Quick take: A simple rule for spotting a lowball gig: if the pay wouldn't cover renting the gear for the job, don't take it. A basic uninsured video kit rental runs about $250 for a weekend, and most of the local postings I reviewed paid less than that, sometimes far less. Cheap work leads to more cheap work.
Pricing Is Hard When You're New
I'm a production artist, which is a fancy way of saying I do photo and video for a living. One of the most intimidating parts of starting out is pricing your work. Ask online and people say "what is your time worth?", which isn't helpful when you're new. I'm in the DMV area, and people who are just starting to get paid often show me what they're being offered. There's a problem.
So I went through local postings, from one-off Craigslist gigs to LinkedIn jobs, to show what makes a gig good or bad. I've worked both in-house and freelance, domestically and internationally.
The Baseline Rule
If the compensation couldn't cover renting the equipment, never mind paying an operator, it's a gross lowball. Don't take it.
You don't need much experience if you already own the gear. You can shoot talking heads, YouTube videos, events, portraits and testimonials by yourself or with a friend. But cheap work leads to more cheap work. It never pays off long term. "Try it this one time and there'll be more work in the future" is the number one lie told to people in this industry. If it's a passion project you care about, that's your call, but don't fall for it when it's just about money.
Pricing a Basic Kit
On Lens Rentals (I'm not affiliated), I priced a minimum three-day weekend rental:
A Sony A7S III or FX3, since you can't risk overheating on a video job: about $130
A 24-105mm lens
A Rode wireless mic kit with built-in mics
That's about $250 including shipping, without insurance, and you should never rent without insurance. It also doesn't include memory cards or extra power for all-day recording.
The Postings
Game-day camera operator, $25 per game. About four hours on your feet including setup and teardown. That's below minimum wage. Automatic red flag.
Event testimonials, $80/hour for three hours. That's $240, $10 less than the rental, plus your own transportation, midweek. It was posted in a local professionals group and later deleted.
Two-camera wedding with livestream, $400 for five hours. Two cameras doubles the rental baseline to about $500, plus tripods and bigger cards. Livestreaming over venue Wi-Fi with a full room is asking for dropouts; always hardwire. This one was a production company squeezing its margin, not the couple's fault.
Real estate photography network, $35 to $75 per job. "Be your own boss" language, a made-up certification, and they handle editing and sales. It's the Uber-ification of photography. Skip it.
30-minute outdoor interview, $200. The direction was very specific, which is better than none, but you'd need a diffused backdrop, reflector, lav and headphones. A 30-minute interview is a two- to three-hour job. Only worth it if you live nearby.
Run-and-gun city shoot, $225 day rate for eight hours. They preferred you bring a gimbal. Hard pass.
Driver and camera operator. A temporary gig with "potential" for full time, where you also drive in your own insured car and keep it clean and gassed up. They seem to have budgeted for a driver and want free BTS too. Skip.
Corporate Jobs Are Different
In-house roles are a different animal. You rarely only do the job in the title. A HelloFresh videographer role listed $82,000 to $102,500 in New York, shooting UGC-style paid social food content with a creative team, stylists and on-set talent. Working alongside other creatives is a real green flag, though it isn't really entry level. Go for the top of the range. The consistent paycheck is the big advantage corporate jobs have over freelancing.
A broadcast news video editor posting, on the other hand, asked for a degree, years of experience and a fast live workflow without listing pay. In my experience, news organizations tend to pay poorly and can be tough to work with.
Final Thoughts
If you're new, don't feel desperate or lower your rates because you're new. Many of these offers couldn't even cover the rental. Get a website, set your rates and learn to market yourself, because marketing matters more than how you edit or shoot when it comes to actually getting clients. These postings aren't looking for passion. They want to pay as little as possible, and that comes at your expense.
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