Starting Freelance

[BillyBoy]

I am interested in buying equipment to start freelancing. What do you suggest on what camera Beta or DVC to get. What is the going camera? Is Beta going extinct and DVC the way to go.

I would like to start with the basics. Tripod, audio, lights. Any suggestions? Also a field monitor and Play/record deck so I can deck to playback tapes.

Thank you.

 

[imported_blank]

Your best bet would be to rent gear until you work up a long client list. Even then, depending on your cliental your best option may still be not to purchase gear. Many p-houses use freelancers and in many cases they use freelancers that rent gear from their house.

Be more specific, what kind of freelance work do you do and in what market? What are your "CURRENT" clients asking for? What have you shot in the past? I know what my clients want and in many cases DEMAND.

In any case, your best bet would be to start off renting. That will give you an idea of the gear you'll be using. Most producers for the higher -end TV productions use BetaSP still. The really high-end stuff is done on Digi-Beta or higher but I would strongly advise against a new freelancer getting such a high end rig without having the high end work lined up. I urge you to look at the older threads at this freelance forum.

I would advise against spending too much money on a 400, or 600 as the SP thing may die out within a couple of years but if you can get a good deal on one (and the cliental) then look at those two models. I advise against getting a cheaper SP camera like 300 or 507 as the quality is outdated. The dockable 550, D30, D35 are great cams (digital heads) and may be the way to go but when the market changes away from SP you may still be out of luck --if the market changes to some format were no backs are available, like disk or IMX. Although I have a feeling that if one of those formats picks up then the backs will become available but you never know.

So what market are you in and what kind of clients do you have lined up? No clients means don't buy gear.

 

[BillyBoy]

thanks for your repsonse.

honestly, i have no clients "lined up". i am a full-time news photog and i freelance on the weekends by doing truck shoots for various sporting events.

i am thinking about expanding and trying to get jobs that i would supply a camera package. i have had producion houses tell me, "we can use you, but need your own gear". i would start slow.

 

[HDTV]

The problem is that if you buy equipment, you can't really "start slow".

A high-end gear package + insurance + marketing + other business expenses can very quickly add up to $5K to $10K per month in expenses. This is serious money...and a mistake here or there could quickly snuff out both your career and your financial life.

Unless you have a sizeable chunk of change lying around, cash flow will be an immediate, and huge, problem...even if you do manage $5K in sales the first month, you may not collect all of that money for 3-4 months (I'm still waiting to collect for a 3-day shoot I did in March!)

There also may be the issue of where you plan on getting the loan to purchase this gear. It's not easy to get capital unless you have established some sort of track record with your business. Most financial places won't even look at you until you've been in business (full time) for at least 3 years (something like 90% of all businesses fail within the first 3 years).

I went freelance full time in 1994. I rented gear from various sources (rental houses, other photogs) until 1996. By then, I had an established client base, was averaging around $15K/month in sales, and was spending more on rental gear than I would spend making payments on my own package...only then did I buy.

I don't want to discourage you...you just need to go about this move with a realistic business model.

I'll be happy to help any way I can (as long as you're not in my market!)

 

[dhart]

Okay, you got the bug to be a freelancer. Just remember, no regular pay checks and sometimes it can be a long time between jobs especially when starting out. But here's a couple of ideas if you're really determined to do it.

In some markets (like mine) pros actually rent gear to each other. Only works if you are a reliable and trustworthy person. Better than a rental house because you usually get a better deal. Have to be careful that you don't try and "steal" someone else's client, but it may a way to get your feet wet without actually buying to see if "freelance" is really how you'd like to spent your career.

Next, since this is nearly the end of the Betacam era great deals can be had on "used" equipment. If you are careful you can get some incredible deals. But you must have ready cash or a relationship with a good leasing company.

Good luck.

 

[adam]

I'll add my two cents...
Whether you're going to rent from a rental house or another shooter, make sure you can get a camera at the last second. As you build your client list a lot of your calls are going to be last second where the client's first and second choices can't do the shoot.
Buy the peripheral stuff first, lights, grip, monitor, sound etc. That stuff never goes out of style, its cheaper and you'll save money on rentals. It's amazing how slim some rental house camera "packages" can be.
Finally, approach production houses in the area and offer your services to them, watch how they run their business and learn, and don't undercut the rates in your market too much if at all, it'll come back to haunt you and everyone else trying to make ends meet.

 

[BoomDrive]

I'm also looking into freelancing and have posted to this board before. I can say that, in my recent research into freelancing, it can be somewhat intimidating.

How do you go about finding clients? Is it a good idea to find already-established freelance crews and start an apprenticeship or something?

 

[Austin Reeves]

Well let me say this, I'm getting ready to go into step 3 of my 5 step plan (originally there were 12 steps, but some people couldn't see the beauty of my plan).

All joking aside, I've started to build a client base. I still work fulltime, freelance on the side. I rent a camera for my shoots, and I am slowly purchasing the "support" stuff as I can.

By buying your "kits" such as lighting, audio, wireless, field monitors, etc etc etc... you get everything that is universal to our work. The variable, the camera.

I recommend even going getting your own tripod. It'll work with every camera you rent, it will be more reliable, and something you are used to. Once you are making about $3000, then take a look at your clients and projects over the last 3 months. What format are they looking for? If 4 out of 5 clients are looking for DVCAM, then buy DVCAM, if 4 out of 5 are looking for Beta or BetaSX, then go that route.

The point is these guys have it right, invest in the stuff you use EVERY time. You don't want to be just starting out, thin on cash, and have to rent a camera 2-3 a month when you're only doing 5 jobs a month. Otherwise the only thing you you'll be shooting will be the lines at the soup kitchen.

Liveshot

 

[Photographer]

I agree with everything said here. I just eant to add one thing. When you finally decide to go freelance fulltime make sure you have enough money saved to go 3 or 4 months without work. Not that that would happen but just in case. Quiting your fulltime job with out a reliable source of income for the future is hard. Make sure you can survive.

Good Luck.