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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
