Do You Need 4K in 2022, Saving vs Investing Your Profits, Transitioning From Weddings to Commercial Filmmaking [Ep209]

Podcast

Aug 16

We're discussing whether or not you need a 4K camera in 2022; Transitioning yourself from a wedding filmmaker to a commercial filmmaker; How you should invest your money and how you should save your money, and Capturing b-roll for documentary shoots.

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On this episode of the Miami video podcast, do you need a 4k camera in 2022? How to transition from weddings to documentary filmmaking? How much of your profits should you be investing in your business versus saving and much more? Here we go.
Welcome back to another episode of the Miami video podcast. My name's Ariel Martinez. And we have more questions here on episode 208. Now I've done more episodes than this, but some of them, I have not counted due to the kind of, uh, episode it is. So really we're like, we've done a little bit more than that, but this is officially episode 208.
I'm sorry. And nine, 209, I think. Oh man, it's been a long. , trying to balance back into this. So here we go. Let's get back to your questions. Question number one. Uh, I'm just starting out. Do I need a 4k camera or is an HD only camera? Good enough. Ooh. Uh, a couple years ago, a couple years ago, I probably would've had a different answer to this, but I think now in 2022, Uh, there is no camera that has come out in the last several years.
That is not 4k. Right. And these, you know, these cameras have, have been relatively affordable, um, at this point. And I don't think that there is any reason why if you're going to invest in the camera in 2022, that you would not be getting a 4k camera. , that's not to say that if you had a HD camera that you couldn't do good work.
It's just to say that there's no reason for it. Uh, 4k just gives you a lot more flexibility. Additionally, why would you put yourself in a position where if a client is asking for 4k, you have no ability ability to do so. There's just no reason for it. And I only say that because the affordability of these cameras that are coming out.
are just ridiculous. Very, very affordable. Even starting with your phone. If you already have a phone, chances are your phone shoots 4k. So there's no reason why you should not be having a 4k, uh, capable camera. Um, there, there have been many times where I've been on set and, um, uh, and I'm, I'm either shooting for myself or shooting a, a small project for the church.
And I just wanted to keep the setup very, very light and simple. Knowing that I'm shooting an interview in 4k allows me to, to basically simulate a second camera shot by punching into the 4k I'm delivering in 10 ADP, but the 4k gives me that flexibility. Um, so that's just one of many ways to do it. And really the most important thing is that your client is probably going to be requesting it at this point.
And, um, So I, I don't think that there is any reason to not have a 4k camera in 2022. So that's just, uh, my 2 cents. So if you're gonna invest, definitely invest in 4k. I shoot a lot of weddings, but I want to start tapping into more commercial work, like documentaries, such as the ones that you shoot, uh, what is the best way to start to get started on that?
So the best way to start doing it and yeah, shooting weddings is something. I, I never, you know, that's something that you could, it's very lucrative. You could make a lot of money shooting weddings. Uh, but if you're like me, like it is just redundant for me. And that's kind of why early on. I decided, you know, I definitely want to go the, the commercial route, but, um, you know, the best way to start going into shooting the things that you wanna shoot is to shoot the things that you wanna.
Uh, don't wait for a client to ask you for that thing that you wanna start shooting. Uh, you should just like starting your business. You should have samples already. Uh, so go get those samples, go and create a documentary, go shoot something. I, I I've done several. Um, and each time I do it, it's a learning process for me.
Uh, you make your mistakes and you learn from that. The best thing to do is to make mistakes when this mistakes don't matter so that when you are getting paid and there is risk involved, you're not making those mistakes, cuz you've already done it. And you've already learned from. So you wanna make sure that you're, you're, you're doing the work that you wanna do so that when the client comes and says, Hey, have you shot this before?
It's like, absolutely. I've shot this before. So, and, and, you know, get a variety of them. So do the, do the videos that you want to do so that you may get hired to shoot those types of videos? How much of my money should I be investing in new equipment and how much should I save for the business? That really depends on.
And how, how fast do you kind of want to grow? So, um, and or how conservative you want to be in my case, I had always, and really, it depends on your situation. Um, at the time, like you're, you're living, uh, situation, your finances and your family, and just make sure that you, you know, you're providing, if you have to.
When I first started, uh, I was living with my parents still, uh, I didn't have too many expenses, so I was able to really get the money that I was making and reinvested into the business, get all the gear that I needed and, and whatnot. And I was, I was able to be. Relatively aggressive with growing my kit and, and, and, you know, in, in that way, I'm investing into the business and, and all that.
I really didn't do so much saving. Uh, and, and to, to be honest, I'm not doing it now. So really I'm working to sort of, uh, to, to, to invest in the business and to kind of get my own salary and, and all that stuff. But, um, But it, it really depends on you and how you want to grow. Um, I've always wanted basically the latest and greatest, uh, equipment, and I always was very aggressive in, in, in making those purchases and in making those inve investments.
But that's, you know, I, I don't want to, um, I don't want to give too much financial advice just because. Uh, I, I, I, I gotta tell you, I'm not the best to ask that, you know, I'm just giving you my method and it base, it worked for me. I've always had what I needed and I'll be honest. And, you know, sometimes I I've made investments that I shouldn't have made, or maybe I pulled the trigger on something too soon.
Uh, but you know, at the end it always worked out for me. Uh, so you really have to, uh, make those decisions yourself. It's a lot different now. Actually, I, I, I don't make. Uh, as much spontaneous, uh, purchases, because you know, now I'm married and, and all that stuff. So it, it's very different in my situation at this point in time.
So you need to evaluate your situation at this point in time and see if it's a worthwhile investment on certain, uh, on certain, uh, equipment and, and, you know, making, uh, business investments or, or just saving. So. Uh, it, it's a very, it's a very tricky one and I don't wanna lead anyone down the wrong path.
How much B roll do you normally capture for a one to two minute documentary? I mean, that, that is very, very subjective because it, I mean, it depends on the kind of story that you're telling, you know, if it's, uh, You know, a lot of energy, a lot of fast cuts. You're gonna need a lot of B roll, uh, for those cuts.
Um, if you're not going to be using slow motion, you're gonna need even more B roll. Um, and or if it's a very low pace, slow type of story with slow music and slow motion bureau, uh, you know, you don't have to capture as much. So it really depends. Um, the best thing to do is to, I guess, gain the experience.
Just do it. You get, these are one of the things that I mentioned in, in the previous, um, question there about shooting your own documentaries to shooting your own films. I, I learned so much, there have been many times where I was shooting, uh, interview and I shot and I, and I pieced together the interviews only to find out I don't have enough B-roll to, to fit the entire story.
So I've had to go and back and, and, and shoot more. B-roll I've had to get stuff from online. , but I learned now I have a better understanding of what it's gonna take, how much B-roll. So the best thing to do is to really kind of shoot yourself and not shoot yourself, but shoot a documentary yourself and, and go in and, and, and see the amount of B roll that you're the type of B-roll capture the type of, B-roll the type of shots that you want, that you can envision.
Uh, for the story and then basically, uh, piece all of that together and see how much you have left over. Um, now definitely you don't wanna overshoot, but you really don't wanna undershoot. If you have to pick one, overshoot is the way to go, but, uh, you definitely do not want to undershoot that's that would, that would suck a lot.
So that's what I recommend, how much pre-production goes into a standard interview. B roll. So for me, the, my clients call me to do the interview B roll type of productions, more likely than. I'm only the DP on this. Uh, the only pre-production I really need is to see the space that we're gonna be shooting as the director of photography.
I want to see what light I have to work with, where the windows are at, uh, and sometimes how the sound is basically. And also, you know, how much space we have to work with to see what lighting I can bring, what lighting I have to bring versus what lighting I need to bring. Uh, I'm sorry, versus what lighting I can bring.
Um, you know, sometimes. It's too tight. So I can't bring my, uh, my one 20 parabolic dome, which is huge. This is my biggest essentially light modifiers. Uh, but I cuz I need a lot of space for that. Um, um, but it it's a tight space. I have smaller dome, uh, soft boxes. I also, if it's even smaller, I'm gonna have to use some L E D panels with some small diffusion or I could just.
RGB tubes my, um, or my L E D tube, same thing. And, and, and just use the available space that I have and somehow modify the light to soften it up on the skin or whatever. But, um, you know, some places you that's pretty much the only pre-production that I kind of do the client typically, already has an idea of what they want to capture when I get hired.
So again, these are. My own projects that I'm doing, I'm doing someone else's project that they're hiring me just to be the DP for. So that's really all the pre-production that I do. If it fits their budget, I would normally go to the site, to the shoot location and. Kind of scout it myself and, um, and, and I can, that would be the best case scenario.
Uh, if not, if it doesn't fit their budget, I always ask, ask them to they, if they can send me a picture of the location and, or we could do a, I have no problem doing a zoom call with them. I've done it before. And. They're walking through the location and I can see kind of what we have to work with. So, uh, that is essentially the pre-production planning that I do for, for, uh, for my regular standard, uh, interview B shoots.
So that's all the time that we have for this episode. Number 2 0 9. Thank you guys for stopping by and sending your questions once again. Uh, don't forget you. Like this episode, you can subscribe to this episode, leave us a comment. Uh, you could follow the, the podcast at Miami video services. You can follow myself at Ariel Martinez dot Jr for dot Jr.
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I really enjoy this. So until next time, uh, we'll see you on the next episode later.