Making Cents

Turn time and tape into treasure

Maybe lately you look at your camcorder and think about ways to make some extra cash. Or maybe you want to start a new career or business in videography. If you have the desire, the opportunities are out there. But the first question you should ask yourself is, "What do I want to do?"

Consider the Possibilities

With so many prospects in the world of videography, to decide what you want to do can be daunting, especially if you don't know what's available.

You can sum up most videography work into two categories: family and corporate. Family projects involve events that relate to someone's personal life while corporate projects are business-related in nature.

To pick the right field, take into account the kind of person you are. If you don't mind kids, like to meet new people and prefer to work on a more personal level, consider the area of family. If you would rather avoid all those things and work more with products and companies, consider the corporate area.

While both sides offer plenty of opportunities, family projects tend to be easier to get and there's less risk of being niched into a single type of work. But compensation is usually better for corporate projects.

Family

With family work, people immediately think of weddings, bar mitzvahs and birthdays. Truthfully, videographers are sought for almost any special event that happens in someone's life: anniversaries, high school reunions, recitals, school plays and concerts, Christmas parties, graduations -- even special trips. But family projects aren't strictly limited to simply recording memories.