Editing Turn around times For a 5 minute music video

When all b roll, acting scenes, and dance scene shots are completed what do you guys think the average or longest time it should take to edit and finalize a video? I know it definitely depends on the type of job it is, but what is a respectable time to have a copy for the artist? 1 week? 2 weeks? 3 days? 20 hours? 10 hours? just everyones thoughts?

Rule of thumb, which can be completely inaccurate, average an hour a minute.

With or without graphics, audio work, color correcting? How long is a length of string? If you are still working on it after 3 weeks, which is 21 days, 8 hours per, which is 168 hours, you are doing it wrong?

A 5 min video should not take longer than about 24 hours, 3x8hour days, maybe a tad more for color correcting, audio work, but 3 weeks, then something is wrong!!! You are loosing money fast!

Tom Wolsky wrote: Rule of thumb, which can be completely inaccurate, average an hour a minute.

More like an hour for every completed second. That's inclusive of every aspect of the post production cycle including roughs, exchanges, revisions, meetings, approvals, arguments, encodes, and uploads.

Was it well planned and the shoot executed according to the plan or are you improvising at every step, creating it as you sit in front of FCPX? How may people get to help you make creative editing decisions? How many outhouse people are working on their first video project?

fayez.musallam wrote: When all b roll, acting scenes, and dance scene shots are completed what do you guys think the average or longest time it should take to edit and finalize a video?...

As Tom said a very rough rule of thumb is one hour per minute. However this varies so widely that a single figure isn't possible.

Some variables involved:

- Is it just editing time, or all post-production time, including DIT work, audio, effects, finishing including color grading, transcoding, final verification on multiple playback systems, etc.

- Amount and complexity of effects

- Is it a documentary style video. It is not unknown that documentaries can take 20 hours per minute.

- Is the post-production team working on it full time as a sole dedicated project, or is it a volunteer effort?

This is way more than a 5 min video but the Nine Inch Nails fan-produced documentary "Another Version of the Truth" had an approx. 12-person post-production team, was led by an editor with a Stanford Film Studies degree, but it took a year in post: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Version_of_the_Truth

fayez.musallam wrote: … what is a respectable time to have a copy for the artist? … just everyones thoughts?

me no editor, but worked more than a decade in the ad industry, Rule#1:



The minute you start to 'explain', you're lost. "in this gap we will put ...", "it looks actually pink but imagine it as …", "this is indeed our assistent, but when CGI's done, the robot will …" ... naw!!! Fail! Do not! Pandora's Box. Your client will overrun you with improvements, extras, changes, new ideas. No. You will never keep the budget.

And, Daddy talks about the war, dn't miss Rule#2



When you make it this time in 10h, your client will ask you next time to finish it in 8, better 6, "hey, same story, same thing, now you know how to do it!"

Calculate, just for your personal kharma, an extra of 2h.... or two days.....

wow you guys really went beyond the answers i was looking for thanks for the info I'm sure organizing your shoots and organizing your media goes a long way to insure a quick turnaround time!!!
YOU GUYS ARE THE BOMB!!!!

It takes as long as it takes and not a minute less

Happy Editing
Greg

Or it takes as much time as you have.

Editors never actually finish a timeline, they just hit a deadline.