2 day edit - wrapped up in 4

[fluidedge]

what are you supposed to when you have very little control over the edit?

I know i should be more forceful in defending my decisions on the edit, but when the client views it and asks for numerous changes and insists on certain shots being taken out/included what are you to do?

I've had a perfectly nice video turned into a glorified powerpoint presentation today and am feeling thoroughly fed up and frankly upset. If it wasn't a lucrative contract i'd have told them to shove it up their...ahem

Finally got the sign off by client sighing and saying, "yes, that will do"

<-- almost perfectly matches my facial expression.

Not wishing to get primma donnaish but really not happy. Are we just glorified button pushers, slicing up clips in Final Cut? Maybe i'm just a bad editor.

 

[LethalWolfe]

what are you supposed to when you have very little control over the edit?

I know i should be more forceful in defending my decisions on the edit, but when the client views it and asks for numerous changes and insists on certain shots being taken out/included what are you to do?

The customer is always right even if the customer likes crap. You can politely make a case for why you think it should be X instead of Y but ultimately it's the clients decision, not yours.


Lethal

 

[bigbossbmb]

going through the same problem right now... it's no fun, but you just give them what they want and it doesn't really matter if you think it's good.

 

[fluidedge]

True.

Customer gets what they want of course, but they don't half treat you like dirt in the process.

When we agree to a two day edit, quote for 2 days and charge for 2 days and it takes nearer 4 what do you do? You can't put in another bill can you.

 

[iPhoneNYC]

Years ago, I had a sign in my edit room outlining the different stages of film, the first two were:

!. Wild Enthusiasm
2. Search for the Guilty

I believe the last one was "Reward the Un-involved"

 

[bigbossbmb]

well if you agree on a 2 day edit, then after 2 days you have to tell them "times up". if you take a film to a colorist for an 8-hour session, they don't give you a 9th hour...

if your pay is by the day and you gave them a finished product at the end of day 2, then they should be willing to pay the extra days. however, you can't really bring this up retroactively.

 

[LethalWolfe]

True.

Customer gets what they want of course, but they don't half treat you like dirt in the process.

When we agree to a two day edit, quote for 2 days and charge for 2 days and it takes nearer 4 what do you do? You can't put in another bill can you.

If the extra two days was because you screwed up then the best thing to do is eat that cost. If the extra two days was because the client kept making changes then they pay for them. Make it very clear up front what a realistic time frame is for what they are asking (including revisions) and anything that goes beyond that timeframe will be done at additional cost. Now that the project is done though you have a better chance of seeing pigs fly than getting paid for those two extra days.

There is a very good article over at the Creative COW called Clients or Grinders which is worth taking a look at.


Lethal

 

[treehorn]

True.

Customer gets what they want of course, but they don't half treat you like dirt in the process.

When we agree to a two day edit, quote for 2 days and charge for 2 days and it takes nearer 4 what do you do? You can't put in another bill can you.

Have that happen a lot, where we give a quote and have the client decide he (always a he for some reason) wants more changes and tweaks than the quote included.

What you should have done was after the two days, you should have told the client that they reached the point agreed upon by the terms of the quote and that any further changes were extra. Unless, as someone pointed out, it was due to an error on your part (or the part of your machinery).

As it is after the fact, you should invoice them for it, explain that it reflects the overages that occurred beyond the scope of the original agreement and hope they pay for it (if they have the final product in their hot little hands you have little recourse if they decide not to).

If they don't...then it's a learning experience.