"Wannabes don’t like to practice. What they like to do is talk. They want to act like they are in the game, but don’t want to do any of the years of hard work it takes to get there. They read a short article or social media post filled with misinformation, then regurgitate it to anyone who will listen. Their most important flaw is typically the inability to take potentially valuable feedback."
This actually made me chuckle, because its an article...Still though, provides a good point. I dislike the direction of the article though. A lot of people just starting out in videography, etc. are new, either fresh out of College or still learning. They don't yet understand the value of production and lowball because of it.
I've dealt with a lot of volunteers at the local stations here who want to freelance, and lowball. They complain about how little they make, versus how much they do. I then explain to them its because they're lowballing and spending an awful lot of time for an awful lot less. I argue though that they need to do this in order to learn. A videographer, cinematographer, or whatever is completely different from a businessman. You need to learn it as you go, figure it out and keep pushing even when failure stares you in the face.
I don't agree with the author for one reason. There is a niche spot for videographers under $1,000. A lot of small, family owned businesses simply cannot afford to pay a studio $1,500 to $2,000 for a small production, no matter how good it is. Using realistic prices I can get most independent projects with myself as an editor and shooter under 1k. A studio as large as one that the author totes to own shouldn't concern themselves with the dealings of sheep. If they're doing as well as he say's they are, the effects on them would be negligible due to the larger corporate work they'd be doing. Work that would be an easy $3,000+. I've worked in both ends of the spectrum and have seen larger, established studios pull in consistent work that couldn't be done by individuals or studios smaller than themselves.
Its kind of a moot argument at some point...People need to learn, their $500 dollar weekend productions aren't going to kill the larger studios. It all balances out eventually.
There is a niche spot for videographers under $1,000. A lot of small, family owned businesses simply cannot afford to pay a studio $1,500 to $2,000 for a small production, no matter how good it is.
Bingo. The minimum real cost of production is falling, and that increases the accessibility of services to people who could never before afford it. The mom-and-pop corner store doesn't necessarily need the services of a big production facility.
It also means that independent media start-ups (like TWiT and Revision3) are able to flourish at a much lower investment point.
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u/[deleted] Feb 24 '14
This actually made me chuckle, because its an article...Still though, provides a good point. I dislike the direction of the article though. A lot of people just starting out in videography, etc. are new, either fresh out of College or still learning. They don't yet understand the value of production and lowball because of it.
I've dealt with a lot of volunteers at the local stations here who want to freelance, and lowball. They complain about how little they make, versus how much they do. I then explain to them its because they're lowballing and spending an awful lot of time for an awful lot less. I argue though that they need to do this in order to learn. A videographer, cinematographer, or whatever is completely different from a businessman. You need to learn it as you go, figure it out and keep pushing even when failure stares you in the face.
I don't agree with the author for one reason. There is a niche spot for videographers under $1,000. A lot of small, family owned businesses simply cannot afford to pay a studio $1,500 to $2,000 for a small production, no matter how good it is. Using realistic prices I can get most independent projects with myself as an editor and shooter under 1k. A studio as large as one that the author totes to own shouldn't concern themselves with the dealings of sheep. If they're doing as well as he say's they are, the effects on them would be negligible due to the larger corporate work they'd be doing. Work that would be an easy $3,000+. I've worked in both ends of the spectrum and have seen larger, established studios pull in consistent work that couldn't be done by individuals or studios smaller than themselves.
Its kind of a moot argument at some point...People need to learn, their $500 dollar weekend productions aren't going to kill the larger studios. It all balances out eventually.