The Man in the Hat | article | The Freelance Dance: Part Two, Loyalties and Choices

   The television news workplace changes constantly. Many changes spring from technological advances: live capability via microwave and satellite, portable editing facility in the news van, and telco links to government buildings and sport arenas. Many other changes come from accountants and executives watching "the bottom line." A result has been fewer staff positions and more freelance, per diem, and daily hires.

   "Faster. Better. Cheaper." is the chant of corporate America. A wise engineer once pointed out to me that these are diametrically opposed vectors, but that doesn't stop the management mantra. They want a collapsible roster that can expand when the need is high and shrink whenever possible. Still, there are advantages that video shooters can enjoy. While full-time staff will complain about the schedule of their days on, days off, times and vacations, a freelancer can pick and choose their schedule. Need a vacation? Take off. (The downside here is that unlike your staff counterpart, there is no vacation pay.)

   Which begs the question of money. Most outlets pay a higher rate per hour or per day to daily hire employees as compensation for no vacation pay, no sick pay, and no insurance/retirement benefits. It may not even out, but that's the playing field--level or not--that per diems play on. The other big money question, honestly, is, "What's the rate?" A freelancer can choose to work for the highest bidder or a style of production that suits his/her talents and leanings.

    Where do the loyalties lie? This is a central question seldom acknowledged by either those scheduling freelance employees or the freelancers themselves. This really comes into play when more than one outlet wants a particular daily hire on a particular day. Now the ball is in the per diem's court. Sometimes, schedules permit you to take both gigs, referred to as double-dipping. The danger here is that the first job may not end on time leaving you in a panic to rush to the next appointment.

   More often, schedules simply conflict and choices must be made. Most people go by a "first come, first served" approach. That is: "I book whoever calls to book me first." But what do you do when the second or third call is for a higher rate of pay and/or longer duration of work? Many schedulers of lower paying companies understand the freelancer's predicament and allow you canceling a work call. Yet, in spite of the conditions stated above, some schedulers take a cancellation personally and may drop your name down on--or even remove your name from--their call list. Here, the freelancer finds him/herself between a rock and a hard place. Where is your loyalty? What is your choice?

   It may have become cliché to remind ourselves that, "On a deathbed, no one wishes that they'd spent more time at the office," although it has the advantage of being true. The message handed down is that the company is loyal to the freelancer for a day, a week, or whatever. Certainly, while on their payroll, one should give the best effort to tell an effective visual story. (Many reporters prefer "dailies", stating that they "go the extra mile.") Good work itself should beget more work. When making any choice in life, it is best to keep the proverb in mind, "To thine own self be true."