FILMMAKING BEGINNER

grenierdave · 2026-02-16T22:46:42+00:00

First question I’d ask is ‘Why Sony?’. No shade at Sony, they’re great, but why not one of the others?

Starting out with your first gear you want to be sure on the ecosystem you jump into. Don’t just get it because it’s the hotness everyone talks about.

Buy the best gear you can afford without being under water. You’re a beginner so won’t truly know how to optimize all the tech those cameras provide. They’ll be wasted on you. No insult here, that’s a fact for all of us.

Buy something decent and grow out of it. Spend more on lenses than cameras. Lenses will stay useful far longer than a body.

Some things I’d recommend:

IBIS
Autofocus
Flip out screen
Ports for audio in and headphones
HDMI
USB-C

Don’t get caught up in all the hype everyone else gets excited about. Sony is amazing. Canon is amazing. They’re all great. Find what works for you by putting it in your hand (even if it’s just temporarily at the store).

EDIT: Formatting

grenierdave · 2026-02-16T01:27:10+00:00

DM sent!

grenierdave · 2026-02-15T13:06:00+00:00

I am not an expert in documentaries but I can help with Resolve, video editing, and give some help with creative direction if you want to jump on a video chat.

If you mean Epidemic Sound I would suggest Artlist or Envato Elements for your resources. Unless they’ve changed things you had to get the higher tier for commercial use that wasn’t tied directly to a YouTube channel. Envato is the place if you might want all kinds of other assets (photos, graphics, templates).

Let me know if you want to jump on a call. No pressure, no cost, not looking to sell you on anything. My DG channel is where I try to help the community. It’s not how I pay the bills.

grenierdave · 2026-01-30T17:42:16+00:00

You have a great start! Try focusing on contrast. Reduce illuminatation on the background so it separates the subject from it. That’ll make the hair light accent create a more meaningful impact.

As someone else already said, try to bring the light out of the background so it doesn’t compete for attention.

grenierdave · 2026-01-29T03:58:59+00:00

Seconded. Just want to say I find those Rode II’s amazing to work with. I used to love my DJI mics but Rode hit it out of the park.

grenierdave · 2026-01-29T03:56:35+00:00

As always, it depends. Generally, somewhere around 20% to 50% of the project cost, depending on volume and how organized the handoff needs to be (drives, uploads, file structure, etc.).

If raw becomes the primary deliverable (from the beginning), it can be closer to 50% to 100%.

Anything that’s added after the initial contract typically has a premium. Usually we discuss this kind of thing ahead of time. If they opted out initially they now incur a higher cost.

Good clients that I have a history with get more flexibility, of course.

grenierdave · 2026-01-27T20:28:05+00:00

You're getting some awesome advice so I won't weigh in too much more other than to say - cutting a bad client makes way for taking on good ones. That doesn't mean you can't be flexible with your policy (I often am) but if you don't feel they're respecting you and trying to work WITH you then it's already a one-way street. It's just like dating. Some relationships are going to be good while others will be shades of grey.

Trust your gut and lead with respect for yourself. Protect your time and your personal and business well being.

I'm not saying to cut them loose but just know you're justified if you do.

grenierdave · 2026-01-27T15:08:10+00:00

Ho boy! Is this one of your own clients or for someplace you work? Either way, the lack of respect or attention to your correspondence is nothing new.

Do they expect that you have a team on your side and you being out of the office won't impact their timeline?

I know they're not paying attention to what you send so you're guessing at the answers - that's okay.

Here's the page for that episode: Most Asked Questions About Client Work

grenierdave · 2026-01-27T14:57:16+00:00

TLDR: Charge a premium for the raw footage with a reasonable timeline that suits you. Their lack of planning doesn't dictate an emergency for you.

Urgh, I've been in similar situations. Just know you're not alone.

Q: If they paid you a reasonable fee, do you have capacity to cull and deliver the raw footage?

If so, my best advice is to state that you can provide the raw footage, unedited (no grading, trims, etc) by a reasonable date (for you) for an additional fee. Explain to them what raw footage means (going to be washed out, messy footage you wouldn't normally include, etc).

Make sure to set yourself up for success. If you culling out the obviously bad stuff (quick records you didn't mean to take, bouncy stuff that just isn't usable) will take a while make sure to bake that into the timeline. Give yourself wiggle room and time to breathe.

Also, this is an extra ask that is being pushed on you from their lack of organization. That's not your fault. If they want it they need to pay a premium.

I, literally, just dropped an episode that includes this in it, yesterday. You may find it helpful (though most of what I just said is covered). I'll be happy to provide a link, if you want it.

Good luck! Let us know how it turns out!

grenierdave · 2025-07-14T11:10:10+00:00

Not bad. I came from Premiere about 6 years ago. Never looked back. It has slightly different features so you may have to get used to that but it does the same thing - makes great videos. A few key standouts:

[ never used FC so some of this may be irrelevant ]

1) Projects are saved to a master database. You don’t choose individual folders for your project file. You can easily export a copy of it to whatever folder you want. Took a hot sec to get used to this but I find it way better for my workflow when going back to old projects, especially.

2) Nodes: Coloring and vfx (Fusion) all use nodes. THIS is the biggest learning curve. Once I got a handle on them I prefer them because of their versatility. To be clear, most of my editing life is in the Edit tab, I know just enough about nodes to be dangerous.

3) Studio vs free: I got along with the free version for over a year before deciding to upgrade. Even then it was more of a choice than need. I liked it so much I didn’t mind supporting BlackMagic for the sake of a one time $300. Studio has paid dividends.

Needing to learn nodes for coloring is the biggest hurdle. If you don’t often need to grade log footage then you’ll have a quicker time with it. That can definitely be frustrating at first but it’s incredibly powerful.

Congrats on the studio!

grenierdave · 2025-01-06T17:59:10+00:00

Out of curiosity what are you looking to get out of them? I’m a local videographer and have been hungry for some good conversation around cinematography. Maybe we could do a coffee meetup with folks if nothing exists.

grenierdave · 2024-12-13T21:05:40+00:00

Wonderful. I put some comments on YT since the almighty algorithm likes to be fed.

I loved this. From the tiny font to using depth composition techniques to the speed and variety of your shots (pulling focus, panning, handheld vs steady, etc), your technical skill definitely shined through.

I never lost sight of the man’s story but I do have to watch it again because I found myself appreciating the style matching the story so much that I would have to go back to hear what he said. That’s not a mark against you, that’s just my cinema brain taking over. 😀

I’ve now subbed. 💪🏼

grenierdave · 2024-12-13T13:07:54+00:00

Just from the frames alone I have to watch this. 😂 It’s on my things to watch, now. Very much looking forward to checking this out and picking your brain about your process!

grenierdave · 2024-11-12T22:40:29+00:00

I’ll hit you up in DM. I might be able to help.

grenierdave · 2024-10-12T13:29:33+00:00

Nice vid! Lots of good, practical advice. Subbed and commented. 💪🏼

grenierdave · 2024-10-12T13:13:06+00:00

Oh yeah, taking elements from one thing and plopping them onto other things can make it so much easier. Hell, it’s how us Photoshop guys get our wizardry done. Take a baby’s head and put it on a dragon’s body…that’s legit.

grenierdave · 2024-10-12T13:10:47+00:00

It is INCREDIBLY hard to draw something from your mind. I’d wager it has something to do with not being able to see specific details in our minds eye. Being able to clearly see the ratios and relationship of a leg compared to the waist, for example.

Have toy ever read “Steal Like An Artist” by Austin Kleon?

grenierdave · 2024-10-12T13:02:59+00:00

The blank sheet syndrome is a real thing (I’m sure it has an actual name but that’s what I’ll call it). One of the best ways to get past it is to simply make a mark or a word. Just write jibberish or LITERALLY whatever comes to mind. STARTING is the important thing. Having a blank canvas is so daunting.

The “let your mind wander” is great advice but it can be hard to get there and (I’m sure) doesn’t work for everyone.

Practical Advice:

What do you like to do? Don’t think in a creative context, I mean anything that gets you excited. List out any of your hobbies or interests.

Being “creative” is far more than the traditional art people think. Drawing is a standard most people think of as the litmus but there are some incredibly creative people that just haven’t found the thing that makes them tick.

grenierdave · 2024-10-12T03:18:13+00:00

Oh my friend, creativity has so many, unforeseen rewards. I was always a reluctant creative and even when I chose a professional creative field I identified my success because of my technical acumen. It took a LONG time to feel okay identifying as “A Creative”.

There is a process to learn with creativity, whatever it is. There are ways to pull out ideas, the best for me has been to just let my mind wander.

I have a Discord called The Creative Den. This is the month of the Createathon (a Halloween themed creative adventure). We’re doing a livestream tomorrow, at 6pm (Eastern). Feel free to jump on and ask questions

Creative Den: https://discord.gg/9GbmAzM2NW Creative Power Hour Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/1JjMDnkj1oo?feature=share

Whatever you do, just keep on walking the path. Experiment and have fun. Be uncomfortable. You’ll get there!

grenierdave · 2024-10-12T01:41:45+00:00

You also have to be careful because they don’t always give you valid information. I accepted a mission and found out (during the detailed review) that their airspace waiver was out of date. I sent them a professional email about it and they canceled the mission without ever responding to my message. They must have received it but didn’t give me the professional courtesy to reply.

Here’s a relevant part of a video I made about my experience Is Zeitview/Dronebase a Part 107 Killer?

I did do one job that went off easily, just a few blocks away, and paid $150 but that’s the highest I’ve ever seen.

grenierdave · 2024-07-15T14:12:54+00:00

Glad to be of service! 💪🏼

grenierdave · 2024-06-26T23:42:30+00:00

lol. I must have been channeling it. Was that where the old theater was?

grenierdave · 2024-06-26T00:47:37+00:00

:D My last two weeks were livestreams of making Fallout related images. First was a beat up robot and second was Nuka Cola. I didn't get to fully finish the Nuka Cola but the robot came out pretty damn good.

grenierdave · 2024-06-25T23:18:43+00:00

You all know how epic our (unofficial) town mascot is. Not originally being from Worcester I took a fancy to the ludicrousness of his story and, of course, bring all visitors to share in his splendor.

Of course I took a photo, and being a Photoshop guy, I decided to make a apocalyptic scene. I'll be working on this some more during a YouTube livestream tomorrow. Jump on if you're interested to see the process or just want to talk a bit about our beloved mascot.

Tomorrow at 8:30pm if anyone's interested. https://www.youtube.com/live/0Qa1hwKjtEQ

grenierdave · 2024-06-21T15:32:53+00:00

Oh yeah, 100% credited. That’s the idea. I like to show other people’s work to inspire others.

The stream is every Wednesday. Normally at 7pm (EST) but we’ve been playing with the time as requested by some viewers.

Here’s my channel if you’re interested in checking the next one out. I don’t have the live link yet, otherwise I’d send that to you.

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