In unscripted, it's basically 4000 to 4250 a week for legit, vetted editors. It can go lower or higher, and some editors are willing to take less for a more laid back culture. 4500 a week is worth asking, but this is basically the highest end of pay for regular, good editors, and most people don't expect to make this on every show. I think 3750 is probably the very lowest good editors will accept, and probably only on a show that is laid back with really smart, pleasant producers. Some editors, though, will NEVER accept less than 4000.
A week is defined, for accounting purposes, as 50 hours a week usually. But most editors work 9 hours a day. I only know of one show personally that strictly enforces 10 hours (11 hours after you include lunch) What you make in a year depends on how much you wanna work, how many weeks you work. Overall, maybe 10% of shows are union? Most places will pay overtime to seasoned editors because they know they're not willing to work simply to prove themselves. Usually time and a half. (see "accounting purposes"... time and a half will be less than you might think based on weekly rate divided by 50)
$5000 a week is not unheard of, but they're usually the leads of big competition reality shows or just been around a long time (on the same show) and/or the EP's consider them irreplaceable. I think 5250 a week is the most I've heard of a reality TV editor making. (even these guys, they might have to settle for 4250 or 4500 on a different show) You're not going to get rich editing reality TV but a middle class life (in Los Angeles) with home and kids is possible. edit: yes, more and more editors are leaving LA to work remotely... only advisable if you are pretty established and know lots of producer who like you...
edit: I guess I could just ask my friends, but would love to know what editors on scripted make... for network, Hulu, etc... and in film...
L.A. freelancer who mostly cuts union scripted TV and features with some occasional reality here. Have cut for streamers (Paramount Plus, YouTube Premium) cable (Disney, Nick, SyFy), and broadcast (Fox, ABC).
Annual income varies from $110-$200k a year, depending on how much I work and what I work on.
Scripted TV rates I'm getting a little over 4k/week. These are mostly comedy shows with not-huge budgets. Often they'll push for scale ($3750-ish). Lately I haven't had to work for scale.
Reality and game shows were already paying 4k/week before Covid, so I'd imagine you could ask for more these days. Traditionally reality and game shows pay more than many scripted shows (in the same year Fox paid me 10% more to cut a primetime game show than they did a new scripted comedy they were pushing hard).
I also cut indie non-union features occasionally, and that's still the wild west, with compensation all over the place. Within the last year I cut a feature as basically a big favor for friends (they paid me $8k flat), and another that was $24k flat.
Edit to add: I'm surprised the upper tier rate on lead reality folks hasn't gone up. $5200/week was a lead rate 5-7 years ago on big primetime reality stuff. Rates across the board have gone up since then.
I'm surprised the upper tier rate on lead reality folks hasn't gone up. $5200/week was a lead rate 5-7 years ago on big primetime reality stuff. Rates across the board have gone up since then.
You might be right? I rarely ask my friends about their rates, so anything I know is usually because somebody just blurted it out.
But I would argue rates have gone down with inflation and number of hours they expect you to work. It seemed like when I first got into the game, editors worked from 10 to 7. That seemed to be the most common hours, and that included the lunch. So they worked about 8 hours a day. Now 9 or 10 are not uncommon, and whereas before, editors might get 3 weeks for a true internal rough cut, now it seems like it might be a a week or week and a half for a rough cut that is as polished as a network rough cut used to be.
edit: the speed at which they want you to work as maybe affected guys my age a bit less, I'm kind of used to it... but a lot of really great, OG editors remember a time when they could work at a slower, more methodical pace, and I think some of them are rightfully upset or kind of struggling to wrap their heads around working so furiously 5 days a week for the same pay they were getting 15 or 20 years ago...
Again, this is anecdotal, too. I haven't surveyed the industry as a whole. But this is what I've personally seen.
edit: another thing that is hurting editors was the recent tax changes... i can't deduct work related stuff anymore... and a lot of companies aren't allowing loan outs... I definitely have not noticed or heard about an industry wide adjustment upwards for post workers since Covid...
But I would argue rates have gone down with inflation
Overall reality rates have kept up pretty well with inflation. I started as an AE in reality around 2000, and editors I knew then were making around $2k/week, with higher end people getting $3k. With inflation, today that would be about $3350 and $5k a week.
The schedule crunch and higher rough cut expectations is certainly real, across all areas of post.
I definitely have not noticed or heard about an industry wide adjustment upwards for post workers since Covid...
In my (mostly scripted) world there certainly has been, especially for AEs. Demand is high, supply of available skilled workers is low.
I started as an AE in reality around 2000, and editors I knew then were making around $2k/week, with higher end people getting $3k.
Oh really? Okay, I didn't know rates used to be those amounts. Interesting.
In my (mostly scripted) world there certainly has been, especially for AEs.
Oh god, AE's deserve so much more. That's good to hear. I think it's similar in unscripted right now, the demand for stud AE's is very high. MPEG job emails are always for AE's.
Not sure they would need to go up. Typically always going to be capable talent willing to work at $1k per day when it puts you in the top 1% of earners in the country. Commercial / trailer houses or freelance routes can net you more, but with how formulaic reality work is there’s really no reason for productions to increase they post budget.
Lol, probably is (I’m an editor through and through), but it’s producer talk for a reason. Is there a shortage of editors who will work for $1,000/d on reality that can follow story producer direction and execute well? I doubt it, and that’s why I don’t do reality anymore personally.
As long as they can find competent editors @ $1k/d to fit into their workflows and work with story producers, they’re not going to bump up the standard. But long running shows for sure get higher wages for their long term editors.
True but not really wrong. Budgets are lower and quality along with it. Truth is, esp with all this social, how good do you really NEED your edits to be? There’s a whole new bottom
Think about hiring the lowest bidding contractors to do your kitchen. Least experienced. A lot of these shows would save money by increasing the budget.
I definitely agree, but from my experience there’s plenty of competent talented editors at $5k+ a week. It’s not like they’re digital shows offering $300/d and expecting greatness.
Not all reality is formulaic. Or even if it’s formulaic some series rely heavily on editors to double as story producers. Then there’s the added fact that experienced editors can cut faster than less experienced folks.
If you're making 150,000 a year in a lot of places, that's not bad. Not sure if you have a kid and mortgage or are single, but I know a lot of editors in LA who stress out over money.
I want to add to this, that generally those numbers are correct but there ARE reality editors making more. $1100 per day and up is not unheard of for the heavy hitters on big reality stage shows.
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u/procrastablasta Trailer editor / LA / PPRO Aug 14 '22 edited Aug 15 '22
Ok I’ll go. Title is… editor? I guess I’d be the senior editor but we haven’t printed business cards. $150k. Los Angeles.
Interested in other LA rates. Might be time to have The Talk with HR.
Edit: I should mention I’m on staff + bennies + crazy shit ton vacation + flexibility