And I don't mean side-cropped horizontal, but share that too if you feel so compelled. It's just not what I'm looking for.

I've only shot a few vertical video gigs, usually only when a social media manager specifically requests 9x16 raw clips. Otherwise I'd be side-cropping too. But I'm sure my vertical setup (pictured for interviews) isn't ideal compared to those of you who do it a lot more.

Hi everyone,

I am sure this has been posted thousands of times before but I'm looking for some advice from people who have gone freelance in videography or filmmaking, particularly when it comes to finding clients and actually making a living from it.

I currently work full time as a videographer / video editor in London, but I'd love to eventually go freelance and hopefully make the jump sometime next year. I've been doing video work for a few years now and have my own portfolio website, but finding paying clients is the bit I'm not too sure about.

One idea I've had is to start going into local independent businesses, cafes, restaurants, shops etc and handing out my business cards. Rather than just walking in and asking if they need any video work done, I'd try to have a genuine conversation, show an interest in what they do and see if there's an opportunity to help them with video content. Has anyone tried this? Did it actually lead to any work, or is there a better way to approach it?

I'd also love to eventually get into travel and documentary filmmaking, travelling to different places and telling stories, although I realise that's probably a difficult area to break into, especially when starting out. I'm happy to take on other types of video work to build up my experience, contacts and income in the meantime.

A few things I'd love to hear your thoughts on:

• How did you get your first few paying clients when you started freelancing?

• Is approaching local businesses in person worth doing, or would you focus more on emails, networking or social media?

• How did you work out what to charge, especially when you were starting out?

• For anyone working in travel or documentary filmmaking, how did you get into that side of the industry?

• Equipment wise, I currently own a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and am thinking about upgrading at some point. What cameras and other kit would you recommend for freelance work? Is upgrading actually worth it, or is it better to stick with what you have until the work starts coming in?

I'm trying to be sensible about it and build things up alongside my full time job rather than just quitting and hoping for the best.

Would really appreciate hearing about people's experiences, what worked for you, and anything you wish you'd known before going freelance.

Cheers!

I live on the coast and it’s often very windy. I recorded a load of clips this weekend of strong wind and crashing waves and the audio is much better than without the mic but the windshield is also not good enough to stop distortion.

Should I buy a second windshield and double bag it?

My first take on a stylized wedding concept shoot. Let me know what you think!

I'm an avid amateur videographer (youth sports & performing arts, community events, some travel / outdoor) and I'm considering adding a manual stabilizer for mobility vs fixed tripod always. I need help figuring out which features really matter as I'm down to three options.

1. How important are fine tuning knobs on the head?

2. How likely is it that I'll want to buy a vest & arm in the future?

3. For vest & arm rigs, does the maximum payload weight mean just the camera rig? Or camera and stabilizer together?

Thanks in advance!

Hey fellow filmmakers,

I’m Don, an Australian writer/director. For my latest short, Click Clack, Front & Caps, we filmed in a moving car across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The production involved multiple base camps, follow cars and coordinating transport while making the scene feel like an intimate moment between the characters. I wrote, directed, produced and edited the film.

The story follows Eve on the drive home after an all-night hotel party. She finally gets a moment alone with her brother’s best mate and shoots her shot, but he’s coming up on MDMA.

Full film, just under 10 minutes:
https://youtu.be/edf5Slu6Z6U

Happy to discuss the production logistics and what I learned making it.

Hey everyone!

Frame.io has a great iOS app, but on Android we’ve been stuck using the mobile browser for years.

To fix that, I built Final(ish) — a native, free, and open-source Android client powered by the official Frame.io V4 API. It’s built from scratch using Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, and Media3, optimized for both phones and tablets.

What it does:

• Precision Player: Frame-by-frame stepping, timecode display, aspect ratio masks, and variable speeds.
• Review & Markups: Time-coded comments, range comments, on-frame pen drawing, and version approval.
• Version Stacks: Compare cuts side-by-side or with a wipe slider.
• Offline & Demo Mode: Works offline with cached media, and includes an instant Demo Mode with sample projects if you want to test it before signing in.

🔍 Heads-Up on Current API Limitations:

Because Final(ish) relies on the public Frame.io V4 API, a couple of things have to open in the browser until Adobe/Frame.io exposes them in the API:

• Comment replies & @mentions: You can read replies, but posting a reply currently redirects to the web cut.
• External review links: The API only allows accessing accounts you belong to; links sent from external accounts open in the mobile browser.

How to test the Closed Beta:

The app is currently in Closed Beta on Google Play:

1. Join the testers group: https://groups.google.com/g/finalish-testers/
2. Opt in on Google Play: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/dev.finalish (tap "Become a tester")
3. Download it directly from the Play Store!

• Direct APK (GitHub Releases): https://github.com/TeoVader/finalish/releases/latest
• Source code (GPL-3.0): https://github.com/TeoVader/finalish
• Found a bug? Shake your phone inside the app to report it.

(Note: Requires a Frame.io V4 account signed in via Adobe ID).

Built with AI assistance under my architectural design, direct supervision, and manual testing on physical devices.

I’d love to hear how it runs on your devices and what features you’d like to see next!

Shot on iPhone 15 no heavy editing