What to ask before you hire a video editor

A reel shows taste. It doesn't show whether the editor answers email, hits a date or bills you for a typo fix like it was a recut. Those are the things that make a project go well or badly, and you only find them out by asking.

Here are the questions I'd ask as a buyer, what a good answer sounds like, and the red flags. My own answers are at the end, so you can hold me to them.

Who actually edits my video?

On a company site, the person who sells you the project and the person who edits it are often different people. That's normal. You just want to know.

A good answer: a name, or a clear "you'll work with one editor, and here's how you reach them." If it's a team, ask whether the same editor stays on your project.

Watch for: vague answers like "our team of editors." Fine for a queue of short clips. Harder for a story piece, where the editor needs to remember what you said in the first call.

Where are you, and what hours do you work?

Time zones decide how fast notes turn into a new version. If you send notes at 10am and the editor's day starts at 9pm your time, every round takes a day.

A good answer: a city and working hours. "Eastern Time, Monday to Friday" is a full answer.

Watch for: no location anywhere on the site. Some editing companies run on overseas hours, and a few say so openly (Vidpros lists 8am to 5pm Philippine time on its own pricing page). That's a fine setup if you know it going in.

How are changes billed?

This is the question people forget, and it's where most surprise invoices come from.

A good answer: one clear rule. "A set number of rounds included, then $X an hour." Or "changes are billed at the same rate as the edit." Either is fine as long as you can predict it.

Watch for: revision caps where round three costs more than the first cut. Or "unlimited revisions" with no word on how fast. Unlimited can mean each round waits its turn in a queue.

What software do you edit in?

This matters more than it sounds if you have your own team. If your in-house people work in Premiere Pro and the editor works in DaVinci Resolve, handing the project back and forth takes planning.

A good answer: the software name, and whether they can hand off a project file your team can open.

Watch for: a shrug. Every working editor knows what they cut in.

Who owns the project files?

The finished video is one thing. The project file (the timeline, with every cut and layer) is another. If you ever want a different editor to update the video, you'll want it.

A good answer: "You own the final video once it's paid, and you can have the project files." Some editors charge for project files. That's allowed, it just shouldn't be a surprise.

Watch for: an editor who won't release the project at all, so every future change has to go through them.

Can I see work like mine?

A beautiful music video doesn't tell you much about whether someone can cut a 40-minute lecture into chapters. Ask for something close to your project: same kind of footage, same length, same audience.

A good answer: one or two real examples, with who it was for. If the editor doesn't have your exact kind, a related example and an honest "I haven't done that exact thing, here's the closest" is better than a stretch.

Watch for: samples with no client, no context and no credit line. Anyone can download a stock reel.

How will we set the deadline?

A good answer: a first-cut date agreed before work starts, plus how long each round of changes usually takes.

Watch for: "it'll be done when it's done," or a promise of 24-hour turnaround on a project that clearly needs more. Fast is great. Fast and wrong costs you a second edit.

Red flags in one place

• No prices anywhere. Prices change by project, sure. A starting rate still belongs on the site.
• Revision caps that cost more than the edit.
• "Unlimited" with a queue. Ask how long a round takes.
• No real name or location.
• Free sample work offered up front. Good editors are busy. A paid small test is fair, a free one usually means the work is being pitched to a lot of people at once.
• Pressure to sign a long term before the first video.

My answers

Since I just told you to ask all of this, here's mine.

• Who edits? I do. I'm Vlad Levine, a video editor in New York, editing for 10 years. The person who replies to your email is the one cutting your video.
• Where and when? New York, Eastern Time, Monday to Friday.
• Changes? Billed at the same rate as the edit, so you only pay for what you ask for.
• Software? DaVinci Resolve. If your team works in Premiere Pro, tell me up front and we'll plan the handoff.
• Files? You own the final video once it's paid. Project files on request.
• Work like yours? Real projects only, with the client named, on the work page. Documentary series, event recaps, nonprofit videos.
• Deadline? We agree on the first-cut date before I start. That date is the promise.
• Price? $50 an hour, $400 a day, $1,800 a week. Same rate for every kind of project.

The full list lives on my FAQ, and the rates with what's included are on pricing. If an answer there is missing something you'd want to know, ask me. That's the point of this post.