Freebe??

[Dror Levi]

Currently I am a wedding videographer Nostalgic Frames | Just another WordPress site and I am doing pretty good.
I am trying to get into the commercial market which is pretty much anything that is not event videography.
So I got this website Dror Levi Films | Dror Levi Films and I have some other work of mine there.
I am not sure if what I have there is enough to book other jobs, like promotional videos or any commercial work.
My question is, do I need to offer some work for free and get more to show??
I was also thinking of "If you don't like it don't pay for it"
I would love to hear your input.

[Craig Seeman]

Never do free work for commercial/business/corporate clients or any for profit business.

Find a good charity and develop a marketing video for them. Not only will they appreciate it but the businesses and individuals will appreciate and may become paying customers. Make sure you get public credit on the web or any other place it's distributed. Consider it advertising your services while supporting a cause.

[Bill Elder]

There are some great videos on your site. I agree with Craig. Would you be doing a less professional job for free clients than you would for those that paid full price? Of course not. You have the right to lower your rate for anyone you choose. But sometimes clients talk to each other. A full rate client might have an issue with your charging someone less. Hang in there and I'll bet you'll have a great demo reel in no time. Best of luck to you.

[Andrew Smith]

Also, when doing a pro-bono freebie love-job video for the charity:

- they don't get to micromanage or have an absolute final say (this will drive you nuts)

- what they get is what you feel they need to have to meet their needs

Anything else and it's a paying job.

Andrew

[Kevin Spahr]

My approach to charities is to make sure that they know what they want before agreeing to anything.
I tell them to write a script and send it to me - then I'll tell them if I can do it for them. 99% will never contact you again because they want a video but have no idea what it should say.

In the past I have ended working for people who have no idea of how to "sell" their own service and I have to learn what they do, how they do it, and how to make something usable. That's a ton of work I shouldn't be doing for free.

So if they can't clearly communicate their goal for a video - run away!

[Dror Levi]

Thank you all for replying.
I just wonder if charities type of work will be a good video sample to show in order to get into the commercial world.
Do you guys ever used the "if you don't like it don't pay"

[Doug Bailey]

Hi Dror,
Instead of "if you don't like it you don't pay":

"We don't need a deposit, you will be welcome to pay as we go along." or "We'll bill you when you're happy with the video, our rates are....." This is saying the same thing, but in a way that may come off as not desperate for the work. I had a real life experience of this a few weeks ago. Same challenge here, trying to get commercial clients but my footage is mostly nature.

With kind regards,
Doug.
BaileyNatureGallery

[Dror Levi]

Thank you Doug.
This is a great idea and I will adopt it for sure.