|
|
 |
|
|
|
register |
bbs |
search |
rss |
faq |
about
|
|
|
meet up |
add to del.icio.us |
digg it
|
|
|
|
Making money with your Camcorder(s)
THE VIDEO ENTREPRENEUR
Copyright 1989 Dawn Gordon
The camcorder is a wonderfully creative piece of gear. A
brand new unit will see its share of constant use during its
first few months of life, and the person who owns it will
take a special kind of pride in producing home-made videos
of family, friends and places. Even after the initial
excitement wears off, the camcorder is carefully packed away
in anticipation of its next assignment. What that next
assignment may be is entirely up to each individual.
There are three basic classes into which all videographers
fall: the weekend hobbyist, the creative artist, and the
entrepreneur.
To most people video is a hobby, as the weekend videographer
is content to shoot scenes of family picnics, birthday
parties and special events. This person is also likely to
take his or her camcorder on vacation to preserve those
special moments that only video will provide. The creative
artist is a little different, as this type of videographer
would rarely be caught shooting a 5-year-old's birthday
party. Instead you will find the creative artist more at
home with a script in hand, and a troop of actors under his
control.
Then there's the entrepreneur. This individual's goal is to
make a profit from his or her new-found hobby, and have fun
doing it at the same time.
It really isn't difficult to make money with video. All you
need is a small investment in hardware, accessories and
tape, a little business sense, and the time to invest in a
part-time business.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
Aside from the camcorder itself there a few items you will
need if you are going to become a video entrepreneur. Extra
batteries and tape should always be on hand. You should
start with at least four of the longest life batteries
available and two extra chargers. This is necessary, as the
last thing you want is to run out of power during an
important shoot. The same goes for videotape. You will
need to keep up to ten tapes in your inventory at all times,
as you never know when you will need them. Always store
videotape in a cool, dry place, and buy the high-grade
variety. This type of tape will tend to last longer, and
develop many less dropouts over time. Besides, the higher
the quality tape you use, the better the results will be.
The next item on your list should be a tripod, as hand-held
videography is sometimes responsible for shaky or blurred
images.
Although the miniature B&W electronic viewfinder in most
camcorders and cameras is well-suited for playing back
recorded images, it isn't as accurate as a larger color
screen for detecting small details, and it is not at all
useful for checking the color in a scene. So, a small color
video monitor is very useful for playback of recorded
images.
Since a great deal of your shooting will be in an indoor
environment it's important to consider the best type of
lighting to use. If you plan on using available light
alone, you must make sure that it's sufficient for a good
quality video image. In many instances camcorders will work
very well indoors. The newer models have very low light
sensitivities (as low as 7 Lux), and will produce a picture
under extremely low light level conditions. However, the
picture that results might be very grainy, and you will lose
a great amount of detail. That's where video lights come
in, and they will produce a much better video image indoors.
Portable video lights are available in all major video
hardware specialty stores, and depending upon the model,
they can either operate on a battery pack, AC house current,
or both.
Other accessories such as a wireless stereo microphone, add-
on macro lenses, editors/titlers and special effects
generators are also a good idea if you have a large enough
budget.
The basic setup, which includes a camcorder, portable video
lights, a tripod, a character generator/editor, macro
lenses, tape, batteries, chargers and cases to hold
everything will cost anywhere from $2000-$3000 at discount.
Used equipment is a an option if you wish to save money.
SPECIAL OCCASIONS
There are a number of different ways to make money with
video, and the most common form is videotaping important
occasions. While film photography of weddings, bar
mitzvahs, parties, and even births is the mainstay of the
photographic service business, video is fast becoming a
familiar alternative.
When shooting special occasions your number one job is to
make your client feel comfortable regarding your
reliability. Last minute disasters won't be tolerated, so
make sure you have the correct address and time, enough
tape, lighting gear, and anything else you might need. In
the case of taping a birth you should be ready at a moment's
notice, and iron out important details beforehand -- such as
does the ob/gyn or hospital have a problem with photography
in delivery rooms, or will you need to sterilize your gear?
For planned occasions always arrive at least thirty minutes
ahead of schedule to set up, and make test recordings to
check for correct color, lighting, and placement of the
camcorder in the room.
If you are shooting a wedding ceremony you may have to work
without the benefit of portable lighting, and rely on
existing lighting alone. In these instances, a camcorder
with the best low-light capability is needed, yet very
often, low-light videography has a very warm feeling about
it, and it can be quite charming. During the festivities
you should try to get as many of the guests on tape as
possible, and always spend at least fifty percent of the
shoot on the guest(s) of honor.
When the party comes to an end you are ready for post-
production work. Some clients prefer an un-edited copy of
the festivities, while others want a more elaborate
documentary complete with editing, titles and music, and you
should charge accordingly. Of course, you should figure on
extra copies of tape for relatives and friends into the
picture. Always keep the master tape in case more copies
are wanted in the future, and feel free to charge extra for
this service.
INSURANCE VIDEOGRAPHY
Although not quite as common as shooting a wedding, video-
photography of client belongings for insurance purposes is a
unique profit-making plan. Most, if not all, of the larger
insurance companies in this country allow the use of
videotape for insurance purposes. By making this fact known
through advertising of your services, you not only make
people more aware of the best protection available, but also
let them know that you are the best person to make sure that
it is done right.
Before taping client valuables you should set up your
tripod, and check for the correct lighting, and color
balance. Stand in the middle of the room, and slowly pan
around the room in a circular motion. Since slowly is a
relative term at best, it's a good idea to count to sixty --
making a single revolution in one minute. By using the
pause button you may also elect to focus on specific
objects, such as artwork.
When shooting small items such as jewelry, or a stamp
collection, you should place them on a contrasting
background. In the case of jewelry, you can use a sheet of
black paper or black fabric. If your camera or camcorder
has a macro focusing mode, be sure to use it, and make sure
that the items are in exact focus. If you don't have a
macro setting you can purchase macro attachment lenses from
a number of third party manufacturers.
The use of audio in the video documentation is just as
important as the visual aspects. An audio voice track can
be useful in a number of ways. For example, suppose you are
shooting audio/video equipment, and you wish to make a
verbal notification such as: "This is a Sony XBR-Pro TV. It
was purchased on January 3rd, 1989, for $1,900, and the
serial number is 53965."
After you've finished shooting you should then examine the
tape to make sure that it was recorded properly. Play back
the scenes you shot, and check for correct lighting,
focusing, color and panning speed. Always keep the original
tape, and give your client a copy with the record/protect
tab punched out. Aside from the benefit of adding to the
tape for yearly updates, the practice will protect your
client in the event of a claim, as there will always be two
tapes to rely on.
FILM-TO-TAPE TRANSFERS & DUBBING
In addition to video-photographic services, the film-to-tape
side of your business can be quite lucrative. Although
there are a number of companies that provide this service,
you can offer a much more personalized product for your
clients. However, because you will need to invest in a
variety of projector formats, and a film-to-tape converter,
this type of business requires a sizeable investment, if you
opt for brand new gear. To save money you might wish to
initially consider the purchase of used equipment. There
are a number of photographic dealers (particularly in New
York City) that specialize in used gear, and you can often
find bargains in 16mm, 8mm and super 8 projectors.
With the right accessories and equipment you can transfer
the above formats, and 35mm prints and slides to videotape
with good results -- even adding music and titles for a
personalized touch. There are a number of inexpensive
special effects generators/titlers/editors on the market
designed for just these needs.
In the same vein you can offer VCR to VCR format dubbing for
those clients that want copies of special programs, or for
those who wish to transfer tapes among different formats.
Of course, this will require an investment in a number of
VCRs, so you may wish to start with two Super VHS decks, and
go from there.
REMUNERATIONS
Deciding what you will charge your clients is an important
business decision. Charge too little, and you may not make
enough of a profit, charge to much and you might price
yourself out of business. A good rule of thumb is to find
out what the competition is charging, and base your fee
accordingly. If Vern's Videos is charging $100 per hour for
wedding videography then you should charge only $75 per hour
until you establish a base of clients. You can always raise
your fees later on. Generally, you should try to always
charge by the hour, rather than offer a flat fee, for any
type of work that involves shooting on location, as you
never know if the job will run into extra time.
When making tape copies of parties, weddings, births and
household belongings you can charge anywhere from $25-$35
per each tape copy. Of course, any elaborate post-
production editing, dubbing or film-to-tape transfers should
be based on your investment in equipment. For example, if
you have invested in $1200 worth of editing gear you will
need to make $100 per month in editing fees in order to pay
for the equipment alone in one year's time. The price you
charge for this type of service depends on how much work you
get, and it can't hurt to see what the competition is
charging as well.
No matter what you charge you should always present your
clients with an estimate or contract specifying the type of
work, the date and place of the assignment, and the fees or
costs involved before you start. Always have the client
sign a copy of the contract.
ADVERTISING
While word of mouth is ideal for professions such as
interior design or medicine, you cannot rely on this form of
advertising if you are a serious entrepreneur.
Advertising doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg if you are
a little creative. The least expensive form of advertising
is handing out or posting flyers. A local print shop can
print a thousand or more flyers announcing your business,
and you can post them on community bulletin boards, hand
them out in malls, or just put them in mailboxes around your
neighborhood. If you like a more personal touch you can
have business cards printed, and offer local photographic or
video stores a commission on clients they send to you. If
you wish to really make a big splash, and you have enough
money you can always put a small ad in a local or community
newspaper. And finally, if you want to get exceptionally
adventurous there's always the yellow pages, but remember,
you may have to have a separate business telephone number in
order to have access to this form of advertising.
As in any part-time endeavor it's always best to start out
small, and work up to bigger and better later on. There is
money to be made in videography, all you need is a budget,
some extra time, and the entrepreneur in you will take care
of the rest.
|
|
|
To the best of our knowledge, the text on this page may be freely reproduced and distributed.
If you have any questions about this, please check out our Copyright Policy.
totse.com certificate signatures
|
|
|
About | Advertise | Bad Ideas | Community | Contact Us | Copyright Policy | Drugs | Ego | Erotica
FAQ | Fringe | Link to totse.com | Search | Society | Submissions | Technology
|
|
|
|
|
|
