Funding Equipment « Videomaker Community Forums

jcspcc
Member

What suggestions do people have on making the money to upgrade equipment (Camera, Sound, Lighting)?

Posted 4 years ago #
Endeavor
Member

That all depends. I am a wedding videographer so I tend to make wedding videos for money. :D

If you're not in the biz you could get a job :D

You may need to elaborate...

Posted 4 years ago #
On a Roll
Member

Like Endeavor said, it all depends on what you're doing.

If you want to make a film, documentary, or a production that would film on TV, national networks like PBS will help you secure project funding, which includes funding for new gear that you can keep after the show. Keep in mind though, to go this route, you will need a very detailed plan laid out, and even at that point you may need to get a loan to get the project started, so it all depends.

If you have some gear right now, the best idea is to use it to it's capacity to earn money for upgrades. Like Endeavor, I do weddings, and it's a good way to bring in cash. Easy? No. But very enjoyable for me.

Posted 4 years ago #
SpencerStewart
Member

I share a similar issue. I'm a student and I have a job, but I realized why don't I use my passion to help pay for itself?

How did you start out? Can you suggest any jobs without a significant amount of commitment?
Right now I'm 16, own a ZR200 (worthless, I borrow my friend's XL2 or my school's equip. for anything worthy) and a laptop with FCE.

Do you think I should invest in a better camera and tripod to find myself any work?
Thanks.

Posted 4 years ago #
On a Roll
Member

Hey Spencer,

When I first went into business, I spent every penny of my savings, and even borrowed more money to cover my initial equipment. It's not a cheap field to get into, especially if you want to be your own boss, but it's not impossible.

For you, if getting started professionally on a shoestring is your goal, it might be worth your while to invest in one nicer camera (possibly a Canon GL-2 or Sony VX2100) and a decent tripod. For the tripod, I highly suggest a beefy set of sticks and a Bogen/Manfrotto 503 head, but if that's out of the budget, the 501 head is surprisingly smooth for it's price (though not near the 503 in terms of fluid movement). Get a lighting kit that can give you a nice soft three point lighting setup. Finally, buy a decent boom mic and the cabling to get you connected.

At that point, you have just about everything you need to do non-live events. That means no weddings, court hearings, or anything live. To pull that off, you would still need at least a couple more cameras. But non live stuff, like band videos, TV commercials, or anything that can be re-shot in multiple takes is totally fine with that setup.

Ultimately, you're looking at about a $4000 investment, give or take, and of course, you do want to set a little bit aside for marketing as well.

A word of warning though: Understand that in the beginning you will probably make very little money. Most of us started off by giving out free work for a while, just to build up a decent demo reel. You may need to do the same before anyone will hire you. Also, you need to be good. Good, as in as good as the competition. Otherwise, you'll have a tough time getting customers.

Posted 4 years ago #
Endeavor
Member

Double what Jim said!

If you have no money to start up you can always rent equipment. It's not cheap but as long as you can make a bit more on the job than the rental cost, you can come out ahead.

Posted 4 years ago #
SpencerStewart
Member

Thanks a lot for the great replies. I'll definitely keep that in mind, there's a lot of bands here I know that might want a free video.
Really appreciate it.

Posted 4 years ago #