How to Become a Videographer

What do you do for work? I hear this question many many times. I’m a Videographer..a Travel videographer I respond. What does a travel videographer do? Travel the world and get paid for producing Videos. Not Photos. Videos. Sounds like the living the dream. In many ways it is. In this post I’m going to guide you on how to become a Videographer. Not just any videographer, but a videographer that has the freedom to travel, create, and earn on your own terms.

What Gear Do you Need

You can Check out my gear Guide.

I’ve lived abroad as a Travel Videographer through a variety a Freelance work and Online Revenue Streams for the past 6 years. Being able to produce Videos from anywhere and get paid in a strong currency like the US Dollar from anywhere offers the benefit of time and location freedom. I’ve lived 2 years in Taiwan, 3 years in Thailand, and almost 2 years in Malaysia as my base. I’ve visited many destinations like South Korea, Japan, Singapore, South Africa and Malaysia in between for work purposes. Relocating myself out of Vancouver and to these destinations in Asia gave me a rich cultural experience, inspiration to shoot video, and in some case a cost of living that was 1/3 of what I was paying in Vancouver (one of the most expensive cities to living in the world).

Recent Corporate Client Videos

Do you need to Travel to be a Videographer?

No you do not. You can stay in one city in one country and just service clients in your city. You can focus on things like Wedding Videography or Video editing for a company. I’ve found that there were more opportunities outside of Vancouver for myself. I’m also more inspired to film outside of Vancouver primarily because of the weather and the diversity of scenery in countries like Bali, Thailand, and Malaysia. You can also video edit for clients and do it from anywhere. Why not do it from a country that is cheaper with better weather.

There is a significant difference between traveling to a destination for a 1 week versus basing yourself in another country for a month to a year. The Travel videographer lifestyle is about living in a different destinations, trying different foods, making new friends abroad, enjoying local benefits, learning a new language, building a business, building your own schedule, and of course creating amazing Videos.

How do you become a Travel Videographer?

Learn Video and Audio

Well you need to learn video. Where do you start? Do you need to go and spend a lot of money and go to a film school? I didn’t and I don’t recommend it. It’s too slow and the curriculums can’t keep up with the pace of technology. I recommend starting with Youtube, Vimeo Video School, or Online Schools like Skillshare or Udemy. I already spent a good amount of my life and money in university and my MBA. I self-taught myself video Online and then later on I started attending photography and Videography workshops. I then travelled to Asia and practiced and shot a lot of Video and posted to Youtube. I made mistakes and experimented. Whichever method you choose practice and shoot a lot. Get feedback and give adapting your setup. I’ve also got a collection of online courses at my Travel Video School

Get Good Gear

You need the right tools for the job. That means a good camera or 2, high quality lens for different situations, a stabilization system, an a good audio system. There are different types of camera’s better suited for different situations like drones for aerials and a good mirrorless or SLR camera (primary or A camera) for shooting Client interviews or stock footage. Len’s will last longer than a camera body so not a bad idea to invest in a good lens.

These day we have so many camera’s to choose from. That is why I created a Free Gear Guide for the past 2 years, where I share the gear I use and how I use it. I learned later on it’s not enough to just know video. You need to learn to produce high quality audio as well. You may need these skills and abilities if you are to create Youtube videos or talking head videos. I created a Course called Mobile Video & Audio Production for Freelancers to teach people these skills. It covered pretty much all the knowledge I learned consuming myself in the Video world for 5 or 6 years.

We have specialty camera’s like drones, gopro’s, mirrorless camera’s, and gimbal stabilized camera’s like DJI Osmo that each produce some form of amazing video. Where can you learn to operate and film amazing Videos with all these devices. Film schools cannot keep up with this pace of change. That is why I created the Travel Course Bundle. I’ve created new courses as technologies for camera’s and audio have evolved. The Travel course bundle covers you especially you if purchase the lifetime access because you receive the new courses at no additional cost.

What about Money?

To make money you need to invest the time in your gear and skill. You can make money by doing video jobs for clients. How do you find clients? Many ways. Build a website and promote your services. Put your Video reel or past work up there! If you don’t have a video reel then shoot for free to build up that portfolio. You need to do some marketing for people outside of your network to find you. You also need to use social media to share your work and build an awareness that you are the person that does video. Put yourself out there.

You can also work for an existing company or team if you want to build up experience and not work alone and have a stable income.

Create a Youtube Channel and start creating videos about anything from food, travel videos, or nightlife. Post every week and try to improve on each video. Eventually you will build up an audience and subscribers and earn a small income. You can also shoot stock footage and license them on stock agencies.

All these things do take time. If you’re working in a job then slowly spend time on doing these activities so you can transition out of your job. I put all in an moved to Taiwan and eventually Thailand. These countries are a lot cheaper and have plenty of inspirational scenery. Without the pressure of expensive costs you have less pressure and the freedom to improve your craft and build up your assets which is your footage collection and skill.

Online & Offline Business

The business side of Video doesn’t get coverage from these film schools or workshops. Their job is to teach you video most likely to become a film crew member. They aren’t going to teach you how to set up an International Freelance business, how to monetize your footage, or teach you online marketing.  To become a travel videographer you need at a minimum a website or facebook page and a youtube channel or some platform to showcase your portfolio. A travel videographer doesn’t just depend on freelancing though. You need to set up Online Revenue streams. The good thing is that video camera’s produce digital files which can be exchanged on the Internet. I put out tons of Youtube Videos before i got discovered by a stock footage agency. That was a major breakthrough for me to realize I could monetize off of short video clips on the Internet. There was a steep learning curve to learn how to scale this. I produced 2 courses to teach this business model called stock footage. It took some time, but the rewards for me were time and location freedom. I could produce stock footage from any country and put them on multiple agencies and sell them an unlimited number of times.

Stock footage is not the end game. You need to diversify your revenues streams because the reality is passive revenue streams for all their benefits can be unstable. You need to be able to create other products or offer online services. For example, I’ve set up my website to offer remote video editing service, online courses, and even direct subscriptions to my footage collection. I also offer other digital products that I’ve created to solve one of my own problems like the Final Cut Pro X Sharpening tool. You need an understanding of online tools and platforms to host your video files, exchange money, online marketing, and create new digital products. I created a free resource page listing all the experts I follow, software, and tools I used to get where I am.  I created 2 courses to teach the Online and Offline Business side of Videography. One is called How to start an Online Video Business and the other is the Business of Video and Photography.

Traveling and living abroad

Living abroad is not for everyone, but there a lot of benefits to do so. The living costs are usually lower than western cities like Vancouver Canada. In Taiwan I could live on a $1000 Us quite comfortably, and in Chiang Mai Thailand probably about $800US. These foreign destinations still have a better or comparable Internet and workspace infrastructure making this a great starting point. In destinations like Chiang Mai there is a strong organic community of Internet Entrepreneurs to share and exchange knowledge with. I learned a lot about Online marketing during my 2 years year. Once you are in Thailand you are a cheap flight from exotic destinations like Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, or Cambodia. You can leverage the low costs to buy you time, build up your business, and video collection at a lower cost than you could abroad. Personally I’ve felt more inspired to shoot new footage when I’m in a fresh location. If you’re basing yourself in a location for a month or longer you’re able to do more than just the usual tourist attractions. You’ll get to know local areas, and won’t be as rushed to film everything quickly. I’ve created a living guide for people looking to live in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a month or longer because I believe it is a great starting point for anyone’s Entrepreneur journey.

What do you need to be a videographer

You don't need a degree or Film school. This is coming from someone who completed their degree in communications and MBA in Technology Management at SFU Vancouver, Canada. I recommend a combination of workshops, online courses, and practice publishing your videos on Youtube. You need need the technical skills, a decent gear kit, portfolio, the discipline to learn on your own, and some marketing skills

How do you become a travel photographer for videography?

Assuming you have put in the time to learn the technical skills get our there and travel with your camera and shoot! I recommend Asia as it is low cost and filled with inspirational scenery. It also doesn't rain and much and in general the rules for drone use are more relaxed. I recommend focusing on Video over photos as they are high value content, their is more technical skills requires, and less competition. That being said you can use a hybrid camera like an SLR or a Mirrorlesss camera that is capable of producing high quality video and stills.

How do I become a better videographer?

1. Select Good Gear. Good Camera Body & Lenses. Check my Gear Kit 2. Practice 3. Publish & Share on Youtube 4. Be open to feedback 5. Take workshops & Online Courses 6. Keep current on Youtube 7. Learn lighting 8. Learn Good Audio

How much does a videographer make an hour?

Personally as a freelancer I don't recommend shooting by the hour. Remember to film quality video you have invested a lot of time and money learning video, invested in the gear, and there is actually more time preparing your gear and gathering the project requirements, which all take up your time. You are making the effort to make the trip and film. If someone is just looking for footage then I recommend you calculate your fixed costs and If you are starting out perhaps you could charge $50-100 an hour. I would recommend not working by the hour and instead charge either a half day or a full day rate. If you are an experienced professional and are providing quality gear (video, audio, lighting) then you can charge up to $800 US for a full day and $400-500 US for half a day. If you are in a job or are working a regular contract for someone you may have to settle for less.

If you’re more of a self learner that wants to learn at your own pace and would prefer the full range of my knowledge from Video, audio, and the travel lifestyle then the Course Bundle is your best bet.

If you’re thinking all these courses would be useful then perhaps it would be good idea to invest in the Travel Videographer Bundle. It has all my premium courses for video, online business, and travel guides. I regularly add new courses to students in the bundle without additional costs. You can try out the bundle here for a month for 50% off for the first month to begin.

INCLUDED COURSES

• Panasonic GH5
• Gopro 8
• What they didn’t teach you in Film School
• Stock footage Videography Bundle
• DJI MAVIC – Aerial Video
• Smartphone Mobile Editing
• Essential Living Guide for Chiang Mai Thailand and Beyond
• The Business of Videography & Photography
• Aerial Videography with Phantom 3 Pro
• Gopro 3 to 6
• DJI Osmo & Osmo mobile
• Stock Footage Sales Report