About 40 ASE members gathered for the ‘How to Freelance’ event on Wednesday 7th September at Swinburne University, Prahran.
Belinda
Fithie whose experience ranges from editing to post supervising lead
the conversation. She’s done a lot of hiring as well as being hired so
knows what works well from both sides of the fence.
Many people
relatively new to the industry were looking to find out ‘what their
worth is’. More experienced members commented they were please to find
out they sold their skills at about the right price delivering good
value for money at a wage they were happy collecting.
Belinda
opened the conversation with the nitty gritty of wages, asking the group
first off if everyone was happy to discuss specific dollar amounts.
There was a resounding “that’s what we’re all here for!” Broadly
through the discussion everyone agreed about $800-$1500 a week was about
right for an assistant editor and about $1500-$2400 a week for an
editor on long form projects where the editor is likely to be on a
contact for weeks, if not months. These rates were about what people
would expect for Melbourne TV rates.
There was also some
discussion about daily rates for short form projects, based on a wages
of up to $80 per hour. Belinda commented this was somewhat rare with
work a little scarce in Melbourne (more likely $65 per hour). But in
Sydney, editors can collect up to $100 per hour.
Belinda
discussed the various forms of employment that employees can encounter.
Many editors work on long form projects as a contracted employee under
the PAYG system. This is the simplest arrangement for the individual
with the employer taking care of tax, super, and annual leave. Editors
on very long projects find themselves employed for 48 weeks of the year
and rehired after a four week break for another 48 weeks as this the
threshold under which a contractor does not accumulate long service
leave.
Some prefer to operate as a sole trader, using an ABN,
where after invoicing the employer for the negotiated amount the
responsibilities to pay tax etc fall on the individual. However super
is rarely included as part of this arrangement, the individual having to
negotiate to make sure this is covered (not always successful).
The
last arrangement is for a person to establish a proprietary limited
(Pty. Ltd) company, which invoices the employer on behalf of the
individual. Companies pay a nominal lower rate of tax, but only at
higher business turn over. Companies also have more accounting
responsibilities and insurances like public liability, which lead to
higher running costs, but can allow for a better fit to an individual
situation.
Much of the conversation revolved around hints and
tips to look more professional. Belinda recommended the use of book
keeping applications like ‘MYOB first edge’ to keep tabs on invoices
paid and unpaid. ‘Fresh Books’ was also suggested for those who don’t
mind their data being kept in the online “cloud”.
A few tips
about getting paid within a reasonable time after invoicing (hopefully
within the term you stipulate on your invoice) were bounced around the
room. It’s a good idea to get to know the accounts person who pays
invoices. They usually love a chat and you’re likely to become their
best friend if you stop by and say hello. Knowing the accounts person
means you have another point of contact when it comes to following up
invoices. Many organisations also have pay cycles, and invoicing at the
wrong time may have you waiting for the next one. It could be next
month. Ensure you deliver your invoice in time to meet the next pay
cycle and perhaps alter your terms to suit.
Overtime can be a
tricky point for some freelancers. Many companies stipulate that fair
and reasonable overtime is covered in the pay you’ve agreed to. In some
cases that might be seen as 2 to 5 hours, it could be more, it maybe
very ambiguous. Its worthwhile asking about this before commencing a
job if you feel there could be long days involved.
If you are
charging for overtime, detailed work logs are very handy to justify why
you are charging extra. Generating a log of hours worked (during a job)
that details tasks completed can be sent to the employer with your
invoice, so they have a good understanding of how your time was spent
and acts as a useful tool if there are ever disputes about hours worked.
Its worthwhile negotiating your own terms & conditions for a
job or at least clarifying the employers before the job starts.
Starting times, lunch breaks are things you might ask about as well as
negotiating a rate of pay. It could be an idea to generate a quote for
the job and getting it signed off by your client. You might need to
reference a purchase order on your invoice. There is a handy pre
employment, post production checklist to consider before starting a job
available on the web at this link:
http://www.alliance.org.au/award-summaries/film-tv-technicians/view-category
Belinda
said professional CV’s were important to getting jobs. As a post
supervisor she looks to see the types of work people have done, the
productions worked and if they have worked with the same people again.
She also suggested providing 3 references off the bat, but be aware that
employers may also choose to ring some they know who knows you
independently of your references. It’s a good idea to note having a
drivers licence if you do (so you can get to a post facility away from
public transport). But not such a good idea to include your date of
birth as employers maybe prejudicial against someone too young or old.
To
finish the night off, there was good conversation about ways to find
work. The first suggestion raised was the online job sites including:
Editsearch Screenhub, Australian TV jobs, Open Channel,
Grapevinejobs.com.au. There’s also online listings where you can
advertise yourself including, Film Victoria, Encore directory and
Screenhub’s Find an editor. For those that list themselves on sites like
the Film Victoria directory, make sure you keep your details current.
For
those starting out in the industry the advise is to work on anything
that comes along. If its unpaid work, you need not advertise the fact
in your CV. Generating a body of work if nothing else shows you’re
enthusiastic and creates networks. It’s also worthwhile keeping a list
of your contacts and networks so you can call around. No one likes doing
it, but putting the word out through your network does generate work.
Even cold calling can be useful, however its good to have the name of at
least someone in the organization, tell the receptionist what’s its
about, and if your haven’t asked for the right person they may well put
you through to the one you need.
Many thanks to Belinda for her insider information provided on the night.
Good luck out there with the business of freelancing!
Australian Screen Editors
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