Patrick Reagan
Forum Replies Created
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Ahhhhhhhh yes, what you suggested is exactly what did the trick. Thank you so much!
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Thing is though, the shot you see has already had warp stabilizer used on it. The shot has an upward tilt, so even with the stabilizer, the movement is still there.
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Mike, I’ve always had the idea of trying to sell my services to people as I’ve developed some skill, but what really set this off was a number of people who were asking me to make strictly motion graphics-based videos. I would, of course, be able to do that without a camera. I was thinking that if I drummed up a handful of side-jobs like that, I’d be able to simply pay cash for a nicer camera (and that is the only way I’d buy one). After that, I’d be able to expand a bit.
As far as Bob, I’ve already realized he’s right on the money, and I enjoy that his initial post was simply to motivate me. I already find Bob to be awesome.
I am not trying to make a living with this currently. This would simply be to get some experience and extra money until I try to move next year, as well as just see how the market really is in this area. This would be what could be called a micro-cottage industry venture. As I’ve said multiple times in this thread, I have a day job and go to college. I would technically be making profit from every job, regardless of size, because I currently have nothing invested unless you want to count the software I’ve bought, but that was originally purchased for personal use, not necessarily business use.
I am not trying to jump out with both feet and say, “Yes, I can shoot your 35,000 dollar wedding as a one-man operation with a 300 dollar point and shoot camera.” That was never my intention, and that would be ridiculous. Because of my low marketplace/business experience and only mooooderately-high amount of knowledge concerning Premiere, AE, etc., I would not feel comfortable taking on larger jobs until I took the baby steps in order to get to “that level.” That doesn’t mean I can’t charge a bit of money to make a 30 second, graphics-based intro for someone or cut together some folks’ footage.
As far as the sports filming thing, I went ahead and turned that down because I further explained to the potential client that my camera wouldn’t be sufficient for filming the games. Not to mention his budget was 40 dollars per game. Aka… 40 dollars for me to go through the entire production process, from written outline to finished product. Some of you guys charge double that PER HOUR, so… yeah, no deal.
The good news is that a couple friends of mine that make music are needing a demo for a “Who we are” type of video for their company. I had them sign a contract stating the terms, and I am currently giving them a “first-time client’s discount” of sorts at $25/hr.
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I have no idea why I didn’t sign up to this forum earlier. This is million dollar information and it’s just so great to get so much golden feedback. Thank you, Mark, and all!
Also, I’ve never really shot sports before. While this may be strange to say, if I did shoot for this client, this would be a “learner client,” I guess you could say. He is the type of person that if I can overlay some text on the screen and the image quality is crisp, he’ll quite literally be amazed. So, while I have my own standards, of course, pretty much anything is gonna blow this guy away, so I might as well try to get my feet wet shooting sports with this client while I can and just wing the crap out of it.
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Hey guys, I have a few questions based on an offer I got on Friday:
I work at an automotive paint store and deliver to body shops all over. (No one wants an advertisement right now; already tried several times.) I’ve sort of mentioned in passing that I edit and make graphics and whatnot. There is one owner in particular that coaches a football team of younger kids that I told this to. He wants me to shoot his team from the booth for the entire game. It’d be about an hour and a half and he’d like me to do it for all five games this season and then cut out the fat in post to whittle it down to maybe 45 minutes per game.
Problems:
– He doesn’t seem to understand that all I have is a 300 dollar Casio ZR-100, a point & shoot camera that I bought primarily for the 240/480/1000fps high speed capability (and it’s a step up from my old trusty Hi-8 camera).
– I wouldn’t necessarily be able to rent a camera for these occasions. It sort of depends on this next point here.
– Just as I explained earlier about a market in the void, I’m not sure he understands yet that he’d end up paying more than 75 dollars for me to shoot for an hour and a half, then cut said footage down to about 45 minutes, add any graphics he wanted, and finally throw it onto a DVD or online or whatever.Which brings me to some more points:
– This potential client in particular keeps assuming that I have some amazing camera when I’ve told him twice that he will not be receiving the quality he may be looking for unless he wants it to look like a dinky home movie. What if he honestly doesn’t care what camera I use? He doesn’t seem to care one bit as long as it’s 1080p. How the crap would I charge an hourly rate or whatever for a point & shoot?!
– Speaking of shooting rates, when I do graduate to a nicer camera (looking at the Panasonic AG-AC130), general market rates aside, how would one base a price off all the different factors that come with shooting? Shooting may seem more one-size-fits-all than editing as far as pricing, but are there any factors that I should take into consideration?
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I’m half a step ahead! I’ve asked the local print shop (that is sending me a proof for a logo design I have) if they are needing any type of advertisement or video spot, and they said they might be interested, so I’ll keep you updated on that, as well!
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I appreciate your input immensely, Bob. You are right on every point, and this is all very motivating. I’m very glad that all of you have been so supportive and realistic while also providing very rich insight into the business end of the production realm.
I’m gonna continue to absorb all this information because it’s all so freaking good!
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I can understand that and respect it fully, in that case. I don’t want to shut him out.
As a mild-mannered retort, I’m not completely sure why those certain assumptions were made just because I didn’t explain something that I didn’t even think was necessary to provide in the first place.
In light of all this, I will happily forgive Bob for any assumptions that were made, and I will apologize for not providing enough detail. I wish to have no ill feelings towards Bob, and I do understand and respect his seniority on the subject.
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Before I reply to the wealth of helpful and useful posts I’ve received, I must address Mr. Zelin’s comment first:
Mr. Zelin, in all due respect, you have made some fairly outlandish claims and assumptions about a person you do not even know, especially when you think I am a whining kid that is… after money for dates? I’m sorry, you are completely mistaken. You take me to be some whippersnapper in over his head when all I was originally asking for was a suggestion on how to move on a market that hasn’t been explored yet, and I explained my fears. For you to (incorrectly) assume that I’m a whining kid that doesn’t work or whatever seems unreasonable to me, especially when I’ve held a job since I was 17, and I have worked at a production company before. I don’t remember the part where I was whining about not being able to make money; I don’t remember even saying that… because I didn’t. I haven’t started offering any type of services to anyone in the first place because I am trying to get prepared and organized for such a thing. I am seeking internships, scholarships, etc. I’m trying everything in my power to break into the realm of media production.
I see nothing wrong with trying to get a very small side business of cutting together footage or whatever I find in order to develop my skill, supplement my primary income, and most important of all, bring service to a customer and know that they are pleased with the service in the first place. I don’t feel it is absolutely essential to have worked at a production company or whatever in order to say, “I can make a graphical intro for you for 150 dollars.” It wouldn’t matter anyway because, like I said, I have worked at a production company, so I’ve already met your non-existent prerequisite on that front. So, please, you have stated your opinion, and I hesitantly respect it even though the basis of it was completely unfounded, and I did not enjoy your assumptions about me and my character, so I’m not sure if I would like to seek advice from you further. Thanks for understanding.
Now, to address the more supportive and helpful replies I have gotten:
Tim, thank you again for your great advice.
Mark, you have given me excellent ideas and support. Some of these things I haven’t really thought of before. I do tend to play Battlefield 3 every once in a while; I could try and explore that option further and see what happens. I have no problem with going out and scouting the area to ask businesses and others if they are needing anything you have mentioned. In fact, this week is my college’s spring break, so I am going to jump on those opportunities based on your recommendations. As far as which salesman I am, I would definitely have to say I am the latter. That’s part of why I decided to post here. I have a potential market sitting right in front of me with no other competitors, and I’ll never know 100% if it’s really as dead as it seems until I actually prod it with a stick.
Tom, thank you for your suggestion. I didn’t even think about querying distant production companies to try to work remotely for them. I’ll try that as well. As far as your question about a 50 dollar invoice, I would probably not feel too well if I was paid only 50 bucks, in this example, to invest two days of work along with a billion extra hours of modifications.
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Thank you for your response. I’m sorry if I jumped the gun on that. There was also a paragraph of your initial post that I somehow missed, but I absorbed it.
I could live on that income because right now, it’s extra income on top of the income I earn at my day job. My day job is what supports me currently (until I go to UT), and editing stuff would simply be a side venture that could possibly earn me some extra scratch in the meantime. When I move to Austin, I will definitely try to take it to the next level as far as how much more I invest in it.