Making money from one's camera.

Daniel_Runyon said:
I don't really understand all the negativity toward doing weddings, I've started doing them and love it. If youre really creative about it, it feels like (and truly is) making little movies, and getting paid for it.
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I have the highest respect for good wedding videographers. It's an incredible amount of hard work, but it's also easily the most popular way to make money as a video professional. And good money, at that -- $1500 to $3500 per week is easily do-able. But you'll work the full week doing it.

If it's something you love doing, as Daniel does, then it can be a great career option. I can't stand doing it, but that's why there's different strokes for different folks. People who do it, and do it well, are a very talented and hard-working group.

Also, making these little movies for people has increased my shooting, story telling, and editing skills many fold. I would not hesitate to recommend it, but you would be advised to lose your built in negative dread or thoughts of it being "boring". I cannot fathom how one could think shooting weddings is boring.
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Sounds like you should have some very happy customers too! Anyone who approaches their work with such an appetite and appreciation is likely a) happy, and b) has happy customers. Great job!
 
Making money from one's camera.
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[To the tune of Steve Martin]
Imagine actually deriving income (thus, a living) from your desired profession. Hmmm.... that idea is just crazy enough to work!
 
Rasquachemedia, I've not been doing them long enough to have a wide range of experience, but so far the families have been one of the coolest aspects of the whole deal, even when they were a bit crazy....the reasoning? I'm a people studier, so I just enjoy watching them both in the wild and over and over during editing, much as if I am watching the discovery channel. I havent felt distanced from them at all, quite the contrary...I get fairly involved with them, and after the whole things over they have seemed to not want to let me go! One of the couples, several weeks after the whole thing, gave me a $100 and an awesome DVD (Run Ronnie Run) as a thank you for how awesome they thought I was, and their finished video. If I should run up on a couple who dont have such open personalities, I would indeed just stay off in my own world, do my job, study them like ants, give them the goods, and they would never know how deeply they were discected.
 
I would like to ammend my statement of not being able to fathom how one could see them as boring, to include the closing statement "once you've done a couple"....because they move so fast and feel so hectic, there is no time for boredom! It is a definate rush! The presure is on and you get one shot to get it right!
 
"one shot to get it right"? hmmmmm With the divorce rate now a days, just wait a few years and you can film a second take. :)

Those of you who are married, how often do you view your wedding tape? And when you do view it is it because you're happy and want to relive fond memories or because your spouse messed up BIG TIME and you want to sit and remember the good times? I can just picture most of these wedding videos being used in moments of spite, later on.

Example: The husband has an affair. The wife sits and watches the tape and then throws it at her husband when he comes home.

So, if you make wedding videos, don't forget that there's a 50% chance that your video will be thrown at someone or tossed in the trash after the divorce proceedings.

Happy filmmaking! :)
 
PK Gillock said:
So, if you make wedding videos, don't forget that there's a 50% chance that your video will be thrown at someone or tossed in the trash after the divorce proceedings.
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That's why when I provide DVD's to wedding clients I give them to them in special foam rubber covered amaray cases.:engel017:
 
The only reason the weddings I've done are BBBBOOOOOORRRRRIIINNNGGGG is because I set up the camera, go to the bar, stumble back, spill jack and coke all over my camera, accidently kiss the groom as he walks by, pull out the tape and hand it to the unhappy couple. Any suggestions? Kidding.
 
Actually, part of my sales pitch is for it being used as a marital aid. Perhaps 10, 20, 30 years from now their erroded passion could be re-kindled by watching their old video! It could remind them of who they used to be and trigger pools of stored youthful vigor!
 
OR, it could be used as ammo:

"Fran, what happened to your ass? It used to be so small! Geez, it seems like so long ag..."

"Screw you, George! You never had that beer belly before, so just shut up. And look -- you used to be romatic, what the hell happened to that?!
 
You also have birthdays, anniversarys, Bar Mitzvahs, small business grand openings, small business training videos, low end TV commercials, local band music videos, senior citizens events ... all those could be potential money makers. Not HUGE money makers, but they would get your feet wet.
 
You guys haven't done a wedding till you've done an Asian wedding. Asian weddings can sometimes last 3 days long! Everyweek, someone's cousin aunt sister dads fomer roomate is getting married. I one time had about 17 hours worth of footage. Price they paid me.,.... 300 bucks and some left over fried rice.
sad.gif
 
In high school every time I did a video for a club or something school related (well, not *every* time) all they gave me were gift certificates. I mean, I'm not complaining, but sometimes it sucked being stuck into one store. So if you're doing a wedding video, don't take gift certificates as payment because it's not as satisfying....
 
Hell, I would take a gift certificate if it were to best buy or something then I would be like "look honey, we have to buy that big screen tv, we have to spend it at Best buy, so might as well get something good" :)
 
Wedding videography is one of the lowest rungs on the latter. Most of the work is cheesy and poorly produced because relatively speaking, the money is horrible. Money draws talent, and most wedding videographers just don't have it, otherwise they wouldn't be there. Furthermore at $1,500 how good a production can be done for the producer to make a profit? Yes, you might make $1500-$3000 in a week but as it was stated earlier that is a full week worth of work...or more! And let's face it, you're not going to be working 52 weeks out of the year. To put it in perspective ENG videographers easily go out at $1500 a DAY. And all they are doing is shooting and handing over a tape!

Try to stay far away from wedding videography. If you're going to do it at all, do it when you are a student, then get the hell out of dodge. As cynical and negative as it sounds I compare wedding videography to working in pornography, once you start it's hard to get out. As a student you probably are not going to make much money off your camera, but don't sweat it, the best thing you can do with that camera is gain experience and build a reel. Then out of college you can get a job with a production company, or TV station or post facility that does GOOD work you are proud to be a part of, get respect for and make a steady, consistent money that you support yourself on and build your reel to move on to bigger and better things.

As far a suggestions for making money with your camera:
- Documentaries/promotional videos
- Find a rich school with rich parents and do sports videography for college recruiting videos.
- Low budget TV spots for local/regional clients.

I must stress though as a student its just hard to make money with your gear. You could be given a Betacam, or SDX900 or a Varicam and you still couldn't make money with it. It's way more about who you know, your network, and "What was the last big project you did?" than than your toys. Students just don't have these things...yet.
 
natob2 said:
Wedding videography is one of the lowest rungs on the latter. Most of the work is cheesy and poorly produced because relatively speaking, the money is horrible. Money draws talent, and most wedding videographers just don't have it, otherwise they wouldn't be there. Furthermore at $1,500 how good a production can be done for the producer to make a profit? Yes, you might make $1500-$3000 in a week but as it was stated earlier that is a full week worth of work...or more! And let's face it, you're not going to be working 52 weeks out of the year. To put it in perspective ENG videographers easily go out at $1500 a DAY. And all they are doing is shooting and handing over a tape!

Try to stay far away from wedding videography. If you're going to do it at all, do it when you are a student, then get the hell out of dodge. As cynical and negative as it sounds I compare wedding videography to working in pornography, once you start it's hard to get out. As a student you probably are not going to make much money off your camera, but don't sweat it, the best thing you can do with that camera is gain experience and build a reel. Then out of college you can get a job with a production company, or TV station or post facility that does GOOD work you are proud to be a part of, get respect for and make a steady, consistent money that you support yourself on and build your reel to move on to bigger and better things.

As far a suggestions for making money with your camera:
- Documentaries/promotional videos
- Find a rich school with rich parents and do sports videography for college recruiting videos.
- Low budget TV spots for local/regional clients.

I must stress though as a student its just hard to make money with your gear. You could be given a Betacam, or SDX900 or a Varicam and you still couldn't make money with it. It's way more about who you know, your network, and "What was the last big project you did?" than than your toys. Students just don't have these things...yet.
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I think I disagree w/ just about everything said here:
1. "The money is horrible": Not if you're a student w/ no job, eating ants and convincing your girlfriend to pay for the rental of Sleepover Nightmare.

2. "Money draws talent, and most wedding videographers just don't have it, otherwise they wouldn't be there": I know alot of people who are young and have great potential and just need a place to start. Also, how many "directors" do you know that actually have "talent". Just because you film weddings for mulah doesn't mean you most likely aren't talented.

3. "And let's face it, you're not going to be working 52 weeks out of the year.": If you're making $3,000 a week as a student, you don't need to be working that often.

4. "And all they are doing is shooting and handing over a tape!": Who the hell does that?!

5. "I compare wedding videography to working in pornography": What've you been doing in the bathroom w/ the bridesmaides? On a more serious note, I think you will find you stand absolutely alone w/ this comment. I don't even see where you're heading w/ this one.

6. "the best thing you can do with that camera is gain experience and build a reel" Hmmmmmmm.....Isn't that what weddings are for?

7. "that does GOOD work you are proud to be a part of, get respect for and make a steady, consistent money that you support yourself on": Because we all know those DIRTY SCUMMY wedding videographers who do SHITTY work, have no SELF RESPECT and will never make STEADY CONSISTENT money filming WEDDING HORSESHIT.

8. "Find a rich school with rich parents and do sports videography for college recruiting videos.": Yea....This is way less scummy then finding a couple who will actually have use of their video in 20 years. Go and single out some yuppies, propose to film their next Barry Bonds for the low price of whatever because their chances will be SO MUCH BETTER if their is some tape on them.

Your comments are pretty bold..
 
Weird.....I dont feel like a no talent...and this whole thing of sitting here watching the Firefly DVD's right now instead of kissing ass in the corporate world sure does feel good....what with the money I make paying my bills and all. Strange. Maybe I have some sort of bizarro psychosis that keeps me from seeing reality? Gosh...I feel so scummy...and low rungish now! Ooooo....the doctor thinks Mal is going to turn his sister over to the Alliance! I dont care, I'm still free, you cant take the skies from me........burn the land and boil the sea, you cant take the sky from me......
 
Slimothy said:
I think I disagree w/ just about everything said here:
1. "The money is horrible": Not if you're a student w/ no job, eating ants and convincing your girlfriend to pay for the rental of Sleepover Nightmare.

2. "Money draws talent, and most wedding videographers just don't have it, otherwise they wouldn't be there": I know alot of people who are young and have great potential and just need a place to start. Also, how many "directors" do you know that actually have "talent". Just because you film weddings for mulah doesn't mean you most likely aren't talented.

3. "And let's face it, you're not going to be working 52 weeks out of the year.": If you're making $3,000 a week as a student, you don't need to be working that often.

4. "And all they are doing is shooting and handing over a tape!": Who the hell does that?!

5. "I compare wedding videography to working in pornography": What've you been doing in the bathroom w/ the bridesmaides? On a more serious note, I think you will find you stand absolutely alone w/ this comment. I don't even see where you're heading w/ this one.

6. "the best thing you can do with that camera is gain experience and build a reel" Hmmmmmmm.....Isn't that what weddings are for?

7. "that does GOOD work you are proud to be a part of, get respect for and make a steady, consistent money that you support yourself on": Because we all know those DIRTY SCUMMY wedding videographers who do SHITTY work, have no SELF RESPECT and will never make STEADY CONSISTENT money filming WEDDING HORSESHIT.

8. "Find a rich school with rich parents and do sports videography for college recruiting videos.": Yea....This is way less scummy then finding a couple who will actually have use of their video in 20 years. Go and single out some yuppies, propose to film their next Barry Bonds for the low price of whatever because their chances will be SO MUCH BETTER if their is some tape on them.

Your comments are pretty bold..
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There are obviously some wedding videographers on this board. I am sorry if I offend. My goal is not offend but to offer advice.

Yes my comments are bold because I work in the film industry on a daily basis and I have taken all the necessary steps in life to get there. I can say what I say with utmost confidence. I do work with some of the most respected writers, directors, production companies and post-production facilities in the world and I make a living doing it. I know what I am talking about.

I'm sure most of us here want to do the best creative work possible. My point is, long term, stay as far as way from wedding videography if you want to achieve this. The business model for this is inherently prohits good, long term, consistently creative work. Yes, you need to pay the bills but you can pay the bills flipping hamburgers too.

And I just HAVE to address this comment:
"4. "And all they are doing is shooting and handing over a tape!": Who the hell does that?!"

There are thousands of shooters employeed around the world working freelance who shoot and hand over the footage to their producer at the end of the day. Look in any city and state production guide/creative directory and you will find many videographers who do this for a living.
 
Disparaging wedding shooters is rude and outrageous. Just like disparaging shoe shiners, or teachers, or anyone else who loves their profession and excels at it. Sorry, but your comments are just way out of line.

Flipping burgers? That's just absurd. A burger-flipper will make maybe $280/week ($7/hr x 8 hrs x 5 days), and will most likely hate his/her job. A wedding shooter will make five to 10 times that much. And a wedding shooter can be refining their storytelling skills, working with their gear, getting experience, and mastering a craft (even if it is "only weddings") vs. flipping burgers. And if they're doing what they love, and making good money at it -- how can that possibly be disparaged?

Regarding "lowest rung on the ladder" -- depends on what ladder you're talking about. If someone wants to work in film, making films, then they should go out and make films. Not everybody wants to do that. Some people are writers, some are poets, some are painters, some are videographers, some are filmmakers, and some are wedding shooters. And there's not a thing wrong with that. Commercial directors frequently make lousy film directors -- are we to conclude that someone who works in commercials is more of a "filmmaker" than someone who tells 20-minute narratives through wedding stories, just because a commercial director is higher paid?

Not everyone's goal is to direct feature films. If someone enjoys making wedding videos, and they get satisfaction and fulfillment from producing something that makes the family happy, then what exactly is wrong with that? And if they can get paid $72,000 to $180,000 per year to do it -- well, sorry, I just don't see what's wrong with that.

(and yes, only the good ones will get those rates -- but if you're no good, why are you doing it?)

(and you can tell the good ones -- they're the ones who'd be doing it for free if someone wasn't willing to pay them. They're the ones who feel a calling to the work, who just *have* to do it).

I can't stand it, I hate everything about the process -- but I've got the ultimate respect for those who do it well. It's a lot of work.

"4. "And all they are doing is shooting and handing over a tape!": Who the hell does that?!"
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Now, on the other hand, I'm with natob2 on this one. Shooting ENG or convention coverage is ideal. I don't know about $1500/day, that seems way, way high -- the going rate around here is $1350 per day for a two-person crew and gear, usually a shoulder-mount camera and a sound person running an FP-33 mixer and a 416 mic on a boom pole. But yes, the luxury of shooting, handing over the tape and walking away -- that's sweet. For a DVX shooter who's good at what they do, $850/day is certainly do-able. No editing -- that's the ticket!
 
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