This month we’ve focused on ‘Money’ – always important, but especially in a pandemic. You can listen to the latest Color Tour podcast or watch the session from the last Colorist Mixer for more on rates and charging.
While grading at home with minimal equipment has made learning to be a colorist far more accessible than before, we continue to hear from newer colorists that it also means a lack of mentorship, which is far less accessible than it was. This is why we at iColorist try to keep the conversation going on the skills and knowhow that matter most to our industry.
On this topic, we held a live webinar, with iColorist instructors Diego Yhama, Jeff Greenberg, Kevin Shaw and Warren Eagles, and guest speakers Mark Todd Osborne and Rebecca Goodeve. You can read the summary or watch the video below.
What do you think is the most important attribute of a colorist?
Everyone starts from the same place – you get there through hard work and talent. There’s no inside track. But you need:
- Flexibility – willingness to take a chance on something and learn on the job.
- Talent and likeability – you have to have the eye, but you also need to be pleasant to work with.
- Without being able to match shots, there’s no grade!
- The ability to juggle the room – people skills are crucial to entertaining clients and managing multiple stakeholders with conflicting ideas.
- Give a bit more than the client expects. Give them the option of a different format, and additional idea. Clients have said time and again “I don’t want a button pusher. I want someone who is going to contribute to my project. I’m looking for your expertise to be applied to my vision to make it better.”
Your clients are ‘gold’, so how do you look after them and keep them?
- Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and follow up – don’t let the project end in black space and don’t hide behind email. Oftentimes, especially in COVID, we send off the job and hear nothing and think ‘that’s great! The client has no edits’. But always ring up and follow up with some ‘aftercare’. Ask “was it ok? Is there anything I could do differently next time? Would you like me to do a Director’s cut for you? Do you want me to do another grade?”. Clients really appreciate that follow up.
- Show an appreciation and support for clients’ passion. For example, if you are working on short films doing the festival circuits, share their wins on social media, congratulate them on their success. It’s the little things that don’t take long but mean a lot.
How do you know when to change your rate?
- Your experience, your reputation and supply/demand will dictate your rates. There is a common rule of thumb that 30% of inbound client should walk when they hear your price. If you are overbooked – e.g. fully booked, seven days a week and struggling to expand – it’s time to put up your rates. You can make more money charging more and dropping down to four days a week and having time. Plus, if you put your rates up you get better jobs, not worse jobs.
- If you aren’t freelance, but work for a company, and are early on in your career, you often have to move to get what you are worth. If a company has brought you up from an assistant to a colorist, you will need to leave to be accepted as a serious colorist and get decent money. The company will often pay you less because they already invested to train you up.
- Whether you are freelance or not, know what you are worth. People will pay what you are worth. That being said, you need to know what your market is prepared to pay as there is a huge discrepancy in rates around the world. You can be flexible now and then if there is a non-financial pay off, but for the most part try to stick to what you are worth.
N.B. The German chapter of CSI is conducting an annual wide-ranging survey on colorist salaries for better transparency and negotiating power globally. You can see the results of the 2019 Colorist Salary Survey here or contribute to the 2020 Salary Survey to continue to strengthen the colorist community through economic information. Visit the website to find out more about this initative.
How do you charge when you are first starting out – should I work for free?
- The ‘prof’ in professional stands for profit – if you are not making money at what you do, you are not yet professional. That being said, this is a reciprocal business – if you help people out, and earn favours, enough will pay off down the line.
- If there is a client you are working with a lot, paying your full rate, and they say “Hey, there is one project we need help on, but there is no budget”, then as long as they continue paying the regular rate stuff there is no harm giving them a freebie. However, sometimes you may never hear from them again – especially if they feel like they owe you something that hasn’t been paid. So you need to choose carefully and trust your gut.
- Sometimes you will be asked to do free work on the premise of more work – this may never materialise. You might do all the test and send them the look, and they will give it to an editor and ask them to match it. The people who ask for a favour and say they’ll come back when they have money you will never see again.
- There has to be pay – that may not always be financial: if it will look good on your reel, or it is charity work, or a client you know well, it may be worth it. But don’t do free jobs thinking it will build your career – it won’t.
- Low budget jobs are usually an indicator of clients that don’t rate what you do – it can be a red flag that they will not respect you or your time. If you do take on a job like this, set hard and exact boundaries for the deliverable up front, otherwise your rate will be diluted by scope creep to an even lower rate.
- If you take on too many low rate jobs, you can get stuck – pigeonholed as the person that does the low end jobs. It can be hard to break out of that, people will continue to expect the same price (range) you gave them for the last job.
- Even if your set up is basic, don’t undercut yourself or the industry because that is a race to the bottom for everyone. There comes a point – when you have your set up, your showreel, your credits and you are pitching – you have to have the confidence to say “I am a professional colorist now”, not a DP/editor/whatever.
- Be transparent about your rates with other colorists – it helps us all. Community is one of our biggest strengths.
N.B. It is to keep community connected and strong in this time that iColorist continues to organise the CSI ‘Colorist Mixer’ events. You can get tickets for our next Colorist Mixer here, we hope to see you there!
How to charge for commercial?
- However you charge, make sure the specifics are ok’ed in writing, or clients can keep asking for more and more.
- Have an hourly rate and roughly quote how many hours you expect it to take, then specify how much for additional hours. The client may ask for a flat rate, but specify in writing if there is scope creep there will be additional charges.
- OR, if you give a fixed rate (for example), specify how many rounds of changes are included in that rate. Also specify a delivery price – there’s a price for each version the client wants delivered, and define whether you are willing to give the project. You are entitled to charge for that since it can cap further potential revenue.
Where would you suggest finding and connecting with new clients?
- It can be lonely working as a freelancer so don’t just network clients, network with those ahead of you in the industry.
- LinkedIn is a great resource – reach out to colorists you admire, ask for advice.
- (Post-COVID), force yourself to go to networking events and meet DPs, directors – put yourself out there. Offer to grade their showreel, their film.
- Grade their camera tests, play with the looks with them, and build a relationship that way.
What’s the best way to break into the industry?
- You have to be visible to get work.
- Follow your interests – if you dive, work on underwater footage, if you love music, grade gig footage. Look into your hobbies and see who needs videos graded.
- The industry really needs dailies colorists right now, which is great training because you have to be good fast. This can be a great starting point and has been for many.
- It doesn’t happen overnight, it takes thousands of hours to get good.
- Be somebody helpful. Create and maintain connections. You may end up one day grading the films of people you were a runner for.
How do you care for your eyes?
- Your eyes are the most expensive tool in the room, so taking care of them is one of the most important things you do. Make sure your display is a healthy distance away and the lighting in the room is good.
- Get up and take breaks – your eyes need a break as well as your spine.
- Wear sunglasses and protect against UV!
What advice would you give yourself ten years ago?
- Talk to people more, listen more, be more open.
- Don’t be underconfident, but don’t get cocky either. You don’t know everything – always be a learner. And don’t get too comfortable when you get your dream job in a post house – stay up with tech and the cameras, keep your craft fresh. Continuous learning will keep you out of ruts.
- Go straight to color management now. Don’t try to do it without and then learn it later – you can save yourself ten years. Learn ACES!
- Go to set: colorists learn a lot on set, we often forget that.
Many thanks to our speakers:
Diego Yhama, iColorist instructor & freelance colorist
Li: /diegoyhama
Tw: @estudioroco
Ig: @estudioroco
Fb: Estudio Roco
Jeff Greenberg, iColorist instructor & freelance colorist
Fb: FilmGeek
Li: /jeffgreenberg
Tw: @filmgreek
Kevin Shaw, iColorist co-founder, Colorist Society International founder & president, freelance colorist
Li: /kevscolor
Mark Todd Osborne, freelance colorist
Fb: @MTOColorInc
Li: /mtosborne
Ig: @mark.todd.osborne
Rebecca Goodeve, Founder & senior colorist Author Productions posthouse
Li: /rebeccagoodeve
Ig: @rebeccagoodeve
Tw: @Rebeccagoodeve
Warren Eagles, iColorist co-founder, freelance colorist
