want to be a wedding photographer, at least not if it entailed me shooting the footage myself, I prefer the post-production side of things.

Ideally, I'd like to work for a film or television company, and would be willing to travel a certain distance from where I live (Leicester) as I have a car.

Any ideas/suggestions as to how to further my path toward this goal would be greatly appreciated.

(Moderator, please move this post to whatever section you see fit)

Zero · #2 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 04:12 PM

Hi and welcome.
Not too sure there's a whole heap of work in TV land. They're slashing budgets and even the established teams seem to be struggling.
It may be you could keep battering the video forums offering freelance editing and get a few jobs in while you establish your style.

bibiy · #3 (**permalink**) 09-05-2009, 02:06 AM

Hi My name is Renato and I'm based in Hong Kong. I do TV documentaries for a local station here. After ten years in the business, I'd like to open a video production house. I know a network of cameramen and video editors I've worked with over the years. I know the production side. Trouble is, how do you find clients? Any idea how much to charge a company for a corporate video? Does that depend on the length of the video?

Zero · #4 (**permalink**) 09-06-2009, 07:27 AM

Hi Renato and welcome to the forum.
Finding clients of any genre is universal. Advertising/web and recommendation.
Offer a few select clients a free shoot and use this as your showreel. They may even be impressed enough to add extra days for other ventures once they see how productive it can be for them.

Pricing. We charge £75 per hour for 2 cams and £45 ph edit.
If you give a price only for a complete project, they will waver and prevaricate forever.

A price ph will make them concentrate and become decisive. Time is money, but if it doesn't cost the client extra for more time, they will certainly use it at a rate of knots.

smifis · #5 (**permalink**) 09-06-2009, 11:31 AM

We charge per day and depending on what crewing they require, we charge from £20 to £270

we also charge extra for editing and this is done on job-by-job basis.

Andy Lockwood · #6 (**permalink**) 09-06-2009, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by smifis

we charge from £20 ...

Peanuts and Monkeys spring to mind.... £20?

The Gaffer · #7 (**permalink**) 09-06-2009, 01:36 PM

Calm down Andy, he is still at school and £20 an hour ain't bad when you're doing "A" levels.

However Bibiy, for proper professional productions you should be looking at the sort of figures Zero suggests.

I haven't gone down the hourly route and my fees start at a daily rate. I've got a standard rate sheet in which a "day" for me consists of ten hours including two half hour breaks and a one hour lunch. ie eight work hours in a ten hour day. Overtime is one tenth of the daily rate plus 50%. As Zero so succinctly points out the client will stretch the shooting time unless it hurts him in the wallet.

smifis · #8 (**permalink**) 09-06-2009, 01:38 PM

Yeah. all it is is a pa.

we try to cater for all. we can give you a single crew member such as a pa or sound assistant all the way up to an 6 camera shoot with live vision mixing and web broadcasting but that is very expensive and we do not have a set price for that.

smifis · #9 (**permalink**) 09-06-2009, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by The Gaffer

Calm down Andy, he is still at school and £20 an hour ain't bad when you're doing "A" levels.

However Bibiy, for proper professional productions you should be looking at the sort of figures Zero suggests.

I haven't gone down the hourly route and my fees start at a daily rate. I've got a standard rate sheet in which a "day" for me consists of ten hours including two half hour breaks and a one hour lunch. ie eight work hours in a ten hour day. Overtime is one tenth of the daily rate plus 50%. As Zero so succinctly points out the client will stretch the shooting time unless it hurts him in the wallet.

And yes i'm still a student. me and many of the other students have put together a production company with me owning 50% stake.

Chapman Photography · #10 (**permalink**) 09-06-2009, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by smifis

And yes i'm still a student. me and many of the other students have put together a production company with me owning 50% stake.

How old are you?