50% of the time, you have to tell the clients what they want and why they want it. You can also give them two options, and when they pick one, they feel like it was their idea (which is a good thing).
I love your "NO BS" straight to the point approach to giving REAL advice! This is real world advice without a bunch of fluff! Awesome channel and keep up the great work!
We started a film company about a year ago and it has really started to gain traction. We spent a lot of time prior and during the last year watching RU-vid videos to hone our skill set. I must say I have never been so excited to see new content as I am when I am notified of a new video you have produced. Thank you for being awesome! Please never stop creating!
Love seeing videos like this from the videographer side! I just made a video on 5 ways to make money by making videos videos - but from the point of view of an intermediate level content creator. It's amazing how our digital era has broadened the landscape of video work available these days - I'm always interested to hear insights and practices from more cinematic videographers to see where our processes intersect, so thank you for this video!
One of the coolest RU-vid channel about videmaking and stuff overall Keep going, you're genuine and you don't settle over basic RU-vid shit just for the sake of million views
I just recently found your channel and you make me laugh in every video I watch. Also great advice in the video. I wish I had stuff like this when I was first starting out. Really enjoy you & your channel! 🙌
A few years ago I was asked to work on a project out of state. I did not want to do it so I did price myself really high...long story short...I spent about 2 months out of state making $$, had a riverfront hotel room and was given loads of cash as per diem. It worked out great! So your advice is quite on target.
Love this, one of the most down to earth videos I saw on the subject. Speaking of charging more a difficult client, I call that the "stress rate", which means charging more for the headache I suspect I will have, and If that became true at least I will have more money to console me.
Man I just discovered your channel... finally someone that knows lighting and is open to share knowledge! Love that you get the best out of your black magic cameras! right on mate!!!
Love it man. I think I've gained more knowledge from your videos than any other subs I have and I mean that as I've seen it all... Great points on the fact that people will choose you over your demo reel... You got it locked in. Cheers for sharing!
i've been on youtube for a while ,and videos started to get boring and repetitive but your channel changed that all you're putting out great content with practical informations thanks a lot and keep it up
Exactly what I need as my friends are telling me to monetize my video skills. I'm not very confident to do it as I know I don't know much about the business side of film and video making and this helps me a lot. Thank you so much.
Your personality and know-how are a winning RU-vid combo that I will definitely not tell anyone about! Thanks for keeping it real with the pool guy and client stories. Keep the content coming, I can’t wait to not share it. 👍🏻
I would love to hear your process on how to/how much you charge for a video as well as How to quote a client? + I do love the specific lighting scenarios you do, so (if you are looking for more ideas) that would be great.
Hello ELM, Great videos! Love all the content keep up the great work. Just a wondered if you have any other “red flags” regarding clients. Thanks in advance.
Yes! If they haggle over price from the very beginning they won’t appreciate the work you do as much. They should feel like they are getting more than they paid for even though they pay well. Also, a client who thinks they know everything and start telling you from the very beginning what song to use and specific shots they have in mind... that’s a sign they don’t know how to work with a creative or trust you to make the right decisions.
It’s always the same question... how much should I calculate and should I shoot the video even if it’s too low for my experience? Because it wouldn’t be fair for other clients that pay more but it’s better to have some money than none.
Love the videos. I also live in AZ and have been working in the industry for while. Would love to see some videos about the types of people not to work with ie scams or being taken advantage of.
@Epic Light Media Hey there. I am currently filming my very first video for a customer and could use a few tips. The video is for an orthopedic doctor's office and I want to take a follow shot. However, the only lighting I have is a pocket light and all scenes are filmed indoors with daylight. Do you have an idea how I can still take good pictures in such a case or whether I should simply mount the light on the camera? Equipment is Dji Gimbal, Lumix Gh5, Lumen Pocket, Lens with F 1.2. Thanks in advance and have a nice weekend ;)
Quick question: Can you please tell me the name/brand of the mic above your head please? It sounds so pleasing. I've been searching for a boom mic for shooting interviews for so long and most of them suffer of internal noise! Maibe you can make a video about how you treat the voice track in post production too! Thx alot!
Thanks! Sennheiser MKH 50. For post in premiere I apply a FFT filter and turn everything below 100 down and I also take down a few points off the high end. Next I apply deesser and then a very small amount of denoiser and then I apply compression default broadcast and then a limiter
I love your videos! Let’s say you’ve been doing client work for a year or two but the work tends to be low budget / small scale stuff. How do I level up and get bigger jobs?
This worked for me... Find a company you like and ask them if you can make them a video for free.... spend money on it and make something amazing. On the projects you are paid on... treat them like high paying jobs and give them a product better than they paid for. When you get a new client charge more. Charge more than you think they can afford and someone will pay it eventually... once you get paid that amount, you’re worth that amount.
The "You can learn it, you just have to go out there and do it." advice is so true. You don't need to go to a film school to learn this kind of thing. I know multiple people who started careers doing what you do by just investing in equipment and shooting projects.
@@EpicLightMedia I feel like this pertains to a lot of professions. If you want to be a carpenter, work along side a carpenter doing actual carpentry, and you'll learn quickly. I understand that some people need degrees to do what they do, but the idea of "If you want to learn something, go out there and do it." still holds. My father is a physician, and he said that he learned more in his first year of residency than he did in 4 years of medical school. According to him, when you actually work with a patient, prescribe a medication, and see the effects of your treatment on that patient, you learn substantially more than any lecture or text book will ever teach you.
@@EpicLightMedia Some physicians won't finish their residency until 7 years after finishing 4 years of college + 4 years of medical school. Neurosurgery is an example. Some specialties are shorter. Family practice is 3 years. Anesthesiology is 4 years. General surgery, ENT, Urology, or orthopedic surgery is typically around 5 years. Plastic surgery is typically 6 years. Some doctors will do what's call a "fellowship" where they take on an additional year or so of training after residency in a very specialized area such as orthopedic hand surgery, orthopedic spine surgery, addiction medicine, sports medicine, vascular surgery, nephrology, cardiology, etc. It's insane.
Best piece of advice in here: when you see red flags from a new potential client, try to price yourself. Took me years to learn that one. Worst case is they say 'yes' and you actually get paid enough to deal with an asshole
hey, nice tutorials. question 1 : you getting reflection of light source in your specs, what can be done to avoid this (can be done with top light too but )as well to get proper face light from side. Q2: why you use boom mic instead lapel mic for interviews and which boom mic is good over lapel, can we use boom from lower side/vertical sides instead from top side. (if not in frame at both sides)
Boom is best above the subject. We use the Sennheiser MKH 50. I prefer booms over lavs. To avoid the glasses reflection I should have put the light a little higher. I was lazy for this video.
First ''paid'' shooting ever was for a restaurant business with interview. I realised this day there is something called echo in big wide spaces. The sound was garbage cause I was a noob and did not see the need for a lavalier mic... The client still kept me for regular videos for a couple of years. Indeed, you have to take risks, make mistakes, at the end it's worth it.
@@EpicLightMedia totally agree. Launched my production company 3 years ago and waited between big gigs sending email to prospects. Did not progress much, wasn't too happy cause had the ''rusty'' effect at each shooting plus the mailing campaign was never a success as indeed network is the best way to get work. Changed the whole process during lockdown to specialise in food industry video, went back to ''free'' projects for the summer. I will see in September if this gets me more work but already a win as i made more progress in the last 4 months, filming each week, than the last 3 years, and won an (nespresso talents) award for a short. All your advices are spot on in this vid. I totally unsubed and downvoted !
Question, I'm not 100% serious about this channel. Closer to 95%. Should I stay subscribed? Any advice is appreciated as I'm unsure of what to do. Thanks.
Do you have any insights about octagonal softboxes vs rectangular softboxes? Most videos mention catchlights, but some make brief mention of simulating window light. They never explain why an octagonal softbox would resemble light coming from a window any other details. I figure that you might be the right person to ask. Thanks.
I don't agree with your red flag about past bad works, I find this very useful, it tells me what the client is expecting about the video. Can you please respond? Thanks for the great work.
Q1: Can you walk us through the process of you calculating the price for a job? (Step by step) Q2: Once you arrived to an agreement on price with the costumer what form of written agreement do you use? (Can you share that?) Q3: How do you execute a video shoot that is in a really small location on a tiny budget? (for beginners)
Do you recommend offering free video when switching fields? I worked very closely to the entertainment/music/nightlife industry, since covid my career has taken a bit of a hit, ive done some food/restauration/hospitality videos in the past so i do have a reel specific to that but cant seem to get much work in this either. Thanks for your time
Yes!! We have actually done free food and restaurant videos cause we’ve wanted to get into that industry and recently we landed a well paying donut shop client job and they were happy to see we had experience shooting food...free work is good when you want to open doors. Typically my rule of thumb is I do free work when I’m the one asking to do the free work not typically when people approach me and ask me to do it for free. I want to be in control when it’s for free and have the final edit and creative freedom
Always love your videos. I am currently doing job in a company and filmed lot of commercial films and also music videos aa freelancer. I am DP And I can edit well too. What if i move to different country like from India to US(nyc) How i can start from very beginning in there? I will be willing to do work for free or minimum wages. But as it sometimes take years to build a circle of work. How can I make myself making consistent living out of it in a entirely new Country and city with no friends or known people in FILM MAKING in that city
I recommend planning on getting a part time job in the US to pay the hills and after a couple of years you’ll be established enough to do video full time
I like the way you explain and show things. I have a pizza restaurant that I want to do something special, but I have no clue (in there short space) how to do something magical. Any suggestions?
First have a clear goal for what you want the viewer to think after they watch your video. I would recommend watching ads for restaurants and finding aspects that you like from them. From there I would recommend filming the whole thing on your phone and editing together an ad that looks crappy but gets the message across... basically think of it as a story board. Then film it for real.
@@EpicLightMedia Thank you so much for replying. I will do that. I have zero experience with few cameras and some bees lights. I will follow your advice. Again thank you.
Big bro, I need more info on the video lengths. This is where I’m stuck at. You gave some times. Are those standard? Where can I fine more or less a standard length for videos?
