What about shooting walk-throughs for AirBNB or real-estate? I know you spoke about Drones, but I had a high end Drone business for about a year that I could never get off the ground (pun intended). Inspire 1, Phantom 4 pro and a Mavic (depending on the situation) and ended up shooting a total of 3 times. One yacht sale and 2 very large homes, but other than that, the pay offered was so cheap on any other requests I got it wouldn't have even paid for the gear.
100% about working with a wedding photographer. If you are a cinema student, this is a perfect time for this. Yes to all his major points: working quickly with a camera, Setting up shots on the fly, filming strangers, making people feel comfortable. And you get paid better money than waiting tables. You need to dress the part: a dark business suit and tie or dress. Good grooming and nice subtle makeup are important. Wedding photographers are part of the decorations at a wedding. Brides and mothers of bridezillas get VERY particular about the decorations. For a first suit, consider Goodwill with a friend who can help with sizes. Wear the suit when you first introduce yourself to the photographer. Working a second photographer at weddings gives you hands on experience with cameras, framing shots and working to a deadline. Did I mention, you get paid.
Hey Luk, I’m really interested in seeing a video about using full manual cine lenses for docs. I have never asked anyone on RUclips to make a video but here I am, lol. I feel like a full manual lens is the next step for me, I’m particularly looking at the 18-55 FUJINON. Just interested to see your workflow, why and when you use a follow focus, or when you don’t. Also a little worried about the weight and length of the lens on the Sony FX6, mount stress and such. Just wondering, thank you for all the helpful videos. You are seriously the only person on RUclips that is actually helpful, let alone tolerable.
I literally casually do weddings, haha. But I only get booked a couple times a year and I think the reason I got the hang of it was because I used to edit weddings for a company and got 5% of what their shooters got, and figured, I can also do that.
All solid sugestions, Luc. I have tried my hand at stock, it's been hit or miss for me. I have never been a PA on set, but I often book acting gigs in narrative films, last year a $140M budget sci fi film from an a-list director even. I generally try to shadow the director or DP on my down time to see what I can pick up by watching them work. Of course you have to get to know them first and make sure that's cool with them, and then just never get in the way or distract them. I have learned a lot through observing on set, a lot of it I used in my own work.
Totally. I've done some set stuff over the years and that's been the biggest advantage - watching until you think you know why they're doing what they're doing
Excellent video, Luc! An add on I would suggest is being a background actor on larger film sets. It's super easy, doesn't really require acting experience and the biggest benefit is being able to network with the crew and other actors on set (they usually have their hustles in the filmmaking industry too!)
I tried this to get into the film industry, but quite ironically, the people on sets here are so "clique"-y, so it made networking impossible because you're just "the extra".
Good advice and I personally recommend trying them all, even though I've seen varying amounts of success with each. 1. Stock - I've never found a great way to make much money with stock footage, at least not enough to pay the bills, however that doesn't mean it's not worth pursuing for other reasons. Shooting stock footage can be a great excuse to shoot things you really want to shoot and can be a good excuse to engage with the technical side of video production. Plus if you own your own LLC you can use stock footage as an excuse to make a TON of your expenses tax deductible. Your vacation to Hawaii? Not tax deductible. Your stock footage expedition to Hawaii? Tax deductible... at least partially. You'll have to keep good records for this but it's a great way to improve your reel and let Uncle Sam cover some of your expenses (speaking from a USA perspective so check with a financial prof in your country before going hog wild) 2. Drones - I've made a good amount of money from drone production without much effort (I don't even have website for this stuff) really when I first got my part 107 I made a point to fly every day that weather would permit at either sunrise or sunset and to post quick edits of the videos on my social, within about a year I had gotten to be one of the go to pilots at my tv station, and I had people reaching out to me as the "Drone guy" a friend of a friend knew... that said now I'm forever the "Drone guy" among my friends. Shooting drone footage has the advantage of not really having a ton of time to profit ratio, I can typically make a few hundred bucks for an hour or two of work and still go about my day afterward. The downside to drone production is that I feel like there's a hard limit to how much work you're going to have coming in, it's a great side hustle but usually after a few drone sessions you're waiting for the next client, and there's only so much demand in any given city so it's hard to build a good long term business if it's all you do, it is a GREAT added value to an existing business tho. 3. Production Assistant - I never did well as a production assistant, in my area pretty much all PA positions are filled by interns working for free, and even when I've taken these gigs I felt like the networking connections I made weren't that valuable because there was a pretty harsh divide between the "Skilled" crew members on the sets I was on and the PA's. My own personality flaws also probably play a role here as well, a few of the dp's and directors I later became friends with through other means have told me that they found me frustrating as a PA because I would work ahead and then they wouldn't know what to tell me to do next, great when things are behind schedule but terrible when you need time to think about the next shot. Still it's a good way to get some on set experience. 4. Editing - Good way to make some side money, and with the internet you can pretty much work as much as you want. You'll probably have to take some cheap gigs and build a good user rating to make decent money but it's possible to get there, and you'll refine your skills, like many things in filmmaking I'd say you should expect to put in a lot of low pay time up front but after a year or so of consistent work it'll become a good avenue for revenue. One strategy I've found helpful is actually to focus less on big gigs and more on picking up a ton of small half hour or less gigs. (editing people's tic tocs etc.) Smashing through like ten cheap quick edits in a day can be refreshing and a good learning experience. 5. Weddings - Worked as a wedding videographer for years and it's a great way to hone your skills. You can also make a good bit of scratch at it as well, but it can be really soul sucking. I freelanced for a few local companies and made about $50k a year while I shot weddings through grad school. I would typically work every Saturday and Sunday for 12 to 14 hour days and take a percentage commission on what were around $5000 - $7000 wedding packages, then pick up the occasional edits during the week. If the actual shooting of weddings was all there was to it I'd probably still be doing it, however the industry and a lot of the bull that goes with it was draining. Most of my clients (the production houses) would have trouble paying me on time, or the full amount I was owed. A few of them would get abusive if I couldn't take last minute bookings. A lot of the other vendors at gigs would have unrealistic demands or schedules that would put shoots at risk. And drug abuse was rampant among other industry professionals, frequently I'd find myself running shoots solo where I was hired on as a second shooter because the production house guy was busy getting high in the kitchen while key parts of the reception were going on. I think weddings something everyone should learn to do in their filmmaking career, but unless you're ready to start your own business be prepared for the industry to chew you up and spit you out, and when you know it's time to leave just get the heck out.
@@LucForsyth You're too kind. Every few years I get a bee in my bonnet to try to do the RUclips thing. I've even shot some experimental travel vlogs I didn't publish outside of friends/family circles. Honest truth is I love everything about the process except being on camera and I feel that's a skill I'd learn eventually. Biggest problem I run into tho is that it overlaps so much with my day to day work (producing commercials and lifestyle content) that it's really hard to produce the additional content consistently. But I do write, produce, and edit some OTT content for my station so it's kinda like writing for youtube. Honestly tho, love your channel, feels very relatable from the position of someone working in a different area of the industry who took a completely different but still oddly parallel career path.
Thanks for the video Luc! Filming and editing corporate jobs to me is the best side hustle to documentary filmmaking. Once you've got a handful of repeat clients you can make enough to not worry about finance while still having plenty of time for doco shoots (I don't have children to feed or any dependants so might be different for others!). It's often a lot of interviews/pieces to camera which is great to practice lighting in sometimes not so great conditions while the editing part gives you freedom around how to manage your time. I've edited corporate work while on the road overseas on my own doco project shoot and it's paid for the whole trip and more. You'd need to do a lot of days as a PA for an equivalent income because you're not leveraging your technical skills so I wouldn't put it in the finance category but it is great to network and get exposure to bigger film sets. You're spot on about stock footage, it can work but it's so time consuming and needs to be quality work.
Yeah, this is the problem for us all in the beginning. No one will hire you for work you haven't done, but how do you do work without jobs? The annoying answer is spec work. Do your own projects and use them as samples. Wish it were different, but that's been my experience
We have this wedding preplanning with the clients. We ask: do you want chronological or creative/documentary? I dont want the hassle of revising and of course I want the client to be happy with the product. A simple talking heads i.e. how did you meet, what was your highs and lows, etc. is a simple interview format of documentary. If the budget allows, we go to their homes and film their daily lives.
When I left New York I went through all my photos and uploaded some to a stock website since they would otherwise be just stay hidden on a drive - In 5 years I made a total of $60 😅 But along the lines of PA-ing and being a second shooter one might also be able to pick up BTS filming gigs for narrative or commercial projects. Most of them you're your own crew but still get to hang out with interesting people and gear
@@LucForsyth Actually I didn't mean this a negative example - More like that with minimum effort I still made a few bucks. Nothing to brag about but it's into the account for buying things I wouldn't normally buy
My goal for the year is to solidify myself as a freelance editor. I typically only have edited my own video work so I'm struggling to find contacts on how to get editing gigs.
So stock no. The market is too saturated and unless you're selling thousands of 4k-6k time lapse or model good luck. But I went to school for editing (as minors) and have been editing for the last 18yrs and have been really having a hard time figuring out how to cut into the industry other than doing small business and church gigs. Any tips on editors? Just also seems like an over saturated competing market
Yeah, stock never worked for me. But I have some friends who make decent cash, so it's not impossible. Editing is saturated, but I found an editor who took the time to respond in detail to my needs, and have hired him for the last year straight. So there's a lot of competition for the bottom end, but there will always be a demand for detail and professionalism IMO
@@LucForsyth good to know. I would love to pick your editor's brain, maybe have him on one time or have him looped into a video? Editing is something not talked about a lot on RUclips but it's something so important.
I deleted my Wirestock account when I got paid $0.03c AUD for an image I took of the Great Barrier Reef from a flight that cost me $600 AUD. I now make my own stock library on Photoshelter. Not sold anything yet on there but don’t really care.
That's a massive topic my friend! I'm not the most technical shooter, but I shoot 95% on Slog 3 and avoid all the other profiles unless someone specifically tells me to. S-Cinetone on sony cameras is a decent option if you don't want to do any colour correction
I think creators need to give us ways that they have experience in. Don’t just tell people you can make money a certain way when you haven’t even made money that way. You don’t know how much stock footage pays, yet you tell us to film stick footage. You never shot a wedding. You never done half of the side hustles you listed, but you think it’s considered a hustle?
To be fair, I said that I didn't think stock was a good option and that I haven't had much luck. But I absolutely have tried it. I have also shot weddings, been a PA, edited for money, and done all of the things on this list. Not sure why you think I haven't.
![Learn Photography [Full Course] by Australian Geographic Photographer Chris Bray](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LxO-6rlihSg/mqdefault.jpg)
Do you have any side hustles that I didn’t mention? Let me know!
Yours are sufficient (to me) ;)
What about shooting walk-throughs for AirBNB or real-estate? I know you spoke about Drones, but I had a high end Drone business for about a year that I could never get off the ground (pun intended). Inspire 1, Phantom 4 pro and a Mavic (depending on the situation) and ended up shooting a total of 3 times. One yacht sale and 2 very large homes, but other than that, the pay offered was so cheap on any other requests I got it wouldn't have even paid for the gear.
100% about working with a wedding photographer. If you are a cinema student, this is a perfect time for this. Yes to all his major points: working quickly with a camera, Setting up shots on the fly, filming strangers, making people feel comfortable. And you get paid better money than waiting tables.
You need to dress the part: a dark business suit and tie or dress. Good grooming and nice subtle makeup are important. Wedding photographers are part of the decorations at a wedding. Brides and mothers of bridezillas get VERY particular about the decorations. For a first suit, consider Goodwill with a friend who can help with sizes. Wear the suit when you first introduce yourself to the photographer.
Working a second photographer at weddings gives you hands on experience with cameras, framing shots and working to a deadline.
Did I mention, you get paid.
Luc, a very good point about editing....and second shooting for weddings!
Hey Luk, I’m really interested in seeing a video about using full manual cine lenses for docs. I have never asked anyone on RUclips to make a video but here I am, lol. I feel like a full manual lens is the next step for me, I’m particularly looking at the 18-55 FUJINON. Just interested to see your workflow, why and when you use a follow focus, or when you don’t. Also a little worried about the weight and length of the lens on the Sony FX6, mount stress and such. Just wondering, thank you for all the helpful videos. You are seriously the only person on RUclips that is actually helpful, let alone tolerable.
Thanks, I'll add it to the list. I only use lenses in manual on my fx9, so give me some time and I'll try and get to it!
I literally casually do weddings, haha. But I only get booked a couple times a year and I think the reason I got the hang of it was because I used to edit weddings for a company and got 5% of what their shooters got, and figured, I can also do that.
Nice one, yeah the shooting skills are the same and translate well!
All solid sugestions, Luc. I have tried my hand at stock, it's been hit or miss for me. I have never been a PA on set, but I often book acting gigs in narrative films, last year a $140M budget sci fi film from an a-list director even. I generally try to shadow the director or DP on my down time to see what I can pick up by watching them work. Of course you have to get to know them first and make sure that's cool with them, and then just never get in the way or distract them. I have learned a lot through observing on set, a lot of it I used in my own work.
Totally. I've done some set stuff over the years and that's been the biggest advantage - watching until you think you know why they're doing what they're doing
Excellent video, Luc! An add on I would suggest is being a background actor on larger film sets. It's super easy, doesn't really require acting experience and the biggest benefit is being able to network with the crew and other actors on set (they usually have their hustles in the filmmaking industry too!)
I tried this to get into the film industry, but quite ironically, the people on sets here are so "clique"-y, so it made networking impossible because you're just "the extra".
That's a great idea too. Many more than I have on this list for sure
yep, that's why I like doc. My time on "real" sets has been much the same. Way less of that in documentary in my experience
Good advice and I personally recommend trying them all, even though I've seen varying amounts of success with each. 1. Stock - I've never found a great way to make much money with stock footage, at least not enough to pay the bills, however that doesn't mean it's not worth pursuing for other reasons. Shooting stock footage can be a great excuse to shoot things you really want to shoot and can be a good excuse to engage with the technical side of video production. Plus if you own your own LLC you can use stock footage as an excuse to make a TON of your expenses tax deductible. Your vacation to Hawaii? Not tax deductible. Your stock footage expedition to Hawaii? Tax deductible... at least partially. You'll have to keep good records for this but it's a great way to improve your reel and let Uncle Sam cover some of your expenses (speaking from a USA perspective so check with a financial prof in your country before going hog wild) 2. Drones - I've made a good amount of money from drone production without much effort (I don't even have website for this stuff) really when I first got my part 107 I made a point to fly every day that weather would permit at either sunrise or sunset and to post quick edits of the videos on my social, within about a year I had gotten to be one of the go to pilots at my tv station, and I had people reaching out to me as the "Drone guy" a friend of a friend knew... that said now I'm forever the "Drone guy" among my friends. Shooting drone footage has the advantage of not really having a ton of time to profit ratio, I can typically make a few hundred bucks for an hour or two of work and still go about my day afterward. The downside to drone production is that I feel like there's a hard limit to how much work you're going to have coming in, it's a great side hustle but usually after a few drone sessions you're waiting for the next client, and there's only so much demand in any given city so it's hard to build a good long term business if it's all you do, it is a GREAT added value to an existing business tho. 3. Production Assistant - I never did well as a production assistant, in my area pretty much all PA positions are filled by interns working for free, and even when I've taken these gigs I felt like the networking connections I made weren't that valuable because there was a pretty harsh divide between the "Skilled" crew members on the sets I was on and the PA's. My own personality flaws also probably play a role here as well, a few of the dp's and directors I later became friends with through other means have told me that they found me frustrating as a PA because I would work ahead and then they wouldn't know what to tell me to do next, great when things are behind schedule but terrible when you need time to think about the next shot. Still it's a good way to get some on set experience. 4. Editing - Good way to make some side money, and with the internet you can pretty much work as much as you want. You'll probably have to take some cheap gigs and build a good user rating to make decent money but it's possible to get there, and you'll refine your skills, like many things in filmmaking I'd say you should expect to put in a lot of low pay time up front but after a year or so of consistent work it'll become a good avenue for revenue. One strategy I've found helpful is actually to focus less on big gigs and more on picking up a ton of small half hour or less gigs. (editing people's tic tocs etc.) Smashing through like ten cheap quick edits in a day can be refreshing and a good learning experience. 5. Weddings - Worked as a wedding videographer for years and it's a great way to hone your skills. You can also make a good bit of scratch at it as well, but it can be really soul sucking. I freelanced for a few local companies and made about $50k a year while I shot weddings through grad school. I would typically work every Saturday and Sunday for 12 to 14 hour days and take a percentage commission on what were around $5000 - $7000 wedding packages, then pick up the occasional edits during the week. If the actual shooting of weddings was all there was to it I'd probably still be doing it, however the industry and a lot of the bull that goes with it was draining. Most of my clients (the production houses) would have trouble paying me on time, or the full amount I was owed. A few of them would get abusive if I couldn't take last minute bookings. A lot of the other vendors at gigs would have unrealistic demands or schedules that would put shoots at risk. And drug abuse was rampant among other industry professionals, frequently I'd find myself running shoots solo where I was hired on as a second shooter because the production house guy was busy getting high in the kitchen while key parts of the reception were going on. I think weddings something everyone should learn to do in their filmmaking career, but unless you're ready to start your own business be prepared for the industry to chew you up and spit you out, and when you know it's time to leave just get the heck out.
Wow man, there are amazing tips. Ever considered a job writing RUclips scripts? this is probably better than my video!
@@LucForsyth You're too kind. Every few years I get a bee in my bonnet to try to do the RUclips thing. I've even shot some experimental travel vlogs I didn't publish outside of friends/family circles. Honest truth is I love everything about the process except being on camera and I feel that's a skill I'd learn eventually. Biggest problem I run into tho is that it overlaps so much with my day to day work (producing commercials and lifestyle content) that it's really hard to produce the additional content consistently. But I do write, produce, and edit some OTT content for my station so it's kinda like writing for youtube. Honestly tho, love your channel, feels very relatable from the position of someone working in a different area of the industry who took a completely different but still oddly parallel career path.
I’d say another great side hustle is teaching film making.
Yes! Though if you consider this YT channel to be teaching, it's not the most lucrative option...hahah
Thanks for the video Luc!
Filming and editing corporate jobs to me is the best side hustle to documentary filmmaking. Once you've got a handful of repeat clients you can make enough to not worry about finance while still having plenty of time for doco shoots (I don't have children to feed or any dependants so might be different for others!). It's often a lot of interviews/pieces to camera which is great to practice lighting in sometimes not so great conditions while the editing part gives you freedom around how to manage your time. I've edited corporate work while on the road overseas on my own doco project shoot and it's paid for the whole trip and more. You'd need to do a lot of days as a PA for an equivalent income because you're not leveraging your technical skills so I wouldn't put it in the finance category but it is great to network and get exposure to bigger film sets.
You're spot on about stock footage, it can work but it's so time consuming and needs to be quality work.
very true. Most of my business comes from a small group of about 5 people in one way or the other, so you don't need that much. Spot on
Always helpful your videos Luc. Thank you!
You're welcome!
I tried Upwork for editing jobs but it's hard to compete with people who are willing to edit a wedding for $5!
Exactly. And most people won't take a chance on a new editor on upwork or fiverr.
Yeah, that's tough. Though the editor I hired from Upwork I'm definitely paying better than that so not all options are terrible
Yeah, this is the problem for us all in the beginning. No one will hire you for work you haven't done, but how do you do work without jobs? The annoying answer is spec work. Do your own projects and use them as samples. Wish it were different, but that's been my experience
My man Santiago been putting memes in the videos 😂😂😂
Haha, hes a sneaky one!
We have this wedding preplanning with the clients.
We ask: do you want chronological or creative/documentary?
I dont want the hassle of revising and of course I want the client to be happy with the product.
A simple talking heads i.e. how did you meet, what was your highs and lows, etc. is a simple interview format of documentary.
If the budget allows, we go to their homes and film their daily lives.
Yes mate, above and beyond, nice work
Very good tips here!
💯
Pure gold as always!! Any suggestions from you or your wizard on editing courses? Thanks!!
I took Inside the Edit years ago and it was great. Gave me all the basics and then some, felt like a much more competent editor after.
First 🙏✨✨✨
Thanks for the stuff
You’re very welcome!
When I left New York I went through all my photos and uploaded some to a stock website since they would otherwise be just stay hidden on a drive -
In 5 years I made a total of $60 😅
But along the lines of PA-ing and being a second shooter one might also be able to pick up BTS filming gigs for narrative or commercial projects.
Most of them you're your own crew but still get to hang out with interesting people and gear
ouch, that's rough. Yeah I've never had much luck with stock either, but that's brutal
@@LucForsyth Actually I didn't mean this a negative example - More like that with minimum effort I still made a few bucks. Nothing to brag about but it's into the account for buying things I wouldn't normally buy
My goal for the year is to solidify myself as a freelance editor. I typically only have edited my own video work so I'm struggling to find contacts on how to get editing gigs.
Great plan, I think there's a lot of work there
Great video Luc!
Thanks Aaron!
So stock no. The market is too saturated and unless you're selling thousands of 4k-6k time lapse or model good luck.
But I went to school for editing (as minors) and have been editing for the last 18yrs and have been really having a hard time figuring out how to cut into the industry other than doing small business and church gigs. Any tips on editors? Just also seems like an over saturated competing market
Yeah, stock never worked for me. But I have some friends who make decent cash, so it's not impossible. Editing is saturated, but I found an editor who took the time to respond in detail to my needs, and have hired him for the last year straight. So there's a lot of competition for the bottom end, but there will always be a demand for detail and professionalism IMO
@@LucForsyth good to know. I would love to pick your editor's brain, maybe have him on one time or have him looped into a video? Editing is something not talked about a lot on RUclips but it's something so important.
I deleted my Wirestock account when I got paid $0.03c AUD for an image I took of the Great Barrier Reef from a flight that cost me $600 AUD. I now make my own stock library on Photoshelter. Not sold anything yet on there but don’t really care.
Wow what a messed up situation 😱
yeah, that's brutal. Like I said I've never really had a good time with stock, but I do know some people who have
💯
I'm currently looking at getting into doc sound, so a side hustle I'm starting is field recording
That’s a great idea!
I love this one!
I've heard the PA suggestion a few times now. Does anyone know how to find these PA jobs? My typical approaches don't turn anything up.
Depends where you live, but there are a ton of PA jobs posted to Facebook groups where I live in Vancouver. Start there I'd say
'Think like a editor / use multiple editors good 9.5mins.
can you explain what is different gamma in sony camera (Movie gamma ,cine still, ...}
That's a massive topic my friend! I'm not the most technical shooter, but I shoot 95% on Slog 3 and avoid all the other profiles unless someone specifically tells me to. S-Cinetone on sony cameras is a decent option if you don't want to do any colour correction
You live in Vancouver?!
I do!
that 5 looks like an upside down 2
it really does
I think creators need to give us ways that they have experience in. Don’t just tell people you can make money a certain way when you haven’t even made money that way. You don’t know how much stock footage pays, yet you tell us to film stick footage. You never shot a wedding. You never done half of the side hustles you listed, but you think it’s considered a hustle?
To be fair, I said that I didn't think stock was a good option and that I haven't had much luck. But I absolutely have tried it. I have also shot weddings, been a PA, edited for money, and done all of the things on this list. Not sure why you think I haven't.