On Sun, 14 Apr 2002 10:07:55 GMT, "HyperFocus"
> I'm sure this question has been answered before, but I'm new to the
>group and thought I'd ask.
>
> The question, of course, is what kind of living can I make doing
>freelance video production? Primairly, this would include weddings,
>corporate events, anniverserys, birthday partys...whatever. Basically
>anything that people want videotaped.
>
> I'm a 24 year old male, not married, no kids, college educated, have
>experiance in production (video, film, audio, etc....). I live a frugal
>lifestyle and I'm willing to drive long distances to do videography for
>reasonable prices. Hard work is perfectly fine with me.
> I feel as though I'm competent with aesthetics...I won smaller film
>festivals and have recieved awards for various projects and productions.
>
>Anyway, the point is not to ramble on about my credentials, but rather to
>give some indication of my work abilty and skill.
The O-N-E major skill needed is SALESMANSHIP - all else is
"frosting on the cake". It isn't quality/efficiency/price
of the product/service that sells, it is generally the
quality of the sales job that sells. I hate this, but it is
true...
>Now, it seems as though the average wedding video costs about $800 to $1000.
??????!!! Maybe a one-hour shoot, with in-camera editing,
but this is WAY underpricing for a decent production... You
would go broke with these rates, unless you can do a LOT of
them, with minimal work (and do other kinds of work on the
side, and keep the overhead VERY low...). Good still
photographers get $1000-$7000 per wedding, even in this
small market - and a good wedding video is much more
work (I do both...). Look at a considerably higher price
for video...
>Assuming I did one wedding a week, that brings in $41,600 to $52,000 a year.
You cannot sell that many, nor could you stand to do that
many, or manage to edit that many in a year... Weddings are
seasonal, with the majority in June, most of the rest in
July and August, with a few in the spring and fall...
>Somehow this seems too good to be true. My guess is that I'll be lucky to do
>one wedding A MONTH let alone a week. :)
>On the other hand, I have all the time, energy, money and focus to devote to
>this line of work - without having to pay for a family, house or education -
>so maybe I could bring in that much money. I don't know. I'm new
>here...that's why I'm asking. :)
One of the key things to realize as you start out is that
overhead MUST be kept low, at least at first. This
translates DIRECTLY into work you do not have to get/do
in order to survive. Later you can decide if the
market/your-abilities/interest justify expansion and higher
overhead. Watch out for expensive (UNBELIEVABLY
expensive, actually...) Yellow Pages ads (you can kill $7000/year
easily on a "small" ad there, with little profit...), and
over-priced/under-performing "wedding shows" - go where
the real referrals and business come from: the places
where weddings and receptions are held (get on their lists).
> At this point in my life, my work area could easily cover 600 square
>miles.
And those miles are so-o-o-o tax-deductable...;-)
Speaking of which, wait until you are officially a
"business" before spending much money on gear and
supplies - the tax advantages are not small...
Learning to manage purchases to optimize taxable
income is a good skill to have, especially if
you remain "low scale" in your business size...;-)
>Sooo....with all of this in mind, would it be possible to make a living?
Yes....., possible.....;-)
>Could I earn a decent amount of money?
Yes, if you are good at selling. But, be prepared for
"dry periods" (low overhead is a "life-saver" here...),
and to make money elsewhere, if necessary/possible...
>On average, how many weddings can I expect to shoot within my first year?
You should be able to answer that better than anyone here.
Plan on no more than three, though...;-)