New Guy! « Videomaker Community Forums

VideoRookie
Member

I just wanted to take a moment to say "Hi". I am new to this site and I am new to video making/editing. I'm really interested in meeting others and getting into this stuff. I live in Edmonton Alberta Canada. Drop me a line anytime. I'm available on MSN Messenger as well.

Posted 3 years ago #
robGRAUERT
Member

Â hi.

Rob Grauert, Jr
http://www.robgrauert.com
http://command-r.tumblr.com

Posted 3 years ago #
EarlC
Moderator

Â Welcome, VR. Tell us more about what you've done, what you're doing, and your future video plans.

Posted 3 years ago #
VideoRookie
Member

Â > Welcome, VR. Tell us more about what you've done, what you're doing, and your future video plans.

Hey, thanks for the welcome. I have not really done much but tinker around so far. However, I want to start getting serious about it. Not sure where it will all take me. For me, I am looking at it as a career change. Hopefully one that will pay the bills. ;)

Posted 3 years ago #
VideoRookie
Member

Â > hi.

Hi there. From what I see in your little pic, you have a setup I wouldn't mind playing with at my place. ;)

Posted 3 years ago #
daryldrj
Member

Hey hows it going

Posted 3 years ago #
EarlC
Moderator

VR, with the right marketing, a good set of tools, and experience you can certainly make a living, and more, as a professional independent video services provider. What has worked for me is diversity, since video is ALL I do and on a full time basis (writing, graphics design, and video are my ONLY sources of income) I pretty much manage to make as much on virtually ANY given gig as I did in my regular day job working 40 hours or more a week.

Some producers like/prefer to "specialize" in say, wedding, or such, and that is all fine and good. However, there are so many other celebrations of life that go on virtually everywhere, with the right marketing you cannot help but generate income. I have two marketing slogans: "If you market, you will make it," and "Somebody somewhere celebrates something every day!" Â© 1990-2008 Earl Chessher.

There's so much more to a video production business than JUST weddings. I have been amazed at the opportunities and marketing possibilities since diversifying. http://www.eccomeecgo.blogspot.com

You can certainly pursue this as a career change and a business that can "pay the bills."

Posted 3 years ago #
VideoRookie
Member

Hey hows it going

Hey, no complaints so far. However, the day is still early. ;)

Posted 3 years ago #
VideoRookie
Member

VR, with the right marketing, a good set of tools, and experience you can certainly make a living, and more, as a professional independent video services provider. What has worked for me is diversity, since video is ALL I do and on a full time basis (writing, graphics design, and video are my ONLY sources of income) I pretty much manage to make as much on virtually ANY given gig as I did in my regular day job working 40 hours or more a week. Some producers like/prefer to "specialize" in say, wedding, or such, and that is all fine and good. However, there are so many other celebrations of life that go on virtually everywhere, with the right marketing you cannot help but generate income. I have two marketing slogans: "If you market, you will make it," and "Somebody somewhere celebrates something every day!" Â© 1990-2008 Earl Chessher. There's so much more to a video production business than JUST weddings. I have been amazed at the opportunities and marketing possibilities since diversifying. http://www.eccomeecgo.blogspot.com You can certainly pursue this as a career change and a business that can "pay the bills."

Making a career change is anything but easy. I just need to find a way to get my feet wet in this business. I currently have the Sony DCR-TRV250 camcorder which isn't a bad cam. I am also going to learn to use Vegas Movie Studio. I figure with the two of these, I should be able to put together something for someone. Would it be good to offer to video an event, and put together a dvdÂ for free just to get the experience?

Posted 3 years ago #
NewBirthProductions
Member

Welcome VideoRookie, I have learned quite a bit from these guys already they know thier stuff.Â If you are looking to make money with your cam talk to EarlC His ideas have kepted me from starving and giving up breaking into the industary.Â I havn't quite made it yet but i am trying, it is however the only thing i am doing since the crash of the housing market where I worked.Â But i'm barley sqeeking by.

Posted 3 years ago #
NewBirthProductions
Member

Hey Earl, Rob do you guys hang out in a chat room anywhere?

Posted 3 years ago #
EarlC
Moderator

Doing something pro bono to gain footage that can be used for further marketing and promotion is a standard practice, but not something you want to get into the habit of doing too much. You will always perceive that you need or want BETTER footage, improved sound, etc. and will occasionally be tempted to DO MORE FREE STUFF in an effort to get there. Early in the game learn to never give away something you can sell, to value your commitment, performance and production to a degree that compensation is a NORMAL consideration rather than an option - especially with friends and family, sad but true.

Sorry for the following cliche but, PERFECTION is a goal, not a destination. You will find that the pressure of doing stuff for pay makes you more likely to focus on the professional quality and elements needed to MAKE GOOD on the job. We don't think so, but doing stuff for free does often take the EDGE off of our need to perform, sometimes opening doors for less than optimum footage/production/performance. The results can also generate a bit of frustration, even sufficient disappointment to turn you away from something that has GREAT business potential.

So yes it is good to offer to video an event (wedding, funeral, birthday, anniversary, interviews, day in the life,Â video vignette, pet video biography, or some other celebration of life) - but pick your poison and seriously focus on capturing the necessary elements: steady camera work, very little if any zooming in and out, avoiding swish panning (firehosing - like you are spraying a fire with a hose instead of trying to concentrate on a correctly framed segment) and focus bipping. Many all to often begin by relying on auto white balance and auto focus, when they should start out getting accustomed to manually doing both, as well as setting the iris/aperture, learning to adjust for backlighting, etc. These habits and use skills are better acquired early on rather than attempting to correct when the tendency toward lazy acquisition habits is deeply set.

NOTE: It took me 3 years after starting a part time video production business (working full time or more hours with it, as well as holding down a 40 hour per week day job) to finally bite the bullet, cut the umbilical cord, take the plunge, jump in. But when I finally rationalized that virtually ANY video gig of 3 or so hours generated as much income for me as a 40-hour week at my day job (I am a 30-year veteran journalist/photographer), and that having that additional 40 hours to market, follow up, produce, shoot, edit, research (and sometimes even sleep in an extra hour in the morning) would allow me the oportunity to make a thousand dollars or more a day, I no longer had career change butterflies. I've had tight times, bad situations and a host of WONDERFUL experiences, challenges and well-paid gigs, and have never regreted or looked back since becoming a professional independent video services provider.

Posted 3 years ago #
chrisColorado
Member

Hey, VideoRookie, welcome to videomaker forums!

NewBirthProductions, this is the chat room where I hang out every now and then. There is another site also that at least some of us are part of - dvprofessionals.com, I think it is. It's more a marketing/networking placeÂ than a guru-helping-newbie thing though.

Posted 3 years ago #
EarlC
Moderator

For some reason or another I don't have much luck or success with chat rooms. From Yahoo to iChat, my system keeps crapping out on me whenever I try to get involved.

The ONLY chat room environment I have had any luck with is the one at http://www.wedvidpro.com after signing up for a free membership (I don't post there anymore - long story - but I do occasionally check out the chat room on that web site, especially Sunday and Monday evenings, sometimes Wednesdays.

Also, e-mail me anytime at echessher@hotmail.com and let me know you'll be there and if I can I'll hook up. Also, also, if you have an easier chat room environment you can suggest and maybe get me into without so many computer issues I have a go at it. (I am on a Mac dual 1Ghz G4 and system 10 - but soon going to Mac Pro 8-core with most recent software. Hopefully the new system with Safari will be kinder to me than what I've had thus far.)

Posted 3 years ago #
VideoRookie
Member

Well, since we're on the topic of "chat rooms", oddly enough, I came across one tonight that actually included VIDEO. I actually like it. Never been in one like it before. It has video feeds from people's webcam, you can talk voice in it as well, and of course text. Yadda yadda. If your curious, the link is http://chatz.ca so you can have a peek. It might come in handy. Perhaps we can all meet there at a designated day and time. ;)

Posted 3 years ago #
sham
Member

Â Hi VideoRookie,

You got some solid advice from EarlC.Â I would just like add my own and tell you a little about myself.

I am now 62.Â I retired two years ago.Â I used to work in the television industry first as a cameraman then as a documentary Producer.Â It is only since retiring that I bought my own video gear and then realized that there is money to be made.Â Would you believe that I am now making twice as much as I used to make as an employee?Â If I had only known that I could have made money doing my own video business I'd have left my job before.

But as a professional doing business you have to deliver good work. Steady, properly exposed shots with good focus.(auto focus works well most of the time).Â Good audio is vital. Learn DVD authoring.Â If you are shooting weddings and events use two cameras and edit.Â Most of my business have come from referrals.Â You give customers good work and they tell others about you.Â To get some experience do some free work. Watch other people's work and techniques.Â Strive to learn more. And when you start don't expect to make a pile of money right away.Â It takes time. Keep your fees low at the beginning.

Posted 3 years ago #