Marketing yourself as a RED owner

[Steven Belcher]

Howdy y'all,

I'm not sure this is the correct area, but as a V-Raptor X owner, I wanted to post here and discuss what some of you are doing to establish yourself with clients & projects that have the desire, need, and/or budgets to utilize a DP/Cinematographer with such a package. As someone who predominantly gets hired on mid-tier projects such as short docs and corporate, I'd like to take the necessary steps in marketing myself for higher-end projects such as films and longer-form documentaries. More often than not, most companies and productions in my market (Baltimore/DC) will usually go with my cheaper camera packages to save a buck, regardless of what utilizing a RED will do for their product.

I know the tool doesn't make the artist, of course, but I'd love to hear ways in which you're promoting yourself in putting this badass camera to good use and any tips you might have in general on getting yourself in front of the right people & productions. Thanks for reading!

 

[Patrick Tresch]

I usually shoot with my Monstro doc films as a convenience for me as it's my equipment and not asking more $$$ (the right value for a Monstro) or they will ask me to shoot with their FX6 camera the previous dop bought for the last project.

My camera is so customized by me and also always ready to shoot. It's just a gain for my convenience and trust in the equipment, but it's not a selling point for the producer.

 

[Brian Timmons]

Ideally you have a pool of clients or word of mouth that might easily land you jobs at the rate you want.

If you're not in the ideal situation (which is common) would be best to network and directly contact the production companies, PR companies, rental houses, and crews in the area to let them know that you and your gear exist and what you can bring to the table.

Try negotiating your ideal rate and aim your focus and clients that can actually afford it.

If situations merit it, be ready to compromise on the rate some to get your foot in the door with a client that could prove beneficial in the long term. You can adjust the rate in time though but I might warn that it would also not be good to go down to such a rate that you're giving yourself away. You can actually lose some respect from clients in that circumstance as they smell desperation from you or won't take you seriously.

Regarding differentiating Raptor X from your cheaper gear, my experience is people will pay for the best when they can afford it.
As mentioned earlier, a potential issue you might have is finding and targeting clients that can truly afford what you can offer.
You may have to make a transition from the mid tier productions you indicated to the high end that would have bigger budgets.
Luckily you have the camera to help do that.

If you're in DC/Baltimore area I imagine you might have some government and defense related companies with some deep pockets. Perhaps go after them or companies that do production for them.
Would also hook up with DC Camera.

Of course, have the nice reel ready as clients (particular production managers, project leads etc) certainly may wan't to see what they're paying for particularly if they don't already know you.
Even if you had to string together various V-Raptor X shots that may not be from an official gig but that show off the camera it would be better than nothing.

Good luck and may you be prosperous with your V-Raptor X.

Brian Timmons
BRITIM/MEDIA

 

[Steven Belcher]

Ideally you have a pool of clients or word of mouth that might easily land you jobs at the rate you want.

If you're not in the ideal situation (which is common) would be best to network and directly contact the production companies, PR companies, rental houses, and crews in the area to let them know that you and your gear exist and what you can bring to the table.

Try negotiating your ideal rate and aim your focus and clients that can actually afford it.

If situations merit it, be ready to compromise on the rate some to get your foot in the door with a client that could prove beneficial in the long term. You can adjust the rate in time though but I might warn that it would also not be good to go down to such a rate that you're giving yourself away. You can actually lose some respect from clients in that circumstance as they smell desperation from you or won't take you seriously.

Regarding differentiating Raptor X from your cheaper gear, my experience is people will pay for the best when they can afford it.
As mentioned earlier, a potential issue you might have is finding and targeting clients that can truly afford what you can offer.
You may have to make a transition from the mid tier productions you indicated to the high end that would have bigger budgets.
Luckily you have the camera to help do that.

If you're in DC/Baltimore area I imagine you might have some government and defense related companies with some deep pockets. Perhaps go after them or companies that do production for them.
Would also hook up with DC Camera.

Of course, have the nice reel ready as clients (particular production managers, project leads etc) certainly may wan't to see what they're paying for particularly if they don't already know you.
Even if you had to string together various V-Raptor X shots that may not be from an official gig but that show off the camera it would be better than nothing.

Good luck and may you be prosperous with your V-Raptor X.

Brian Timmons
BRITIM/MEDIA

Thanks for this solid advice. DC Camera is, unfortunately, a dead end at the time being; but there are other rental houses in the area I'm pursing. A new reel is definitely on the to-do list, for sure.

As far as the rates go, that was my thought exactly: be flexible on the rate to get me and the camera in the door, and go from there. Trouble with that is, they almost always go with the cheaper package (FX6) since most clients/producers don't care or know the difference. All they see is "more money bad, cheaper good," regardless of how much of a deal I'm willing to give on the RED.

And yeah, word of mouth has always been my main source of work. This area is pretty tough, but certainly a lot better than others. Another plan I've been pursing is reaching out to higher-end production companies in other markets (NY, LA, ATL, etc.) to at least open a dialogue. All of this takes a lot of time, of course, so I'm not trying to rush anything. Just curious as to what others are doing.

Thanks again for the help. Happy shooting!

- Steve

 

[Brian Timmons]

Thanks for this solid advice. DC Camera is, unfortunately, a dead end at the time being; but there are other rental houses in the area I'm pursing. A new reel is definitely on the to-do list, for sure.

As far as the rates go, that was my thought exactly: be flexible on the rate to get me and the camera in the door, and go from there. Trouble with that is, they almost always go with the cheaper package (FX6) since most clients/producers don't care or know the difference. All they see is "more money bad, cheaper good," regardless of how much of a deal I'm willing to give on the RED.

And yeah, word of mouth has always been my main source of work. This area is pretty tough, but certainly a lot better than others. Another plan I've been pursing is reaching out to higher-end production companies in other markets (NY, LA, ATL, etc.) to at least open a dialogue. All of this takes a lot of time, of course, so I'm not trying to rush anything. Just curious as to what others are doing.

Thanks again for the help. Happy shooting!

- Steve

Glad to help as I could.
It was interesting seeing the outcomes of some of the very early RED owners back in 2007.
The people who were most successful seemed to already have established contacts in the industry that could afford the camera
and/or they leveraged the camera to get their foot in the door and strategically maneuvered from there.

The ones who struggled seemed to have the hope that someone would just approach them with big funds to do a project which would be great but not the way it usually works. The impression I got was the ones that struggled did not do much to actively find clients and just hoped they would come. My philosophy is hope is a good attitude but it's not a plan.

It's good that you're willing to explore markets outside of Baltimore/DC area. NYC is not too far. In fact, earlier this week I just had to drive down from northern NJ to Glen Burnie outside of Baltimore for a gig.

You might also consider hooking up with virtual studios. The global shutter/ X track combo is very unique to V-Raptor X and designed for virtual production.

Brian Timmons
BRITIM/MEDIA