My girlfriend was assigned to do some simple interviews at an event her company hosted. It was for their social media and needed to be recorded on their company phone.

She asked me for advise since it was gonna be quite dark in the venue.

''Say no more'' I said and went into my shed with the phone.

''WTF is that!?'' she yelled when I presented the Event Phone Rig 2000 ^{(Patent pending})

''It's as Nolan intended it to be'' I replied, taking a puff from my tobacco pipe before retreating into the shadows.

Hello, I used to shoot with fx6 only in sets but now I’m doing a lot of run and gun documentary. When I use lens without stabilization like the 24-70GM II and try to move I always have shaky footage. How do you address handheld and moment with no ibis cameras like FX6?
I need a light setup because I often have the camera in hands for a lot of time.
I thought of 4 ways:
Shoulder rig
Buy something like the sakk
Monopod (not sure if it will really help… obviously in static shots it helps a lot but moving… not so much in my opinion.
Just crank the shutter speed and use Gyroflow to stabilize.

The video is stabilized with Gyroflow but since I had a shutter of 180 you can still see the vibrations.

I'm curious to get some feedback from fellow videographers, editors, and production company owners on what you'd realistically charge for a project like this in the Miami/South Florida market.

The client is a large, established, well-funded nonprofit organization, not a small grassroots operation. They're looking to produce a polished, interview-driven brand storytelling video with multiple deliverables and a pretty tight turnaround.

Here's the scope:

Pre-production

• Creative development, story planning, and coordination with the client
• Scheduling and coordinating 4–6 interview subjects
• Developing interview questions, reviewing existing materials, and planning B-roll coverage

Production

• Two full production days
• Two-person crew: producer/director and videographer
• 4–6 sit-down interviews using a two-camera setup
• Professional lighting and audio
• B-roll capture at up to two locations (same day/location as interviews)
• Approximately 1–2 hours of equipment setup before interviews, plus breakdown afterward (roughly 8–10 hour days)

Post-production and deliverables

• One polished 3-minute documentary-style brand video (16:9)
• A separate captioned version of the main video
• One 30–60-second social media edit delivered in two formats: vertical (9:16) and square (1:1)
• Reviewing, organizing, and incorporating archival photos and video supplied by multiple organizations, with the total volume of material not fully known upfront
• Story development from interviews, footage selection, editing, color grading, audio mixing, and music sourcing
• Motion graphics, lower thirds, titles, and animated archival imagery
• Two rounds of revisions
• Delivery of all original, ungraded camera footage on a physical hard drive
• An EDL (Edit Decision List) for future editing
• Full work-for-hire copyright ownership of the commissioned production transferred to the client, excluding third-party licensed assets

Timeline

• Two production days scheduled within the same week
• First rough cut due approximately one week after filming
• Client feedback and revisions shortly afterward
• Final video delivery approximately two weeks after production
• Video scheduled for presentation at a large upcoming event

Why I'm asking

I recently submitted a proposal for this project but wasn't selected. After receiving some feedback from the client, I learned there was a significant difference between my quote and the winning proposal.

It got me wondering whether my pricing expectations are out of step with the current market or whether different production companies are approaching projects like this very differently.

My question: What would you realistically quote for this entire project in the South Florida market?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who regularly handle corporate, nonprofit, documentary-style, or interview-driven productions.

Would you approach this with a two-person crew or handle it solo? How many hours would you realistically budget for post-production, especially considering the archival footage, motion graphics, revisions, and multiple deliverables?

I'm intentionally leaving out the actual bid amounts because I'd like to get unbiased feedback on what others would charge based on the scope alone.

Appreciate any insight!

I filmed 3 long live talks, and the footage is over 500GB. This is one of my first times doing freelance work.

Their initial ask was just for edited videos, which I have enough storage for, but now they want to make some of their own edits as well. Is it on me to upgrade to a higher Google Drive plan, or should they provide me with a link?

Curious what you guys think is the proper way to do this.

I was contracted to film an 8hr conference. Scope of work consisted of shooting the 8hr time slot, photos and a highlight video. Contract was made by the company with agreement of $X/hr compensation. Agreement also included release of raw photo and video. Within the contract was a “no obligation of production” clause that states company will not be obligated to produce or release the Film,
or to use the results of Contractor’s services. Upon delivery of finals, company was not satisfied with the work after numerous revisions and poor communication management of deadlines between their CD & Proj. Mgr on their side and demanded a reduction in compensation. I went with the reduced compensation to avoid a long negotiation & I need the money ASAP. Just for my future reference, does the “no obligation to production” clause not imply that since they acknowledge they dont have to use my finals, they cannot request a change in compensation due to unsatisfaction of the finals?

I am a beginner videographer trying to go pro, and looking to post more on social media.

Since a good while, i am stuck trying to figure out how to manage my content :

1) Having a professional insta, acting more like a portfolio to redirect future clients, and on the side building a personal beand instagram, where i post thoughts, my work, advices, reflections…

2) Focusing on one instagram, and putting all the content on there, as it is hard enough to grow an instagram, so might as well focus on a single one rather than two from the start

What direction to go ?

Your thoughts on that would be deeply appreciated 🙏

No spoilers for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, but I was deeeelighted to see that the Fielder/Oppenheim masterpiece You Can See Everything was presented as a square. Do we know anything about what DP David Bolen shoots with?

I’m upset.

My biggest client last year, the marketing woman turns to me and says, I’m going on maternity leave, and straight away I knew, that was the end of that. Because every time they change the marketing woman you get forgotten.

And my work for them was really good. Actually stuff I was constantly happy with. And I had bigger ideas but..

Here’s the insult, I just saw them post a promo video made by someone else. And it’s so mid. There are shots in the dark which are just pitch black. Clearly don’t know how to film in the dark. No story or craft just some random clips slapped to some music for 20 seconds. Maybe she filmed it herself but I doubt it. But it’s something I could have done better. So what’s that all about?

And it might be that they come back for me to film an event or something, but nah I’m vexed. Am I wrong to think, if someone doesn’t value you or your work, and they par you off, that it’s a bit of a disrespect? They have the right to do whatever they like but why write me off for no apparent reason and without saying a word?

Because I did a one promo for new marketing woman and it went fine. No issues.

Professionally, if you were me and you did hear from them again, what would you do?

I’m just getting into videography. I bought a Nikon ZR a few months ago and am still learning the basics. I don’t have any lens filters yet. I’m going on a Cruise in the Caribbean and want to shoot all kinds of shots, from stars at night to beaches, ocean views, and island architecture. What lens filters should I bring? I’m bringing a wide angle, zoom, and standard lens.

Hear me out: I've been doing mainly music videos, rap videos. I'm trying to change things up a little by doing weddings, commercials, and some other video work. I recently had an A7S III, but I sold it for financial reasons, and now I'm thinking about buying another camera. I'm trying to do all of these things, so I'm kind of stuck on which camera to get. I'd also like to throw a DJI drone into the mix. So far I have a 24mm GM and a 50mm Sigma.

I'm interested in the FX3, FX30, and A7S III.

Quick background: I have one client I make social content for. They had basically nothing before I came on, and I'm on their payroll as a contractor. pretty sweet. It's mostly quick social stuff: funny videos, quick announcements, etc.

I'm good at sales and selling myself. (How I got that client if I’m being honest) It's everything else I'm working on.

My goal is to take videography/cinematography full time and make reels and short docs for business coaches, BTS for speakers, and marketing videos for small restaurants - small production biz. I want to actually tell stories. I'd do the first few for free to build my portfolio, and I already know people who are game for it.

Another note: I enjoy marketing and coming up w ideas. I love video/film too, although I never did anything substantial prior to all this.

The problem is I don't feel ready. When I look at other people's work, mine doesn't measure up. I tell myself to just plan the shoot and go, but I've got this idea that if I can't do it off the cuff, I'm not good. Or I convince myself it's going to look terrible before I even start.

Last night my partner told me to grab my camera and make a story about something in our house. I froze. I did it, but with zero confidence and no real idea what I was doing. My partner reminded me it's just another rep.

I'm an off the dome/cuff person everywhere else in life, but with this I think I need to build reps, plan, and then shoot.

I should also be using my existing client to practice actual storytelling instead of only the quick stuff. I have a full-time job outside of this, so time is tight, but that's not really an excuse.

Thank you in advance for the advice!

TL;DR: Is the key to getting better at videography and cinematography just shooting something every day? How did you get past the "this is going to look bad" "idk what I’m doing" phase?

What did your practice look like? How much did you plan v improvise early on?

Just wondering if anyones here yet? Ive been running this as a serious business for almost ten years and have been very fortunate but these last years business has ramped up which should be awesome but I'm fucking wiped. Its just me 1099ing colleagues of mine when needed. We do everything from production jobs (smaller scale) to weddings and real estate, the last 4 years have been over 6 figure years. All this should be exciting and it just feels like a prison.

Making sense of above, most of our work is just filming what I call dumb shit, or people half the time who have no clue what the hell then are even trying to make so its all become brain numbing. They pay and at the end of the day thats all that matters. But its just become soul sucking. This is what we have all strided to get to and now being here it just seems ugh. I think what ive learned and or am getting at is that at this point in my business 100k plus is a prison. its not enough to scale and bring on salary employees so it just keeps you running and gunning in a hamster wheel.

Anyone else here or feel like this? Our area is sort of stagnant on big corps or that type of work so I dont see ever exceeding past this point. Also I hate the area so I am half tempted to just say F it, shut it down and move somewhere I actually want to be and start over. Any help or personal experiences would be awesome. Thanks guys

I’m currently about 15k deep in all my gear and I’m thinking it’s time for insurance. But here’s what I need to know:

From people who have had to file!

Who do you use
What do you pay
What happened to need to file
How difficult/long did it take?
What do you wish you knew before?

Effects question

Hello folks,

Is there a way to recreate the effect in this clip when "London" shows up on screen in resolve.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbX2ay\\_gvHz/?hl=en

A preset or effect?

TL;DR: I lost a client before starting their project due to miscommunication.

Edit: typo

Anyone ever deal with this before?

I recently “closed” a deal a few weeks back. A business reached out wanting to do a monthly film cadence with me and I sent them a proposal. They stated they wanted to move forward.

I sent over the contract signed on my end and stated I needed them to sign and pay the deposit before locking in the shoot date.

Days go by… nothing. Then I followed up again, this time stating since I still have not received the signed agreement nor have I received the deposit, we will need to reschedule. She responds hours later saying “thanks. We want to pay the invoice with a CC.” (My initial invoice was for ACH) - I assumed she read the email stating we were rescheduling. I sent an email stating I would send a fresh invoice with an option for credit card as a payment method and for them to send the date they want to reschedule on… she emailed me disappointed and stated the email was burried in the the email thread and she missed the email where I stated rescheduling. I apologized for any miscommunication and even offered a 15% discount on the first month and she declined and stated they will not be moving forward with me expressing a bad experience with how I handled this.

I’m frustrated because I was looking forward to working with them and the money… I need it. But damn, I didn’t think I was being too strict here or was I?

Anyways, I’m bummed I just lost this client I never had… was right there at the finish line and of course something had to screw up the entire thing….

Made this as a spec ad for the Nestout battery pack. I’m not affiliated with them, it was just practice. Shot on Canon R10 and edited in Premiere Pro.

I’d especially love feedback on:

• Pacing / how long each shot holds
• The sound design
• The text and titles

Thanks for watching!

[Keep Volume High]

I tried to do them more slowly than in the previous real estate video. But it seems they are not very popular on Instagram, right?

It looks like a ronin....

So I recorded an event and on the atomos and it only recorded in 3 seconds. Luckily I still have some footage because I wasn’t aware that I wasn’t recording until my cards ran out. So I have footage saved in my card.

But the footage on the drive was in 3 second intervals until the very end. I got 4 clips fully recorded.

Additionally my camera screen went dark and I couldn’t see my settings.

And at some point that night, my screen was pretty dark and didn’t change even as I turn up aperture, iso, shutter speed.

Because of this, my iso might’ve been really high when I recorded with the atomos as I well.

I'm curious to hear how everyone organizes their projects on here, with scheduling, shotlists, and project briefs.

I'd love to share/ trade templates with anyone who is interested or willing! Personally, I have a self built simple project overview doc that I share with clients, and use a shotlist template that I found online. But it's not totally what I need. Looking to create/ use a template that has a basic shotlist and schedule for shoot days.

For reference I work in corporate, branding videos, and marketing videos.

Happy to send over any of my templates, and would love to see what y'all use.

Hi everyone,

​I am looking for a skilled and creative freelance video editor to take over and completely re-edit my wedding footage.

​Unfortunately, the initial edits provided by my primary wedding videography team did not meet my expectations and taste in terms of pacing, storytelling, color grading, and audio/music synchronization.

After multiple rounds of revisions with no real improvement, I've decided to bring in a dedicated professional to start fresh.

​What I need:

1. ​Teaser (1–2 minutes, cinematic & punchy)

2. ​Trailer / Highlight Film (4–7 minutes, emotional narrative with well-synced audio/music)

3. ​Full Wedding Video / Ceremony Edit

With ​proper audio balancing, sound design, and clean color correction/grading

​Requirements & Project Details:

​All RAW video and audio footage is available and ready for transfer.

​Looking for an Indian who's experienced specifically with modern, cinematic wedding edits.

​Budget: Competitive and negotiable based on portfolio, skill level, and day/project rates (happy to discuss via DM).

​If you are interested, please send a DM with:

​Links to your wedding editing portfolio or relevant reels.

​Your turnaround time.

​Your estimated rates or pricing structure.

​Looking forward to working with someone who can bring these memories to life the way they deserve. Thank you!

When I started using a prosumer mirrorless camera several years ago (mostly for documentary work), its fold-out screen was totally adequate for my purposes. As I've aged, the image on the screen looks blurrier and blurrier. Glasses help, but my eyes' minimum focus distance has increased to the point where I need to hold the camera further away to see clearly, making it more difficult to see details.

Anybody else in the same boat? I know external monitors are an option, but I'm wondering if there's anything else I'm not considering (since a more compact rig is always nice).

Also, for those of you who've gone the external monitor route, how big of a screen would you recommend?