Type "A" producer in edit suite

[BluesCam]

I met with a client yesterday. They had decided to hire an independent producer
to run their project. Now their will be four people who will have to sign off on the edit.

The producer said he was extremely hands on and it would be a "totally supervised edit." He went on to say "in the edit suite I am the producer, I am in charge and the editor is the editor." "I plan to edit 8-10 hr. a day."

I don't usually edit projects that I didn't shoot and I do not like the producer sitting there the whole time. I prefer to do a 1st cut myself based on their EDL and then show it to the client and proceed to tweak it. The producer said "no rough cut, I want to be there from day one, just have the clips trimmed and ready in the library."

I don't know how you folks feel about this type of "supervised" editing, but this person made me feel very uncomfortable and the thought of sitting there with them for 8-10 hr. for three or four days is not appealing to me. I think I'm going to pass on editing the video even though I will be passing on about $3K. I realize that editing shops work like this, but it's not my cup of tea.

I guess I have been too isolated for too long.

 

[jim sitton]

Edit this!

$3,000 to edit
$4,000 if you watch
$6,000 if you help
If more than 3 people have to "sign off" on the final, you can find yourself another editor!

 

[AKinDC]

$3k for three or four days of work?
Suck it up, turn off your brain, and put the shots wherever he wants them.

 

[eugalc]

Agree with AK- suck it up and do it. If you put in a 12 frame dissolve and he wants to split hairs and make it a 10 frame dissolve make it 10 frames. Also, if you have an open mind it might be fun to see how someone else puts together a story. On the positive side this producer could be super-talented and you might end up putting something really special together. Obviously the other extreme is he's a bozo and you go in circles the whole day- as long as you still get paid though that's all that matters.

 

[2 Hungry Dogs]

I understand your frustration, but the businessman in me says take the job, be quiet, do what he says, and cash the check. Like eugalc says, if you keep an open mind you might even learn something.

Plus is you don't usually edit things other people shot, this may be a good opprtunity to see how other people shoot.

 

[BluesCam]

Thanks for the insight gentlemen.

 

[Horonto]

When editing by committee and directed to trim off a few frames I usually just hit the key pad and perform a placebo edit.

Show them the same edit and they say that's much better.

Don't worry about the producer being difficult to work with until they become actually become difficult.

4G's for 3 days not bad. Let the producer call the shots.

If you can't work like that don't take the gig.
As posted earlier see what you can learn from the experience.

 

[John M.]

When editing by committee and directed to trim off a few frames I usually just hit the key pad and perform a placebo edit.

I'd make sure that the producer really can't tell the difference before I tried that stunt. If the producer does have enough sense of timing to know what you did, then you're stuck with a Type-A producer who thinks you're either incompetent or insubordinate. Neither is good for attracting future business.

Sometimes an editor is hired to edit. Sometimes he's hired essentially to push the buttons as the producer edits. If you don't like the second kind, it's probably better for you to take a pass than to play passive-aggressive games with the producer.

 

[Ben Longden]

The other thing to consider is that if the client hates the finished product, they only have their hands on man to blame..

Me?

I'd use it as a learning excercise and do the cuts how he wants. If he is going to pay that much for three days, then think of it as you are being paid to learn another technique...

I have a major client that likes being in the editing suite when i'm cutting his stuff. Not only does he feel more in control of his project, but at the end of the day, he is happy with the result. Not only that, he pays his bills before they are due.

Besides, his word of mouth advertising is solid gold.

Ben

 

[N.Klaeser]

I have a memory of an edit that I had many years ago and still lingers today. It was a session in a digital betacam on-line suite. I was taking a Avid off-line and taking it to high-rez. I'm not sure if anyone has ever done this but it takes a lot of patience. You are inputting the numbers into the editor and try to recreate what another editor has done frame for frame-layer for layer. Anyway, I was working with the bi-polar producer from HELL! And, it took two and a half days to on-line three spots at $25.00 per hour. To this day, I think I still feel the effects of this producers wrath.
My point is...don't jeopardize your sanity for the almighty buck if you can avoid it. Just ask my psychiatrist. (Just kidding!)

 

[D.St.]

For $1k per day, I could put up with just about anybody in the suite. When I freelance, I just push the buttons. If they want me to edit in 2 frames of color bars between shots, I'll do it.

Just as long as the check clears.