[Andy Jackson]

Hi Craig.

Just a matter of interest. With the info you supplied and you say its working for you what rate are you actually charging?

Curious to know as here in the UK £75.00 for a days work seems to be what some clients will only pay.

Cheers Andy

[Andy Jackson]

Exactly Scott.

Their time will come…. Their clients will eventually dissapear in the mist.

As you say:

“When your time comes, I wonder if you will take your own advice?”

I wonder also!

[Andy Jackson]

Hi Ned

Your points are shared by me and I think it is only going to get worse..if it has not already.

Funny…Just quoted on a job today. Client wanted around 4 hours filming and editing on site. Something simple and straight forward, nothing fancy.

Thought I would test the water. Quoted a very low price of £165.00 to see if they would bite.

They did bite but then wanted me to knock off £90.00 as they have had quotes for £75.00.

I politely told them to P**s off.

This proves something.
They think £75.00 is still expensive to be looking for a better quote.

I know the client is not interested in what gear you use or the cost of the gear but for me to take my cheapest sd kit would be in the region of £5000.

It is so disheartning and frustrating.

[Andy Jackson]

Hi Juris.

You are correct I did work for free for six months only.

I worked for a reputable production company who was giving me some training in-house, but I was not going out with their equipment doing jobs for free or next to nothing and the company wasn`t either.

My training was short term (6 months with no pay) but the problem now is that most will keep doing jobs for free or just for beer money.

This is where it is getting out of hand.
How can this industry stay an industry. It is not sustainable.

I know of 13 video professionals who have been in the broadcast industry for more than 15 years and have all moved on to other professions saying that video (like the music business before it) is now rock bottom and has no future for growth.

The only winners are the equipment and software manufacturers praying on the vunerable wannabee Speilbergs.

I never upgraded my camera equipment in the last 14 years. I just rented cameras as they were required.
I still have the first model canon XL1 camera which has served me well with regular service.

It has been used on broadcast, commercial, corporate and been encoded for video on the web.
I know its SD 4:3 and not 16:9 but i was not going to spend another penny just to get the wide screen look for internet video use and I was not going to go HD to then down convert to web video sizes.. Just does not make any sense to me.

I could of gone ahead and purchased a new HD camera with all the bells and whistles with todays technology. “BUT WHY”.. Just another overhead that needs to be payed off.
Also how can i pay it off if no one wants to pay for my services anymore.
They will probably go for the free or beer money student using university equipment which I/WE paid for through our taxes.

I`m lucky that I was able to save some cash in the early years when times were good and paid off my morgage and now I`m debt free.

YOU MAY NOW ASK … Maybe you could go out and do things for beer money and just for the fun of it due to your situation.

Maybe I could. But I`m not going too. I need to live.

What the newbies have got to realise that doing videos for free or pin money will not be good for your future.
How are you going to bring up a family, have a roof over your head, feed yourself, clothes, holidays etc etc etc.. need i go on.

The only winners are the clients and they dont give a S**T about your financial situation only their own.
They know its a buyers market and will screw you as deep into the wooden plank as they possibly can until we drop out the other end achieving nothing.

Something has got to change soon and hopefully for the better. I can`t see it but hey…… WHO KNOWS!!

[Andy Jackson]

Hi Scott.

Thanks for your input.
Just been reading through your other threads and it seems you have come to the same conclusion as myself.

What i can`t understand is the fellow cow users who try to give a positive outlook to the doom and gloom ahead.

They are all kidding themselves.

All I hear is quality quality quality- people will pay for that.
For crying out load, anyone can get the quality now with the cheap dslrs and pc editing software.

Then you hear editing is a skill to tell the story and not everyone can do it. That sentence is RUBBISH!!!!!
People have been brainwashed from the crap we now see on cheap TV programmes, wobbly shots, bad focus, stitched shots to an irritating voiceover to focus the program.

I have see alot of changes over the last 20 years and it has never been on a positive scale.

Newbies come into this industry expecting the jewel at the end of the road…. Sorry to say its not there anymore… Was 30 years ago.

Please take my advise if you want to survive in this hard world we are now trying to survive in.

Get a job that has nothing to do with the digital era.. DIGITAL REALLY MEANS – DANGER AND DEATH.
Get a job with a guaranteed hourly wage so you have something to look forward to at the end of each month.

If you want to keep doing free labour videos just do it part time… I guarantee you will enjoy it more.

Sorry all for the doom and gloom in this post but I want you all to have a good, happy life.

[Andy Jackson]

Hi All..

After 27 years I have now made the move and joined the lowballer association.

Had no choice…
Sorry fellow shooters, who are now going to ridicule me.

Reason: Can`t make a full time salary anymore in the business!
Always being undercut!
Competeting with part timers who just want quick cash!

Can`t beat them so may as well join them.

I would like to congratulate Eric who has a few fish helping him keep the sharks happy.
The fish will dry up though and then the fishing will have to start again.

As Eric also said there is work out there..
I agree there is, but it does not mean you will get any descent pay for it.

Anyone can be busy working for nothing!
And this is what is happening!!

Too many people now in video production.
More competition will bring down the costs… Buyers market.

So got my myself a proper job with a guaranteed salary and now doing this on the side.

Upsetting but had no choice.

This is the reality of the business.

[Andy Jackson]

Hi Mark.

Your answer was not very helpful.
Could you please elaborate.

Due to the lack of response to my thread I`m beginning to think that everyone else is in the same situation.

I could do with some honest true answers to the following.

How many of you are doing this full time and earning a guaranteed descent wage or salary and never having to worry where the next penny is coming from.

Or are you doing it part time and also have another full time job.

Please be honest to me and yourself.

Cheers Andy

[Andy Jackson]

Update on my recent position within the industry.

I`ve quit!
Had enough!
Thrown in the towel!

So much competition who are doing projects for next to nothing.

Clients are no longer interested in real professionalism and quality anymore.
There is also no loyalty.

Information i have recieved from some companies i have contacted say the following.

“We have purchased a HD camera for £300 and editing software for £60.00 and a couple of work lights for £15.00 each and some mics and stands for £50.00 . Maximum of around £500.00”

We can do loads of video with this setup and it will payfor itself on the first video.

They have then gone on sites like youtube, vimeo etc to get information on lighting, sound and editing tutorials.

Also it seems that the universities are also doing videos for free for showreels etc. Poor guys don`t realise that when they get into the real world they will have a reality check.

Another company i spoke to expected a 2 day shoot with travel and my equipment and editing, with an authored dvd and mpeg4 copy for website for a total of £350.00.
I mean come on.
When i take out my fuel, cost of tapes,food, tax, ni, equipment costs, around 5 days work in total I would probably earn around £5.00 hr if that….Less than the minimum wage!!!!

They told me that there are so many people doing videos nowadays that they can pick and choose which one they want to go with. They also stated that they know most video companies or one man bands are struggling to survive and will probably take anything.

I will now probably get some other professional video producer saying that all clients do not want or will do this but in reality this is what is happening.

Anyone else having the same problems…. I would love to know.

Cheers Andy

[Andy Jackson]

“Burnout”

Just checked it out on the internet.

I think you may be right grinner. Seems like I may have the symptons.

Better pull myself together and start thinking like i did in my younger days.

I still have hell of alot to offer.

Chin up eh!

[Andy Jackson]

This just proves my point about the state of the video business.

We should all be producers making videos, not diversifying into different sectors to make ends meet. If thats the case its not worth doing.

You dont see most industries having to do this.

The media and arts industry is dier.
You can`t plan from one week to the next as the work may not be there in whatever you do.