Whats a video guy/gal make these days?

[Swoopper 0]

Old skydiver/video guy getting back into the sport next year wondering what a video guy can expect to make per video jump these days?

[gearless_chris 1]

Probably nothing by after you replace all your gear to get current. :-D

"If it wasn't easy stupid people couldn't do it", Duane.

My momma said I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, so I became an a$$hole.

[Swoopper 0]

Oh I know its going cost me a lot to get back at it. Just wondering what a guy/gal can expect to make these days per jump.

[TheCaptain 2]

Also depending on the DZ it seems alot of them for Tandem video's are going to TI held handycam set ups.

Kirk
He's dead Jim

[Zlew 0]

I think most student/tandems get ~40 give or take a few bucks.

[DSE 5]

I've seen it as low as 20.00, and as much as 45.00. YMMV

[davelepka 4]

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I know its going cost me a lot to get back at it

Speaking of that, it's not as simple as it used to be, where you just plugged your camera into a VCR or mixing board and edited up a vid. With everything being digital now, there are different formats of video and not all of them are compatible with the various editing programs that DZs are using.

Before you spend dollar one, get a firm commitment from a DZ that you have a slot on the video rotation, and then have then tell you exactly what you need to work within their system. What you want, and what you think is the best may have nothing to do with what you actually need in order to work at a given DZ.

As far as the money goes, Spot was right on, anywhere from $20 to $45. Also, be sure to ask who provides media, like memory cards to shoot the videos and DVDs or thumb drives to deliver the product to the customer. Are those your costs, or the DZ?

Likewise with editing. Do you edit your own, or is there an editor available? If so, who pays the editor? The DZ, or does it come out of your cut? If you edit your own, is it on their edit suite, or do you have to provide your own?

[wetrock 0]

Im curious what dz's are charging for a dvd that pay their editors $20 as opposed to $40.

[davelepka 4]

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Im curious what dz's are charging for a dvd that pay their editors $20 as opposed to $40

$20 to $40 refers to the pay for the video guy. Sometimes the video guy is also the editor, as they have to edit their own videos. In the cases where there is a separate editor, they usually get between $5 and $10 per video.

I would guess that most DZs charge about $100 for a video. Sometimes that's video only with stills being an added cost upgrade, and sometimes that's for both video and stills.

In terms of how much the video guy gets paid, if it's on the low end, I would hope that the DZ is providing everything short of a camera helmet. Their memory card, editor, edit suite, DVD, thumb drives, etc.

If it's on the higher end, maybe the video guy needs to provide his own media and edit suite, and do his own editing.

[DSE 5]

I'm aware of at least half a dozen DZs that pay their editors by the hour vs the video. Paying 5.00 for a 6 minute process would be inefficient (and costly) for any busy Caravan/Otter DZ.

[Laszloimage 0]

$55 at the Ranch. Video guy provides a DVD and a picture CD, no other options, every jump is a "video&still" package.
Most Northeast DZs pay in a $50-60 range...

[wetrock 0]

wow that puts me way up in upper end of the pay scale at $20 a video. Editing computer, programs are all out of my pocket. all the miscellaneous stuff that that the dropzone needs to be done i don't get paid for and i do happily because it is my favorite placed to be.

[faulk04 0]

we pay 35 per video/stills. If you edit you make 6$ more. We charge 80 for the video/still package.

[ridebmxbikes 0]

i know one pays 40 for camera (video and stills) and the editor 10 per video.

[jimmytavino 16]

you also get The Skydive....(slot)
Not sure about Now,,,,
but when I WAS shooting videos I also MADE.....
a Lot of Friends....
" Hey Jimmy, can I get a Dub of THAT "?????

[davelepka 4]

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I'm aware of at least half a dozen DZs that pay their editors by the hour vs the video. Paying 5.00 for a 6 minute process would be inefficient (and costly) for any busy Caravan/Otter DZ.

Yeah, probably a better deal for the DZ, but I know we have trouble finding and keep good editors, so the per-video deal seems to work out better as they have more earning potential. When they can edit themselves into $100+ per day on a busy day, it's easier to get them to show up and sit there all day.

As an aside, I also share tips with my editor. There's no real formula, but I'll generally just give every 3rd or 4th tip straight to the editor. If we get an editor who works the whole season, shows up every day, and really puts a good effort for the benefit of the 'team', I'll take up a collection from the video staff and we'll tip them at the end of the season. It's usually good for a couple hundred bucks.