Some Advice for First-Time Filmmakers

Posted November 27, 2017

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There has never been a better time to launch a career in film or video. Video content has become highly in demand on both TV and the Internet and there are outlets and platforms around the world starving for video. If you have always wanted to start a career in video, but didn't know where to start, then you have come to the right place.

Traditional thought is that the video industry is hard to break into. People think that there are barriers to entry all around and therefore never take that first step into the world of video production. In reality, all you have to do is start producing work and you would have started your journey to filmmaker. Whether you want to make documentaries, music videos, feature films or anything in between, all you have to do is pick up a camera, learn the basics of shooting, editing, and storytelling, and then just keep working at it and your new career is launched.

It used to be if you wanted a career in video the barriers to entry were very real. Equipment was expensive, there weren't a lot of outlets for your work and most of the jobs were controlled by a few very large and powerful companies. In the age of the internet, all of that has pretty much been turned on its head. Equipment has never been more powerful and cheaper (you can produce 4K broadcast quality video on your smartphone now), there are plenty of places to put your work from the Internet to TV, and any one person can gain a following, make a name for him or herself, and turn that into a well paying career.

If you want to be a filmmaker or video producer there are some things that you should do to elevate yourself from just Facebook video uploader to a professional. The first is training.

Learning how to shoot clean video every time, tell stories, edit and then turn it all into a business is something that you can learn right here at VJ, but on top of that you need experience and a body of work. The best way to learn is from your own triumphs and failures. The more you work, the more you will learn about your style, work-flow, and all the ways to ensure you make a good product every time.

Here with some more advice for filmmakers and video producers just starting out is director Rubidium Wu for his YouTube Channel
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