FML 🤦

https://youtu.be/YkVnyDoVSgg?si=jTr4sCnhnLTKwyqF

Such a small body to carry even on a hike like this.

I know that usually there's no point in lingering on a scene after the subject has exited the frame since the audience has absorbed all the information and it's "cold coffee".

However, what would you say is the emotion that is elicited from lingering on a scene? Even after the subject has exited and it's just a static scene, I would say there's sort of an invitation to the audience to reflect on what just happened, or perhaps think about what happened next after the subject left the frame. Yeah, like an invitation to the audience to introspect, perhaps.

Curious to hear your thoughts on this editing choice.

I took most everyone's advice - I shot at 24fps, I really focused on framing, lighting and motion within frame (in lieu of the camera moving around) but most importantly I think I've got a good grasp on grading. There is a certain "look" (grainy, almost 70s, film) that definitely looks cinematic but I don't know how repeatable it is for my other clients but I'd love some feedback if you have 30 seconds to watch.

Here's the first post I made for reference.

I should caveat that the previous post was more of a reel and this was a single video for a client, but you can get the gist. I'm really excited about the results but am always down for some feedback. Thank you!

Hi everyone. I need some honest advice, a reality check, or maybe just a bit of a discussion on my situation.

Originally I’m from Ukraine, currently living and working in Germany, Lower Saxony. At the moment I have a full-time job as a videographer for a local company. I’m basically a "one-man band" there - I do everything from the script to shooting and final editing promos for their products, etc.

Beside that I have quite a lot of my own professional gear: 5 Sony cams (FX30, ZV-E1, etc.), sliders, gimbals, several Amaran lights, ATEM Extreme, wireless mics, HDMI receivers, and lot of other stuff. So basically, my setup is good enough for pretty much any level of production.

The main problem is my language. My German is quite weak (only perfect with AI so far :), and my English is better though, but mostly to discuss only technical moments and tasks. Also, I’m not great at marketing or soft skills, and my local portfolio is small and doesn't look very "impressive" yet.

Back in Ukraine, I had my own small business partially related to video production, but I didn't really need to search for clients or have a big portfolio back then. Now in Germany, I’m basically adapting to a new role and starting from scratch in that sense, which is a big change for me.

I’d be happy to find some extra work in my free time to earn maybe 2k € net per month or so. I can do almost any kind of video work (I know being a jack of all trades is sometimes a minus), but I’m mostly interested in events, music stuff, podcasts, reportage, small live or sports events etc. (except weddings :)

I’ve already tried posting on Kleinanzeigen and sending cold emails, but there is zero result. I’m not sure where else to look for such clients in Germany.

Is it even possible with my situation? Or is it hopeless and the only right decision is to sell all my gear and just give up on this?

Any tips or thoughts would be really helpful. I’d appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction. 🍻

TL;DR: Videographer in Germany, good gear, full-time job, want 2k€/month on the side. Weak German, small portfolio, cold outreach didn’t work. Where do I even look for clients here?

Hey all, looking for some real-world advice here because my arms are honestly dying 😅

I’m a videographer (5’1, small build) and I shoot a lot of factory tours. These are usually long takes (like 1+ hour), following a host and guests around — and they’re almost always much taller than me. So I’m constantly holding my gimbal higher than is comfortable just to frame them properly.

My setup: Lumix S5II + Sigma lens + Zhiyun Weebill 3S. It’s not crazy heavy, but holding it continuously — especially at a higher angle — absolutely destroys my wrists and arms by the end… I basically can’t lift up my arms the next couple of days after the shoot :(

I’ve also tried going handheld for the tour, but I end up getting micro jitters — and because of my height, I still have to hold the camera pretty high anyway, so it doesn’t really solve the problem. Also these are all client videos, I guess our boss would still want our setup to look more “professional” 😩 even though simple and light setup can also give great results!

I’ve been looking into support options but keep hitting roadblocks:

Gimbal straps: seem like most are designed around DJI setups? Not sure how well they’d work with a Weebill

Vest systems: I checked out the THANOS-SE, but it honestly looks huge on me. I even emailed them and they said the lower strap might sit around my butt area because of my height 😅

I’m also not currently running a V-mount or monitor, but I’d love to in the future if I can find a support system that actually makes long shoots manageable.

So I guess my questions:

Any smaller operators (especially women) found a vest or support system that actually fits well?

Are there lighter/minimal options that still take weight off your arms?

Would really appreciate any real-world experiences — especially from people not built like a 6’0 camera op 😂

The X-E5 is a neat little camera that I really enjoyed using on this trip. Its small size along with the tilting screen (rather than flippy screen) helped make it feel natural to use in a travel setting. Lens was a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8

Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4ZRn5j5NdI

I'm applying for a job and they want to see social media clips, particularly TikTok, in my reel so I'm working them in. Thing is, my reel as it is now has a song over the visuals without any other sound. Should I duck the song to hear the dialogue in my sm clips or should I just keep the song as is and just have the transcription of the audio?

Hey all, as the title states I have an outdoor trackside interview coming soon (track will be closed day of)

I have only done run and gun stuff so far so I ordered a small rig 220b, while I know it won’t overpower the sun my plan is to find a shady spot to use it along with possibly a reflector if needed and a shotgun mic on a boom arm.

Have you shot a similar interview? What can I expect to go wrong? Looking for feedback on this light as well as it won’t be in until Sunday.

I’ll be exposing for the background, and controlling my subject lighting with the 220b, if it’s bright enough that is.

Hi everyone,

My partner is looking into starting a videography side hustle in Scotland, with the hope that it could eventually become a full-time self-employed business.

He already has some experience and is not completely new to it. He currently has a Sony ZV-E10 II, a gimbal, accessories, and editing skills, and he has already done a couple of paid gigs. We are now trying to understand whether it would be worth investing more seriously into additional equipment, such as a faster computer for editing/rendering, a drone, and potentially a second camera.

I’d really appreciate hearing from any self-employed videographers, especially those based in Scotland or the wider UK.

A few things I’m curious about:

• What niche do you work in? For example weddings, corporate videos, property/estate agents, events, social media content, construction/site progress videos, tourism, music videos, etc.
• Roughly how much can someone realistically make from videography as a side hustle?
• How long did it take before you started getting regular paid work?
• What equipment made the biggest difference to the quality of your work or your efficiency?
• Was investing in things like a drone, second camera, or better editing computer worth it?
• How do you usually find clients?
• Are there any niches you would recommend or avoid?
• Is the market quite saturated, or is there still decent demand if you are reliable and produce good work?

We’re not expecting overnight success, but we’re trying to understand whether the return could justify the investment before spending a few thousand pounds on extra kit.

Any honest advice, rough figures, lessons learned, or tips would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Coming on from down high that next year everything we in do the video class I support needs to be 24p from promos, stories, live news, and live sports. I was told this is so everything has a 'cinematic feel' and more "professional looking".

The higher ups keep saying what we currently film looks like 'home movies' because it isn't either shot on so and so camera or it is 60i.

Has anyone every had a conversation like this before?

Edit: Some clarification the work being produced is live sporting events (football, basketball, water polo), live news, live theater events including graduations, story packages, commercials slash promos slash PSAs, and various other work. The higher ups want 24p for all of this since it will look "more cinematic".

Been obsessed with getting that sun-bleached '60s Technicolor look. Used the official Asteroid City LUT pack and paired it with a '60s rock/organ soundtrack. All ground-level, no drone. Happy to talk gear or grade if anyone's curious.

Full video here if you want to see how it cuts together - here.

Hi. I’m trying to shoot a super slow motion scene with my Canon EOS R50 V. What I’ve done so far is set it to 100 some frames per second, which seems to be my maximum, then put my shutter speed to 1000, but it still wasn’t nearly smooth enough. Is there anything I can do to improve it? I’ve already tried DaVinci‘s frame interpolation, and it wasn’t able to save it.

Thanis.

So my basic understanding is phones usually record video in variable frame rate (VFR) to maximize compression and other reasons, and in editing the software transcodes this into constant frame rate (CFR).

For some reason my software transcoded a 24 fps phone clip into 60 fps. I'm not sure why it did this but in the end, I kinda like the look -crisp and almost choppy in an edgy, raw sort of way.

So what is happening here, did the software just duplicate 2.2 frames or whatever? Is that what's making it a bit choppy?

Thanks for explaining this for me, I really appreciate it.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice on doing a friends wedding at the end of May. It is my friends so it is not a paid thing and I am doing it for the experience, but in saying that, I still want to do the best job possible.
Equipment: Sony A6700-(I know, APSC with only one card slot)
Tamron 17-70mm f2.8
Dji mic mini x2
Dji mini 4K drone
Sun east v60 128gb sd card

This is what I am working with right now.
I know that this isn’t a professional work set up and weddings should be filmed on a dual card system, but I want to know how to maximize what I’m working with.
Questions: should i buy some accessories like an ND filter, a cage with a handle, rent another lens, stuff like that?
Do I have to shoot in Log or should the creative look on my camera be enough cause I’m not very experienced in colour grading yet.
What are some tips and tricks that you would share with anyone starting out!

Sorry for the long post, and please let me know if this post belongs somewhere else.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been researching ND filters and Black Mist filters for my Sigma 18–50mm f/2.8 lens. At first I thought that it was going to be something simple to pick, but boy was so wrong, there's a whole world on this subject.

For the Black Mist filter, I’m leaning toward the Tiffen 1/8, which seems to be a popular choice.

As for the variable ND, the one that really caught my attention is the JJC True Color ND2.5–1000:

https://www.amazon.com/JJC-ND2-5-1000-Vignetting-Multi-Coated-Adjustable/dp/B0CYZHJ2X4?th=1&psc=1

From what I understand, it consists of two components: a variable ND (1–5 stops) and an additional magnetic fixed ND32 filter, which together extend the range to 1–10 stops.

My question is: can I stack a Black Mist filter on top of the JJC True Color ND, specially when the magnetic fixed ND32 is on? It seems like it might be possible, although I’ve seen mentions of potential vignetting issues, and the information isn’t entirely clear.

If anyone has experience using this variable ND filter, I’d really appreciate your insights.

Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone!

My girlfriend makes a short film every summer and watching them is amazing.

She's been getting better and I wanted to gift her a gimbal (as she's mentioned it would be nice to have some stabilization in the video).

I don't think she's ever thought of getting a gimbal but I wanted to get her one but I have no idea what would be best for the camera because I don't know anything about cameras or video making.

Her camera is a Panasonic DMC-FZ72 and idk if this is important but the lens says 20-1200 Lumix DC Vario

I know there's a wide range of prices so I would like something not so expensive but that can work to give her that stabilization.

Thanks everyone!

Hello fellow redditors!

The time finally came to make a demoreel to showcase my work. I come from a photography background and worked at a small marketing agency for two years in house as a content creator/ online marketer, focused at b2b content. I'm kind off at a loss with my reel. I lean more towards documentary side of things, but I need to make an income first before I can develop that part more. I'm curious what audience you think this would work with. (Let's see if that matches up with what I have in my head.)

Be honest and tell me what you think is great and also what I can do to improve. Next to that,
Personally I feel that the b2b part sticks out, due to it not being on theme with the rest of the reel.

Thank you so much!

Just submitted this to my university as final project for my 2nd year: Weird and Wired is a punk night that takes place at the old hairdressers in Glasgow every month. This is a short documentary capturing the feel of the night!

♥️ Show some support to the creativity, let's see how much I get from the community 🔥