Day in the life of
Videographer – Daniel Hess
I am a freelance videographer. As a video freelancer, I’d like to think I have a fun job. My work day varies almost every day. Of course, the mission of capturing great video is always the same but the locations, people, challenges differ with each production.
My typical day
To start a day of filming is kind of like when leaving for a big trip. You are constantly checking over your gear to make sure everything is working, charging batteries, clearing off any data left over on memory cards, making sure you have enough memory cards. Everyone finds their own process of making sure all the gear is accounted for but that is always the answer to it, there is a process, even if it simply involves charging a few batteries before you leave the house.
The other end of things is the coordination of the day. From experience, I like to have at least one phone conversation or Zoom/in-person meeting to go over that with the client or clients. For a wedding production that would involve knowing where the getting ready, ceremony, and reception locations were. For a corporate shoot, especially one involving interviews I like to tour the space we will be filming in or at least get photos of the space from the client so I have an idea of good areas to have them sit in for the best optics. A lot of what you get wrapped up in is the pre-production of the day, the more planning you can manage to do the fewer questions or trouble tend to come up when you actually start filming.
The filming days themselves are usually pretty long days. Even for a shorter shoot, you are going to be working at least 5 hours most of the time. After you get the gear brought onto set, built it out, and tested everything you are already about an hour in. Then you have filming, breaking it all back down, and next thing you know it is 4-5 hours later. However, for bigger shoots and most weddings, you’re looking at an 8-10 hour day and a lot of that work is pretty physically demanding as well. Film gear is not light so you will be doing a lot of lugging at times.
Pros
With that being said if you dread the thought of a typical 9-5 or the whole office life then this is where videography can be a lot of fun. I’ve had weeks where I will be in many different areas, meeting many different types of people from all walks of life. There is a lot of driving but no two days are ever exactly alike, plus you usually get a good catered meal provided by the client at some point in the day, the energy is usually pretty easy going, and a lot of the time is spent in unique locations.
For instance, I’ve been to government research labs for filming, giant concert halls with nationally touring bands, grand offices that I would have never been able to see the inside of, large factories, nightclubs, etc. The amount of access you can get to cool places just from the clients you work with is amazing and gives you a lot of stories to tell to friends/family that is for sure.
Cons
On the flipside, though given the odd hours of working, the sporadic nature of how booked you can be, and the lack of insurance benefits it can be tough having a family in this industry. You really have to have a partner who you can either work with really well or that is understanding of all the time away. Personally, I’ve had relationships fizzle out because they couldn’t handle the schedule not being set in stone every day. So that can be a con for the work. The other is finding work that will keep up consistently. For example, weddings definitely have months where it slows down in the winter and deep summer months. So you can find that while you made a ton of money in the spring or fall you have to really budget yourself a little tighter for those slow months.
The last thing I will mention is the physical demand that this job has. You’re on your feet almost constantly, the gear is heavy, and you are moving around a lot. It is not for the faint of heart in that regard, especially on the events side of things. If you’re doing a big event that lasts 10-12 hours the majority of that time is going to be spent moving or at least standing so you really have to build up a tolerance for that or just keep in mind that it is going to come with the territory.
Advice to aspiring Videographers
I think for those thinking about becoming a videographer you really have to reflect on what you want in life. If you want something that has an adventurous edge and has the potential to travel the world then by all means go for it. However, this job is 99.9% networking so if you feel like you might be too shy interacting with lots of different people and selling yourself on your abilities then it might not be the job for you.
Also, if your main goal is just to settle down with a family in suburbia sure you can make that happen but you need an amazing support system from your spouse and family because you will be spending a lot of time away from them for gigs/events.
The last thing to keep in mind is related to the event video space specifically. Keep in mind that your work is going to be mainly on the weekends. Now that may sound harmless enough but you will find that your schedule works out the opposite of most everyone else. Speaking from personal experience I still have to push to tell friends or family that I am free most weekends these days as they are still so used to me being busy with weddings or events to film for so many years. It is isolating and can have a bit of an impact on your mental well-being, I know it did at times for me.
As I said before though it can be a lot of fun and if you truly enjoy connecting with people, telling stories in a creative way, and just traveling then there are a lot of amazing ways you can make a viable career out of videography for many years to come, just push past that challenging beginning. Next thing you know you’ll have a thriving business built off of word of mouth.
