How Much Does Editing A Video Cost?
If you’re looking to hire a video editor for your work, chances are you’ll get a whole range of prices from very cheap, even free, to ridiculously expensive, and there are several reasons why, not least of all some are looking for the experience, while others are so experienced, most of the cost lies in the time they’re giving to edit your videos. What you need to do is strike a balance between the extremes. After all, you don’t want to hire a video editor who only started in the field, and you don’t want to hire someone who’s already made a name for themselves.
So, how do you choose which video editor to go for, and how much does editing a video cost? Let’s take a look at all the different aspects of video editing that could cost you a pretty penny.
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Time Is Everything
First, you’re paying for a video editor’s time, for the most part, because it takes a while to edit a video. Even a 5-minute short film can take a day or two if your footage requires a lot of cleaning up. Even adding special effects, like animation or green screen replacements can take a while to make, especially if your editor needs to make them from scratch. That’s why freelance video editors will charge a lot, the fees are for the time it takes to edit a good and comprehensive video.
Furthermore, the length of the video will also determine part of the cost. The reason why is that the longer the video, the more time your video editor needs to work on it. Not only that, if you’re working on a feature film, you’ll need to bring on a team of editors, which can add to the cost of the edit. And even though one editor may be brought on to fix one clip, they’ll still need some form of payment, especially if it’s for a major project. A credit in the film won’t be enough, and you’ll have to fork out a hefty sum just to appease them. So, keep in mind that the longer your video is, the more you’ll have to pay.
It’s All About The Workload
Many times, filmmakers, even big names, think that everything will be “ok in Post”. What that means is, when they make mistakes in the shoot of a film, the editor will fix it, no matter how bad the mistake is. While there are many mistakes a video editor can fix, there are some that can’t be fixed (think about the Game of Thrones blunder a few years ago). That’s why it’s important to know how much work you’re going to give your editor.
If they’re going to fix small spots, like changing the position of a prop, or doctoring a clip to fit within a scene, most of the time it wouldn’t take much effort. But, if your footage has a lot of these errors, you’re increasing their workload, thus increasing their fees. After all, if you signed on a video editor to simply put the video together, then fixing your footage isn’t in their contract. Soon hidden fees will start popping up and you’ll hurt your budget. So, when shooting your video, plan for any mistakes you might make, and try to eliminate them before you send your footage to your editor.
Account For Experience
If you’re working with freelancers, you never know how much their experience fees will be. They can be anything from free to thousands of dollars. If you’re looking for experienced editors, who know what they’re doing, they might end up being at the top end of the scale. So, unless you have a budget of millions of dollars, you won’t be able to afford them. Despite that, there are still some good editors who can be affordable. You only need to know where to look, of course, unless you already know a good editor, it can be difficult to find them, on your own. That’s why it’s important to get to know how good they are. Ask them to show you their previous works, interview them and see whether they’ve received any formal training or they’re self-taught. By getting to know how well they work, you’ll know the quality of videos you’ll get, and it’ll justify the prices they’re offering.
In-House Or Remote
Where your video editor works is also important and you should consider this when you’re hiring them. Sometimes having in-house editors, or editors who work with you, face-to-face, can be more expensive. You’ll need to figure out the cost of travel, even food and drink, and equipment and software if you’re providing them. Working remotely, or online is a much easier option since everything can be shared over the Internet, via cloud systems, or through file transfer websites. The only problem with that is the fact that you can’t supervise them, as they work. So, you’ll have to content yourself with whatever they’ve made.
Outsource Or Freelance
The last thing you need to think about is whether you can outsource your video editors, or if they’re freelance. Usually, freelancers can add on extra charges, even if they’re for minor fixes which you could do yourselves. However, outsourced video editors won’t do that since their charges are fixed. So, before deciding to scour the Internet for experienced freelance video editors, try searching for outsourced video editors first. Guaranteed their prices are fixed and will be experienced, if not with previous formal training, then the company who’s hired them will train them, themselves. By choosing outsourced video editors, you won’t need to negotiate prices or editing styles, they’ll match their editing styles to suit your needs.
Here at Cut Pro Media, we outsource video editors for less than $100 and depending on what videos you need, there won’t be any extra hidden costs that could break your budget. All our video editors are experienced and will be able to fix your footage, even if there are minor mistakes. Not only that, they’ve all had formal training, so you can rest assured that they already know what they’re doing.
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