Poll - As a video professional, what percentage of your paid work is exciting to you?

[morgan_moore]

Indeed but it was a significant shift - my van is 8ft long - I don’t really know any operators can green four people on location.
soundwosr again my lavs and shotgun are excellent for one person
extending that to four was acomplete move ofvthe goal posts
nothing like adding a extra light or spare camera - wh inch is making sensible provision

 

[mcbob]

The scale needs to be above 100%... for instance, many jobs are both exciting and dreadful, or autopilot and dreadful, etc... In a way, all jobs are a mix of those three parts.

For instance: hired and paid well (exciting) for a few highish-profile (exciting) interviews/doc style shoots (routine), in New York City (dreadful). I get to drive vs fly (exciting - I probably should've been a trucker... honk honk) but then have to stay overnight and park my truck in Manhattan (dreadful). Expected to multitask and fill several roles - DP, CamOp, BTS (exciting) and DIT (routine). Later on the same project, I drive (exciting) to DC (dreadful) to shoot some doc footage (somewhere between exciting/routine) at a political rally (dreadful, thanks agoraphobia), and wrap up the week setting up a live presentation shoot (routine) at a conference (routine/dreadful) where there's a good likelihood of having to set up some short-notice lit interviews (exciting/dreadful) with some interesting (exciting) and less-interesting (routine to dreadful) personalities while digesting the obligatory Panera lunch (dreadful) or hopefully good local eatery (exciting). The job ends, I fill out all the invoicing paperwork (routine to dreadful) and take a couple days break on my own schedule (exciting)

In short: I tend to ride the edge of my "comfort zone" on any given shoot... either it's a familiar situation with nearly unreasonable time constraints, making the most of a setup with flight-kit-induced gear limitations, having to interact with people in various capacities, or simply the variety of travel with the pain of being away from home. I love working on the homestead with my wife and kids, but of course it's hard to afford without the outside income from pointing cameras as things people want to see. Pretty uncomfortable with being totally comfortable these days, because that's when I stagnate and fall into a rut.

But blah blah blah.
In the original tone of the post, and where I'd place genres of work:
Verite documentary, high-end interviews, science content, industrials - exciting
Live lectures/presentations, classical music, corporate interviews - autopilot
Anything involving actors, lawyers, businessy-business people, or pop musicians - dreadful

 

[Peter C.]

What I dislike is bing told to do a single person greenscreen interview, taking my 2.4m greenscreen one pair of mics and then being told all four want to be in the same shot and doing a film with limbs fying off the keyed area and a poorly boomed single mic for everyone and then getting laughed at.

...my job is all about trying to leverage half (or quarter?) decent production values.

I agree some of the worst jobs are when the client doesn't give you the necessary information or you're doing something that's out of your comfort zone. Those one man, budget jobs are the ones where you can be put in an impossible situation that leads to a poor result while putting you through the ringer. The other type of unpleasant jobs are the one where the people you're working with or for are not reasonable or pleasant. I've done low budget jobs that I've loved mainly that I like the people and they were thrilled with what I delivered. Even if I'm providing a mundane service can be rewarding.

 

[rob norton]

I'm somewhat bewildered that what I perceive to be my greatest strength (telling a compelling, genuine story with moody, naturalistic visuals) never seems to be called on. Instead, I get hired to do a lot of medium-gloss shoots pushing products and services with little to no story and bright, clean visuals. If I start introducing some story elements, or a little film grain, or a choice soundbyte about a failure (followed closely, of course, by a byte about recovery), it's usually not the direction that most of my clients are looking for.

Your own strong work is getting in the way of you working on your ideal storytelling projects.

Your website shows 6 fantastic examples of commercial/product work before having to scroll down to find the more emotive nonprofit/small business work. In a way you're saying this is the ranked order of my strengths. Perhaps simply reversing the order will get you more of the storytelling work. Even changing "small business" to "brand films" could be more attractive to agencies looking to collaborate or a business owner seeking creativity. As a general rule, it seems like we all get hired to make more of the same types of videos we're showing off. I don't know if brand films is a term in your market but here there's the implication of a corporate shoot with elevated production values.

I have a dedicated interviews section which shows talking heads pulled from other projects. I had no idea if this was a strong enough category and I hadn't really seen people do it before (I know there are interview showreels but I'm not a fan). But since adding them to the website the number of dedicated testimonials and piece to camera type messages has definitely gone up. https://www.robnortondp.com/interviews

And then I'll see a new video pop up from the same company, whom I haven't heard from in a few months, and it'll be shot with a locked-off GH4 and no lighting and a ton of chroma noise. And I'll wonder what the heck is going on!

That sucks (same thing happened to me recently) but not everyone will see the value in what you're offering, so you can spend more time forming relationships with those who are on the same page. Plus they may come crawling back at a later date after the marketing manager gets fired for wasting money on the nephew shoot.

 

[markfpv]

Over time, I have come to realize that there is an ongoing race to the bottom, and a lot of clients (or potential clients) are doing everything they can not to pay people for good work. This is especially true for clients on the local level. Quality benchmarks are abandoned for how little it costs just to get it done. Truly, these are clients I’m happy to lose, because it’s not worth the effort and the frustration to try and convince them to spend the money. The race to the bottom is also spurred by people who enter the game with a lower cost of entry (cheaper technology) and decide that they don’t have to charge much since they didn’t spend much. Again, I find it’s not worth fighting for the clients that will hire them; they get what they pay for and that’s just fine for them.

I don’t try anymore to go after the clients that don’t really want what I have to offer, just like I’ve learned to say “no” to jobs that are guaranteed to be miserable train wrecks.

.

Well Said Alex! This should be a sticky that every up & comer should read. And I think this holds true whether you are shooting, running audio or any other link in the chain. Had I followed this advice when I was starting out - it would have saved me about 10 years of headaches. The last 15 years have been so much more pleasant for me - once I realized I didn't need to race to that bottom. I personally enjoy working less but earning more per gig. It's certainly not as easy as it sounds when you are first starting out - but if you do good quality work and charge honest & reasonable prices - you'll find those repeating clients that stay with you for many reasons other than what you charge.

 

[QuickHitRecord]

Your website shows 6 fantastic examples of commercial/product work before having to scroll down to find the more emotive nonprofit/small business work. In a way you're saying this is the ranked order of my strengths. Perhaps simply reversing the order will get you more of the storytelling work. Even changing "small business" to "brand films" could be more attractive to agencies looking to collaborate or a business owner seeking creativity.

Thanks for the insight, Rob. I'm going to give this a try. At this point, my product/commercial stuff is newer and probably more polished because I've been doing so much more of it. But I'd like to diversify a bit. I even worked "brand films" into my site. I think maybe it's the term I've been looking for; I'm happy to continue work with corporations and companies, but want to bring in a gaffer and and take a little more time to give them something that looks really good.

Beautiful work on your site, by the way.

 

[rob norton]

Thanks for the insight, Rob. I'm going to give this a try. At this point, my product/commercial stuff is newer and probably more polished because I've been doing so much more of it. But I'd like to diversify a bit. I even worked "brand films" into my site. I think maybe it's the term I've been looking for; I'm happy to continue work with corporations and companies, but want to bring in a gaffer and and take a little more time to give them something that looks really good.

Beautiful work on your site, by the way.

Thanks!!

I'm sort of in the same boat but think it comes down to getting in front of the right people. I've been pretty lazy in this department because I get enough work shooting for others but need to step it up in terms of getting more interesting projects off the ground that also pay well.

Do you pitch ideas directly to companies? That's what I'd like to start doing a lot more of. If a company isn't big enough to use a dedicated creative agency, chances are you'll have better ideas than their own marketing team. I think you overlooking the creative brief on the shoot will increase your chances of telling stories the way you'd like (or telling stories at all!)

 

[Doug Jensen]

My work is mostly divided into three categories:

A) Work that I look forward to, seek out, enjoy, and would possibly do for free just because I want to do it. Whatever it pays is not the primary motivator. It might be because I find the work challenging, or I get access to people or places I wouldn't never get otherwise, or becuase I will get to work with professionals who are at the top of their game and I want to be part of the team.

B) Work that I don't look forward to or necessarily enjoy, but I'm being paid over and above my "normal" rates, so I'm willing to take it on. When I used to bid a lot of corporate/government work I actually had a line on my bid spreadsheet (not for client eyes) called the "Hassle Factor". It ensured that if I was going to work on a project I wasn't motivated about, travel someplace I didn't want to go, or work with people I didn't really want to work with, I could take comfort in the middle of a boring shoot or meeting knowing that I was being paid a bonus . . even if the client didn't realize it. However, with that said, there is a limit. I will not take anything that falls in the "dread" category. I am past the point where i will take work that I really dread or work for people I seriously don't like or don't respect. I may also pass up work that I feel is beyond my physical capabilities -- now that I'm no spring chicken. My body can't do what it used to do.

C) Pro bono work that helps an organization who's purpose I support and am willing to donate my services, gear, and experience. Often, that kind of work also falls into category A.

 

[DBP]

Hmmm....I'm definitely going to be the wet blanket of the group so far, but I figure I'll throw my experience into the hat.

At this point on the production side of things, practically nothing excites me. At best it bores me and at worst it causes dread. Granted, I still love shooting stripped down stuff for fun with friends, but client work? eh..

Post-production, fewer cases of outright dread. Most of my work is boring and not particularly inspiring, but the money to effort/stress ratio is way better and affords much more freedom and work+life balance.

I realize that's kinda dreary and I'm genuinely happy for the people still gung-ho about video production after 10-20 years, but for me a lot of the shine has worn off and now it's just a job.

 

[Doug Jensen]

You're not alone. I have close friends who feel much the same way. I don't know how much dread there is, but they are definitely only motivated by production as a way to earn a living. They get no joy from it and they would never go out and shoot for pleasure while on vacation or for stock. I am just the opposite. If I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't do it because there are far more lucrative ways to make money. I remember telling a teach clear back in the 8th grade that I figured I'd ahve to spend 40 hours a week doing something, and it was damn well going to be something I liked.

 

[ahalpert]

One has to consider how much less one would like doing something without a camera. Getting to play with cameras is always better than not. And if you get to create beauty, even in a limited context, then you're flexing your creative muscles. I had a friend who went into investment banking after college. I visited his office and he spent most of the time telling me about his design choices for the little paperweight-type award that his working group received that year (by selecting design parameters the manufacturer provided). Human beings are creative, and the less creative we get to be the less happy we are

 

[Peter C.]

Not to get too philosophical but happiness can be an elusive thing that depends more on your mind set than the actual work you have. I've know people who have a terminal illness or beat cancer and every day is a joy and a gift, then you have most people who are either preoccupied with their small problems or are unhappy because life or work is unfulfilling. Does being dissatisfied with your current situation propel you to achieve more and grow or will you be always in a state of dissatisfaction?

 

[DBP]

One has to consider how much less one would like doing something without a camera. Getting to play with cameras is always better than not. And if you get to create beauty, even in a limited context, then you're flexing your creative muscles. I had a friend who went into investment banking after college. I visited his office and he spent most of the time telling me about his design choices for the little paperweight-type award that his working group received that year (by selecting design parameters the manufacturer provided). Human beings are creative, and the less creative we get to be the less happy we are

For sure, I don't outright hate using cameras. I'm still much happier doing this than I would be working as a banker. And even the most mundane work still feels like it contributes to the overall pool of video production skills, which I do value having independent of making any living. I'm not sure I would care about my welding skills beyond making money.

There are worse ways to make a living, but I think I'm just wired to find anything a bit mundane after enough time. I like taking photos in my spare time, and I avoided doing too many paid photography gigs for that reason. I wanted to maintain that distance between a hobby and a job.

 

[filmguy123]

My ratio of dread shifted downward over the years. I used to dread many jobs starting out, but Alex H nailed it. The amount of misery caused by trying to hustle/convince people to spend money on your services is where the nightmare arises. Constant haggling, discounts, and feeling like you're barely hanging on. Don't get me wrong, it's sort of the necessity of paying of your dues, and unless you're lucky it's hard to totally shortcut that. But if you're unlucky (or bad), you sort of never get around it out due to the necessity of paying the bills.

I've seen your work and you are good, so if you're experiencing a lot of dread it sounds like a combination of bad luck + the ever changing market. Man, things were easier 15-10 years ago, even 10 years ago. There were only so many people to call locally for video production work. To be a small video business owner you needed to have a unique blend of everything: salesmanship, business know-how, creativity, technical/engineer expertise, computer savvy. And often times, some capital. Obviously that is not the case today for a plethora of reasons (no need to beat that deadhorse).

I've been cruising on having found some very loyal clients years ago who simply haven't replaced me due to deep trust, storytelling/writing ability, years of successful relationship. But that won't last forever - people change positions, etc. I haven't worked with very many new clients in something like 5 years, and when this stint inevitably ends, I'm not sure if I'll push that hard in trying to compete or find work... it's a totally different market these days. Hyper competitive with a ton of hungry youngsters with $1k cameras I couldn't have dreamed of a decade ago, lots of transient/disposable quick turn content, everyone has someone on staff (or a nephew, as Alex stated) with a camera who wants to give it a go...

I think the ones who survive will be those who specialize in a role and work in a team on larger productions, and those who get a job on staff somewhere as an in-house video person. The majority of the rest will likely go to the hungry and talented 20 somethings, the majority of those who will eventually "graduate" to one of the two aforementioned positions once they realize they can't sustain the hustle and need more stability and are getting outclassed by the next wave of young, hungry and talented go-getters.

Those who are left and "make it" - the mid-tier small business owners (one man bands, or 2-5 person small production house teams) will be the best of the best; the true storytellers/journalists who bring something much more than "video production" but who have the art to write and tell stories and craft messaging and just happen to do it via video; and the well-connected who happen to know/meet the right people to have a niche "in".

If that sounds a bit pessimistic, well, I don't know - I just find it hard to imagine if someone in their late 20s came to me who was pretty decent but not a prodigy and asked for my advice, for me to tell them in good faith there's a good job market here and to keep at it. I'd say "get a job on staff with benefits doing in house video with anyone you can, and after you've got a good resume try to transfer to a company you're interested in, and do some freelance gigs on the side for some mad money" - or "work to get connected and just be a DP, grip, whatever and work your way up in the commercial industry". Unless you're a true prodigy or are running in just the right circles, I think it's an uphill battle to try and own an LLC, work decent hours, and consistently gross enough each year to raise a family, buy a home, go on vacation, etc.