- Want to learn how to become a freelance videographer?
We're gonna tell you how, today on The Journey.
In today's world, video is king.
- Or queen.
- Exactly!
Everyone wants video to be part of their content creation,
whether that's for their social media, their blog,
or their website.
- Yeah, and did you know video is projected to make up
almost 80% off all internet traffic this year?
So, no matter who you are, you have to have videography
as a part of your skillset.
- Now, there's a lot more to being a freelance videographer
than just having your phone or shooting some video, right?
So, nowadays, everyone has their phone,
they can record high quality video,
or take those great photos in portrait mode.
But what's gonna set you apart?
How are you gonna actually make money from this?
So the first question is, what kind of education
or training do I need?
Right, so, there's two different ways you can go with this.
You know, I went to school and learned a lot
about different photography, videography,
those type of skills,
so that's one route you can take.
Or, you can take a different route,
where you don't necessarily have to go to college
and get a degree in that.
There are a lot of different other options you can do.
I know you kinda dabble in videography.
- A little bit.
- So, whenever you were first starting out,
now it wasn't through a college degree
where you learn those types of things.
How did you really teach yourself
the different tips and tricks?
- Yeah, I think it was a combination.
I really like to get just hands-on,
and just try and figure things out.
Failed a lot.
But then also looking at what other people are doing,
especially with those courses.
Like, I took a couple on Udemy,
and then I followed a couple people on YouTube
that really helped out a lot.
Peter McKinnon being one of them.
He's a pretty famous YouTuber in the video-sphere,
and he has incredible quality videos
where he just explains his processes,
or teaches you different things.
And it's helped me out a lot, especially with my transitions
and just creating different B-roll footage
and creating the videos themselves.
- Love a good transition.
But I think that the main thing here is just getting
that hands-on practice.
So, however you learn the basics,
really you're not gonna truly get it
until you get out there, you start practicing,
shooting different videos, things like that.
That's the best way you're gonna learn how.
- All right, another question that you need to ask yourself
when becoming a freelance videographer
is what equipment should we be using?
- Yeah, you know, at the very least, of course you need
that high quality video camera, obviously.
But what else do you need?
- Yeah, I think it's going to vary.
There are lots and lots of things you can buy
when it comes to videography, and camera, and equipment
and accessories, the list go on, and on, and on.
But just starting out, you really want to go
with the basics.
You don't need thousands and thousands and thousands
of dollars of equipment to be a freelance videographer.
I know there are plenty of people that do videography gigs
with their phone, or some pretty basic beginner cameras.
I know with me, just starting out, this is more of a hobby,
but I have a couple things here.
I have a little cheap-o tripod I think I got for like $20,
just something to prop it up and--
- It's really lightweight, easy to take along with you.
- That's why I got it, it's one of the travel ones.
And I just throw it in my backpack and it's good to go.
Then I got a beginner camera, just a Rebel T7i,
it was pretty inexpensive compared
to a lot of other cameras.
Pretty good quality.
You're gonna need some type of mic.
You can either go a couple of different routes.
You can go, maybe, like a lavalier mic,
where it's hooked up.
I know being a reporter, you might've had a ton of those.
- And nowadays, they actually have lavalier mics
that attach to your phone,
so if you're recording video on your phone.
Obviously the audio's not gonna be great through your phone,
so that's a lot better for interviews or things like that
where you want to get better, actual better quality audio.
- And then on top of my camera here, I have what's called
a shotgun mic, this is really important when you're just
doing footage on the go or out and about.
It's very directionally focused, so it's gonna capture
the audio right in front.
And hopefully, not all the background noise and accessories
that might be going on.
And then moving on to lenses.
Lenses, probably going to be the most expensive part
of being videographer.
Lenses can get pretty costly with just how many variations
there are, and how many different things and focal lenses
and apertures, all these things get confusing,
and most importantly, expensive.
I have on here just a Canon 28mm prime lens.
Now, there are a couple different lenses you can get.
They're starting with, just the standard zoom lens,
that's what most people get.
You can zoom in and out on your subject, move it around,
make it nice and easy.
And then I have a prime lens on mine.
These are a little bit more crystal clear,
and have a bit better quality.
But the downfall is, I have to get up if I want to zoom in,
and then it's just right in your face and,
it might not be the best in most situations.
So check out those lenses.
You don't have to spend a fortune.
Sometimes just the standard kit lens would work for you,
if you're just starting out.
- And two more really important things that you should
definitely get: backup batteries and backup SD cards
or memory cards.
- Just in case.
- Because there is nothing worse than getting to a shoot,
and you're ready to go, and you realize that
your battery's about to die, or you don't have enough memory
to record anything.
- Yeah.
And my battery's actually dead, this is a dead camera.
- Not prepared.
- (laughs) Not prepared.
- Another important thing to have is
that great lighting, right?
As Lizzo said, "You need that bomb lighting."
(laughs)
So, one of the ways you can do that
even without purchasing any equipment is getting
that natural sunlight in.
So if you go in front of a window, that way the light
is coming in on you, you get that really great lighting
that looks amazing.
I know YouTubers who do makeup tutorials,
they know all about that.
You gotta have the great lighting to really
make you stand out.
- Yeah, the more natural light you can get, the better.
And now, if maybe you're in a dungeon
that does not have any windows, you're gonna need some
lighting equipment.
There are ring lights that are pretty cool,
especially if it's just face shots that you're doing.
And there's also softboxes that you can get,
there's plenty of kits that you can probably get on Amazon
for relatively cheap, or at your local camera shop.
And then, they're like $10, those clamp lights
from hardware stores.
Super inexpensive way to get some awesome lighting.
The more lighting that you can get that isn't harsh
and just overpowering, the better.
You don't want just a dark shot.
And now, if you're outside and you get that bit
of lens flare on your camera, the sun's directly on there,
there's another thing you can get that's pretty
inexpensive is just a lens hood.
They're pretty cheap on Amazon, or your local camera shop.
Just goes right on the end of the lens,
and it blocks that sun.
- So as Nealey mentioned earlier,
start out with the basics,
and once you're growing,
you're making a little bit more money,
you can splurge on some of the really cool things
to set you apart.
So, I know whenever someone uses a drone
and gets that aerial footage, that is such a wow factor
and really makes your videos stand out.
Whether that's a travel video, or wedding videos,
they tend to use that.
Even real estate agents and home inspection,
now they're using these drones to help get
that full area coverage.
And so, you never know, I mean there's a lot of money
that could be made just by knowing how to operate
and use a drone.
- Now the next question, like really once you're getting
used to filming and editing, and putting it all together,
is how do you really break into the field?
And I think you can do that a couple different ways.
Now, if you want to shoot weddings, maybe you'll go
to different weddings and shoot for free.
Or find different people that are already shooting
and ask to just shadow them, and shoot some videos
and give them some free shots.
Or maybe you want to go to like a public speaking event,
or a conference and just film,
and then provide it to them for free,
and even add it to your own portfolio.
It's gonna take a lot of what I call "sweat equity."
It's just giving yourself away for free,
but building up your portfolio
so you can get those bigger fish.
- Yeah, so start out with networking,
and then move on to, you know, honestly you're probably
gonna have to either volunteer your services,
or offer them for really cheap so you can reach out
to people that you know, your friends, family,
who may need these services, just to get started,
get that hands-on experience.
Or, you can even offer to trade your services.
So, I mean, say an accountant is wanting some video of him.
You could offer that, and in exchange,
he does your taxes for you.
It's a win-win.
All right, so the next step to becoming
a freelance videographer is branding yourself.
I mean, you've already gotten your feet wet,
you're ready to go.
I mean, you could just use your name, but that's boring.
You know, create this brand for yourself
and your identity, right?
So, some things to think about will be like,
what's your niche audience gonna be, right?
What type of videos are you actually going to,
you know, shoot?
- Yeah, I think branding yourself,
not only as just yourself,
but as a company really adds like a next level
of professionalism and legitimacy for your business
and for your brand.
- Yeah, and there are a lot of different elements
that go into your branding, right?
So, you want to start out with your website, right?
That's one thing to think about.
The next thing would be social media, right?
All of these pages really work together
and create your brand.
- And now, with a website, and with social media,
and your name,
all these different things can house your portfolio.
I know a lot of people will go and put part of their work
on social media,
especially Instagram and YouTube since they're very visual,
video-heavy social media platforms.
Then your website itself, you can direct all that traffic
to the website to really check out more about you,
and maybe even hire you.
- Yeah, I mean, your portfolio is really the most important
part, right?
Because that's what people want to see.
They want to see what your work has been like in the past.
I know some of the best ways that I've seen videographers
show up, it'll be on Facebook, right?
A really popular wedding video get shared,
or things along those lines.
- All right, our last question,
and this is the important one.
When can I start making money?
- Yeah, it's all fun and games until you can't pay rent.
(laughs)
- See, the reality is, you're going to have to start small,
making little or no money.
Remember we talked about volunteering your time and building
up that portfolio.
- Now, you never know.
I mean, you could start off with a bang, be really lucky,
and just gain a lot of traction really quickly.
But, you know, most likely, you're probably gonna have
to start out small, build that portfolio,
build those clients, really spreading that word-of-mouth.
And then grow from there.
- Yeah, and I think you really have to figure out
different ways to stand out.
There are a ton of videographers out there.
There's a ton of people competing
for the same jobs you might be.
So what can you do to stand out from the crowd?
Now, one person I follow a lot is Jesse Driftwood,
what really caught my attention with him,
and he does these crazy, just super high quality
daily Instagram stories of just his life, right?
Like there's different little videos.
I showed you one earlier with this cool transition
and it was just him opening up a window, but he made it
into this giant scene, and that really stands out,
versus everyone else.
So if you can do something just super unique
and super, just, amazing to watch,
that's how you stand out.
We really hope this helped you to really understand
how to break into becoming a freelance videographer,
and just most importantly get you inspired.
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This is The Journey, see you later!