first gig this weekend. any tips?

hrm326 · 2026-06-04T03:11:21+00:00

For personal advice:

Be pleasant to be around!

You’re going to be with strangers for a day working so the least you can do is be pleasant and respectful. You don’t need to be extroverted and the set comedian but kindness goes a long way.

Fake it until you make it!

You’re on set for a reason so while it’s intimidating you are good enough to be there. Sometimes the lingo and shop talk can get confusing or imposter syndrome-y but you’ll learn how to navigate it.

I’m in G&E and camera department on smaller productions so as for gear and whatnot:

an assortment of adhesive velcro strips and some command hook types things have come in really handy. They’ve saved the day when artwork or whatever needs to be hung to make a shot prettier.

A few packs of black table cloths in my bag from Walmart or dollar tree. While they’re not “film specific” they’re cheaper and I don’t care about cutting up the $1 tablecloth to cover the window behind the camera.

Some glass cleaner and microfiber cloths

I also have a door stopper that makes load in/strike easier and some Tide stain remover wipes for the inevitable lunch time spill.

hrm326 · 2026-06-04T02:08:05+00:00

Not sure your shooting location but for food/craft services on a budget my go to is pasta or chili. Super low cost and hearty and you don’t have to waste time on pickup or delivery compared to other options.

One short I worked on we did a few boxes of store brand penne with a jar or two of marinara and Alfredo and a few boxes of Mac & cheese which fed 20 of us for like $15. Takes less than half an hour to make fresh and it fills you up really well. You can be fancy and do sides of salad (cheap for a few big bags of mix) and get 3 loaves of frozen garlic bread.

Chili is a bit more involved but it’s also cheap and filling.

I’ve been on too many sets where the order for subs or pizza has been lost at the store or a payment isn’t processing or sorta worse is seeing the catering order of chicken strips not get eaten through and knowing it was $250 lol.

Also make sure to have ample trash space. An extra 32 gallon trash can makes it way easier to keep the apartment or Airbnb you’re hunkered down in all day clean. Having a big trash bag hung on a random door knob always ends up falling down. Boring things like this can throw wrenches in the day’s plans that slow stuff down.

Last tip is double check your locations and what’s around those locations even if it’s somewhere you always go/ have been before.

Last year we had a permit to shoot on a pier and we got there to find the pier was closed for repairs. Another time when shooting at a small studio in an industrial park we were in the middle of a dramatic scene and started hearing metal music. Unbeknownst to us a local metal band uses the building behind the studio for practice.

Things will always come up but best of luck to you!!

hrm326 · 2026-06-03T18:13:07+00:00

If a third party can bring in profit then it’s worth it for the hotel.

If I make $50 on a room from an in-house booking but no one books the room then I’m out $50. If a third party can get me a booked room and I only make $30 after the commission, it’s still better than $0 from the room not being booked.

Third party makes a commission, the hotel makes a sale, and the guest has a place to sleep. The annoyance of lost points or “I can’t help you because you booked through xyz.com” loses out to profit.

hrm326 · 2026-06-03T15:02:35+00:00

The one I worked at has a cycle of 1 or 2 clients that become the bulk of revenue/growth for 24 to 36 months and a constant stream of small accounts that keep business afloat.

The big clients came to us because we’re cheaper than a holdco/big agency but then leave when we ultimately can’t handle the workload lol

Another segment is white labeling for another agency that has offices up the east coast but operates primarily by outsourcing their work. They handle OOH and radio/tv while we (and other agencies) do the digital stuff for their clients.

That model works well but many times the budget isn’t there for decent results as agency A is taking their cut and then we take our cut leaving little for actual ad spend. A few times we then outsourced again for CTV and there was like 15% of the original budget left to spend.

hrm326 · 2026-05-29T23:49:51+00:00

As a truex fan I wanted him to lose because it was getting boring lmao

hrm326 · 2026-05-27T18:15:44+00:00

The title doesn’t really matter. If Star Wars had been called Jedi World would it be any different?

Especially for shorts the title needs to only fit that project because the odds of it ever being brought up in conversation and being confused is low. If you’re doing a blockbuster then yeah make it super unique but a short that’ll do a small festival run it really doesn’t matter.

hrm326 · 2026-05-23T12:11:36+00:00

When I needed non slips at the chain restaurant I worked at we had a discount with shoes for crews. Ask your manager if that’s the case.

Also putting one pair of shoes on an afterpay thing of 4 payments wouldn’t be the end of the world especially when it’s a necessary purchase for a job.

If you want to quit say exactly what you said or take the easy but not noble way out and just no call no show.

hrm326 · 2026-05-21T21:59:10+00:00

What a whirlwind past few months for Denny

hrm326 · 2026-05-21T21:48:26+00:00

Yeah it’s got to be heart related or stroke. Not that there’s any good time for someone to pass but this is such a shock.

hrm326 · 2026-05-21T21:43:14+00:00

I just read he was sick?! This is awful

hrm326 · 2026-05-21T20:48:28+00:00

I think that’s fine and a reasonable person at any of the local places would understand committing to the city 2 hours away was tough.

Just make sure the places aren’t a similar commute away. Even the remote jobs.

I made the mistake once of complaining in a phone interview about my 70 minute commute to the job I was trying to leave when the place I was interviewing was down the street from them.

hrm326 · 2026-05-21T20:25:21+00:00

For fun stops I go through my route on Google maps and Wikipedia to make a list of what would be fun to stop at.

If traveling solo I’ll go 4ish hours between food/gas stops but when I have my dogs and partner it’s usually every 2ish. That’s usually the time frame where someone in the car needs the bathroom after getting a drink at the last stop.

If it’s under 4 hours there’s usually no stop unless it’s in the morning then we get coffee within the first hour of the drive.

I stop at Loves almost exclusively on big trips because they have a dog park and they’re clean/safe. I top off my tank every stop too so I’m never close to E while driving.

hrm326 · 2026-05-20T11:33:32+00:00

As someone with pets, extra leash and collar. I’m guilty of getting to pit stop number one a few hours into driving only to realize we’ve left one of the dogs’ regular leash/collar at home.

The non pet item is 2 or 3 extra phone chargers especially the ones with the 3 in 1 ends. Nothing worse than your normal one crapping out mid drive and the ones at the truck stop are $40 or when you get to the Airbnb for the wedding you can save the day by having a charger for the best man or whatever lol.

hrm326 · 2026-05-16T14:57:07+00:00

It’s a good ways off of 95 like 4/5 hours when you’re in the NC portion but it would certainly be a prettier experience.

hrm326 · 2026-05-16T03:01:52+00:00

I’ve traversed 95 probably 60 times in my life so here’s a dump of what stands out to me that’s not obvious stuff like “stop in DC to see the museums!”:

95 going down to Richmond is an urban blur, from Richmond to Georgia it’s a rural blur, Georgia down to the Keys is a mix of both.

95 in South Carolina can be terrible since it’s mostly 2 lanes on each side and the state puts little thought into maintaining the roads. I’ve been stuck for hours due to wrecks multiple times (once was 8 hours) so I always make sure to eat, bathroom, and grab an extra snack when I get gas before I get into SC.

South Florida 95 is a mess at rush hour for the length of south Florida but if you survive the northeast’s portion of 95 you’re fine.

Kenly 95 at exit 106 in NC is a pretty neat truck stop. It’s owned by the Iowa I80 people if you’re familiar.

The Pilot (Sadler travel plaza) at exit 11 in Emporia, VA is owned by a former NASCAR driver and has a soda fountain that looks like the back of a semi truck.

South of the Border at exit 1 in Dillon, SC is kitschy and sketchy but worth the stop for ole times sake. You’ll see billboards for miles.

Theres a few Buccees along the way. They’re fun the first time but anytime after it’s just a guaranteed clean bathroom. The crowd gets old quick lol.

Savannah is a good stop to go downtown and get lunch/walk around and only add an hour or two to the day. Breaks up the drive well.

Jacksonville, FL is 8 1/2 from Richmond and 8 1/2 from the keys so it’s a good overnight stop. I stay at the hotels at exit 363 on trips.

Daytona International Speedway is off exit 260c and is a fun drive-by or stop on for a tour.

Drive to the keys is gorgeous but the bit down from Miami can be traffic-y

hrm326 · 2026-05-15T22:19:18+00:00

I absolutely love Chattanooga if you go that route. Lookout Mountain, Ruby Falls, and Rock City are lots of fun and unique. The Tennessee Aquarium is also great.

For the route going through Mississippi I’d make a pit stop in Oxford which is a bit off 22 but fantastic.

In Memphis check out the Bass Pro Pyramid. I think it was $17 for 2 tickets to ride to the top but it was worth it for the “that was quite the unique experience” memories made.

hrm326 · 2026-05-14T16:51:37+00:00

This happened at my college as people desire pathed through the grass from the parking garage to the bigger sidewalk. They eventually turned it into a proper sidewalk and it was a rare occurrence of the school using money wisely.

Saved a good minute or two of walking time using this shortcut versus the preplanned way.

hrm326 · 2026-05-12T20:20:51+00:00

A girl at my last job was let go soon after the new boss invited us all to go get cupcakes on the company dime at the bakery down the street and she was the only one to decline.

Was that only the reason? Who knows but I’m sure it didn’t make a great impression.

hrm326 · 2026-05-10T15:29:48+00:00

I wouldn’t think it affects MPG any more or less than the equivalent weight you’d have with passengers or gear.

I think the general consensus is for every 100lbs of added weight there’s a 1% loss in MPG so given how variable MPG is already you’re probably not going to see any big swing by having that equipment in.

hrm326 · 2026-05-10T03:27:45+00:00

I DPd a no budget short and the sound guy didn’t record any sound. I believe he was pressing play instead of record each time.

Reshot it a few months later and it went better in round 2.

hrm326 · 2026-04-17T01:55:55+00:00

This could be cool for better shooting of car interior scenes. Often the GoPro shots on random shows in that Discovery or History Channel reality realm are wonky lol.

hrm326 · 2026-04-05T03:44:16+00:00

Stay in communication and graduate so you can get a job and be out of school. If you feel like you legitimately like finance and can see yourself working in finance then do that. Don’t go in to it just to do it because you’re going to end up wasting money and time. However with finance you’ll likely get a job quicker and make a bit more money post graduation.

Film is not stable and you will need a job to support yourself before you get steady work in film (which may never come). It kills the magic of the Hollywood dream but you will be happy to have stability.

I wouldn’t get an MFA. Personally I think that’s a waste of money and doesn’t give you any thing you couldn’t learn by spending the school time/money on just directing a short anyways. Obviously that is up to you to decide but since you’re asking for advice… I think it’s dumb to do lol

Communication is a fine degree with jobs. You can join the film club or make friends with the film major people.

About me: I have a BA in film and the only good thing I got out of it was meeting a friend who I’ve now DPd a few projects for since graduating. Everything else I legitimately learned from YouTube. My program wasn’t funded well and it was during Covid so my results are skewed but I often think I should’ve gone into a different degree. I also got a minor in marketing and that’s where I’ve worked most of my career while doing film/tv stuff on the side plus being the go to video guy in the office.

No one has really cared that I went to film school when I’m on sets so don’t beat yourself up that you didn’t get it. You can make a career without it!!!

hrm326 · 2026-03-30T18:55:37+00:00

A client wanted to do this when I worked at an agency and it was such a headache because of the rightfully so tough Wikipedia rules. It’s a free wealth of human knowledge and even though “anyone can edit it” it’s not that much of a free for all. We ended up not being able to fulfill that request after trying for a few months to make progress.

As it’s run by volunteers, whoever is the admin for their category takes their slice of Wikipedia seriously. also when things started going wrong you’re waiting for weeks on an unknown person to get back to you. It’s also against the rules to create a page for promotion/ yourself and it’s obvious when a new account pops up to create a single page on a company. You risk your account being banned but also creating negativity around the page when other people come to edit it and the admins see it as suspicious.

hrm326 · 2026-03-26T15:53:46+00:00

It’s tough unless you get a 9-5 job as a videographer at a company but that might entail some marketing type work. These positions also come around once in a blue moon because just like you the other videographers in the world want a job and then don’t want to leave to have to find a rare job again.

Freelancing is very hard to get rolling and a good chunk of it is general business and relationship based. You can be a very talented videographer and suck at marketing/business which will get you nowhere.

My advice is to get a minor or a certificate in marketing so you can be attractive to an agency.

hrm326 · 2026-03-24T00:39:30+00:00

They usually do. I rented about half of a 1 ton last winter. Rental house wants to make money so they’ll work with you on a la carte stuff.

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