” Worth It Anymore”??

[Andy Jackson]

Im in a theatre at the moment filming a show.
Two cameras plus backup to two harddrives. One for each camera.

Will probably be here for four hours. Full day editing and copies produce.

Sales arnt brilliant. Orders up front about 25 and only a cast of 50.

Probably lucky if i make £200 profit.
Again had to reduce prices to get this gig.

What is also worrying me is cloud services now available to the masses.
Animoto. Sinage software. Even editing.

When the cost of cloud editing storage comes down in cost this will also be a big blow.

India will take over the whole industry with extremely low rates that none of us will be able to compete with especialy when broadband fibre speed increases.

Were completely screwed

[Andy Jackson]

Is the video business as bad as it was when I was doing it full time. Would love some honest answers.

[Eric Buist]

After reading your post about what equipment you own/use, I realized why you weren’t finding clients and why the young kids (like me) are… Clients want something new and shiny, they hear about HD and want it, they hear about 4K and want it. They don’t understand it at all, but it is new and they see it as showing their company/product/service in the best light.

Is the industry cut throat? Yup. Do I have to fight to find client work? Yup. But, I carved out a niche and made it work. Paid off the 15,000 in equipment that I purchased and worked my way up to find great clients, now making a great wage without having to market myself, since it is all word of mouth.

Part of me wonders if you had kept up on the changing times, would you have made it?

[Joe Knapp]

I know it’s been a few years since you originally posted. The landscape was changing dramatically when you posted, and continues to do so: 4K, super low-light DSLR, drone, web series and ‘viral videos. Software is cheap. Computers are cheap. Cameras are cheap. Heck, even the iPhone has a capable imager. Times are still tight, and people want to stretch their budgets with things they can do themselves, so they can have a YouTube presence.

Just remember: Everybody has a kitchen. Not everyone is a chef.

Love that phrase. But Eric does have a point. Even chefs have to adapt to new food stylings (gluten-free? Vegan?). Or if specialized, they need to make sure they are in a big market. Sushi chefs don’t play well in Cooter Creek, Arkansas.

It’s worth addressing, because I’ve been the corporate in-house guy who hires you for jobs. I’m also nearly your age (45 now), so I can speak to the experience and change of landscape. What do I look for?

•A recent reel with HD material. Seriously, the moment I see SD, I move on. And I’ve seen it very recently. It doesn’t matter if we intend for distribution sole on the web. Most players are 1080 now, with 4K as the upcoming resolution.
•Professional style. This is subjective, but to me, I want: shallow depth-of-field, dolly/jib shots, 4K (to future-proof content), non-flat lighting, great sound. The editing should feel up-to-date (generally quick), and the music choice can’t be cheesy. Similarly, graphics should reflect recent trends, and not look
•Competitive rates. This isn’t a race to the bottom, so don’t want dreck. I have budget, and would rather have an experienced veteran with up-to-date skills at competitive prices. Inexperienced kids don’t know to hold a shot longer for the edit, or can’t employ the wisdom you’ve gained as readily.Yes, they can charge a song for their work. In my experience, that’s about all their stuff is worth. But, some are very capable, and their pricing throws the curve.
• A decent website This shows me that you care about how present your work, and that you are aware of certain visual trends. It can be simple, but nicely laid out. Your video shouldn’t be embedded as a QT file, but be embedded/streamed from a site like Vimeo.

Note about the young blood: We need to realize that these guys grew up with this stuff. They had/have nothing but time to peruse YouTube, and try out their skills with their iPhones and pirated and/or education-priced software. They are passionate and juiced about video production, and they’ve not been beaten down over the years, depending on it to make your bread. They are having fun in an industry which (we often forget) is fun. Of course, companies want that ‘fresh young creativity’ combined with technical savvy and low-pricing. If you can bring wisdom and “experienced creativity” to the table, then that might be a trade off for low-pricing. But you need to sell it.

So what can you do, should you rejoin the industry? Here’s my thoughts:
•Get current. 4K camera with a nice wide aperture, LED lights, current software, current look & feel.
•Rent equipment where possible
•Sell your wisdom and experience.
•Have a wider variety of skill sets. Shooters/editors are a dime a dozen, but a good producer with organizational skills are gold.
•Rather than compete, join forces with some of these young bucks. Your experience, their skills.
•Ensure that your market isn’t too dry/saturated
•Demonstrate to companies that want to do DIY videos how they can make it better. By spending money on you, you shouldn’t just give them a video product. You should give them a video solution.
•Remind companies that by tasking out current employees to do video, they are taking away man-hours better spent elsewhere. Video production is like cooking or home repair: you can do it yourself, but it takes longer, and the results are always lacking.
•Finally: video is part of a company’s brand. Remind them that if the quality is mediocre, that reflects on the brand.

Admittedly, I’m an in-house guy, so experiences vary. However, if video is what you love to do, maybe this break will recharge your batteries. Good luck to you, whatever you decide to do.

[Grinner Hester]

lol
Man if people got into video for the money, we’d have consumer electronics more capable than six figure gadgets pros purchased 6 months prior.
Either one loves it to a point they have never and would never question their field or they make way for those who do. If it feels like a job, man their are far more lucrative jobs to dislike out there.