Need advice - how much to charge for a re-edit

Lukas Siewior · March 26th, 2009, 05:54 PM

On top of re-edit there is also time spent in DVD authoring - recreating menus, artwork, etc. That adds to cost as well. I'm always giving my customers at least 3 sets of DVD's - for me that would mean that I have to burn 3 more copies of the DVD (unless the Bride wants to fix only one copy).

Nick Weeks · March 26th, 2009, 09:14 PM

I charge a flat rate, $89/hour, regardless of the length of time has passed, or how insignificant the edit is. $89/hour includes everything from re-capture (if necessary) and DVD authoring, but on top of that, I will re-charge them for the DVDs too. If I have to re-capture 10 hours of HDV footage because they want this clip changed, this changed, etc. etc. then that's an instant $890 plus editing time.

All this is in my contract, but I also put a note in there stating "technical errors will be fixed for free" so if I misspell the bride's name I don't start a mob coming after me :)

Consequently though, I've never had anyone ask for a re-edit after almost 4 years of doing business. Either they really like their product from start to finish, or they just don't want to fork out the re-edit money.... either way, no complaints from me!

Brad Cook · March 27th, 2009, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Weeks

Consequently though, I've never had anyone ask for a re-edit after almost 4 years of doing business. Either they really like their product from start to finish, or they just don't want to fork out the re-edit money.... either way, no complaints from me!

I think you hit the nail on the head. You definitely don't want to rake people over the coals, especially if you had a great relationship with the B&G. However, if you set your fees high enough you will either make it worth your while to do a re-edit OR the Bride will see that said flaw in the video just isn't worth the hassle of doing it all over again and suddenly the video seems "just fine".

-Brad

Matthew Craggs · March 27th, 2009, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warren Kawamoto

I wouldn't charge her more than $50 just to take out one shot. If you can fix her video, she'll be sure to tell all her friends how great it was to work with you. Conversely, if you give her a hard time, her friends probably won't be calling you in the future. My way of doing business is that the customer ALWAYS gets their way with us.

I agree that we should bend over backwards for the client because good customer service is the foundation of any successful business, but there's a point. If you have, for example, six tapes to capture that's six hours of time right there, which is six hours that you can't capture your next project. Plus rendering time, then DVD authoring time, you're looking at a full day to make a two second change.

What happens two months down the road when she decides she wants the shot back in? Or wants another shot taken out? Or wants some other little change? I certainly don't charge enough that I can justify losing a day of productivity for $50. Especially when the client received a copy to screen to for these very purpose.

Dawn Brennan · March 27th, 2009, 06:40 AM

I emailed her a cost estimate... letting her know that I estimated high just so she wasn't blindsided if it took longer. Well, she didn't want to pay. I used this clip both in her preparations and in the review of the day... only in the review of the day, I turned it black and white. So, now she came up with the idea that if I turn it black and white, it'll be okay...

Ok, so the process is still the same... and the cost would be too. I want to help her, I really do... but I am at a loss for what to do with this. Should I take the easy route and edit the DVD files, rerender and viola? I know its taking the cances on pixelation, but she's not going to pay me to make it worth recapturing and going that route. Thanks for the advice so far... any more would be great!

Don Bloom · March 27th, 2009, 07:47 AM

Dawn,
I've watched this thread with interest, here's my opinion.
Do not do it! At least not for free.
The wedding was 9 months ago, she had a preview copy to look at and she's had the DVDs for 6 months. I'm sorry but that's more than enough time to make a decision about 1 short shot that really in my mind means nothing in the grand scheme of things.
We're not talking about a really good corporate client that is good for thousands of dollars of work a year.
If you do reedit, as long as you have the veg files reload the tape, reopen the project and you're good to go, but you MUST charge for the time to load the tapes,the time to edit the clip, the time to render the project and the time to burn and print the DVDs.
The time involved in just loading the tapes will kill off half a day. Even at a minimum of $25 per hour (and it should be more) figure it out.
Of course maybe she's the one that buys something from a store wears it, uses it whatever and then takes it back 9 months later because it makes her l be look fat ;-)
No chance the store would take it back, why should you be any different?
In my opinion this is like any other outside edit job-except you have the original tapes, you charge the going rate and if she doesn't want to pay, oh well!
As I always say, "some will, some won't, who's next.
Good luck and remember you are in business to make a profit and profit is not a dirty word.

Jeff Kellam · March 27th, 2009, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dawn Brennan

Should I take the easy route and edit the DVD files, rerender and viola? I know its taking the cances on pixelation, but she's not going to pay me to make it worth recapturing and going that route. Thanks for the advice so far... any more would be great!

Dawn:

If you are using Vegas Pro 8.x, a file which is fully compliant to the desired render format will smart render, which does not recompress the material.

I.E. as a test, import the VOB & render with no edits at all and it should just re-write the file in 10 seconds or so, much shorter than a (re-compress) render.

If it dosent work on the VOB, you may need to demux the VOB, but I don't think you will have to.

I think you should post this question in the Sonycreativesoftware.com Vegas forum. Im sure you will get a quick and definative answer.

PS - Im starting to not like your client on all kinds of levels, but she is the client.

Chris Davis · March 27th, 2009, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Kellam

Dawn:

If you are using Vegas Pro 8.x, a file which is fully compliant to the desired render format will smart render, which does not recompress the material.

That's a good idea. The only recompression would happen on the part of the clip that is converted to B&W. It will still take time, so you need to charge her something.

Dawn Brennan · March 27th, 2009, 01:51 PM

Thanks Don for your words... I love it when you step in and say something because you are never sugar-coating the truth! You're right... some will, some won't...!

Jeff - I am going to run a test today to see if that works... I do use Vegas 8 Pro so it should. THANK YOU for posting as you may have just saved me a lot of work.

Chris - Yes I defnitely agree... there will be money exchanged here. I am working up a new quote MUCH less than the last and I am thinking she'll go for it. It shouldn't take nearly the amount of time as we were thinking before.

March 26th, 2009, 09:14 PM	#17
Nick Weeks Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Birmingham, AL USA Posts: 722	I charge a flat rate, $89/hour, regardless of the length of time has passed, or how insignificant the edit is. $89/hour includes everything from re-capture (if necessary) and DVD authoring, but on top of that, I will re-charge them for the DVDs too. If I have to re-capture 10 hours of HDV footage because they want this clip changed, this changed, etc. etc. then that's an instant $890 plus editing time. All this is in my contract, but I also put a note in there stating "technical errors will be fixed for free" so if I misspell the bride's name I don't start a mob coming after me :) Consequently though, I've never had anyone ask for a re-edit after almost 4 years of doing business. Either they really like their product from start to finish, or they just don't want to fork out the re-edit money.... either way, no complaints from me! __________________ http://snaplifestudios.com

March 27th, 2009, 06:40 AM	#20
Dawn Brennan Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 193	I figured this would happen I emailed her a cost estimate... letting her know that I estimated high just so she wasn't blindsided if it took longer. Well, she didn't want to pay. I used this clip both in her preparations and in the review of the day... only in the review of the day, I turned it black and white. So, now she came up with the idea that if I turn it black and white, it'll be okay... Ok, so the process is still the same... and the cost would be too. I want to help her, I really do... but I am at a loss for what to do with this. Should I take the easy route and edit the DVD files, rerender and viola? I know its taking the cances on pixelation, but she's not going to pay me to make it worth recapturing and going that route. Thanks for the advice so far... any more would be great!

March 27th, 2009, 07:47 AM	#21
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Dawn, I've watched this thread with interest, here's my opinion. Do not do it! At least not for free. The wedding was 9 months ago, she had a preview copy to look at and she's had the DVDs for 6 months. I'm sorry but that's more than enough time to make a decision about 1 short shot that really in my mind means nothing in the grand scheme of things. We're not talking about a really good corporate client that is good for thousands of dollars of work a year. If you do reedit, as long as you have the veg files reload the tape, reopen the project and you're good to go, but you MUST charge for the time to load the tapes,the time to edit the clip, the time to render the project and the time to burn and print the DVDs. The time involved in just loading the tapes will kill off half a day. Even at a minimum of $25 per hour (and it should be more) figure it out. Of course maybe she's the one that buys something from a store wears it, uses it whatever and then takes it back 9 months later because it makes her l be look fat ;-) No chance the store would take it back, why should you be any different? In my opinion this is like any other outside edit job-except you have the original tapes, you charge the going rate and if she doesn't want to pay, oh well! As I always say, "some will, some won't, who's next. Good luck and remember you are in business to make a profit and profit is not a dirty word. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

March 26th, 2009, 05:54 PM	#16
Lukas Siewior Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Lyndhurst, NJ, USA Posts: 408	On top of re-edit there is also time spent in DVD authoring - recreating menus, artwork, etc. That adds to cost as well. I'm always giving my customers at least 3 sets of DVD's - for me that would mean that I have to burn 3 more copies of the DVD (unless the Bride wants to fix only one copy).

March 27th, 2009, 01:51 PM	#24
Dawn Brennan Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 193	Thanks Don for your words... I love it when you step in and say something because you are never sugar-coating the truth! You're right... some will, some won't...! Jeff - I am going to run a test today to see if that works... I do use Vegas 8 Pro so it should. THANK YOU for posting as you may have just saved me a lot of work. Chris - Yes I defnitely agree... there will be money exchanged here. I am working up a new quote MUCH less than the last and I am thinking she'll go for it. It shouldn't take nearly the amount of time as we were thinking before.