Advice

[Ty Hunt]

Hey everyone,

I'm not sure if this is the right thread for this post, but it seemed the most logical for me.

Anyway, I need some advice. Long story short, I'm not getting hired for any video/film work, and for the life of me I can't figure out why. It's to a point where I have to really consider selling all of my gear (Scarlet-W, Ronin, Mac Pro) because I can't afford it and the investment isn't paying off.

Not sure what to ask, but I don't know what else to do (I've done cold calls/emails to companies/individuals, promoting on social media, sending in bids to companies, thumbtack, tongal, mofilm, the list goes on...)

Any advice here would be greatly appreciated b/c I really don't want to sell my gear or give up in film, but that's where I am.

Ty

 

[Karim D. Ghantous]

I'm in no position to give you any advice. But I'm wondering if owning a camera at this stage of your career is a good idea. I can see a reasonable situation where you sell your camera (but keep any lenses you have) and continue your career. Once it gets going again, maybe then buy the latest Scarlet or Raven or whatever.

All I can do is wish you the best of luck.

Edit: Okay, I had an idea, but keep in mind that my understanding of your business model is very poor. You've done a few spec ads, as far as I can see. What about finding a cool but niche product that might attract attention from the manufacturer? For example, anyone can do a Coca-Cola ad. Quite frankly I have never seen a good Coke ad, and a few are insufferable. But who is going to do a spec ad for, say, Field Notes, which AFAIK does not have the budget to produce advertising?

Field Notes:

https://fieldnotesbrand.com/

A Chanel ad that I like that might give you an idea:

http://www.jpjeunet.com/GB/commercials-and-clips/chanel-n5/

Just thinking aloud.

My tastes are on the mysterious and romantic side. Yours may be very different.

 

[Richard Coburn]

Hey Mate

Once again, I'm no expert either but have you thought about a focus? What sort of work are you targeting? A quick look at your site seems to favour short films more than anything so what do your TVC and Corporate clients see? Sometimes a site that does everything is not good when you are trying to make the leap to the next level. I generally have a two pronged approach to my work, the first is as a professional and the second is an artist. If I want people to pay me then I generally present the professional examples that show I can do better than what they need. When I speak to students I usual say something like "people that say they can do anything go in the anything pile but when I want a camera assist, I go to the camera assist pile" if that analogy makes sense.

As a director, I think you need a strong plan of attack. If feature films or long form is your goal then you probably need to win some short film awards and start writing your scripts and pitches but good luck being paid for that. You should definitely try this though as I believe making and creating is the way to get better but it may not pay off the equipment in the short term.

If TVC's are your goal then your site should probably reflect this and be full of TVCs that either showcase your range or style. However, be very wary of spec work as sometimes it goes down the wrong way with agencies and other directors. Actual work for clients is the best here, Karim is right about the Coke stuff, pitch to your market. Anyone can make a fake Coke commercial using an iconic product and ripping a soundtrack but can you make a realworld client happy?

If its corporate (or Brand Films which is the sexy name for them) then those clients could be totally turned off by the short films. You need some great examples of this type of work front and center.

I didn't go through too much of your site but there's some slick work and nice looks. Overall though I feel you need to have a clearer vision on what to present. Too much focus on your own shorts can actually suggest that you don't have enough paid examples to feature. Harsh reality is that most advertising or corporate clients wont watch your film work unless it's already hyped, awarded or groundbreaking. Most people that will pay you want to clearly see what your paid work is like, they may only watch your short as an after thought.

You need to build your reel. Feature paid work and as you get better paid work, take off the shittier stuff.

Anyway dude, this is all just to give you something to think about, there's generally heaps of opinions on what works and whose to say what's the only way. I would suggest you made your site focus on paid work with some additional parts to see shorts or whatever. To be honest, you could probably do a DP reel as seperate thing too if that's all you.

Good luck mate and I hope some of that helped.

Cheers
Rich

 

[Ty Hunt]

A Chanel ad that I like that might give you an idea:

http://www.jpjeunet.com/GB/commercials-and-clips/chanel-n5/

Just thinking aloud.

That was dope. I like how they kept missing each other until the end. I would love to direct something like that.

I hear what you're saying about finding a niche product that might attract attention. I've brainstormed that idea, but haven't actually done anything with it just b/c I've been working below the line freelance (2AD, PA) just to pay for the gear sitting in my office. But that is definitely the way to go if I were to continue on in commercials.

Thank you for your insight and taking the time to respond. I appreciate it.

 

[Ty Hunt]

I didn't go through too much of your site but there's some slick work and nice looks. Overall though I feel you need to have a clearer vision on what to present. Too much focus on your own shorts can actually suggest that you don't have enough paid examples to feature. Harsh reality is that most advertising or corporate clients wont watch your film work unless it's already hyped, awarded or groundbreaking. Most people that will pay you want to clearly see what your paid work is like, they may only watch your short as an after thought.

Thanks, Rich. I agree it needs to be more focused. Ironically, the site has gone thru so many changes, trying to adapt to what people have requested to see (ex: I put in a bid for a docu-style project, so they wanted to see more of that type of work, so I added it. Same with the stills. I took those off for a time b/c I wasn't really trying to be a photographer. But, companies wanted to see it.)

In a perfect world, I'm directing features. That's where my heart is and why I got into this industry in the first place. I just wound up in commercials b/c of where I live.

I'll spend some time refocusing and making it clearer what kind of director I am. That could very well be the problem.

Thanks again.

 

[Richard Coburn]

No worries. The thing I love about Red is that the quality of the tool you are using is at the highest level so it's up to me to rise to the challenge. If I admit it to myself, it's great for work but my main reason for buying a Red was that my own projects would look so much cooler. It would be a shame to sell all the gear but at the end of the day it shouldn't stop you from creating.

Good luck mate.

Cheers
Rich

 

[Tom S]

The reality is business development comes from WHO you know. Sadly, talent and hard work doesn't always translate to success.

In my main job, I started small and expanded when needed. You will know when you need to expand. You'll be working crazy hours and wishing you had that extra worker or extra equipment. When you expand, you don't mind paying for new equipment because you know you will make multiples of it back because by then you know your business, your clients, your invoicing, etc.

Based on your brief statement, it looks like you bought (expanded into) a RED camera and thought the world would come running because Thor, the Lord of the Rings, and Guardians of the Galaxy were filmed on RED. Were you making money previously with a Canon 5D or GH5 and it just stopped?

Cold calling and blind submissions are nearly impossible. Did you have a career path in mind? I see a lot of film students work the hell out of the indie film scene, PA at big studios and work their way into camera, music video scene, commerical scene, or start with weddings as income and develop a reel and relationships.

If you don't have a business and network established yet, you may need to sell the big gear, start small and grow into it. If you start losing significant jobs because you don't have a RED, then you'll know it is time to buy.

 

[Ty Hunt]

That's exactly what happened. When I started, I was filming on a Nikon D800, and stayed relatively busy cultivating new clients, etc. But, their budgets weren't the hugest. I took the jobs just to grow my company and get the client base. For each project, I'd push for more (more crew, more gear like lighting, etc.). They'd push back of course, but most of the time, I'd get most of what I'd ask for. And the projects improved because of it. But again, the budgets weren't very high and I wasn't really able to pay for everything I needed to. So, I started freelancing as a PA on the bigger projects (moved up to 2AD and then 2nd Unit Director) to fill in the gaps.

I realized in working these freelance jobs, how severely I undercharged for my own projects. I knew it before, but it hit me full force when I started to freelance. So, I tried to increase my day rate to at LEAST what I was getting as a PA and also pay for the gear too. Most of the my clients wanted the quality to improve and wanted to showcase their ads in theaters or on TV, so I kept recommending the higher format cameras (long before I bought one for myself). Some of them said yes, most said no (b/c of budget). For the ones that did, I had to sweet talk my friends who owned Reds into lowering their rates so that the production could afford the camera rental, but personally, I hated doing that. The rates were set for a reason. I always tried to respect that.

Anyway, after doing that a few times, I asked myself, "wouldn't it be smarter to just own it yourself? You'd have an asset that can make you money vs. giving it to everyone else. Plus, it costs less to pay a leasing company per month than what others were charging. Lastly, since I want to direct the bigger things, I can film my own personal stuff more frequently since I'll always have the gear." And actually, I did lose out on several jobs b/c I didn't own one. That was the final kicker, especially since I was tired of PA, 2AD work and knew that wasn't going to get me to my goal. Freelancing was a networking exercise as well as a paycheck so I can eat.

Also, the Producers I made an impression on (during my time freelancing) gave me the advice to invest in my Director's reel. "Make sure it looks as good as or better than the Directors out there already doing what you want to do..." So, that was another catalyst to me purchasing the Scarlet-W. Ironically, when I reached back out to them, I heard flat out, "you're so good as a [PA/2AD]. We want you there..." Nope. Not for me b/c I was honestly miserable. I grew further and further away from my goal each year that passed doing that.

So, now, I'm full circle back where I started when I graduated school all those years ago, but with a whole lot more than when I first started. I actually have a network of everything I need. Of course, I reached out to my previous clients and they were more than happy to work with me again, especially the ones that passed on me b/c I didn't own the high format camera. But, it all went back to budget. Their budgets hadn't improved significantly. My rates did. I wasn't just a Valedictorian graduate from film school with cool ideas (who learned quickly that nobody really cares about that). Now, I had real experience. I wasn't even charging a full rate either. But, I did do math. And what they were wanting to pay vs. what I needed them to pay didn't match. So, we parted ways.

 

[Mat_G]

+1,000,000,000,000 on Tom S's statement as a whole.

There are so many roles in major productions (film, tv, or commercials).. do you want to be a one man band do it all guy on micro jobs? (which by no means is a bad way to go) or do you want to be a DP, Director, AD, gaffer, etc on mega crews for mega cool stuff?

Sorry to slap some honest reality in your face, but Director/DP on these types of gigs is on uber next level talent.

Take a moment, and look at what I mean... this is just 1 of MANY rep companies with insane creative/production talent:

http://gersh.com/production/

You gotta realize the talent level on these MAJOR. Nothing was handed to these talented folks, they made decisions on their art/craft and pursued it by focusing on EXACTLY what they wanted to do. Directors are hired because of IDEAS & VISION. DPs are hired because of the look/feel/mood. Get the drift? The DP usually is hand picked by the director, so if you wanna go DP route you gotta focus on that and realize you need to network with DIRECTORS.

FYI. Orlando is where you go for dreams to die.

Figure out what you want out of this field, really look at what decisions/actions your going to need to make and go for it!

The reality is business development comes from WHO you know. Sadly, talent and hard work doesn't always translate to success. .

 

[Ty Hunt]

+1,000,000,000,000 on Tom S's statement as a whole.

You gotta realize the talent level on these MAJOR. Nothing was handed to these talented folks, they made decisions on their art/craft and pursued it by focusing on EXACTLY what they wanted to do. Directors are hired because of IDEAS & VISION. DPs are hired because of the look/feel/mood. Get the drift? The DP usually is hand picked by the director, so if you wanna go DP route you gotta focus on that and realize you need to network with DIRECTORS.

FYI. Orlando is where you go for dreams to die.

Figure out what you want out of this field, really look at what decisions/actions your going to need to make and go for it!

I think you just exposed a major problem I need to fix: too many people assume I don't know anything or that I don't have a plan. I do know what the different roles do. I've done them all from small scale, 1-man band stuff to the big national commercials (as a PA, 2AD, and 2nd Unit Director. See my previous post for more of those details). But, despite my experience and the countless jobs I have done, I'm somehow portraying myself as someone who is new. So, thank you. This isn't the first time I've experienced that, so clearly that's something I need to fix.

And absolutely, Orlando is not the place. For a variety of reasons (some personal and not pertinent to this thread as well as ones that are), I've stayed here much longer than I need to. But now, I have the freedom to move. Now, it's just a question of where. I know where I want to be (NYC), but like it has been mentioned several times, it's all about the network. No point moving to a new city with no leads. Then I'll be right back where I am now: looking for work.

But, I agree. I already know Directing Features is where I will end up. That was always my goal and what pushed me through film school and the many years below the line on the name brand productions. Now, it's just a matter of implementing the steps I forwent for one reason or another.

Thanks everyone, this has all been helpful. Much appreciated.

 

[Homer Dulu]

I think you just exposed a major problem I need to fix: too many people assume I don't know anything or that I don't have a plan. I do know what the different roles do. I've done them all from small scale, 1-man band stuff to the big national commercials (as a PA, 2AD, and 2nd Unit Director. See my previous post for more of those details). But, despite my experience and the countless jobs I have done, I'm somehow portraying myself as someone who is new. So, thank you. This isn't the first time I've experienced that, so clearly that's something I need to fix.

And absolutely, Orlando is not the place. For a variety of reasons (some personal and not pertinent to this thread as well as ones that are), I've stayed here much longer than I need to. But now, I have the freedom to move. Now, it's just a question of where. I know where I want to be (NYC), but like it has been mentioned several times, it's all about the network. No point moving to a new city with no leads. Then I'll be right back where I am now: looking for work.

But, I agree. I already know Directing Features is where I will end up. That was always my goal and what pushed me through film school and the many years below the line on the name brand productions. Now, it's just a matter of implementing the steps I forwent for one reason or another.

Thanks everyone, this has all been helpful. Much appreciated.

Good luck with your path!

 

[David Peterson]

Thanks, Rich. I agree it needs to be more focused. Ironically, the site has gone thru so many changes, trying to adapt to what people have requested to see (ex: I put in a bid for a docu-style project, so they wanted to see more of that type of work, so I added it. Same with the stills. I took those off for a time b/c I wasn't really trying to be a photographer. But, companies wanted to see it.)

In a perfect world, I'm directing features. That's where my heart is and why I got into this industry in the first place. I just wound up in commercials b/c of where I live.

I'll spend some time refocusing and making it clearer what kind of director I am. That could very well be the problem.

Thanks again.

Your website is mostly the classic "one page scrolling website" style.

Maybe rather than constantly adding more and more to that, you should start up completely new website for each niche?

Such as one website for the artistic (but no/low pay!) narrative film work. And another totally different website targeting commercial/corporate work.

Although I truly should follow my own advice.... my website is a terrible mess, in that I have "everything" there! (which covers are far too broad scope, and includes subpar old work I probably should be removing...)

HOWEVER.... I at least don't have my website as just "one page", rather I instead I have a distinct page for each broad category. So as 90% of my work is as a soundie, I won't link to my home page when I reply to someone or follow up a potential lead, but instead I link directly to my sound page:

http://ironfilm.co.nz/sound/

Although yeah, I probably should this year make an entire website just 100% dedicated to only the sound related work I do.