Short-Form Video Editor for Premium Vertical Reels (Ongoing / Retainer) — Photo-Editing SaaS

About us TheGrain (thegrain.io) is a professional film-grain editor for photographers and retouchers. Dark, editorial, restrained brand — we sell craft, not hype. We're relaunching our Instagram ads and need an editor who can turn real product footage and graded photography into vertical reels that look like they belong next to a fashion editorial, not a CapCut template. The role We're looking for a long-term editing partner (retainer) for recurring short-form reels — before/after transformations, feature showcases, and photo/showcase reels — cut from our own screen recordings and client photography. This is not a one-off gig: if the first paid test goes well, we want a steady per-reel or monthly relationship. What you'll edit • Vertical 9:16, 15–20s reels, structured Hook → Content → CTA • Multiple variants/approaches from the same source material (we A/B-test hooks) • Before/after product reveals, feature highlights, photo slideshows • Clean kinetic typography, burned-in captions, music cut to the beat Source material we provide • Screen recordings of our app (4K / Retina, cursor visible) • High-resolution edited stills (editorial/fashion photography processed in TheGrain) • Founder facecam + audio (later phase, for creator-style cuts) • Music (licensed), brand fonts, logo, before/after image pairs • Delivery via shared folder (Google Drive / Frame.io) Output spec • 9:16, min. 1080×1920, 30fps (60fps preferred — film grain needs it), H.264, audio at −14 LUFS • Captions burned in (English), text kept out of the top ~14% / bottom ~35% UI safe zones • Source files + 2–3 hook variants per concept Our visual language (non-negotiable) Pure-black backgrounds, one typeface, calm editorial pacing, hard cuts (no slide/wipe transitions), motion that settles. No drop shadows, no glassmorphism, no emojis, no on-screen prices. Think Linear/Vercel-grade restraint applied to fashion photography. Disqualifier: No generic CapCut-template edits — no whoosh-SFX before/after wipes, no "WOW transformation" effects, no UGC-selfie / "hey guys" style. If your reels are mostly trending-template motion, we're not the right fit. Reference (the look & pacing we're after): https://www.instagram.com/p/DPZlA9CjIux/ — clean before/after screen reel, editorial typography. A full reference pack + brand guide goes to shortlisted candidates. How we hire (two steps) Paid test — $100 fixed: 2–3 finalists each cut one 15–20s reel from the same footage we provide. Real execution beats a showreel. Ongoing collaboration: the best fit moves to a per-reel or monthly retainer. Budget Paid test reel: $100 (fixed). Ongoing reels: $150–400 per reel depending on complexity and motion-graphics depth; batch/package pricing welcome for multi-reel orders. Retainer available for the right partner. To apply, please include: Your showreel + 2–3 vertical (9:16) reel examples — Vimeo or Instagram reel links preferred (playable cuts, not slides) One or two lines on how you'd approach a before/after reel for a subtle product (the transformation is intentional, not loud) Your per-reel rate and any batch/package pricing Your availability for ongoing work (reels per week you can take on) Screening questions: Share a link to a vertical reel you edited that you're proud of — and tell us in one sentence why the pacing works. What's your turnaround for one 15–20s reel from provided footage? Are you comfortable working to a strict brand guide (fonts, colors, safe zones) and delivering multiple hook variants from one source?