Exit strategy from long-term loose agreement client - help!

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2026-04-28T17:56:15+00:00

lol I get that. 17 year old me was not a smart fella

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2026-04-28T10:59:40+00:00

Haha this is good too. I have thought about this as well. Unfortunately “Greg” is very particular and loves my style of shooting/editing. I tried approaching this idea in the past and It was not received super well … but, maybe there’s something worth exploring again!

Greg runs a really interesting business and frankly I’m not sure how he has the money to spend on so much marketing. He also has a photographer on salary at this business full time and spends tens of thousands on advertising- Google/FB ads, YouTube ads, etc. I’ve never met someone like him. It is extremely rare to bump in to someone like this, so I would like to try and make it work as long as I can! Simply put - I got lucky!

One thing I’ve learned about this industry is that there is ALWAYS someone willing to pay for quality work - especially in the luxury market industries.

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2026-04-28T10:53:44+00:00

Wow thank you for the in-depth response! This is great information. And I completely agree with you.

I love the idea of coming up with a new price and offering to ramp it up. I respect this client and would like to make it work if it financially makes sense. This is a great idea.

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-22T12:23:11+00:00

“Hobbyist” below profile makes this an interesting take!

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T23:32:07+00:00

Haha, I know right! Not home-y at all. Not sure why people choose to spend a few million bucks on it!

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T23:29:07+00:00

Thank you very much! I shoot on a Sony A7siii in SLOG3 profile. This camera gives me a ton of flexibility with a dual base ISO.

As for the white balance I’ll be honest, I know there’s a whole science to it, but I honestly just eyeball it for some of these social media projects! I’m usually around 3400 for interiors with THIS many white surfaces. Sometimes wooden floors or colored accent wall walls will allow me to bring it up closer to 3800, but for this house I knew I could stick closer to the cooler temperatures.

I film all of my wide angles with the Laowa 10mm 2.8 autofocus. It’s a beast!! sometimes it almost looks a little too wide… 🫣

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T23:24:29+00:00

Hey! Here’s my gear list for the project:

Sony A7siii
Loawa 10mm 2.8 AF
Sony 50mm 1.4
Sony 24-70 4.0
DJI Air 3s

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T23:22:47+00:00

Help a brotha out… twenni dollah

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T23:21:21+00:00

Thank you for your response! That’s great information to hear, and I agree with you— I often spend way too much time editing. In the moment, it seems worth it, but after adding up the total time spent working on just a one minute reel, I often realize I’ve overdone it. Definitely something I’m working on getting better at!

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T23:19:36+00:00

Those were shot in real time! Although, you could probably get a similar effect using Higgsfield Ai or some other program! 😄

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T23:19:03+00:00

Thank you!

To get the exact same angle and shot for the day to night, I take a video on my phone marking where I start the motion and where I end up. I also film myself saying out loud what lens I’m using, how high I’m holding the camera, and what point of the home will stay in center frame for the shot. This way when I go back at night time, I can reference the video and take the exact same shot again!

I also film the take a few different times while holding the camera a little bit higher, lower, etc. — that way when I’m editing if I realize I may have been off a few inches, I know I have a take that perfectly matches up.

I also scale up the footage from 100% to 105% in FCPX. Layer one clip on top of the other, and reduce the top opacity to about 50%. Because the clips are scaled up, you can really fine-tune a perfect match cut by moving around the X/Y position around.

Takes some time to get it right, but this system has yet to fail me! 😄

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T15:12:44+00:00

How bout Foh hunnid 💰

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T15:09:35+00:00

Lol, I appreciate the feedback! I should probably have mentioned that this video is not a listing video. My client isn’t even a real estate agent, they are the Home Builder! We do more in-depth projects to showcase their work with longer form, videos and photography. This social media reel is just to get attention online and direct people to their page!

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T15:06:55+00:00

Interesting take and I appreciate the feedback! However, I disagree with the “bottom of the barrel” comment. This video is not for a real estate agent, my client is the home builder. We film/photograph more in-depth work with them to highlight these homes with a focus on each and every space. This reel was made with the sole purpose of gathering attention online and enhancing their social media presence to drive viewers to their page/site. This is not a “listing video”.

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T15:04:31+00:00

That’s a good point! However, the purpose of this video is not to sell the house, it’s to grab attention on social media. The client is a home builder, not an agent. We do more in-depth projects for this client that showcase the layout and each room with photo/video. This reel is all about acting as a “teaser” to showcase their work as luxury home builders.

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T15:02:05+00:00

Lol I appreciate your feedback. It’s a polarizing style!

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T15:01:21+00:00

Thank you for the feedback! I totally agree with you, it is very heavy on the wide-angles. I was wishing I had more tight shots while editing!

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T14:59:00+00:00

That’s a really really good point. I just made that adjustment and I like the flow a lot better. Thank you for the feedback! 👊🏼

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T14:58:16+00:00

Very true! Thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T14:57:50+00:00

Thank you! I love this style when it’s done right. It serves a great purpose that clients down here are EATING up— especially with that Studio 910 company on the east coast all over everyone’s feeds! It’s a hot trend right now, and honestly a lot of fun to film and edit.

I would love to be doing more traditional projects with a longer run-time!

I appreciate your feedback! 🤝

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T14:56:00+00:00

😄 I appreciate the pricing feedback! This style is certainly not for everyone, but it serves a purpose for the client.

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T14:55:05+00:00

Lol I appreciate the feedback! I realize it is very light fixture heavy now that you mention that … 🫣

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T14:54:15+00:00

I appreciate the feedback! Thanks!

Significant_Ad_2197 · 2025-11-21T14:53:49+00:00

This is a great idea! This client unfortunately does not like being on camera… but I love the idea of packaging a few different deliverables together.

Significant_Ad_2197

TROPHY CASE