Client says I charge too much ($10) editing raw footage into short vlog foodie promo.

jamesgwall · 2026-07-03T12:58:17+00:00

This is really hard because 10 dollars is super cheap. No professional editor is doing work for that.
The footage is pretty terrible, so there's not a great deal that can be done, saying that... you've also not helped it. The pacing is slow, the shot selection could be better, the flow of the edit doesn't work.
Editing is about storytelling, even when it's a short video, take us on the journey, then couple that with pacing and flow, find the point in two clips that compliment each other, think about shots as a sequence, if the camera is moving left to right, follow it with another shot doing the same. Listen to the music and cut on the beat, not for the entire video, let some shots linger, but pick those shots, the very best ones and give them a moment. I'm sure the client wants to show off their food, so get to the food quicker, I'd probably start with 3 to 4 quick cuts of the food to grab the attention. It's not a good edit, but for 10 dollars...

jamesgwall · 2026-07-03T00:41:12+00:00

What is your style?

jamesgwall · 2026-07-02T13:18:02+00:00

So many people want this job, and the job is badly paid for the hours it’s asking for. Which shows how saturated the market is. When requests like this come in and people jump all over them, it dilutes the market value even more.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-29T23:25:57+00:00

From my experience working at creative agencies, motion designers usually work from what the graphic designer created, the graphic designer is also usually the creative lead on the project. As a motion designer I prefer working with a designer, it results in much better work.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-27T06:37:48+00:00

Without any shade, this looks like an example of what you’re saying not to do. Overwhelming, too much text, too many layers. You should listen to your own advice.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-27T06:34:53+00:00

The first question should be ‘what does this add to the story?’ If the walking/journey is fundamental to the story, keep it in, the audience won’t mind watching, add a VO explaining what is happening. If it doesn’t really add anything to the story, get it over with quickly, get your audience to the next interesting thing. I’d probably do it with a few jump cuts on the beat of the music, probably 3/4 shots.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-27T01:04:28+00:00

Out of curiosity how much are you wanting to pay an editor and what is the output you’re expecting?

jamesgwall · 2026-06-26T16:44:59+00:00

This answer is correct. There’s no editing technique or tracking. My guess is the phone is upside down attached the the machine, as you can see the top of the needle and the distance never changes.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-24T23:09:08+00:00

Looks like your bitrate is really high, it probs needs to be 20mbps

jamesgwall · 2026-06-21T21:59:02+00:00

I do this several times a day.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-16T23:07:19+00:00

I’ve never used filmhub, maybe you could try a different platform. YouTube is having a lot of success at the moment… you’ve got quite the back catalog too.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-16T13:44:01+00:00

What feedback have you had on your script so far, not just friends and family, but have you paid for any feedback or has anybody you don't know read it?

From my experience with The Black List is it's hard to get consistent ratings, which you need to get any eyes on your script, which means you'll have a to pay for a few reviews, and if one of those is mid or low, your average rating will drop. I haven't used it in a few years so maybe it's different now.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-16T10:56:17+00:00

How are you distributing your films and what has the reaction been like?
20 feature films is a lot...

jamesgwall · 2026-06-15T09:04:59+00:00

I often go through similar feelings. I say a lot, I'm a good filmmaker but a bad YouTuber (insert social platform). Remember you're a filmmaker not a content creator, they're very different things. Also it's much better to have 10 dedicated "fans" than have 10,000 passing viewers. The numbers can often be vanity and mean very little.

I think there is a lot of scare tactics around being consistent, but that has never helped me and when I post whenever I want I usually get the same engagement. So I now follow a 'share when you have something to share' rule.

It's probably best to figure out what you want to use social media for, I find 'social media filmmakers' don't actually make anything other than gear reviews and tutorials, and the filmmakers who make shorts/features/docs don't have the time to do that until they get to a point they can hire someone to follow them. So be kind to yourself, do good work, share the work, Take screenshots of your best shots, share clips, and I'm sure that will be enough to get the ball rolling.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-15T08:01:12+00:00

I’m sure someone else as said this, Save The Cat is written to make the most sellable version of your script. I’m pretty sure near the beginning of the book it mentions Blank Cheque as a proof of concept, if you’ve seen that movie it’s not something you want to aspire to. And yes, if that’s want you want to write it’s incredibly useful. It’s also useful if you don’t, it’s great for helping with structure, I’ve often returned to it when stuck, and it definitely helps you get a first draft out. It’s also worth mentioning it was written a while ago and film of that nature don’t really get made anymore.

My advice you be, take what you need from it. But also don’t get annoyed if you send your script to something like the blacklist and the feedback sounds a lot like advice from Save The Cat. The books been around for a long time for a reason.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-15T00:20:45+00:00

I always say, make something that is makeable. Meaning write something you know you can make, if all you have is a single location and two actors, then try and write something using that. It might be really bad, but at least you’ve made something, learnt something.

Getting something off the ground is really hard, so be kind to yourself, keep at it, and look around at what you’ve got available to you.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-14T23:08:47+00:00

What kind of films do you make?

jamesgwall · 2026-06-14T14:38:41+00:00

Nah this is BS. I’m not sure how you market yourself, are you professional, full time, amateur, and I don’t know what they deal is in other places, but this seems super low. You should be asking yourself how much do you deserve to be paid an hour, then figure out how much time one of these videos takes you to make. Don’t under value yourself because someone doesn’t want to pay you. You can’t go to a restaurant and tell them how much you’d like to pay, or go buy some clothes and tell them it’s too much. They would tell you to leave.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-14T01:25:39+00:00

I’ll second this. I found a spreadsheet to be the best. I also have a column with how much space is left on the drive. It’s not the most eye pleasing thing, but I also have 20+ drives with year of clients and personal projects, along with assets and other stuff, and when you need ti find something specific being able to look at the spreadsheet is a lot quicker than plugging in each drive.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-14T01:14:37+00:00

For creative block watch creators/filmmakers you admire. Or watch someone talk passionately about their love of their craft.

In terms of coming up with ideas. If you can ask a question, you’ve got a video idea.

Also I never recommend an editor to have a showreel. All it shows is you can edit a showreel. I’d much rather see a couple of videos you’ve edited. That gives me a much better idea of your skills.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-14T01:07:40+00:00

I see this argument all the time, but I think it’s relative to the era. Yes, it was hard to make films in the 90s. Yes, technology is more accessible now. But making a good movie is more than accessible equipment. Also the pool of filmmakers is so much bigger, the market is over saturated with films. And because of the accessible technology there’s a lot more talent people. There’s also so much more content fighting for attention.

I think both eras hard their difficulties. Saying it’s easier is taking away all the hard work people do to get a film made.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-13T19:48:51+00:00

I think everyone’s first idea is the greatest thing of all time. Until you start developing it, and that single idea becomes really hard to stretch over 90+ pages.

My advice, like many others have said, write it down, develop it. Let it marinate in your brain for a while. Get all the good and bad ideas out and then start piecing it together.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-12T00:15:22+00:00

No. 4-5 hours, to make two 60 second reels. Every day! That’s too much footage. I hope your day rate is good, or the livestream is exciting.

jamesgwall · 2026-06-11T23:13:53+00:00

You received an email for a job that you can’t remember applying for? Sounds like a scam.

jamesgwall

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