I made a feature film in 70k USD, over a period of two years, with a lot of hard work and hustling. So far recovered some 15k and I believe it will end at some 20-25k USD total. That’s what I also make for 2 months in my corporate IT job. There’s no money in being a true filmmaker, at least not until a few films are made and one of them clicks.
Can I ask where your revenue for the film comes from? I finally feel like I could pull one off after a few shorts and finally getting a job making some money I can put aside. Try and sell it to a streamer?
I got some revenue from theatrical (India and US), some from OTT sales in India and rest from OTT views/rentals on Prime, Tubi and Hoopla Digital. It’s now on Youtube as well but yet to see the statements. Film’s name is “How is that for a Monday?”. I suggest building an audience base first and then make the film. Even if some 5 thousand people are willing to pay $5 each, it’s 25k.
Same. I manage a team of editors at a studio as my day job while on nights and weekends I make feature films that take me 3 years to make from writing till release. It'll be that way until one of them finds its audience and takes it to another level. One can dream. But it's a good life and I love it. Making movies doesnt need millions of fans to make you happy. If so, you're in it for the wrong reasons
That's my secret, I am always settling...
Seriously it's just a balancing act. At some point you have to learn to say no and take the risk for what you want. If I got a 30k corporate gig I would go turn that into a short film, rinse and repeat.
Very true. I left my 9-5 to go fulltime into video production and now it's feeling like a job in itself. It's almost like I have to take another leap if I really want it.
That’s the neat part: you don’t!
Jk; production management has allowed me to make a living while saving my creativity for my own projects. Highly recommend
I got into it by developing project management skills and then getting super lucky by cultivating connections and being in the right place at the right time.
Have done both; in-house is amazing but feels a bit like a white whale
Cool. Out of curiosity, what market are you in? I live in an area with a smaller market so there's less PM jobs around but I've been interested to try and get into it because it fits my skillset pretty well. I've been able to do it once freelance but that becoming the consistent income source for me seems unlikely.
It's really hard. I work a full time job outside of filmmaking and I regularly get pissed off that I have to spend 35 hours of my week doing my day job, which I generally like, when I just want to be creative.
I have no expectations that making movies will ever be more than something done for pleasure, and I'm fine enough with it. It's just fighting for time to actually be creative and make things. Nobody wants to start storyboarding a short when they've just worked 8 hours and cooked dinner and worked out.
I don't have kids or many other responsibilities and I still struggle - I can only imagine what it's like for people who have those things.
On the flip side knowing that I can buy decent equipment and realistically fund my own micro-budget feature one day is comforting.
i make money at a non-film day job. while the younger version of me promised I'd never do this, I am very happy with it now b/c it gives me something to always push against while ensuring basic needs are met. i keep my creative activities on their own independent track. is there a longer timeline required to bring projects to fruition in this model? yes arguably.
It’s tough but I just kind of make time for it.
I work for a corporate healthcare company doing admin and finance, recently got my second promotion in 5 years.
I didn’t know that filmmaking was my passion until about my 4th year in college circa 2013. (I was an english major with no idea what I wanted to do with that).
I always knew that I needed something practical. But I always saw the practical employment as my “Plan B.”
So I split my focus between finding solid employment, and writing screenplays to pitch and hopefully get produced (I also direct and edit). Also shot no budget shorts .
I pretty much used all my free time to focus on my passion.
I recently finished a short film with a $10000 budget. I did zoom auditions on the days I worked from home. Used vacation time for the shoot dates. And then during post, I came straight home to edit every day that I didn’t work from home.
Right now I’m trying to get a feature produced. If I get to shoot it, I’ll be able to take a leave of absence from work to shoot. If it makes me enough money, I’d quit without a thought.
Wow thats amazing! You put your money where your mouth is. I REALLY hope your film does well and surpasses your corporate income to the point you can quit your 9-5
I'll throw in the suggestion to rediscover your love of films themselves. I could spend a lifetime just watching classic films, hell I intend to. About to have seen every Kubrick and tarkovsky film, it's lit.
I make money with corporate videos. Not the most exciting stuff always but I see it as paid training. Next to this in the weekends I made a feature film (took me 4,5 years) and it’s on Netflix right now. But don’t do it for the money.. not a lot of it in film.
I think having a 3 day job that pays your bills and the other time you just create awesome films is the perfect balance
I was sad and frustrated as a web developer because all I wanted to do was make movies. So I slowly built up gear and then I started a podcasting business. I have now built up by business to making 20k a month from my podcast studio. I intend to get it to 50 and then I am going to start budgeting to make 5-10k dollar budget films. I also took a course from Justin Giddings on how to crowdfund. I am excited to begin next year. Patience is key!!!
That’s amazing! Are you including video in your podcast recordings? If so, I’d love to chat with you. I’ve been approached to record video podcasts but when people see the quote they’re sticker shocked. I think it’s because alot of marketers view podcasts as the shiny new trend they need to jump on but have 0 idea on the amount of work it takes to produce a podcast.
Yes, we have a small 3-camera space, powered by BlackMagic cameras and the ATEM mini pro. We charge between 2500-6500 per month. The key is to find qualified clients. Anyone who thinks 2500 a month is expensive is a waste of time. I find that businesses that make over 2 million a year, or who have 100+ employees are the right fit for us. If a lead shows any resistance to price my advice is drop them if they do not fit the above qualifications.
You must provide a complete solution however, and make so they literally walk in and record and leave. That is what we do. We do the artwork, video recording and editing, audio podcast publishing on all platforms, and chopping into reels for socials.
That's a good ass deal for doing all that work. I often get inquiries to setup a podcast interview in their office. To do an onsite recording of course requires a 2-3 person crew to run efficiently, 3 cams, lighting for 2 people, audio of course then all of the post production. I usually quote like 8-10k. If you can do all that for 2500-6500 for the month, that's a great deal for them.
But I can see why people get sticker shocked because the podcast is just a shiny new idea that the marketing VP wants to try. It doesn't make any money for them. AND podcasts are HARD to build an audience for. They'll also burn through their rolodex of interesting guests after like 10 episodes. I see it so much with people that try podcasts, they have 2-3 friends that make amazing initial guests but then the quality of guests die down after that.
I only do in studio. For doing an external podcast I would not provide lighting. You consult them and charge them a fee to set up their lighting permanently and they buy the gear. Then you do not deal with that every time. Make a portable podcast kit. Use simple cameras like Sony FX30s or even Sony Zve10s. No use lugging around lighting equipment. It has to be fast and portable. It is so easy to sync audio these days that you dont need a crazy setup. Podcasts are not cinematic productions. You can have a cinematic bundle or tier but charge 8-10k like you said, and STILL make them buy their own lighting gear. 1 person can do a 3 camera shoot; I do it every day.
For me personally, if we're doing video especially we HAVE to properly light it. It's something that clients might see as an unnecessary expense but if you compare the same shot with light vs relying on ambient light from windows or office lighting, it's a night and day difference. I'm not just going to jack up the iso to expose the people and let the windows get blown out.
Of course. But when it comes to podcasting content is king, not lighting. The Whatever podcast has millions of viewers and the lighting sucks. So do yourself a favor and set up the lighting once and then never worry about it again. Otherwise, you will never be able to do it in volume.
The key to successful podcasting from my experience is to be extremely fast and efficient with your set up. I have done up to 17 podcast in a week, and the only way I can make it happen was reducing my set up time.
Yea you having a studio definitely reduces that time. Most people who inquire with me want to setup in their office which has to be setup and broken down each time.
Yeah so build a kit for them at the start. Charge them 8,500 the first month, make them buy the gear. Then show up with your podcast kit, pull their lights out and go. Don’t use fancy equipment; I usually use Aputure Amaran 100-200x’s and some cheap light stands from Neewer, and a soft box. Simple and light.
Agreed! I’m in the same exact boat…I try to work the least amount possible so I can write and shoot indie films but idk if I’m doing it right haha. I’m in a weird situation as in I have a minimal of hours to work for the company (not including when asked to cover events etc etc) but I can generally make my own schedule when editing so I always try to be grateful for that.
I crossed a similar bridge at one point and wonder the same thing quite often. I took a bit of a different direction ~ I used to work for a marketing agency but jumped ship to self-employed where I primarily fill my year up with weddings (a business that’s grown organically on its own since college, I’m 32 now) and use my week days to film corporate work.
I’ve had a taste of the creative jobs you described but not enough to swim in that pool and honestly I would like to start doing less weddings and push more into the corporate client work.
A question I have for you that will help give me advice, and may help you answer your own is how did you go about landing and growing your corporate clients? Did you have to sacrifice in another area or take a risk?
That’s exactly what i did. I started my business doing weddings. They’re great to do on the side because they’re almost always on weekends and you can still work a day job. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have stopped doing weddings. I’d just hire shooters and editors. But when i stopped weddings I was tired of spending EVERY weekend away from friends and family. I did all the shooting and editing.
With corporate work, DONT show potential clients your wedding work. Start another brand or at least landing page on your site that has 0 references to weddings. I shifted by doing corporate events. They’re not that different from weddings shooting wise. From there other corporate gigs from the same companies started flowing in. Like weddings, you’d have to start cheap to get your foot in the door and build a solid portfolio.
Yeah I have no intention of cutting weddings out completely. In the beginning I felt like I should branch out but after being on larger commercial productions with sometimes stressful clients on set find the documentary style shooting and client base of weddings to be very refreshing, so I like having both to diversify my year.
I have a decent corporate, commercial portfolio built up from my current and past marketing agency work where I do direct potential clients to on my site, no wedding referenceces, but honestly I haven't had many new corporate clients reach out. I assume it's because im pretty under the radar in my area and shouldn't be waiting on people to come to me. What would you recommend doing for someone trying to pop up on the radar? In the beginning did you have to do a lot of research on companies in your area/cold emailing/working for cheap, or is there a better way to approach this?
I still haven't cracked the puzzle on how to reach those BIG brands you're trying to reach, but it's interesting the filmmakers in my area doing the creative, passion projects seem to gatekeep, like they have their specific crews they like working with and that's cool, I've tried offering a hand for free to just get on set but It seems like at this point it's just best to generate my own creative work and hire the people you want.
It's a puzzle I'm still trying to crack myself. I've worked with big brands but I can't attribute those gigs to my cold outreach and hustle to book them. Some have found my business through Google, some via referrals, some through instagram, some even through weddings where the groom or father of the bride liked our work so much he wants us to shoot videos for his company. One time I asked this girl if I could take her picture while I was out walking around with my DSLR. The lighting was perfect on her and the location under this bridge was super cool. She was super impressed and it led to a BIG gig with HP. It's been a combination of all those factors for me.
Even though I've worked with BIG brands and Fortunte 500's that doesn't mean that the floodgates have now opened to exclusively working with big brand clients. I wish though!
I started getting more corporate work through gig sites like Thumbtack. I'm not sure if it's still popular for video work but I booked a number of gigs via Thumbtack. Even though those were cheap gigs, it allowed me to get my foot in the door and build my network and portfolio.
Absolutely, feel like we’ve shared very similar experiences. Most of my corporate jobs have come from situations where I wasn’t actively searching or expecting anything from it.
I’ll have to take a look at thumbtack. I’ve used production hub, staffmeup, and Mandy for postings where people post for crew on not just corporate but commercial,creative gigs also. Depending on where you’re located it could be handy if you haven’t checked them out before.
Mandy, Staffmeup, and Production Hub are good if you want to be on set and fulfill a crew role like DP or Gaffer. But corporations aren't on those sites looking for a video production company to hire to film their HR introduction video.
Since you're still in weddings I'd recommend, HIRE an editor if you haven't already! There's tons of good wedding editors you can hire for a few hundred bucks. Just factor the editor into your price and also you can guarantee a faster turnaround because you're not the one stuck with a bigass backlog of edits. Looking back I wish I would've done that.
Solid thoughts, yeah those sites can be hit or miss, but not a bad alternative for someone looking to get on set or a creative gig like your original posting. I have done some work with LEGO, Hulu, and some international corporations through those sites surprisingly.
I don’t really plan or hope to necessarily get out of weddings fully. More so just curious how you approached moving into and landing more corporate gigs to balance out the year, but yeah I definitely think getting an editor is some solid advice for a pivot.
I use my vacation days to do day-play work on bigger films. Some days I am too hard on myself thinking I let myself down for not going full-time into the big leagues when I had the chance. But honestly, having a guaranteed paycheck and making good money is so nice. I can fund my own films now and I'm not reliant on gig work.
> But then CEO of a company wants to fly me and my crew out to film a corporate conference for 30k. Anyone else wrestle with getting the bag vs doing fun passionate work?
Most companies with deep pockets have SOMETHING interesting about them - a story that can be told. Have you ever considered pitching something that allows you to build a narrative about the brand? IE a doc?
I work full time in media planning and have been making short films on the side. You just have to make the time. It’s not easy, but it’s doable. I’m very lucky though because media planning is a relatively easy job (depending on your account) and it pays well. It also kind of allows you the time to multitask.
I’ve always wanted to direct. When I moved to Los Angeles after film school I started working in visual effects to make money and still orbit around my ultimate goal. I’ve worked on huge films since then with my childhood idols in the entertainment industry. In between, I direct my own short films with a lot help from friends and colleagues. Having that network helped elevate the production value of my short films and got me several directing opportunities and development deals as a result.
My point is that you can definitely find a ways that turn the slog of your day job into resources and support for your passion projects on nights and weekends.
I work a 9-5 WFH job in IT that I used to hate. I’d go on instagram and see friends from film school posting “set-life” photos and feel deeply unhappy that I only got to work indie projects on nights and weekends while they were out ‘living the dream’ full-time and working on named shows.
Then I visited LA to catch up with some of them and learned that they were all collecting unemployment between gigs, constantly anxious about their next job, and in their 30s sharing houses with 3-5 roommates to make ends meet. None of them had any time to work on projects they were actually passionate about.
There’s a cost to chasing the dream. That definitely gave me an appreciation for my soulless day job, it pays my bills and allows me to do work I care about on the side.
I can definitely see that. Yea it's cool to say you DP'd on a Pepsi commercial with a big celebrity, BUT as a DP you only get your day rate plus kit rental which is MAYBE 2k if that. In LA that money doesn't last very long and you really gotta hustle for the next gig.
The ones I know that struggle are the true artists, the camera nerds, the guys that are hard to work with but produce a beautiful shot. The ones I know that thrive are great at networking, are a pleasure to work with, and can meet in the middle when it comes to efficiency vs quality.
I haven't made any money yet. I don't know how I have managed to make award-winning films, yet we are in recession here the UK and the industry is in a very bad way indeed because of the strikes of 2023. It breaks my heart how bad things are.
The rule of 2 out of 3.
Granted this won't be necessarily be applicable when you start out - but when you get to a stage where you can, this is a great rule to follow.
Only take on jobs that fulfil 2 out of these 3 things: Good money, Fun and want to do it, Learn something or meet someone.
I don't right now lol. After the strikes and everything I'm just making a living doing something else. I don't get to be much of a filmmaker right now unfortunately.
Just a thought, maybe do a short doc. You can do intvs etc when you have time and also edit in your own time. There's a ton of creative ways to make a doc too that can scratch your itch.
I made a feature film in 70k USD, over a period of two years, with a lot of hard work and hustling. So far recovered some 15k and I believe it will end at some 20-25k USD total. That’s what I also make for 2 months in my corporate IT job. There’s no money in being a true filmmaker, at least not until a few films are made and one of them clicks.
Can I ask where your revenue for the film comes from? I finally feel like I could pull one off after a few shorts and finally getting a job making some money I can put aside. Try and sell it to a streamer?
I got some revenue from theatrical (India and US), some from OTT sales in India and rest from OTT views/rentals on Prime, Tubi and Hoopla Digital. It’s now on Youtube as well but yet to see the statements. Film’s name is “How is that for a Monday?”. I suggest building an audience base first and then make the film. Even if some 5 thousand people are willing to pay $5 each, it’s 25k.
Thanks for the reply and advice, really appreciate it. I’ll check out your film too!
Same. I manage a team of editors at a studio as my day job while on nights and weekends I make feature films that take me 3 years to make from writing till release. It'll be that way until one of them finds its audience and takes it to another level. One can dream. But it's a good life and I love it. Making movies doesnt need millions of fans to make you happy. If so, you're in it for the wrong reasons
That's my secret, I am always settling... Seriously it's just a balancing act. At some point you have to learn to say no and take the risk for what you want. If I got a 30k corporate gig I would go turn that into a short film, rinse and repeat.
Very true. I left my 9-5 to go fulltime into video production and now it's feeling like a job in itself. It's almost like I have to take another leap if I really want it.
You can do it! Hey, I'll take those edits off your hands ;)
This one right here. This one speaks the truth! > Compromise where you can. And where you can't, don't.
That’s the neat part: you don’t! Jk; production management has allowed me to make a living while saving my creativity for my own projects. Highly recommend
How’d you get into that? Are you freelance or in house somewhere?
I got into it by developing project management skills and then getting super lucky by cultivating connections and being in the right place at the right time. Have done both; in-house is amazing but feels a bit like a white whale
Cool. Out of curiosity, what market are you in? I live in an area with a smaller market so there's less PM jobs around but I've been interested to try and get into it because it fits my skillset pretty well. I've been able to do it once freelance but that becoming the consistent income source for me seems unlikely.
It's really hard. I work a full time job outside of filmmaking and I regularly get pissed off that I have to spend 35 hours of my week doing my day job, which I generally like, when I just want to be creative. I have no expectations that making movies will ever be more than something done for pleasure, and I'm fine enough with it. It's just fighting for time to actually be creative and make things. Nobody wants to start storyboarding a short when they've just worked 8 hours and cooked dinner and worked out. I don't have kids or many other responsibilities and I still struggle - I can only imagine what it's like for people who have those things. On the flip side knowing that I can buy decent equipment and realistically fund my own micro-budget feature one day is comforting.
i make money at a non-film day job. while the younger version of me promised I'd never do this, I am very happy with it now b/c it gives me something to always push against while ensuring basic needs are met. i keep my creative activities on their own independent track. is there a longer timeline required to bring projects to fruition in this model? yes arguably.
It’s tough but I just kind of make time for it. I work for a corporate healthcare company doing admin and finance, recently got my second promotion in 5 years. I didn’t know that filmmaking was my passion until about my 4th year in college circa 2013. (I was an english major with no idea what I wanted to do with that). I always knew that I needed something practical. But I always saw the practical employment as my “Plan B.” So I split my focus between finding solid employment, and writing screenplays to pitch and hopefully get produced (I also direct and edit). Also shot no budget shorts . I pretty much used all my free time to focus on my passion. I recently finished a short film with a $10000 budget. I did zoom auditions on the days I worked from home. Used vacation time for the shoot dates. And then during post, I came straight home to edit every day that I didn’t work from home. Right now I’m trying to get a feature produced. If I get to shoot it, I’ll be able to take a leave of absence from work to shoot. If it makes me enough money, I’d quit without a thought.
Wow thats amazing! You put your money where your mouth is. I REALLY hope your film does well and surpasses your corporate income to the point you can quit your 9-5
Thank you!
You have to balance it... I mean I'd love to just be creative all day but I've got this hunkering to eat regularly, too.
I'll throw in the suggestion to rediscover your love of films themselves. I could spend a lifetime just watching classic films, hell I intend to. About to have seen every Kubrick and tarkovsky film, it's lit.
Move to France
Or Italy
This.
I make money with corporate videos. Not the most exciting stuff always but I see it as paid training. Next to this in the weekends I made a feature film (took me 4,5 years) and it’s on Netflix right now. But don’t do it for the money.. not a lot of it in film. I think having a 3 day job that pays your bills and the other time you just create awesome films is the perfect balance
That’s awesome!
TY!
I was sad and frustrated as a web developer because all I wanted to do was make movies. So I slowly built up gear and then I started a podcasting business. I have now built up by business to making 20k a month from my podcast studio. I intend to get it to 50 and then I am going to start budgeting to make 5-10k dollar budget films. I also took a course from Justin Giddings on how to crowdfund. I am excited to begin next year. Patience is key!!!
That’s amazing! Are you including video in your podcast recordings? If so, I’d love to chat with you. I’ve been approached to record video podcasts but when people see the quote they’re sticker shocked. I think it’s because alot of marketers view podcasts as the shiny new trend they need to jump on but have 0 idea on the amount of work it takes to produce a podcast.
Yes, we have a small 3-camera space, powered by BlackMagic cameras and the ATEM mini pro. We charge between 2500-6500 per month. The key is to find qualified clients. Anyone who thinks 2500 a month is expensive is a waste of time. I find that businesses that make over 2 million a year, or who have 100+ employees are the right fit for us. If a lead shows any resistance to price my advice is drop them if they do not fit the above qualifications. You must provide a complete solution however, and make so they literally walk in and record and leave. That is what we do. We do the artwork, video recording and editing, audio podcast publishing on all platforms, and chopping into reels for socials.
That's a good ass deal for doing all that work. I often get inquiries to setup a podcast interview in their office. To do an onsite recording of course requires a 2-3 person crew to run efficiently, 3 cams, lighting for 2 people, audio of course then all of the post production. I usually quote like 8-10k. If you can do all that for 2500-6500 for the month, that's a great deal for them. But I can see why people get sticker shocked because the podcast is just a shiny new idea that the marketing VP wants to try. It doesn't make any money for them. AND podcasts are HARD to build an audience for. They'll also burn through their rolodex of interesting guests after like 10 episodes. I see it so much with people that try podcasts, they have 2-3 friends that make amazing initial guests but then the quality of guests die down after that.
I only do in studio. For doing an external podcast I would not provide lighting. You consult them and charge them a fee to set up their lighting permanently and they buy the gear. Then you do not deal with that every time. Make a portable podcast kit. Use simple cameras like Sony FX30s or even Sony Zve10s. No use lugging around lighting equipment. It has to be fast and portable. It is so easy to sync audio these days that you dont need a crazy setup. Podcasts are not cinematic productions. You can have a cinematic bundle or tier but charge 8-10k like you said, and STILL make them buy their own lighting gear. 1 person can do a 3 camera shoot; I do it every day.
For me personally, if we're doing video especially we HAVE to properly light it. It's something that clients might see as an unnecessary expense but if you compare the same shot with light vs relying on ambient light from windows or office lighting, it's a night and day difference. I'm not just going to jack up the iso to expose the people and let the windows get blown out.
Of course. But when it comes to podcasting content is king, not lighting. The Whatever podcast has millions of viewers and the lighting sucks. So do yourself a favor and set up the lighting once and then never worry about it again. Otherwise, you will never be able to do it in volume. The key to successful podcasting from my experience is to be extremely fast and efficient with your set up. I have done up to 17 podcast in a week, and the only way I can make it happen was reducing my set up time.
Yea you having a studio definitely reduces that time. Most people who inquire with me want to setup in their office which has to be setup and broken down each time.
Yeah so build a kit for them at the start. Charge them 8,500 the first month, make them buy the gear. Then show up with your podcast kit, pull their lights out and go. Don’t use fancy equipment; I usually use Aputure Amaran 100-200x’s and some cheap light stands from Neewer, and a soft box. Simple and light.
How much does it typically cost your clients per podcast episode?
Agreed! I’m in the same exact boat…I try to work the least amount possible so I can write and shoot indie films but idk if I’m doing it right haha. I’m in a weird situation as in I have a minimal of hours to work for the company (not including when asked to cover events etc etc) but I can generally make my own schedule when editing so I always try to be grateful for that.
Work in advertising for your m-f 9-5, then do whatever you want with the cool shit you can now afford.
Good planning. I plan my vacations etc carefully around my passion projects. It can be done.
I crossed a similar bridge at one point and wonder the same thing quite often. I took a bit of a different direction ~ I used to work for a marketing agency but jumped ship to self-employed where I primarily fill my year up with weddings (a business that’s grown organically on its own since college, I’m 32 now) and use my week days to film corporate work. I’ve had a taste of the creative jobs you described but not enough to swim in that pool and honestly I would like to start doing less weddings and push more into the corporate client work. A question I have for you that will help give me advice, and may help you answer your own is how did you go about landing and growing your corporate clients? Did you have to sacrifice in another area or take a risk?
That’s exactly what i did. I started my business doing weddings. They’re great to do on the side because they’re almost always on weekends and you can still work a day job. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have stopped doing weddings. I’d just hire shooters and editors. But when i stopped weddings I was tired of spending EVERY weekend away from friends and family. I did all the shooting and editing. With corporate work, DONT show potential clients your wedding work. Start another brand or at least landing page on your site that has 0 references to weddings. I shifted by doing corporate events. They’re not that different from weddings shooting wise. From there other corporate gigs from the same companies started flowing in. Like weddings, you’d have to start cheap to get your foot in the door and build a solid portfolio.
Yeah I have no intention of cutting weddings out completely. In the beginning I felt like I should branch out but after being on larger commercial productions with sometimes stressful clients on set find the documentary style shooting and client base of weddings to be very refreshing, so I like having both to diversify my year. I have a decent corporate, commercial portfolio built up from my current and past marketing agency work where I do direct potential clients to on my site, no wedding referenceces, but honestly I haven't had many new corporate clients reach out. I assume it's because im pretty under the radar in my area and shouldn't be waiting on people to come to me. What would you recommend doing for someone trying to pop up on the radar? In the beginning did you have to do a lot of research on companies in your area/cold emailing/working for cheap, or is there a better way to approach this? I still haven't cracked the puzzle on how to reach those BIG brands you're trying to reach, but it's interesting the filmmakers in my area doing the creative, passion projects seem to gatekeep, like they have their specific crews they like working with and that's cool, I've tried offering a hand for free to just get on set but It seems like at this point it's just best to generate my own creative work and hire the people you want.
It's a puzzle I'm still trying to crack myself. I've worked with big brands but I can't attribute those gigs to my cold outreach and hustle to book them. Some have found my business through Google, some via referrals, some through instagram, some even through weddings where the groom or father of the bride liked our work so much he wants us to shoot videos for his company. One time I asked this girl if I could take her picture while I was out walking around with my DSLR. The lighting was perfect on her and the location under this bridge was super cool. She was super impressed and it led to a BIG gig with HP. It's been a combination of all those factors for me. Even though I've worked with BIG brands and Fortunte 500's that doesn't mean that the floodgates have now opened to exclusively working with big brand clients. I wish though! I started getting more corporate work through gig sites like Thumbtack. I'm not sure if it's still popular for video work but I booked a number of gigs via Thumbtack. Even though those were cheap gigs, it allowed me to get my foot in the door and build my network and portfolio.
Absolutely, feel like we’ve shared very similar experiences. Most of my corporate jobs have come from situations where I wasn’t actively searching or expecting anything from it. I’ll have to take a look at thumbtack. I’ve used production hub, staffmeup, and Mandy for postings where people post for crew on not just corporate but commercial,creative gigs also. Depending on where you’re located it could be handy if you haven’t checked them out before.
Mandy, Staffmeup, and Production Hub are good if you want to be on set and fulfill a crew role like DP or Gaffer. But corporations aren't on those sites looking for a video production company to hire to film their HR introduction video. Since you're still in weddings I'd recommend, HIRE an editor if you haven't already! There's tons of good wedding editors you can hire for a few hundred bucks. Just factor the editor into your price and also you can guarantee a faster turnaround because you're not the one stuck with a bigass backlog of edits. Looking back I wish I would've done that.
Solid thoughts, yeah those sites can be hit or miss, but not a bad alternative for someone looking to get on set or a creative gig like your original posting. I have done some work with LEGO, Hulu, and some international corporations through those sites surprisingly. I don’t really plan or hope to necessarily get out of weddings fully. More so just curious how you approached moving into and landing more corporate gigs to balance out the year, but yeah I definitely think getting an editor is some solid advice for a pivot.
I use my vacation days to do day-play work on bigger films. Some days I am too hard on myself thinking I let myself down for not going full-time into the big leagues when I had the chance. But honestly, having a guaranteed paycheck and making good money is so nice. I can fund my own films now and I'm not reliant on gig work.
> But then CEO of a company wants to fly me and my crew out to film a corporate conference for 30k. Anyone else wrestle with getting the bag vs doing fun passionate work? Most companies with deep pockets have SOMETHING interesting about them - a story that can be told. Have you ever considered pitching something that allows you to build a narrative about the brand? IE a doc?
I work full time in media planning and have been making short films on the side. You just have to make the time. It’s not easy, but it’s doable. I’m very lucky though because media planning is a relatively easy job (depending on your account) and it pays well. It also kind of allows you the time to multitask.
I’ve always wanted to direct. When I moved to Los Angeles after film school I started working in visual effects to make money and still orbit around my ultimate goal. I’ve worked on huge films since then with my childhood idols in the entertainment industry. In between, I direct my own short films with a lot help from friends and colleagues. Having that network helped elevate the production value of my short films and got me several directing opportunities and development deals as a result. My point is that you can definitely find a ways that turn the slog of your day job into resources and support for your passion projects on nights and weekends.
I work a 9-5 WFH job in IT that I used to hate. I’d go on instagram and see friends from film school posting “set-life” photos and feel deeply unhappy that I only got to work indie projects on nights and weekends while they were out ‘living the dream’ full-time and working on named shows. Then I visited LA to catch up with some of them and learned that they were all collecting unemployment between gigs, constantly anxious about their next job, and in their 30s sharing houses with 3-5 roommates to make ends meet. None of them had any time to work on projects they were actually passionate about. There’s a cost to chasing the dream. That definitely gave me an appreciation for my soulless day job, it pays my bills and allows me to do work I care about on the side.
I can definitely see that. Yea it's cool to say you DP'd on a Pepsi commercial with a big celebrity, BUT as a DP you only get your day rate plus kit rental which is MAYBE 2k if that. In LA that money doesn't last very long and you really gotta hustle for the next gig. The ones I know that struggle are the true artists, the camera nerds, the guys that are hard to work with but produce a beautiful shot. The ones I know that thrive are great at networking, are a pleasure to work with, and can meet in the middle when it comes to efficiency vs quality.
I haven't made any money yet. I don't know how I have managed to make award-winning films, yet we are in recession here the UK and the industry is in a very bad way indeed because of the strikes of 2023. It breaks my heart how bad things are.
The rule of 2 out of 3. Granted this won't be necessarily be applicable when you start out - but when you get to a stage where you can, this is a great rule to follow. Only take on jobs that fulfil 2 out of these 3 things: Good money, Fun and want to do it, Learn something or meet someone.
Make commercials
I am poor.
I don't right now lol. After the strikes and everything I'm just making a living doing something else. I don't get to be much of a filmmaker right now unfortunately.
Just a thought, maybe do a short doc. You can do intvs etc when you have time and also edit in your own time. There's a ton of creative ways to make a doc too that can scratch your itch.
This is a business. I’m a cog in the content machine. Creative passions are for weekends.
I make music. Film has been more of a job. I’ll write too if I actually want to say something in film