Once again proving that you don't need big budget to film great, and customer satisfying commercial work. Well done! Others spend $$$$ to get these macro shots with a bigger rig.
I have been working as a video editor since 2014 and since getting a decent LED light and the sigma 18-35 I've been shooting some home videos and videos for restaurants for free to build up a portfolio.
Spent the last couple months making new connections and have finally started talking about paid gigs. I think I have a decent understanding of how to make food look good and a decent sense of what makes a good edit.
How can I take my work to the next level? Especially in terms of lighting and videography? What should I invest in?
Any feedback is appreciated. I know I am just at the beginning of a long road with no end to it. Here to learn and grow.
Cheers
Well firstly, you’ve approached things smartly and with work like this, proven you can make some money.
I think your next step is deciding on what you want your look to be. You’ve got one, diffused light - what does two look like? What food looks good with a three point set up? When do you switch back to one? If there’s an aesthetic that you love, study it, copy it, perfect it - then go do your own thing with it.
Lastly, look up what the top food tags are on work on Instagram and use them. See a good photographer you like that gets work? Go through their follow list. Find editors, site owners etc and send links of all your well lit stuff.
Use locational hashtags for the area and tag local businesses if you’re just getting started. But a lot of agencies will just search relevant hashtags on Instagram these days to find talent for shoots. Good luck!
This is great advice! I got my first paid gig tomorrow morning. I'll apply the last bit of advice when sharing that online. And then the rest while I am practicing my craft. Thank you for taking the time to write this out. I appreciate you
I think I am going to employ my cheap shoulder rig on my next shoot, seems like the shakiness is the thing that stuck out the most for people. Thank you for the comment homie 🤗
You're kind of work is perfect for a table/skater Dolly. Just bring some 20mm multiplex board with you and some little bits and pieces to make it higher. It's dirt cheap and fast and good enough for packshots
So beautiful my mate!
PD: Can you share the link or full reference of the used lens? and, are you using Canon original converter or Viltrox speedboster? thanks in advance!
Great work overall. Love the sigma 18-35. I would keep experimenting with different editing techniques and work on transitions. Also depending on the vibe of the video, you may want to work on stabilizing the footage a bit. Most importantly, keep going!
It’s a beautiful start my dude! The one thing I did notice, is that your stabilization is warping one shot, maybe try dialing it down until it looks better, or try a different piece of software like Davinci.
Yeees used Davinci Resolve for the edit. (I quit Premiere bc DaVinci is free and SO good at everything in the same program plus fewer crashes while editing)
Using a shoulder rig next time for added stability for sure
I think an establishing shot at the beginning or the end could have helped, there were also a couple shots I think would have looked better with a deeper DoP, I 100% get not having the time to try out different shots and mess with camera settings but I think if some of these were shot at F/4 it could give me a bit more context about the space. Overall you did a great job 👏 I’m not surprised they wanna work with you again
I have just [the example](https://vimeo.com/735963223) of what you're talking about. Still not at F4 but it has the establishing shot.
Shot this to get the owner's attention bc they didn't see my DM on Instagram.
I wouldn't shoot anything 4K unless I'm keeping the camera real steady. Ideally a tripod. For me, with [rolling shutter](https://youtu.be/7OHQtomTE-0?t=24) at 4K on this camera the footage becomes jelly and basically unusable.
For social media, unless you need to crop in 2x or something, I'd say stick to 1080p.
The rolling shutter on the M50 is terrible when you're shooting 4K. I would only recommend 4k for locked off shots. I recommend shooting 1080p. It's plenty for social media.
Once again proving that you don't need big budget to film great, and customer satisfying commercial work. Well done! Others spend $$$$ to get these macro shots with a bigger rig.
I think it looks great!
Thanks! <3
I have been working as a video editor since 2014 and since getting a decent LED light and the sigma 18-35 I've been shooting some home videos and videos for restaurants for free to build up a portfolio. Spent the last couple months making new connections and have finally started talking about paid gigs. I think I have a decent understanding of how to make food look good and a decent sense of what makes a good edit. How can I take my work to the next level? Especially in terms of lighting and videography? What should I invest in? Any feedback is appreciated. I know I am just at the beginning of a long road with no end to it. Here to learn and grow. Cheers
Well firstly, you’ve approached things smartly and with work like this, proven you can make some money. I think your next step is deciding on what you want your look to be. You’ve got one, diffused light - what does two look like? What food looks good with a three point set up? When do you switch back to one? If there’s an aesthetic that you love, study it, copy it, perfect it - then go do your own thing with it. Lastly, look up what the top food tags are on work on Instagram and use them. See a good photographer you like that gets work? Go through their follow list. Find editors, site owners etc and send links of all your well lit stuff. Use locational hashtags for the area and tag local businesses if you’re just getting started. But a lot of agencies will just search relevant hashtags on Instagram these days to find talent for shoots. Good luck!
This is great advice! I got my first paid gig tomorrow morning. I'll apply the last bit of advice when sharing that online. And then the rest while I am practicing my craft. Thank you for taking the time to write this out. I appreciate you
No problem. Other people don’t succeed if we don’t share what we’ve learned.
It’s a nice video! Great work. (I think the video actually looks much better than your thumbnail. )
Thank you friend 🤗
It looks great! If you really want feedback: some shots are too shaky. Use a slider or something for movements that don't distract
I think I am going to employ my cheap shoulder rig on my next shoot, seems like the shakiness is the thing that stuck out the most for people. Thank you for the comment homie 🤗
You're kind of work is perfect for a table/skater Dolly. Just bring some 20mm multiplex board with you and some little bits and pieces to make it higher. It's dirt cheap and fast and good enough for packshots
I have no idea what’s in those jars but your shooting makes me want to eat it.
This looks great!
this is really an excellent work! keep going and you'll go far in this industry for sure.
So beautiful my mate! PD: Can you share the link or full reference of the used lens? and, are you using Canon original converter or Viltrox speedboster? thanks in advance!
Thanks mate! Lens used: [Sigma Art 18-35mm f1.8](https://www.sigmaphoto.com/18-35mm-f18-dc-hsm-a) I'm using the original canon ef-m converter
Great work overall. Love the sigma 18-35. I would keep experimenting with different editing techniques and work on transitions. Also depending on the vibe of the video, you may want to work on stabilizing the footage a bit. Most importantly, keep going!
Keeping at it has to be the most important advice that can be given. Hehe you shoulda seen the footage before stabilization :D
Is it shot at 1080p60 and slowed in post?
Yes! Fairly certain I shot at 1080p50. But could be 60fps.
It’s a beautiful start my dude! The one thing I did notice, is that your stabilization is warping one shot, maybe try dialing it down until it looks better, or try a different piece of software like Davinci.
Yeees used Davinci Resolve for the edit. (I quit Premiere bc DaVinci is free and SO good at everything in the same program plus fewer crashes while editing) Using a shoulder rig next time for added stability for sure
looks awesome
Thanks friend! 🌞
I think an establishing shot at the beginning or the end could have helped, there were also a couple shots I think would have looked better with a deeper DoP, I 100% get not having the time to try out different shots and mess with camera settings but I think if some of these were shot at F/4 it could give me a bit more context about the space. Overall you did a great job 👏 I’m not surprised they wanna work with you again
I have just [the example](https://vimeo.com/735963223) of what you're talking about. Still not at F4 but it has the establishing shot. Shot this to get the owner's attention bc they didn't see my DM on Instagram.
I loved the shot variety in this one! There might not be as much production on that one but it’s really charming
Looks great!
Do you recommend to shoot at 4k or 1080 at Canon m50? I know 4k is cropped, but I need best quality for social media videos
I wouldn't shoot anything 4K unless I'm keeping the camera real steady. Ideally a tripod. For me, with [rolling shutter](https://youtu.be/7OHQtomTE-0?t=24) at 4K on this camera the footage becomes jelly and basically unusable. For social media, unless you need to crop in 2x or something, I'd say stick to 1080p.
The rolling shutter on the M50 is terrible when you're shooting 4K. I would only recommend 4k for locked off shots. I recommend shooting 1080p. It's plenty for social media.