I completly agree with you here. 90% of Film making is problem solving. Right from when you get an idea of the story to writing it down to casting crew to getting location to filming it to editing it to marketing. Every little thing is all about problem solving, and honestly that is what makes filmmaking FUN.
great words man. People don’t want to see the hard “boring” side of the work. They want the exciting stuff. In fact, I tried showing the early stages (writing, prepro, scouting etc) of making a short film but not many people gave a shit. 😂
Thank you so much for this upload. I believe a lot of “content creators” don’t understand the difference between filmmakers, and by calling themselves Filmmakers now the term has lost its value.
Omg finally a genuine filmmaker. It boils my blood to see youtubers calling themselves "filmmakers" when in reality they have absolutely ZERO short or feature film under their names. Crreating content is NOT filmmaking.
Honest engaging production is the future. There is a big difference between getting thousands of views with something that just washes over people (and they forget it after 10 seconds) vs creating something (with care and love) engaging that gets even 10 people to take action. I once created a video production, with a 5 grand budget - for an audience of ONE! (a supermarket buyer of free range eggs that needed to see how "free range" the hens were- the buyer based in Melbourne- didnt have the time to fly out to Western Australia) - The video had, maybe 5 views maximum but positively influenced a multi million dollar buying decision. Another video i made (for free as a school parent ) was to encourage parents to sign up to volunteer at a school canteen (they were struggling and maybe had to shut down) - video went live, instant result with the volunteer roster filling up in days - A small, humble, genuine production but more rewarding than 90% of the corporates i do. There is so much posturing on social media- i can see how it is so difficult for a young, motivated, excited mind to get distracted - if i am honest i am guilty of it myself in the past. Good on you for pointing this out.
Thanks for the comment. At the end of the day, it about what your work means to you. There have been plenty of legendary directors who have been miserable people, even when they've found success.
Great vid! I made a budget short film & did everything by myself…and I feel mentally drained from it all, people just don’t realise how much work is involved in it all & I have maximum respect for film makers, I always did, but now even more so !! I am proud of what I made though, so all the hard work and time spent was worth it, and it was one hell of an experience.
Totally agree with everything you’ve said here and I think it’s an important dose of reality people should watch. Even in the corporate space, there’s now many who can afford quality camera gear but don’t take the proper time and effort to learn how to use it.
Hallelujah! Thank you for being on UA-cam speaking truth so honestly and constructively. I’ve been raging to my girlfriend and friends for months on all the “hidden” things “they” on the Gram and the Tube don’t tell you about filmmaking - it’s a huge effort that is glossed over. As a newbie to the art, I know consider experience and credentials over view count to filter the glitz and genuinely learn.
Great stuff man. I got my start by doing those backflip videos. I quickly burned out on it because I felt like what I was creating was meaningless and a 'flash in the pan' piece of content with no real purpose. I've since transitioned into proper set work in the camera department. I have noticed that there is a lot of sitting at my desk, reaching out to potential clients, emailing, planning, and oftentimes very long periods of downtime between jobs. It can be super discouraging compared to how "easy" it was to just drive to a scenic location and shoot everything in slow-mo. I get really frustrated when these "filmmaker" influencers seem to be idolized when all they do is review gear and shoot montages of slow-motion footage. This video nails it!
Film product reviewer vs actual film maker. Big difference! There are big name “filmmaker” channels that are click baity new product review channels that are slaves to the algorithm.
So true and to be honest glad someone like yourself has told the audience the truth I’m not a filmmaker like yourself but in my industry as a wedding photographer/videographer I see the same glamorised impression of what we do on UA-cam when the reality is very different and it gives people wishing to take up the career the wrong idea which then leads to their downfall and disappointment when they find out you spend twice maybe three times the amount of time getting clients arranging the day emailing checking equipment and editing re-editing changes the client wants and delivering the final product than actually shooting the event never mind the insurance /logistics of the business. Thank you for talking about the realities of the career you have chosen. Gives me an idea for a talk on my UA-cam channel.
Thank you for this! So many youtubers who show their "set" as they explain how they usecamera and light but what are they shooting?? Definitely not ads, not shortfilm, not a musicvideo... They're definitely cosplaying
I’ve been doing this for 35 years and I can completely attest to the truth you are telling here. It’s a grind to no end, but when it works it is all worth it.
The first thing I started to do was to work (and still working) on building a revenue stream. I have the mechanism in place, now it's time to market! No revenue, no film...
Thank you for making this. I always found "filmmaker" a helpful term to introduce myself with because it encapsulates writing/directing/editing/producing, etc., but unfortunately it's lost its meaning. If I tell someone I'm a filmmaker now, I have to specify that I'm not a "content creator," and create actual narrative productions with screenplays and shot-lists. Funny thing is, even real filmmakers aren't "filmmakers" because most movies are shot on digital now. But UA-camrs just bend that term too far.
YES !! Oh man, you are so right. I've been shooting on and off since 1985 and I'm so sick of these young kids reviewing cameras by shooting in an exotic location or national park with thier girlfriend . And of course not only are they getting money from the commercials in the beginning but they have a sponsor. Not one of these guys has tried making a movie with characters. And that's how you know they are full of it. They review the camera ok but the presentation says " I have a great life, I travel, I eat at exotic places, I really know film". No you don't, you know how to go to a beautiful location stand in front of it and shoot it. That's it and anyone can do that.
I’m 24 years old and lemme tell you THIS IS THE BEST COMMENT I HAVE EVER READ NOT A SINGLE LIE WAS TOLD I have been shooting since 2017 professionally picked up my first camera when I was 11 but before I wanted to just Act, Direct, and Write but as I got older I realized my gifted talent to shoot and edit idk what has gotten into my generation I can’t tell you how many videos I’ve seen on here of people doing reviews on cameras I’ve never seen them make a movie with NOTHING so quick to talk about the cameras pros and cons which I’m sure they researched wrote it down on a script for their “review video” and the sad part is those type of lame videos get so many views and they get paid and like you said they get sponsors and then they travel the world thinking they’re a filmmaker cuz like you said they found a nice spot to take a video at which ANYONE CAN DO ive at least attempted to make movies with characters they’re not the best but hey IM PROUD FOR STILL DOING IT shows my passion it’s beyond the money yes I want to make money doing this for a living but in due time it’ll come I’m young like I can be your son aha I’m young I’m in no rush and want to LEARN more as a i progress as a FILMMAKER like good example I own the Black Magic 6K Pro most of the videos covering this camera are TERRIBLE REVIEW VIDEOS and they neglect the camera a lot I don’t see any MOVIES made with the camera on here like you said they’re so full of it but hey it’s just like the music world labels sign artists with 0 talent but somehow they make millions
@@EDJK_ what you do is the hard stuff but you are learning from the experience. It's the get your hands dirty experience as compared to "I'm reviewing the sony a7siii here in Amsterdam using my drone shots - isn't it beautiful here doesn't my footage shot at 11 am on a mostly sunny day look great ? "
Unfortunately the new easy access to great technology has let people kind of skip ahead a bit missing vital knowledge. A lot of these kind of people who have been trained by UA-cam come with a hefty ego, and a lack of set etiquette, and that's really sad. I came out of film school when I was 18, went straight into post assistant jobs, and tried to get any set jobs I could. Skilled up in editing, asked questions of everyone on shoots about the decisions they were making and what influenced them, learned as much from my peers as possible, and just kept pushing in the direction I wanted to get to. I've worked as a filmmaker full time for the last 15 years. Tools didn't get me where I am, people need to stop worrying about what cameras UA-camrs use and just make stuff.
@@nitevibe9886 I got an edit assistant gig about a month after, my film school (which is sadly gone due to lack of gov funding in Australia) really was helpful in finding placements for people and had a good standing in the industry. I did some part time edit assistant work, spent my nights working in TV promo editing, eventually got a gig at a studio, and have bounced all over, working for agencies, directly for big companies, made lots of TV commercials and worked on documentary projects.
Like you (I think) I started in this business working on commercials. From a PA to a grip, to production manager then producer and now director. It's obvious to me watching many UA-camrs that they've never really been in that world. Which is fine. I can still enjoy their content. I'm wondering though if you feel the same way I do. After working on commercials for so long and not owning ANY of the work I create, I felt the need to start making work that I owned (at least owned a part of it). So I made my first feature film. We'll see how that goes. Take care.
BRAVO!!!!!!!! the must HONEST AND REAL video I ever seen about these reality.... I have 20 years working near film crews, post-production and getting the final result fast inside the budget for the client and must of the youtubers (almost all in L.A.) showing tips, opinions and reviews of expensive tool are FAKE and dont represent the priorities in everyday job. They describe and show these market like a game for pretencious childrens with expensive toys. Your video is PERFECT!!!!!...
Thank you for giving an honest, realistic portrait of what it is like to work in the film industry. I'm sure that Brit Marling would totally agree with you. I think what you are pointing to is that the primary attitude towards this work is to love the process itself, even the hassles and stuff that goes wrong. The glamour accounts for maybe 1% of the job; the rest is sheer hard work. And the only way to survive that is to love it.
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absolutely right 🙌🏽 I only do it as a hobby and I find it extremely difficult. A lot of people think I'll buy a camera, take two or three short fancy sunset shots and call myself a filmmaker. There's a reason for each area to have extra professionals. 🙈 I've been wanting to make a tiny scifi film for over a year and things are constantly being postponed, the weather isn't right, the location has to be changed, the light isn't right, the actors don't have time and, sound isn’t right and those are just a few things. Above all, everyone says storytelling is everything, but most of them don't have a story :/ No, it's just about, the camera does it, this mic is better than that, my CameraRig XY and so on, too bad :(
As someone who occupies various roles in the camera department on many sets of varying budgets,thank you for speaking against the myth that’s purported around the tubes
Very realistic content. As far as the screw for the camera plate is concerned, I am so concerned about losing one that I carry extras. The lesson of this story is: redundancy will save your life.
I think the people you are referring to are not film makers: they are cinematographers. They are obsessed with image and lighting and "cinema", not the actual details of making films. Just getting cool shots
I am a full time filmmaker specializing in corporate video production. I am not a freelancer. I own a production company, which means overhead, business insurances, website and advertising expenses, employees, contractors, attorneys, etc. I would love to spend more time behind the camera, but the reality is that 80 percent of what I do is business and marketing and 20 percent is showing up and shooting it. Being solely an artist is not enough to pay the bills and generate revenue. I am a business man who is a filmmaker. I spend time marketing, following up on leads and phone calls and generating and closing proposals for production dates. Because it’s mainly talking heads with my camera on a tripod, I don’t get the opportunity to film a girl in 60 fps doing a backflip into a waterfall. I got into this like everyone else (as a hobby) but paying thousands of dollars for gear and not monetizing it makes no sense to me. Turning my passion into profit is a what motivates me.
This dude speaks the truth! Filmmaking is about making films not about gear reviews, editing tips or vlogging your lifestyle. But those gear reviewers and vloggers still call themself filmmakers.
Great video. I live in Brisbane-Australia and I’m run my own business as a video producer. I totally agree with you. Most of the time I’m sit in front of my laptop working on the business side. Hours and hours.
So far I’ve found that the hardest thing to do is to successfully transport gear from point A to point B without forgetting or losing a single item. On the shoots I’ve been on it’s been a light battery and an HDMI cable. Thankfully the film I’m shooting takes place in my house so everything stays put. But on my producers personal film that we’ve been shooting he had to drive 30-40 minutes back to his house to get an actors hat and another light. Even if your prepared, transporting gear is a nightmare
TNice tutorials is much more simple than I thought with you explaining it. Currently half way through and I feel like I know everytNice tutorialng already lmao
yeah. usually when people say "I want to become a film director" they have in mind either being a scriptwriter or cinematographer (best case, often just the camera work) but they don't know it yet.
Great video! Really important information on the reality of working in the industry. I’m trying to get those points across in any kit reviews I do, sadly the only way to get traction on UA-cam. There needs to be more focus on how to succeed as a business in the industry, big or small, rather than trends and inappropriate equipment. I’m always amazed by the number of freelancers who have get some impressive one off clients but fail to build a strong regular income.
The producer/director/writer part is not talked about enough. I think your content is different in this regard. All the BTS posts about Devil's Fortune were an excellent look into what it is like to grind out the finished product. It is also relevant to commercial and other creative film/video work. Thank you for putting this video out.
😂😂😂😂😂😂 about time someone Say Something 🙏 You are The Man Grisom 👍👍💪💪 . There is no shortcut in filmmaking of photography it is hard work long hours it Takes a years to Master . and you are Absolutely right 💪
I started my UA-cam channel with hopes of becoming a filmmaker who would make it in Hollywood. Even though I'm now working towards that goal in the real world, it has never been far from the truth when it comes to the UA-cam side of things.
Filmmaking is a process - it's a creative definite process where you have most credibility accountability rather than financial systems which is concerned about producers job Go for details - if not they will haunt you Pre-production - location casting script clients It's all about making a film - not just insta reels It's all about schedules,plans,details,process,tasks, responsibility,creativity,negotiating with producer and connecting with audience
That is definitely true 👍🏻 but my passion is filmmaking 😉 I have a normal work and filmmaking is not a business for me, but a nice balance that I value very much 👍🏻🎥
i have made it work - but i also collaborate with other shooters in order to scale up. You end up wearing a lot of hats - script, shoot, direct, sound, edit - Pr with clients. But it can be done. The best production is generally done with a team though for sure where a bunch of good people can smash out their best work in their field.
@@reflexfilms I did that on occasion too but only say 7% of the time, the other 93% was just me filling all the roles. The other issue I clearly had was that my prices were too low to account for the time BETWEEN jobs.
I can totally relate to be absolutely sick of videos, once the final edit is complete. These days, the majority of my time is spent adjusting audio levels, in post. A compressor does an adequate job with the dialogue. However, the noise from transmission parts/tools being dropped (and/or moved around) on a metal bench, is more than a compressor can handle. Unfortunately, the dialogue mic is picking up this extra noise (spikes). My current solution involves me going through the entire video and manually adjusting the noise from the bench. Not smart... I'm right in the middle of testing new methods. "It's not over until I win." (Les Brown)
Interesting video post. I think the culture has changed as far as film makers go. Obviously you are a genuine nuts and bolts film maker. But in this society of Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, and UA-cam the traditional film has its place but so does the little short of someone going out with their smartphone and seeing if they can piece something together that someone will watch just to watch. The social media platforms have people watching people play video games on UA-cam, so it might not be that a lot of people are fooled about what it takes to be a film maker, but it might be that it doesn’t matter so much. An example is I pay $12 to go see a major movie production and I have high expectations on the film, but I can watch anything on UA-cam or Instagram free. There is a difference.
What if I say that the only way to have a time to do that special thing(making a movie) without having to worry about all that is to enter short film competition where even their rules of entry regards you as the original creator of your craft am I right?
Thank you so much Mr. Crimson for doing this video. Say, what's your name anyway ? I feel kinda disrespectful calling you not by your name. You are doing an enormous service by telling filmmakers on UA-cam "The Truth," about the reality of professional film production. A thousand thank yous for taking up this theme Sir 👍. The one here on UA-cam which I find rather upsetting is a series of commercials by this one dude who tells you you can be a professional colourist if you just get this software, and his one day course, and you can use whatever equipment you have, and that anyone can do it. Oh yeah, anyone can be a colourist ? Really ? If this is so, then why do producers hire a professional colourist and pay them thousands of dollars to perform image and density, and colour correction on their features if anyone can do it ? If anyone can do it, then why don't producers just cut costs and do it themselves ? Dudes with cool gear seems to be the norm here on the tube, but is that commercial film production ?
If you want to become a filmmaker watch Interviews with Rober Rodriguez or Christopher Nolan, or Darren Arronofsky. How they shot their first films for 4000 or 40.000 Dollar. Avoid all "Tech UA-camrs" who talks about image stabilisation 8bit, 10bit and all that BS. If you want to shoot film. Get the camera with the most Dynamic Range. For under 2000 bucks that would the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras. Learn how to use them. Watch 1 or 2 videos. Done. Write a script, film something. Learn how Roger Deakins light a scene. You can learn that in 1 hour. Don't watch 100 hours of cameras and lenses and gears. If you want to learn about film editing or color. WATCH movies. Real movies. And see how they are graded, or how often they cut, when they cut. How is the light, etc. It is all "in" the movie. Don't watch some nerd sitting in a tiny room with a stupid neon light in the background. Avoid UA-camrs who do stupid faces for the thumbnails and talk about camera camera camera. McKinnon, Gerald Undone, and so on... avoid!
Harsh, but I like opinions not wishy washy platitudes :) I have certainly thinned down my initial list that began three years ago, of top ten UA-camrs. They gave me some inspiration to get excited and get out there myself - BUT, if I could only provide one caution, a lot of them are presenting an idealistic LIFESTYLE of a highly successful videographer. Picking up coffees or towing power sports toys in their $60K trucks, playing with gear they have no time for, walking around work spaces with nobody doing anything. I can't find where they ever go out on their own or with a small crew to make any actual productions anymore. My personal challenge is to hold the interest of the people I want to profile. They are interesting because of what they do but they don't see it as worth my time or theirs to accommodate recording it in an organized manner.
@@charlieross-BRM On of the "best filmmaker" youtube channel is Ponyshmasher. It is the channel by F. Sandberg. Guy who directed Shazam! and some other big movies. He talks about cameras and "problem solving" and filmmaking itfels. .I highley recommend it.
Working your way up from a P.A will definitely change a persons perspective of the industry. 😅It's definitely not all slow motion, and epic landscapes.
Well it pays to be the boss and I am not bragging about money but I will say this and this is why the producer makes more because it pays to be the boss. This is why a lot of people would rather work for someone else or just be the actor instead of the producer.
I'm looking at beginning to shoot shorts in the future but I'm not under any illusion as to the process. Still I'd like to give it a go. I see all the "hard" stuff as the foundation to making a film. The real problem I am finding is trying to get some real feedback on youtube as to the best budget camera a person should get starting out as their initial workhorse BUT everyone has dif advice, everyone has dif plus' and min's and of course it seems everyone has a film COURSE to peddle. There doesn't seem to be any industry "standard" . As a person who wants to give it a go I am looking for starting on a budget and what's important but I can see the unfortunate influx of making cash from the avalanche of film makers /reviewers on youtube. By the time you would purchase all the gear you supposedly need to start out as a beginner you are already 10k plus ( depending on the cost of the lenses ) into your budget just for a starter camera and its kit. I am just looking to start on a budget with as much bang for my buck as possible and then practice my technique and slowly gain experience to find myself as a filmmaker while I figure out what way I want to go and save up for the additional equipment I will eventually need throughout that process. I am not really looking for the glamour and cash etc but I find it difficult to navigate the youtube flood of videos and information to get to the "real" passion of film making. I want to be in love with the craft before I worry about making any money from it and the whole back office side of things. I think it's developing the love and the passion first that will keep moving me forward through the tediousness of the back end process. Anyway, that is my beef as a hopefully future film maker doing the research before getting started. Thanks for the video. PS please remember to click my affiliate link to those really good set back lights that I highly recommend for you starting out that are only 10 thousand dollars each ! . edits..damn typos..
Hi John Doe, As long a s you ask for an advice on a "beginner-kit", you ard guilty of the cosplayer-syndrome. The best tip I found in 10 or more years watching all of these youtubers, is use what you have (know everything about the ability and disabilitys of that kit)! That sets you up for the necessesary flexibility if you are on shoot. First thing you have to ask, is the story ... the gear comes way later, and sometimes with the people you work together. I m consuming all these tips for so many years now, and yes ... I ve collected gear too... but I struggle to find a story to start with. (I ve done some short clips of mtb-action, climbing and even a shortstory of "Gummibärchen"-reacting to a shadow ... but nothing what I would post anywhere )
Have a back up for the most important things in your kit. This minimizes the risk of halting a full production over a missing screw, lens, camera, light... I mean if you're going to spend serious money in a production, then spend it where it counts. Back ups of the most essential gear. Just sayin"
Well many of the things you mention are actually the work of a producer… yeah they are also filmmakers, but that’s the problem with the concept of a “filmmaker” it’s like saying “I’m an artist”.. yeah.. but what do you do? 😅
And let's not talk about screenwriting, that's something most people think is just a paper that has to be magically ready for you in order to shoot when most of the time you have to write everything yourself before you even dream of pre produce. Theres is no romantic slow motion reel of someone spending years writing a movie.
What nobody ever tells you is that Filmmaking is essentially fruitless, no matter how hard you work. The hardest lesson I've learned, after being a filmmaker for over 20 years, is that no one really cares about you, your ideas, or your films. Unless you are a pre-established name in the business, you will have an exceptionally hard time getting anywhere. It's a very tightly-knit world and it's VERY difficult for new filmmakers with new ideas to ever make a dent. You either have to already come from money, have family in the business (i.e. give your daddy a script and he turns your terrible spoof film into a reality, starring Leslie Nielsen), or get lucky enough to meet someone in the business. I hate to be the Debbie Downer here but it's the cold, hard truth. This is why I stopped caring and started doing it simply for the love of making movies.
I mean I think we've all seen movies.... So we have plenty of examples of what real filmmaking is outside of UA-cam. Solid take though, most of the "UA-cam filmmakers" are just low level commercial producers.
My Feature Film 'The Devil's Fortune' is streaming on Amazon Prime: amzn.to/3AREQNq
I completly agree with you here. 90% of Film making is problem solving. Right from when you get an idea of the story to writing it down to casting crew to getting location to filming it to editing it to marketing. Every little thing is all about problem solving, and honestly that is what makes filmmaking FUN.
great words man. People don’t want to see the hard “boring” side of the work. They want the exciting stuff. In fact, I tried showing the early stages (writing, prepro, scouting etc) of making a short film but not many people gave a shit. 😂
Thank you so much for this upload. I believe a lot of “content creators” don’t understand the difference between filmmakers, and by calling themselves Filmmakers now the term has lost its value.
Omg finally a genuine filmmaker. It boils my blood to see youtubers calling themselves "filmmakers" when in reality they have absolutely ZERO short or feature film under their names. Crreating content is NOT filmmaking.
Honest engaging production is the future.
There is a big difference between getting thousands of views with something that just washes over people (and they forget it after 10 seconds) vs creating something (with care and love) engaging that gets even 10 people to take action.
I once created a video production, with a 5 grand budget - for an audience of ONE! (a supermarket buyer of free range eggs that needed to see how "free range" the hens were- the buyer based in Melbourne- didnt have the time to fly out to Western Australia) - The video had, maybe 5 views maximum but positively influenced a multi million dollar buying decision.
Another video i made (for free as a school parent ) was to encourage parents to sign up to volunteer at a school canteen (they were struggling and maybe had to shut down) - video went live, instant result with the volunteer roster filling up in days - A small, humble, genuine production but more rewarding than 90% of the corporates i do.
There is so much posturing on social media- i can see how it is so difficult for a young, motivated, excited mind to get distracted - if i am honest i am guilty of it myself in the past.
Good on you for pointing this out.
Thanks for the comment. At the end of the day, it about what your work means to you. There have been plenty of legendary directors who have been miserable people, even when they've found success.
Yepp. This needed to be said.
Great vid! I made a budget short film & did everything by myself…and I feel mentally drained from it all, people just don’t realise how much work is involved in it all & I have maximum respect for film makers, I always did, but now even more so !!
I am proud of what I made though, so all the hard work and time spent was worth it, and it was one hell of an experience.
Finally an honest person who tells us the truth. You are absolutely right and I congratulate you for your honesty.
Totally agree with everything you’ve said here and I think it’s an important dose of reality people should watch. Even in the corporate space, there’s now many who can afford quality camera gear but don’t take the proper time and effort to learn how to use it.
Cheers Matt!
Excellent and totally real. I work in the business and there are so many pieces that come together to make a film, even a short one.
Hallelujah! Thank you for being on UA-cam speaking truth so honestly and constructively. I’ve been raging to my girlfriend and friends for months on all the “hidden” things “they” on the Gram and the Tube don’t tell you about filmmaking - it’s a huge effort that is glossed over. As a newbie to the art, I know consider experience and credentials over view count to filter the glitz and genuinely learn.
Great stuff man. I got my start by doing those backflip videos. I quickly burned out on it because I felt like what I was creating was meaningless and a 'flash in the pan' piece of content with no real purpose. I've since transitioned into proper set work in the camera department. I have noticed that there is a lot of sitting at my desk, reaching out to potential clients, emailing, planning, and oftentimes very long periods of downtime between jobs. It can be super discouraging compared to how "easy" it was to just drive to a scenic location and shoot everything in slow-mo.
I get really frustrated when these "filmmaker" influencers seem to be idolized when all they do is review gear and shoot montages of slow-motion footage.
This video nails it!
the missing screw, every time I said that... some people thinks its far-fetched..... thanks man!!!
Film product reviewer vs actual film maker. Big difference! There are big name “filmmaker” channels that are click baity new product review channels that are slaves to the algorithm.
So true and to be honest glad someone like yourself has told the audience the truth I’m not a filmmaker like yourself but in my industry as a wedding photographer/videographer I see the same glamorised impression of what we do on UA-cam when the reality is very different and it gives people wishing to take up the career the wrong idea which then leads to their downfall and disappointment when they find out you spend twice maybe three times the amount of time getting clients arranging the day emailing checking equipment and editing re-editing changes the client wants and delivering the final product than actually shooting the event never mind the insurance /logistics of the business. Thank you for talking about the realities of the career you have chosen. Gives me an idea for a talk on my UA-cam channel.
Thanks. I still think this is one of the best jobs around, but it's still a job :)
@@Crimsonengine It is even though the job can be hard it is so rewarding.
Thank you for this! So many youtubers who show their "set" as they explain how they usecamera and light but what are they shooting?? Definitely not ads, not shortfilm, not a musicvideo... They're definitely cosplaying
Awesome video. Couldn’t agree more. And yes, the process is worth it. You’ve finished something you started. Then it is shared with the world.
Well said, and it is 10000% true. Love your work. Going to watch your film tonight!
Thanks for this Ribidium - needed to be said!
I’ve been doing this for 35 years and I can completely attest to the truth you are telling here. It’s a grind to no end, but when it works it is all worth it.
The first thing I started to do was to work (and still working) on building a revenue stream. I have the mechanism in place, now it's time to market! No revenue, no film...
Thank you for making this. I always found "filmmaker" a helpful term to introduce myself with because it encapsulates writing/directing/editing/producing, etc., but unfortunately it's lost its meaning. If I tell someone I'm a filmmaker now, I have to specify that I'm not a "content creator," and create actual narrative productions with screenplays and shot-lists.
Funny thing is, even real filmmakers aren't "filmmakers" because most movies are shot on digital now. But UA-camrs just bend that term too far.
YES !! Oh man, you are so right. I've been shooting on and off since 1985 and I'm so sick of these young kids reviewing cameras by shooting in an exotic location or national park with thier girlfriend . And of course not only are they getting money from the commercials in the beginning but they have a sponsor. Not one of these guys has tried making a movie with characters. And that's how you know they are full of it. They review the camera ok but the presentation says " I have a great life, I travel, I eat at exotic places, I really know film". No you don't, you know how to go to a beautiful location stand in front of it and shoot it. That's it and anyone can do that.
I’m 24 years old and lemme tell you THIS IS THE BEST COMMENT I HAVE EVER READ NOT A SINGLE LIE WAS TOLD I have been shooting since 2017 professionally picked up my first camera when I was 11 but before I wanted to just Act, Direct, and Write but as I got older I realized my gifted talent to shoot and edit idk what has gotten into my generation I can’t tell you how many videos I’ve seen on here of people doing reviews on cameras I’ve never seen them make a movie with NOTHING so quick to talk about the cameras pros and cons which I’m sure they researched wrote it down on a script for their “review video” and the sad part is those type of lame videos get so many views and they get paid and like you said they get sponsors and then they travel the world thinking they’re a filmmaker cuz like you said they found a nice spot to take a video at which ANYONE CAN DO ive at least attempted to make movies with characters they’re not the best but hey IM PROUD FOR STILL DOING IT shows my passion it’s beyond the money yes I want to make money doing this for a living but in due time it’ll come I’m young like I can be your son aha I’m young I’m in no rush and want to LEARN more as a i progress as a FILMMAKER like good example I own the Black Magic 6K Pro most of the videos covering this camera are TERRIBLE REVIEW VIDEOS and they neglect the camera a lot I don’t see any MOVIES made with the camera on here like you said they’re so full of it but hey it’s just like the music world labels sign artists with 0 talent but somehow they make millions
@@EDJK_ what you do is the hard stuff but you are learning from the experience. It's the get your hands dirty experience as compared to "I'm reviewing the sony a7siii here in Amsterdam using my drone shots - isn't it beautiful here doesn't my footage shot at 11 am on a mostly sunny day look great ? "
Unfortunately the new easy access to great technology has let people kind of skip ahead a bit missing vital knowledge. A lot of these kind of people who have been trained by UA-cam come with a hefty ego, and a lack of set etiquette, and that's really sad. I came out of film school when I was 18, went straight into post assistant jobs, and tried to get any set jobs I could. Skilled up in editing, asked questions of everyone on shoots about the decisions they were making and what influenced them, learned as much from my peers as possible, and just kept pushing in the direction I wanted to get to. I've worked as a filmmaker full time for the last 15 years. Tools didn't get me where I am, people need to stop worrying about what cameras UA-camrs use and just make stuff.
How long did it take you to land a post production job after school?
@@nitevibe9886 I got an edit assistant gig about a month after, my film school (which is sadly gone due to lack of gov funding in Australia) really was helpful in finding placements for people and had a good standing in the industry. I did some part time edit assistant work, spent my nights working in TV promo editing, eventually got a gig at a studio, and have bounced all over, working for agencies, directly for big companies, made lots of TV commercials and worked on documentary projects.
This information is gold! I wishthis video came out like a year ago when I was being watching these videographers calling themself filmmakers
Nailed it. Such a good breakdown. Love the footage of Devil’s Fortune at the end too. 🤙🏽
Like you (I think) I started in this business working on commercials. From a PA to a grip, to production manager then producer and now director. It's obvious to me watching many UA-camrs that they've never really been in that world. Which is fine. I can still enjoy their content. I'm wondering though if you feel the same way I do. After working on commercials for so long and not owning ANY of the work I create, I felt the need to start making work that I owned (at least owned a part of it). So I made my first feature film. We'll see how that goes. Take care.
BRAVO!!!!!!!! the must HONEST AND REAL video I ever seen about these reality.... I have 20 years working near film crews, post-production and getting the final result fast inside the budget for the client and must of the youtubers (almost all in L.A.) showing tips, opinions and reviews of expensive tool are FAKE and dont represent the priorities in everyday job.
They describe and show these market like a game for pretencious childrens with expensive toys.
Your video is PERFECT!!!!!...
great vid, glad someone is saying this
Thumbs up !!! -that someone speaks out.
Thank you for giving an honest, realistic portrait of what it is like to work in the film industry. I'm sure that Brit Marling would totally agree with you. I think what you are pointing to is that the primary attitude towards this work is to love the process itself, even the hassles and stuff that goes wrong. The glamour accounts for maybe 1% of the job; the rest is sheer hard work. And the only way to survive that is to love it.
absolutely right 🙌🏽 I only do it as a hobby and I find it extremely difficult.
A lot of people think I'll buy a camera, take two or three short fancy sunset shots and call myself a filmmaker. There's a reason for each area to have extra professionals. 🙈
I've been wanting to make a tiny scifi film for over a year and things are constantly being postponed, the weather isn't right, the location has to be changed, the light isn't right, the actors don't have time and, sound isn’t right and those are just a few things.
Above all, everyone says storytelling is everything, but most of them don't have a story :/
No, it's just about, the camera does it, this mic is better than that, my CameraRig XY and so on, too bad :(
Great to have your reality check. Thank you.
As someone who occupies various roles in the camera department on many sets of varying budgets,thank you for speaking against the myth that’s purported around the tubes
Beautifully put.
Facts right here, it ain't all waterfalls and sunsets.
Great video Crimson. You're right, there's so much behind of being a filmmaker. Cheers!
Very realistic content. As far as the screw for the camera plate is concerned, I am so concerned about losing one that I carry extras. The lesson of this story is: redundancy will save your life.
Great video, I've always thought the same thing about those UA-camrs trying to sell a class 🤦♂
I have a class 😅 www.canonmasterclass.com
Bought The Devil's Fortune and just watched it. Really enjoyed the movie.
I think the people you are referring to are not film makers: they are cinematographers. They are obsessed with image and lighting and "cinema", not the actual details of making films. Just getting cool shots
Honesty is great so this vid is great.
I am a full time filmmaker specializing in corporate video production. I am not a freelancer. I own a production company, which means overhead, business insurances, website and advertising expenses, employees, contractors, attorneys, etc. I would love to spend more time behind the camera, but the reality is that 80 percent of what I do is business and marketing and 20 percent is showing up and shooting it. Being solely an artist is not enough to pay the bills and generate revenue. I am a business man who is a filmmaker. I spend time marketing, following up on leads and phone calls and generating and closing proposals for production dates. Because it’s mainly talking heads with my camera on a tripod, I don’t get the opportunity to film a girl in 60 fps doing a backflip into a waterfall. I got into this like everyone else (as a hobby) but paying thousands of dollars for gear and not monetizing it makes no sense to me. Turning my passion into profit is a what motivates me.
sincerely thank you for this.
This dude speaks the truth! Filmmaking is about making films not about gear reviews, editing tips or vlogging your lifestyle. But those gear reviewers and vloggers still call themself filmmakers.
Great video. I live in Brisbane-Australia and I’m run my own business as a video producer. I totally agree with you.
Most of the time I’m sit in front of my laptop working on the business side.
Hours and hours.
Couldn't agree more. Filming is 99 percent other stuff than filming!!
So far I’ve found that the hardest thing to do is to successfully transport gear from point A to point B without forgetting or losing a single item. On the shoots I’ve been on it’s been a light battery and an HDMI cable. Thankfully the film I’m shooting takes place in my house so everything stays put. But on my producers personal film that we’ve been shooting he had to drive 30-40 minutes back to his house to get an actors hat and another light. Even if your prepared, transporting gear is a nightmare
TNice tutorials is much more simple than I thought with you explaining it. Currently half way through and I feel like I know everytNice tutorialng already lmao
yeah. usually when people say "I want to become a film director" they have in mind either being a scriptwriter or cinematographer (best case, often just the camera work) but they don't know it yet.
Totally agree. Nice vid.
Great video! Really important information on the reality of working in the industry.
I’m trying to get those points across in any kit reviews I do, sadly the only way to get traction on UA-cam.
There needs to be more focus on how to succeed as a business in the industry, big or small, rather than trends and inappropriate equipment. I’m always amazed by the number of freelancers who have get some impressive one off clients but fail to build a strong regular income.
Valuable information!!
The producer/director/writer part is not talked about enough. I think your content is different in this regard. All the BTS posts about Devil's Fortune were an excellent look into what it is like to grind out the finished product. It is also relevant to commercial and other creative film/video work. Thank you for putting this video out.
Thanks Micah! Devils Fortune is out Friday! apple.co/3K3Mc3f
This was awesome and honest, thanks
😂😂😂😂😂😂 about time someone Say Something 🙏 You are The Man Grisom 👍👍💪💪 .
There is no shortcut in filmmaking of photography it is hard work long hours it Takes a years to Master . and you are Absolutely right 💪
I've delivered 7 narrative feature films to a Hollywood studio. And all from my basement office in Horseshoe Valley Ontario.
I started my UA-cam channel with hopes of becoming a filmmaker who would make it in Hollywood. Even though I'm now working towards that goal in the real world, it has never been far from the truth when it comes to the UA-cam side of things.
i hate how true this is - kudos sir
Filmmaking is a process - it's a creative definite process where you have most credibility accountability rather than financial systems which is concerned about producers job
Go for details - if not they will haunt you
Pre-production - location casting script clients
It's all about making a film - not just insta reels
It's all about schedules,plans,details,process,tasks, responsibility,creativity,negotiating with producer and connecting with audience
Best video I've watched recently.
More to come!
Speaking Truth..
Amazing !
Hello sir. Is cpl filter is very important for film making ?
That is definitely true 👍🏻 but my passion is filmmaking 😉 I have a normal work and filmmaking is not a business for me, but a nice balance that I value very much 👍🏻🎥
...and the one man band model doesn't really work professionally. I did it for years but could only get to certain level, maybe 35K a year or so
i have made it work - but i also collaborate with other shooters in order to scale up. You end up wearing a lot of hats - script, shoot, direct, sound, edit - Pr with clients. But it can be done.
The best production is generally done with a team though for sure where a bunch of good people can smash out their best work in their field.
@@reflexfilms I did that on occasion too but only say 7% of the time, the other 93% was just me filling all the roles. The other issue I clearly had was that my prices were too low to account for the time BETWEEN jobs.
I can totally relate to be absolutely sick of videos, once the final edit is complete.
These days, the majority of my time is spent adjusting audio levels, in post. A compressor does an adequate job with the dialogue. However, the noise from transmission parts/tools being dropped (and/or moved around) on a metal bench, is more than a compressor can handle. Unfortunately, the dialogue mic is picking up this extra noise (spikes). My current solution involves me going through the entire video and manually adjusting the noise from the bench. Not smart...
I'm right in the middle of testing new methods.
"It's not over until I win." (Les Brown)
Hey! I've had a lot of success in Resolve adding Multiband compressor than using the 'auto speech' mode in the noise reduction filter. Worth a try!
@@Crimsonengine I'll check it out! Thanks for sharing!
Lighting at 6:08
Interesting video post. I think the culture has changed as far as film makers go. Obviously you are a genuine nuts and bolts film maker. But in this society of Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, and UA-cam the traditional film has its place but so does the little short of someone going out with their smartphone and seeing if they can piece something together that someone will watch just to watch. The social media platforms have people watching people play video games on UA-cam, so it might not be that a lot of people are fooled about what it takes to be a film maker, but it might be that it doesn’t matter so much. An example is I pay $12 to go see a major movie production and I have high expectations on the film, but I can watch anything on UA-cam or Instagram free. There is a difference.
Thanks for making REAL videos!
oh and don't forget about the hours and hours of editing and also the R&Ds 😃😃😃
So dam true. 100%.
EXACTLY!
What if I say that the only way to have a time to do that special thing(making a movie) without having to worry about all that is to enter short film competition where even their rules of entry regards you as the original creator of your craft am I right?
FACTS FACTS FACTS!!!
Thanks for sharing your insight.
What video editing software should a person who wants to get into this business be most fluent with?
Davinci Resolve. It's free. Premiere crashes constantly for the privilege of paying $30 a month.
@@Crimsonengine Thank you Sir for taking time to reply, I think that is awesome of you.
Thank you so much Mr. Crimson for doing this video. Say, what's your name anyway ? I feel kinda disrespectful calling you not by your name. You are doing an enormous service by telling filmmakers on UA-cam "The Truth," about the reality of professional film production. A thousand thank yous for taking up this theme Sir 👍. The one here on UA-cam which I find rather upsetting is a series of commercials by this one dude who tells you you can be a professional colourist if you just get this software, and his one day course, and you can use whatever equipment you have, and that anyone can do it. Oh yeah, anyone can be a colourist ? Really ? If this is so, then why do producers hire a professional colourist and pay them thousands of dollars to perform image and density, and colour correction on their features if anyone can do it ? If anyone can do it, then why don't producers just cut costs and do it themselves ? Dudes with cool gear seems to be the norm here on the tube, but is that commercial film production ?
😍 awesome finally i agreed to someone ..i also wants to be filmmaker
THANK YOU.
If you want to become a filmmaker watch Interviews with Rober Rodriguez or Christopher Nolan, or Darren Arronofsky. How they shot their first films for 4000 or 40.000 Dollar. Avoid all "Tech UA-camrs" who talks about image stabilisation 8bit, 10bit and all that BS. If you want to shoot film. Get the camera with the most Dynamic Range. For under 2000 bucks that would the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras. Learn how to use them. Watch 1 or 2 videos. Done. Write a script, film something. Learn how Roger Deakins light a scene. You can learn that in 1 hour. Don't watch 100 hours of cameras and lenses and gears.
If you want to learn about film editing or color. WATCH movies. Real movies. And see how they are graded, or how often they cut, when they cut. How is the light, etc. It is all "in" the movie. Don't watch some nerd sitting in a tiny room with a stupid neon light in the background. Avoid UA-camrs who do stupid faces for the thumbnails and talk about camera camera camera. McKinnon, Gerald Undone, and so on... avoid!
Harsh, but I like opinions not wishy washy platitudes :)
I have certainly thinned down my initial list that began three years ago, of top ten UA-camrs. They gave me some inspiration to get excited and get out there myself - BUT, if I could only provide one caution, a lot of them are presenting an idealistic LIFESTYLE of a highly successful videographer. Picking up coffees or towing power sports toys in their $60K trucks, playing with gear they have no time for, walking around work spaces with nobody doing anything. I can't find where they ever go out on their own or with a small crew to make any actual productions anymore.
My personal challenge is to hold the interest of the people I want to profile. They are interesting because of what they do but they don't see it as worth my time or theirs to accommodate recording it in an organized manner.
@@charlieross-BRM On of the "best filmmaker" youtube channel is Ponyshmasher. It is the channel by F. Sandberg. Guy who directed Shazam! and some other big movies. He talks about cameras and "problem solving" and filmmaking itfels. .I highley recommend it.
I had a missing screw almost ruin a documentary shoot on the first day too!
bravo. well said.
Working your way up from a P.A will definitely change a persons perspective of the industry. 😅It's definitely not all slow motion, and epic landscapes.
Facts (and I’m only a minute in)
Can someone please tell me what is that white thing the guy holding there ? And what is the use of it ? Please i need help.
Which white thing?
@@Crimsonengine i am sorry i forget to mention. 4.29
It is reflector , it is used for reflecting sunlight during filming.
Well it pays to be the boss and I am not bragging about money but I will say this and this is why the producer makes more because it pays to be the boss. This is why a lot of people would rather work for someone else or just be the actor instead of the producer.
I'm looking at beginning to shoot shorts in the future but I'm not under any illusion as to the process. Still I'd like to give it a go. I see all the "hard" stuff as the foundation to making a film. The real problem I am finding is trying to get some real feedback on youtube as to the best budget camera a person should get starting out as their initial workhorse BUT everyone has dif advice, everyone has dif plus' and min's and of course it seems everyone has a film COURSE to peddle. There doesn't seem to be any industry "standard" . As a person who wants to give it a go I am looking for starting on a budget and what's important but I can see the unfortunate influx of making cash from the avalanche of film makers /reviewers on youtube. By the time you would purchase all the gear you supposedly need to start out as a beginner you are already 10k plus ( depending on the cost of the lenses ) into your budget just for a starter camera and its kit.
I am just looking to start on a budget with as much bang for my buck as possible and then practice my technique and slowly gain experience to find myself as a filmmaker while I figure out what way I want to go and save up for the additional equipment I will eventually need throughout that process. I am not really looking for the glamour and cash etc but I find it difficult to navigate the youtube flood of videos and information to get to the "real" passion of film making.
I want to be in love with the craft before I worry about making any money from it and the whole back office side of things. I think it's developing the love and the passion first that will keep moving me forward through the tediousness of the back end process.
Anyway, that is my beef as a hopefully future film maker doing the research before getting started.
Thanks for the video.
PS please remember to click my affiliate link to those really good set back lights that I highly recommend for you starting out that are only 10 thousand dollars each ! .
edits..damn typos..
Hi John Doe,
As long a s you ask for an advice on a "beginner-kit", you ard guilty of the cosplayer-syndrome. The best tip I found in 10 or more years watching all of these youtubers, is use what you have (know everything about the ability and disabilitys of that kit)! That sets you up for the necessesary flexibility if you are on shoot.
First thing you have to ask, is the story ... the gear comes way later, and sometimes with the people you work together.
I m consuming all these tips for so many years now, and yes ... I ve collected gear too... but I struggle to find a story to start with.
(I ve done some short clips of mtb-action, climbing and even a shortstory of "Gummibärchen"-reacting to a shadow ... but nothing what I would post anywhere )
Just read Robert Rodriguez „Rebel without a crew“. This is the way.
Have a back up for the most important things in your kit. This minimizes the risk of halting a full production over a missing screw, lens, camera, light... I mean if you're going to spend serious money in a production, then spend it where it counts. Back ups of the most essential gear. Just sayin"
Good stuff
Well many of the things you mention are actually the work of a producer… yeah they are also filmmakers, but that’s the problem with the concept of a “filmmaker” it’s like saying “I’m an artist”.. yeah.. but what do you do? 😅
100% right
this is filmmaking, not the videography bs most UA-camrs push
Hire me, I'm working on my filmmaking, but feeling stuck...
You're only a real filmmaker if you've been sued at least once and got through it.
And let's not talk about screenwriting, that's something most people think is just a paper that has to be magically ready for you in order to shoot when most of the time you have to write everything yourself before you even dream of pre produce. Theres is no romantic slow motion reel of someone spending years writing a movie.
this is very relatable as a filmmaker myself.
This is quite informative. Thank you very much.
What nobody ever tells you is that Filmmaking is essentially fruitless, no matter how hard you work. The hardest lesson I've learned, after being a filmmaker for over 20 years, is that no one really cares about you, your ideas, or your films. Unless you are a pre-established name in the business, you will have an exceptionally hard time getting anywhere. It's a very tightly-knit world and it's VERY difficult for new filmmakers with new ideas to ever make a dent. You either have to already come from money, have family in the business (i.e. give your daddy a script and he turns your terrible spoof film into a reality, starring Leslie Nielsen), or get lucky enough to meet someone in the business. I hate to be the Debbie Downer here but it's the cold, hard truth. This is why I stopped caring and started doing it simply for the love of making movies.
I mean I think we've all seen movies.... So we have plenty of examples of what real filmmaking is outside of UA-cam. Solid take though, most of the "UA-cam filmmakers" are just low level commercial producers.