Starting video side business...best sources of work?

Hi guys. I bought my BMPCC to shoot an independent short b/w horror movie based on one of HP Lovecraft's short stories.

I am also planning on starting a small side business using the camera. What would you consider to be the best sources of income for a business that is new and learning?

I am a graphic designer with 20 years of experience, a high level of mastery in indesign, photoshop, and illustrator, with a medium level of experience with premiere and after effects, so I am not completely new to the concepts and practices.

I would appreciate any advice you guys have.

Your location changes the available business dramatically.

But weddings is a sure bet.

Graphics designers can't just become filmmakers over night. Start small. Short films, like your Lovecraftian film, are a good place to learn by fire, music videos, commercials. Sometimes, you just have to go door-to-door. Remember, you're living in a world where small businesses can get free advertisements made if they spend x amount of money on ad space, so you have to compete with the idea of "why pay you when I can get it for free over here?" Also, weddings are tough because 1. they're tough, 2. the good ones taking place now were planned months in advance, 3. the best ones demand experienced personnel. So, for weddings, corporate events, etc, the only ones you might be able to land without experience, right now, are the ones that hadn't thought to hire a photographer or video guy until the last minute. Those don't usually pay well, but that's ok...because your video is going to suck. Just know that going in. Don't charge a lot, don't promise more than you can handle and deliver on time. The next one will be better. Then the next, and the next. Pretty soon, you'll have a portfolio, good word of mouth, and soon your side job will be getting you side jobs. But screw up your first gig and you're basically ruined already.

Telling him his video is going to "suck" isn't very constructive. I would say that it'll likely be mediocre. The first wedding I shot when I was starting out was quite good because I did my homework and also practiced before hand. And also had a great plan.


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I would have to have a lot of experience before I tried a wedding...there's a lot more emotion and pressure involved in a wedding than in doing something commercial where I can do more than one take. Plus, I couldn't take knowing I ruined something of that magnitude that someone depended on me for.

Maybe I'm silly, but I'm hoping to get some business doing real estate walkthroughs. We live in a place with an excellent home buying market. I'd like to shoot a video and put a step stake sign (with permission) with the qr code of the video in the front yard so people could pull the video up immediately. I think it could add some value.

I do have a friend who wants to try it out, so that is a start.

I would have to have a lot of experience before I tried a wedding...there's a lot more emotion and pressure involved in a wedding than in doing something commercial where I can do more than one take. Plus, I couldn't take knowing I ruined something of that magnitude that someone depended on me for.

Understatement.

I would not place monetary gain above something so important -- also, I don't want to get sued. I simply wouldn't put myself or them into a situation like that. Maybe one day I would have the confidence for a wedding...but not now.

And I DO know you don't become a filmmaker overnight. I also know that every filmmaker had a starting point. I appreciate your warning. I expect there was someone at the beginning of your career that instructed similarly.

For now, I want to concentrate on technique and workflow -- some real estate jobs for cheap or free would be invaluable in giving me that practice. Shooting my own house, dogs, and kids is going to get old quick!

My 2 cents...

Shoot a LOT. Shoot everything you can, including crappy projects friends want to do.

Build a reel.

Use your reel to get entry level work. Offer to do short commercials for local businesses. Tell them what it's worth, then tell them what you'll offer to do if for. Give them incentive to work with you, but keep the "value" of the work in the conversation. When you start getting referrals and paying work, it will be a lot easier to charge them what you want if you establish the value from day one.

Small business owners talk. I did a 30 sec spot for a small airline for free, cause I thought it was cool footage to shoot. It wasn't anything special but it was far better than anything they had before, they ended up buying time at the airport. I got 4 paid jobs off of that freebie.

I will always recommend doing that freebie/low pay work at the start. Everyone wants to go from 0 to 100, but life doesn't work that way. You WILL make mistakes in the beginning. You WILL underestimate work. Etc. Doing so while your customer knows you're new and starting out and FREE, doesn't risk your reputation or future gigs. Once you start building your reputation, you start charging. As the quality and rep goes up, so does your price.

Just like there is no magic diet pill, there is no fast track to business success. It takes time and a LOT of work. Learn to walk before you try to run and you'll be much more successful.

Thanks Sean! I don't expect magic...10,000 hours is the magic number, right? One great thing about where I live...there is a small racetrack NASCAR uses for practice, as well as the usual Saturday night local boy contests. I'm hoping to grab some nice stuff there for a reel. The racing cottage industry here is big, and fueled by testosterone and pride -- which is a good thing for someone that can turn out quality work.

Sounds like you've got a good environment for growth! best of luck

You could also try and shoot Stock Footage as this will get you out shooting and developing concepts and ideas and gives you a taste of your ability as a film maker, and because sites like iStock and Shutterstock won't accept low standard stuff it helps you sharpen your skills as a videographer and film maker. This is how I started and some of my stuff has made it into Television and Hollywood which I now have on my showreel. From this this stepping stone I now have a pretty healthy business, on average £45,000 a year from good quality paid work and I have never advertised, all from word of mouth.

How does shutterstock pay the shooter for footage? By the download?

If your footage sells you will get a percentage of the sale, you need a lot of decent footage on there to make it worth while but to me it was a way of funding my equipment and getting out there and shoot and learn, plus you can use the clips you make for a showreel, for me it was ideal because you had something to aim for as opposed to just uploading junk to youtube, it gets you thinking about concepts and gets you to learn your filmaking skills more. To be clear I make about $700 a month on stock footage sales, but like I said when you are starting off from nothing it is a great way to get your showreel together and maybe quality paid work will follow, that is how I started out

That's an astounding figure to aspire to! I think in all things, the key to survival is in diversification into multiple income streams.

Has been said and repeated, but it's really key - build a reel as good as you can.

All that really matters is what you can do, and if you can put together a great reel for yourself, chances are you can produce great videos for potential customers. Keep it short and keep it diverse - you want to showcase you can do what they may need. And they want to see that.

Another thing that is often overlooked: the good old spec spot. Target a brand/company you'd like to work for/with. Come up with what you think is a great fit for them, and shoot it as best as you can. You'd be surprised to find out how much business is acquired through spec in the industry - think of it as a tailor-made reel for a specific client. Often times they may not buy into the project, but they'll buy into working with you.

And well, just keep at it. Passion and drive will get you there;)

Good luck!

-A

Just do your own thing and try to get some connections doing what you want to do. You'll need to build a good showreel. Take care in weighing your benefits from doing low paid work. The film industry seems to be just as exploitative as the graphic design industry, if not more.

Awesome thread!

Adverts for small businesses. Advertise in the local paper.

Jules

HA HAAAAA! I'm laughing out loud here at this post as it's exactly my situation.

I've been working in the design industry for 17 years now. I once had a signage company with several employees and I bloody hated it! I left in 2010 and have been working from home as a designer to pay the bills. I always wanted to get into films and started acting etc as a hobby. Anytime I got a short film acting part, I found myself more into the technical filming side rather than the acting. I bought Canon 60D 3 years ago with the intention of 'fooling around' with some movies. The strange thing is even though I had no intention of doing photo's I started taking pics for my design work. I got better as a photographer and bought flashes etc. I even ended up getting into a little glamour photography and doing fashion and jewellery shoots too. I even do food shoots the odd time.

Today I have a BMPC 4k, a BMCC and still have the DSLR as well as other photography and film-making gear. The film side of things has taken over. The way I've got film work is through my existing clients from my design work. I've had loyal clients for years and when I started making movies they stuck by me. So far this year over 50% of my business has been from movies. I fill 'the gaps' with design work and still do some photography. My intention is to become a full time film maker. Sound editing has been a hobby for years (Logic etc) so I like that side of things too.

I disagree with what some people above said about doing work for free. That's just cheapening the trade and yourself. By all means do free work for a charity or friend or whatever but doing free work for a big organisation who'll benefit from the vid is nuts in my opinion.

I wouldn't be interested in doing weddings personally as it's too 'gun and run' for me and I'd be worried about capturing the action but go for it and take a chance on it if you think it'll be of interest to you. Some people said your first wedding will 'suck' and that it may not be good. How do you know? Have you seen the standard of wedding vids out there? Where I'm from the standard is pretty average.

Get your showreel sorted, and a website etc and most importantly go out there and call to doors!

Huey

This is a great thread, indeed! My story is similar. I have been in the interactive/animation world since 93. Back when CD-Rom's were all the rage. When DVD's died and I was let go, I said enough is enough. I had my share of pretentious, insecure, overbearing folks who had no clue what they were doing. So I was asked what I had done in the past that made me happy. It was when I was shooting Fashion Photography back in the late 80's. But since that time through the years I always had a consumer level camcorder. I really enjoyed it and I connected the dots. So here I am with a Sony FS100 and BMPCC. (Thinking of selling the Sony.) Love shooting! Been doing it for the last two years. Still trying to get my demo reel in tiptop shape. This leads me to this question....What makes up a good demo reel? Do you need pretty pictures? Do you need dolly shots and follow focus shots? Or both? Thanks!

Demo reel will depend on what you're doing. But it should be your best work,paired with work which you want to do more of. And yes, camera movement is often important to producers; though that's often the "work" of someone else. Same with focus lol.
My own reel is what it is and it works sometimes, and doesn't work other times. I don't think there is a panacea which'll work for everything.
I also wouldn't ever recommend working for free-- or at least only doing so when you get a definite benefit for it (such as the airline thing) and when you can afford it; or if you're in school still then working student films makes some sense.

Working for free or rather "symbolic" rates (like the huge present basket i got from a church community for a simple job) can help you get in contact with potential future clients, while gathering experience and building a portfolio or demo reel. You can't expect anyone to hire you unless you have some earlier work to show - so think of it as an investment into your own professional future.

Just do your own thing and try to get some connections doing what you want to do. You'll need to build a good showreel. Take care in weighing your benefits from doing low paid work. The film industry seems to be just as exploitative as the graphic design industry, if not more.

So far, it seems like it's more exploitive. People keep asking for a full production (light, camera, sound, data wrangling) for peanuts, and complaining when I tell them what I'm willing to work for. They also don't understand why I prefer to have a partner/assistant on film shoots... because they appear to think that the gear does all of the work.

I would avoid all live events for the time being, not just weddings. Stick with stuff that if you make a mistake, it's possible to reshoot. I have been shooting for 12 years and I still make rookie mistakes every once in a great while. It happens. There are a lot of things to think about and pay attention to, and it can be very easy for something to slip through the cracks. Sometimes it isn't too big of a deal and sometimes it can be detrimental.

Real estate is pretty safe, but they don't seem to pay a whole lot. Like others have said, go shoot all you can and then edit what you shot. You will learn how to shoot from editing your own footage over and over. It will teach you what works and what doesn't, and the importance of having the right coverage.

My 2 cents...

Shoot a LOT. Shoot everything you can, including crappy projects friends want to do.

Build a reel.

This.

But screw up your first gig and you're basically ruined already.

Dude! That is absolutely not true, and what an awful piece of advice to give someone. If your first gig fails or has negative feedback...PERFECT!! You have just gained a HUGE set of lessons on your first go. You are going to lose clients, even when the work is good to you and everyone around you, your client still may not like it. You just have to keep going and ALWAYS learn from your mistakes. One day your side business will become your full time business.


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Regarding doing stuff for Free and for reduced fees, I recently had 2 people approach me and ask for such favours. Because they're new in business and I happened to know them, I gave them a greatly reduced price of about 1/3 of what I'd normally charge. Yet neither of them decided to take me up on my offer. They had the opportunity of having a nice tidy promo vid for quite cheap but still didn't want to put their hands in their pockets and never even bothered to call or mail me back.

I'm currently doing a vid for a charity home and doing it for a 'token' fee. It's always good to get something as it'll cover your cost for diesel and other expenses etc. Also, If you're doing free work it's a good idea to do it at the weekends or evenings and keep your working week intact.

Just my tuppence worth,

Hugh

Here's advice from someone who has been working succesfully for over 35 years and never had a boss and for the last 14 years not even a client...

Understand all the aspects of filmmaking - shooting - editing - marketing. It helps to make you indispensible to yourself and a client. Try to work on projects you love or know about. If you know the subject this will show in your finished edit. Please avoid discounting yourself. If you have no talent your rate will go down anyway but let the customer be the judge not you.

If you have a passion for a topic go make a film about it. Raise money. Hone your skills. Get working.

Be very careful which clients you take on since you are first starting out. It may seem to make sense to offer 'affordable' pricing. What you will experience with this approach are clients that typically have never been video clients before. The problem is these clients would otherwise not employ the services of an ad agency and/or production company due to the cost. Inevitably these types of clients will ignore your suggestions and tastelessly control the project. The result will be something you wouldn't show to your grandmother- let alone propel your business, reel, and experience. Be confident that what you can offer is worth 'X' amount of dollars and take nothing less. Be prepared to say no to a client and perhaps even fire a client. It isn't easy but that is business.

Also, following the same line of thought, be sure to account for how much work you have to do in order to make a video. I've run into technical problems that would have been easy to avoid if I hadn't been working as a one man band (which I was because the company wasn't willing to pay enough for an assistant). Plan for it. Clients new to film making of any kind tend to assume that it's easy, and have no idea as to how much work is truly involved even in setting up just a "simple" shot with a few lines of dialog.

Use your knowledge to plan so that you can make sure that you don't get burned by underestimating how much time you need to do the job right and rushing to hit an unrealistic deadline.

Huey touched upon this, but I would like to reiterate the value of doing "pro-bono" work for non-profits while building your reel.

I agree with what others have stated, namely: I never give away free work to someone I know will profit off of it. I do not think that is fair, even to someone starting out and learning the ropes. Charging less than standard rates? Yes, of course in the beginning, but free or practically free? Never!

But non-profits are different. They need all the help they can get, and they can also give you compelling, moving sources of stories to tell. Find someone locally who is dealing with an issue that resonates with you: feeding the hungry, Habitat For Humanity, abused women & children, the disabled, etc., and approach them about doing a video for free (maybe with them covering any hard costs if any). They will love you for it and you will get good practice.

And another benefit? Well, besides good Karma of course, a lot of these non-profits have boards chaired by local businessmen and media connections, and if you do a rocking job, you will be surprised at the new connections you can make and doors that will open.

Non-profit does not always mean poor. Quite frequently non-profits have a LOT of money, and are pretending that being a non-profit means that they don't have any money. Some actually pay quite well, in fact, since they're seeking to avoid actually making a profit...

I think you should consider doing free work, if it gives you value. To me, it doesn't matter if the client makes money from your free work, if you receive compensation in another way.

For example, if you've been shooting second camera on some tiny music videos, and you get asked to DP a video attached to a well-known label -- jump at it. The chance to add that DP credit to your resume and reel are worth it.

The key is, you have to be sure you're getting enough non-cash value in the deal.

My $.02 YMMV

The key is, you have to be sure you're getting enough non-cash value in the deal.

My $.02 YMMV

Well said.

"non cash value" - nice term, that summarizes the benefits of unpaid work. I like it.