:::Stuck doing Corporate Video:::

A

akonachute

Active member
Hey guys,

Any one else stuck doing corporate video/film work and tired of trying to make it more creative? I'm 22, out of college and editing some pretty large corp. educational/promo/training videos and I thinking of quiting and doing the freelance thing... Ive built up a pretty good reel and have alot more experience, but the pay is terrible and the boss is very uncreative...

Obiviously I would have to buy equipment which takes ???

Just wondering if the more experienced doods had some advice on whether to stay or go solo.
 
Last edited:
akonachute said:
Obiviously I would have to buy equipment which takes ???
Click to expand...

Balls.

Stay or go? Do both. Start looking for gigs outside of your day job. What market are you in? No matter where you are there are networks of freelancers. You need to find out what they're doing, and do it. Just can't say that I advise leaving a steady income of any amount for an uncertain future in freelancing. Start to establish yourself first, and then consider the jump.
 
BTW, you don't necesarily need to BUY gear to be on your own. I only bought my own gear when it started to show that it was going to be more affordable and rewarding to own rather than rent. Heck, you might even land a gig or two by networking with a rental house...I did.
 
I hear the Balls part. hahaha

I did some small freelance gigs while in school

Mike thanks for the establishing yourself comments... Ive done that to a degree... I think it always takes that step of faith to quit a steady job for the unknown

a.hobbs
 
I 2nd the not quitting, and do it on the side first. Alot of the freelance work you can do on the side/night/weekend. I do it all the time at my present job, hell even on their equipment most of the time ;)

Remeber that freelance isnt going to be all peaches either, youll have stiff bosses, terrible pay, etc etc, and a non steady paycheck.
 
I used to do allot of corporate training and safety videos. All my stuff was kind of off the wall. The management didn't have the vision to see where I was going with them until they were done. The employees loved them. In fact they were so popular I had to replace the VHS tapes with DVD's because they were wearing the tapes out from playing them so much.

But, I'd do all kinds of stupid stuff that the big brass didn't get but everyone else thought was hilarious.

I did a video on forktruck safety and how pedestrians need to use the pedestrian doors and not the forktruck doors.

I had a guy tell his tale and then switch to B&W and flashed a cheesy "Reenactment" banner. I had the guy make like he was going to go through the forktruck door just as a forktruck was coming through. He stops short and the next shot shows his clothes flying in the air in slow motion. We come back to him and he just has a black censored bar across his lower parts. The whole video was nothing but stupid stuff like that.
The first time they showed it people went nuts. It was so stupid but it got the message across and people still talk about it.

But, I used it as a training ground to learn and try different things. After the first few videos they gave me free reign to do whatever I wanted and of course I told them well, if I had this piece of gear I could do this or if I had this software I could do that.

The contacted me a while back about doing an energy awareness video for them.
So let's see, what do I need now? Mmmm, well, if only I had a Cartoni Focus head I could really make your video special. :)
 
I did a few corporate gigs before i broke into doc shooting. I mostly work with producers now...freelance...work is spotty...you either kill it or eat it, feast or famine.

But hey, it keeps me thin....

How's the freelancing gig's coming for you guys? I wonder if the poster ventured out into the unknown?


Does anyone know what the perfect balance between career in video, that is making a living$, and creativity, that is self fulfillment in our craft? Do tell...
 
I started by doing weddings. After the first few I knew I had to move into something else. But it was a quick way to get set up and in business. I was in heaven when I started doing corporate/industrial work. I guess it's where you've been and your personality. Not to dis wedding videographers, but, it's the most cookie cutter work I've ever done in my life. Now I train them in how to use their software. Training/Education is my calling. Degree is in Education.

I much more love doing documentaries and indie film stuff. But, the industrial/corp stuff pays the bills. I don't hate it, like I did with weddings, but I'd still rather be working on an indie film any day.

Point is, it could be worse, you could be stuck producing wedding videos...
 
I guess it's all in what your goals are. Weddings do get the rep for being bottom feeding jobs. But I went to a friends wedding this summer and the wedding videographer was having a blast. It was cheesy, but he was really into it and i knew that they would be getting a great video.

Either way, I think like any career you can't let it define who you are. So what if your doing corporate video/wedding/forhire/freelance/foraboss/for a favor. It's about what you bring to the table.

Is any project better just for the fact that you worked on it. If not then you will be delegated to the bottom of pay scale no matter what career your in.

And here's a question?

How in the world could any one be "stuck" doing corporate video? Why does't the poster get off his ass and do something creative for himself. 22 years old, just out of college. I bet it wasn't film school. I never heard of anyone learning video production from a school, and all well paid videographers I know (even those from film school), worked for 10+ years getting experience from professional mentors before making any real money. Let's see if he started making a living in video at age 12, then he should be about ready. That's what people pay for, the people who are talented with experience. Anyone can hire any shooter for $750 a day (with gear) in any town. It's the real pro who brings in $2000-$5000 a day and can book more than 20 days a year.

"I can't be creative because my boss won't let me :(" :violin:


Most people I know can't even get job that gives them experience. Much less hook a gig where someone else is bringing them the work. And then you ***** about work someone else provided you??!!??!!

What are the chances that this poster has even brought one project to the table for the group he works for. In any place I have every worked, if I brought in a project I got to run it my way. My last doc was my doing and my boss gave me all the leeway I needed.

I'm sorry, I'm not in a bad mood, I just don't see why people expect anything without doing it for themselves. I'm pretty young myself but so many of the people my age I work with have this "I'm young and great and full of soo many great ideas that I'm entitled to make in this business, where's my money." "Oh shoot, one idea I had did not make it into the final picture, that's it!":crybaby:

Go wait tables.

All of the great project's I've seen from the talent on this board has been from getting off you ass a doing something. Most of which were from people working professionally who put their passion into something they cared about. They defined what they can do, not their careers.

Alright then, chime in.
 
I'm trying to get coprorate Gigs are you guys crazy!!!????

They pay like a Mother, and its brainless work, you ca save your brain cells for your freetime!!!! its the best thign ever.
 
The corporate gigs I used to do paid $5,000 to $20,000 and can be a whole lot of fun. We did Star Trek, Young Frankenstein, Friends, Saturday Night Live, Riverdance, The Wizard of Oz, Cheers, a fake Toby Keith music video, rips on IBM commercials, all sorts of things. Audiences ate 'em up, they just loved seeing their management teams playing it up like that.

And weddings? Just like anything they can be hell or they can be a gold mine, depending on your skills and salesmanship. Some people do weddings for $200. Some do them for $4,000. Four grand a week is a pretty decent living for shooting one wedding each week.
 
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