HelsinkiZim

We have general national guide lines that categorise production jobs into 4 categories. A self shooting assistant, ie someone who handles gear and shoots behind the scenes etc, is around 250 euros for the day. However, you can roll the dice on students and recent grads for less...

So, trying to function as professional in the industry is more about people skills than not.  At least that's been my experience at the level I'm at.  No one's ever going to hire me because I have a craft level that's superior to those in the upper echelon of film making.  I'm just not that guy.
Which leaves me in a precarious situation --as most of the time the work I'm doing has been quick boutique "one-offs" wherein I go in for a day or two, gather footage, then take it back to the homestead and edit it together.  Rather simple, small and fun stuff to do.  Nothing special about that.  12 year olds have better equipment and do the same.
The tough situation I'm facing is that my ability to tolerate a difficult client has diminished.  Maybe it's a sign of getting older?
This is no small thing.  Seriously, the desire to coddle a client has seemingly disappeared.   For instance, I'm working on a documentary thing where the client is so maddeningly absent minded, she has forgotten about shoots, called me in at the last minute to locations, sent me on location for shoots that are irrelevant to the product, has failed to produce shoots that offer any useable coverage, won't stop talking (about herself) to the documentary subjects on location to allow clean b-roll of said subject, doesn't seem aware that words from an interview require some sort of image to cover the endless droning of a talking head, refuses provide interview (trans)scripts with accurate time-code, etc, etc, etc.... 
Basically, she's kind of incompetent (from my point of view) to direct documentaries.  Nice person, but her choices and process are maddeningly pathetic.  Nevertheless, she's paid me a flat rate to do all this stuff for her.
Aha!  Therein lies the problem.  
Never, ever, work with a bad client on a large project for a flat rate. --AND ALWAYS assume first time out of the gate, no matter how sweet they are, that you're getting in bed with a potentially difficult client.  You'll end up being exploited and resentful; resentful to your client and resentful to yourself for agreeing to such ridiculous terms to begin with.
Anyway, that's my advice.  How to y'all cope with a shitty client?  I drink lots and lots of wine and get fatter.  You? 

What's the day-rate for an assistant over there? Going by your setup, I don't think you need more gear or even different gear.

Better to invest in fellow humans than peripheral gear that gets replaced every 9 months and that you already regret immediately after buying. That assistant of yours might actually grow with you and your business, take away your stress of trying to manage a million little technical details, provide a different creative view outside of your own echo chamber and let you step back a bit from worrying about nuts and bolts and concentrate on direction and vision. I mean think about it, instead of monitoring levels on your audio, you can actually listen to the content! Instead of pulling focus you can really direct the talent and assemble the frame you want quicker. The better your work the higher you can request for your budget too no?
Oh and hey, everyone on set (including yourself) might actually enjoy some keen, eager, not yet jaded energy around!

So today was the most frustrating, ridiculous, soul crushing day I have had with a shoot.
I'll explain, but a bit of back story first...
I have been shooting digital video since 1998, professionally (man with a camera stuff e.g. weddings, seminars) since 2005. I have also worked to pay the bills as a producer and sales rep in various tv and video production houses in some parts of the world. My wedding and corporate business was a side gig until this year when I went full time solo for various reasons. I took a break for 3 years circa 2012 to do a master's degree in south Africa and the best camera they had was a hvx200, previously my go to camera was Sony z1.
So when I left Africa and arrived in sunny Helsinki 3 years ago I decided to see what all the DSLR fuss was about now that I was in a first world country.
I joined this forum and perused others, and I fell in love with the community and gear.
When I wrote my business plan for yet another video business venture, I was sure DSLR was the ticket to ride. for the price of a camcorder I could have a studio, with lights et al.
Today I made up my mind that it is not for me.
I had a pretty standard interview which I planned, lit and shot with a gh4 and a micro Cinema Camera as b cam. Yes, I know, but that is not the point.  Matching was not what I was worried about, I have come to know them both very well.
But the endless, finicky bullshit.... Speed boosters, ND filters, v mount batteries, cages, external sound recorder, screws and cables and screws, monitors... 
On top of the standard things you need to be concerned about, like exposure, light and focus... Oh, and the actual bloody interview... Its fucking insane. Excuse my language I am pissed off.
Yes, you could say I need to practice more, but those hours at my rate fiddling with nonsense and fixing mistakes... I may as well have just bought a all around really good camera.
Everything was fine if you do one off jobs, but today was the end of a full week of filming with this apparatus and it is too much for any human to keep track of all the moving parts. Again,, yes you could hire an assistant, but again you may as well invest that money in a camera.
Also, this doesn't include post, and trying to compensate for each cameras numerous ridiculous quirks.
So, in short, I will be investing in a camera in the near future that lets me do my job.
The only things I am now used to is small size. So maybe it's the fs5, I guess I'll see how next year pans out.

Use Wordpress and buy a theme which is almost exactly how you want it to be from Theme Forest. Only choose themes made in past year with at least 20 4.5 star overall reviews.
Embedding videos is much easier and it will boost the video rankings on Vimeo or Youtube. 
Buy your domain name from internet.bs (avoid GoDaddy they will hammer you with unnecessary addons).  Host it with Hostmonster if in US or Vidahost in UK. Cheapest package is fine. Actually the domain name may be free with the hosting.
Use Tinypng to compress photos or the plugin SmushIt if you want to batch compress. There is also ImageOptim app on Macs for jpeg. Page speed is a big ranking factor for Google.
Dont buy any spam links or it will get banned or penalised in Google. Join Google Analytics and Search Console to help get the pages indexed in Google, get advice and see visitor statistics.
Join Google My Business Local if you want local clients or Brand if not. Make sure the category is right, then get a couple of reviews and it can be a short cut to the top with the Google Maps listings.
This is my first post on here where I am an expert, usually feel like a noob. 

Absolutely! But there is something worse : watching your Sony A7R II overheat and stop working as well. Or working for the first time with a sound guy who is rude to the client you have been cultivating for the past year because he thinks they're badly organised...
@HelsinkiZim - Don't worry, your frustrations are normal, this is very hard to do alone.

On a recent project, where I shot interviews in New York, London, Mumbai, and Barcelona, I filmed interviews in the following configurations:
- with an additional shooter and sound person (me on the b-camera so I could concentrate on asking questions, and the shooter on the A)
- with additional shooter, no sound person (me on b-cam, set-and-forget sound levels with a lav and boom mic feeding into Zoom recorder)
- one-man-band: lav mic on the interviewee, and boom mic on a chair or stand feeding into Zoom H4N recorder. Maybe my Westcott Flex light.
A-cam was Canon DSLR (or c300 mk1 for a couple interviews), B-cam was Canon DSLR or GX85, Zoom H4N (boom and lav mics), Leica R lenses, and usually one light.
There are tradeoffs in every scenario. With a crew of three there are less worries about gear. Everything is taken care of and you can really focus on the questions you're asking, how you respond, and ensuring a strong connection with the subject. This is by far the best. There's nothing worse than being in the middle of a powerful interview where someone may be bursting into tears, or relating the heart of their professional work, and you're sitting there nodding to keep them talking while wondering if your audio levels are too hot.
With just one additional shooter, I find that there's a nice balance between finding the perfect shot and covering your bases on the technical level. That said, something goes wrong on the audio side in these types of setups at least 10% of the time.
I've had nice results working as a one-man-band and keeping the camera setup minimal (sometimes with the GX85 on a table as a second camera). But again, the stress of someone leaning out of focus, the audio levels not being right, camera drifting, or the dreaded 12-minute limit on the DSLR can be intense. On the one hand these interviews are very intimate - it's just you talking to the subject with maybe one light, so sometimes they may feel more comfortable. The conversation can be very free-flowing. On the other hand, on the technical side there is invariably some nagging issue with exposure, focus, audio, or framing.
Picking crew size is like picking the camera, lens, and setup for any shoot. Not every setup is right for every situation. It is important to consider what you'll be shooting and how you'd like to capture it. That is the simplicity you're looking for. The choices about gear and crew size should flow from there.

So today was the most frustrating, ridiculous, soul crushing day I have had with a shoot.
I'll explain, but a bit of back story first...
I have been shooting digital video since 1998, professionally (man with a camera stuff e.g. weddings, seminars) since 2005. I have also worked to pay the bills as a producer and sales rep in various tv and video production houses in some parts of the world. My wedding and corporate business was a side gig until this year when I went full time solo for various reasons. I took a break for 3 years circa 2012 to do a master's degree in south Africa and the best camera they had was a hvx200, previously my go to camera was Sony z1.
So when I left Africa and arrived in sunny Helsinki 3 years ago I decided to see what all the DSLR fuss was about now that I was in a first world country.
I joined this forum and perused others, and I fell in love with the community and gear.
When I wrote my business plan for yet another video business venture, I was sure DSLR was the ticket to ride. for the price of a camcorder I could have a studio, with lights et al.
Today I made up my mind that it is not for me.
I had a pretty standard interview which I planned, lit and shot with a gh4 and a micro Cinema Camera as b cam. Yes, I know, but that is not the point.  Matching was not what I was worried about, I have come to know them both very well.
But the endless, finicky bullshit.... Speed boosters, ND filters, v mount batteries, cages, external sound recorder, screws and cables and screws, monitors... 
On top of the standard things you need to be concerned about, like exposure, light and focus... Oh, and the actual bloody interview... Its fucking insane. Excuse my language I am pissed off.
Yes, you could say I need to practice more, but those hours at my rate fiddling with nonsense and fixing mistakes... I may as well have just bought a all around really good camera.
Everything was fine if you do one off jobs, but today was the end of a full week of filming with this apparatus and it is too much for any human to keep track of all the moving parts. Again,, yes you could hire an assistant, but again you may as well invest that money in a camera.
Also, this doesn't include post, and trying to compensate for each cameras numerous ridiculous quirks.
So, in short, I will be investing in a camera in the near future that lets me do my job.
The only things I am now used to is small size. So maybe it's the fs5, I guess I'll see how next year pans out.

I think that is sound advice, thanks!
However, some stuff is just too much fun to ditch, like the gimbal and ifootage slider (the  pan tilt head was an admitted mistake). I am not ashamed to admit I rely on them to lift the narrative of my corporate work  - even though everyone insists the  story and content is more important (which I  agree  with), I want both. 10 years ago I used to be so envious of companies  using motion tools  and now they are  finally at a point where they  are reasonably priced to invest in for rhe type of stuff I do. I dont sell movement to clients, I just suprise them  with that  little extra that they may not get elsewhere. however, I do make sure my  ideas are on point before I choose the tool,  not  the other way  round.
This all reminds me that im in that right field, because as you  mention  its hard work and you need  to  love this gig to go through  this and I  geuss I  do.
Marco Pierre  White always says.... "perfection  is doing lots of  little thigs  well."
Thats what I tell myself every morning im packing all this  nonsense  into a bag and going to war with these overpriced, finicky  but lovable creative tools.
 
 

It's all fixable! Don't worry about anything.
Also you are not leaving anything behind just because you might switch from DSLR to a pro camera.
EOSHD is about both and I was an FS5 owner earlier this year.
I just prefer small cameras, for me they are LESS complicated and get out of the way of the artist, far more so than a big complicated cinema camera beast.
Variable ND or standard?
V-lock power is a major pain in the arse for pro cameras too not to mention having a heavy brick to haul around on the back of your not so mini URSA MINI
GH4 is much more simple.
Blackmagic were on the right track with the Cinema Camera and Pocket Camera, but they never got the internal battery side sorted out... the cameras were too hungry for juice, lacking the economical processors and sensor of the Panasonic 4K mirrorless cameras.
Not much has changed with the URSA Mini and on the RED / Arri side it is the same too.
One of the reasons why the C300 was so popular for day jobs... easy on the power, easy to power, easy to carry anywhere without so much hassle.
You might try investigating the C100 Mark II with Dual Pixel AF if you want total convenience and everything built in.
External ProRes 422 is always meh because the HDMI is heavily compressed, not real 422, not real 10bit in my opinion.
The next step up from 4K 100Mbit 4:2:0 internal is the 500Mbit 4:2:2 MJPEG on the 1D C and 1D X Mark II, then you have to step up to RAW.
When I use ProRes it is only in transcoding after the shoot to get files that edit smoother in 4K. XAVC-S and H.264 can be quite heavy going when you start grading them in Premiere and having multiple tracks going.
Another reason to keep things simple and not bother with ProRes externally.
Keep the GH4, lights and NDs, dump the Pocket Cinema Camera and extra power / monitors.
Simply the shoot so you can concentrate on the content.
Stop down the lens for easier focus and maybe see if you still need NDs when you have lit for a slower aperture like F2.8 or F5.6.
Interviews rely on good sound so keep going with the Rode gear. It's very good quality stuff.

People didn't try to do everything on their own in the professional video field of old.
For interviews it would be a team
A sound guy, a camera man and the actual interviewer.
If you're doing all 3 jobs and find it hard, no shame in that... it IS hard
Being a camera technician on top of the other 3 roles is just too much.
Get an Ice Light 2, keep the GH4, keep the tripod and lav, dump the rest.

I'll try say it in a better way...
It's like I'm filming with a deconstructed lasagna. It sounds and looks good, even taste better sometimes... but sometimes I just want a plate of lasagna.

I've been there before, messing with loads of bits, batteries and nonsense. 
But like you said, camera like the FS5 offer an all-in-one solution. Simply just add a mic and use an all-round Sony lens, like the 18-105mm kit lens. Use a baked-in look you're happy with. 
Modern lighting is battery powered. Very portable. Loads of options. 
Add a tripod and that's all you need for interviews and things similar. 
Unfortunately, my kind of work requires all these nuts and bolts. I just have to deal with it.

While Andrew offers a good way to simplify things I think you pose an important question that every professional needs to address. 
The main reason professional cameras cost as much is that they have been optimized for a professional environment and that can mean anything from simplifying the workflow to ergonomics and customization.
Now it should be noted that professional cameras can get equally complex or even more with the extra modules they need (look at zacuto for example) and sometimes a mirrorless consumer camera might offer things that a professional does not have like small size or low light performance & sensor stabilization. 
In the end it is what you need and how much time and money are you willing to spend. And that only you can answer.

I think your rant was warranted dude. I feel this way alot about having to deal with ND filters/dual system audio etc. But I'm not able to afford something like a FS5 or anything close. And I like working on a budget so for the ultra low price of my dslr, I guess I just kind of accept the idea that this is NOT a video camera but rather a camera I am MODIFYING for video. Also maybe everything that could go wrong just went wrong that day. Either way. I totally understand your feelings man!

Just shoot both in LOG mode and apply the same LUT to both, then tweak any differences.
But here's an even better suggestion... if you want cameras to match, buy two of the same cameras.
The main problem here is it it seems like you have been convinced by online marketing and advertorial that you need all this extra shit.
On the GH4 you don't need a v-mount battery for interviews...
Unless you consider changing the GH4's battery every 7 hours to be an unsurmountable problem.
You also don't need a cage or to attach anything to the GH4 at all, like a shotgun mic.
For interviews you should click a wireless lav mic onto the subject. Not use a mic on the camera.
XLR is also overkill for an interview. 3.5mm jack just fine.
Problem solved.
You also don't need a monitor... the screen on the GH4 is just fine for interviews. Works as well as the screen which comes with the FS5, does it not? It's even a similar size! Guess that solves the cables part as well.
Speed Booster - I fail to see the hassle aspect of that. Attach lens. Film!
ND filters - for an interview? Were you filming it on the surface of the sun?
With such a small amount of movement if it is a locked down shot you wouldn't even notice if it was shot at 1/2000 anyway.
Keep it simple.
Keep it simple and try again.
Relax.
Don't buy a C300.

So today was the most frustrating, ridiculous, soul crushing day I have had with a shoot.
I'll explain, but a bit of back story first...
I have been shooting digital video since 1998, professionally (man with a camera stuff e.g. weddings, seminars) since 2005. I have also worked to pay the bills as a producer and sales rep in various tv and video production houses in some parts of the world. My wedding and corporate business was a side gig until this year when I went full time solo for various reasons. I took a break for 3 years circa 2012 to do a master's degree in south Africa and the best camera they had was a hvx200, previously my go to camera was Sony z1.
So when I left Africa and arrived in sunny Helsinki 3 years ago I decided to see what all the DSLR fuss was about now that I was in a first world country.
I joined this forum and perused others, and I fell in love with the community and gear.
When I wrote my business plan for yet another video business venture, I was sure DSLR was the ticket to ride. for the price of a camcorder I could have a studio, with lights et al.
Today I made up my mind that it is not for me.
I had a pretty standard interview which I planned, lit and shot with a gh4 and a micro Cinema Camera as b cam. Yes, I know, but that is not the point.  Matching was not what I was worried about, I have come to know them both very well.
But the endless, finicky bullshit.... Speed boosters, ND filters, v mount batteries, cages, external sound recorder, screws and cables and screws, monitors... 
On top of the standard things you need to be concerned about, like exposure, light and focus... Oh, and the actual bloody interview... Its fucking insane. Excuse my language I am pissed off.
Yes, you could say I need to practice more, but those hours at my rate fiddling with nonsense and fixing mistakes... I may as well have just bought a all around really good camera.
Everything was fine if you do one off jobs, but today was the end of a full week of filming with this apparatus and it is too much for any human to keep track of all the moving parts. Again,, yes you could hire an assistant, but again you may as well invest that money in a camera.
Also, this doesn't include post, and trying to compensate for each cameras numerous ridiculous quirks.
So, in short, I will be investing in a camera in the near future that lets me do my job.
The only things I am now used to is small size. So maybe it's the fs5, I guess I'll see how next year pans out.

So today was the most frustrating, ridiculous, soul crushing day I have had with a shoot.
I'll explain, but a bit of back story first...
I have been shooting digital video since 1998, professionally (man with a camera stuff e.g. weddings, seminars) since 2005. I have also worked to pay the bills as a producer and sales rep in various tv and video production houses in some parts of the world. My wedding and corporate business was a side gig until this year when I went full time solo for various reasons. I took a break for 3 years circa 2012 to do a master's degree in south Africa and the best camera they had was a hvx200, previously my go to camera was Sony z1.
So when I left Africa and arrived in sunny Helsinki 3 years ago I decided to see what all the DSLR fuss was about now that I was in a first world country.
I joined this forum and perused others, and I fell in love with the community and gear.
When I wrote my business plan for yet another video business venture, I was sure DSLR was the ticket to ride. for the price of a camcorder I could have a studio, with lights et al.
Today I made up my mind that it is not for me.
I had a pretty standard interview which I planned, lit and shot with a gh4 and a micro Cinema Camera as b cam. Yes, I know, but that is not the point.  Matching was not what I was worried about, I have come to know them both very well.
But the endless, finicky bullshit.... Speed boosters, ND filters, v mount batteries, cages, external sound recorder, screws and cables and screws, monitors... 
On top of the standard things you need to be concerned about, like exposure, light and focus... Oh, and the actual bloody interview... Its fucking insane. Excuse my language I am pissed off.
Yes, you could say I need to practice more, but those hours at my rate fiddling with nonsense and fixing mistakes... I may as well have just bought a all around really good camera.
Everything was fine if you do one off jobs, but today was the end of a full week of filming with this apparatus and it is too much for any human to keep track of all the moving parts. Again,, yes you could hire an assistant, but again you may as well invest that money in a camera.
Also, this doesn't include post, and trying to compensate for each cameras numerous ridiculous quirks.
So, in short, I will be investing in a camera in the near future that lets me do my job.
The only things I am now used to is small size. So maybe it's the fs5, I guess I'll see how next year pans out.

I have been filming weddings for 10 years. Ask yourself:
Am I beauty or am I documentary?
If you are beauty then go with full frame (doesn't matter by whom, get shallow DOF).
If you are doc, then get a c100.
Develop an instinct for schedule changes. eg. When everyone is going to the next room, and when. Even if on paper,, it always changes. Ask people where they are going and why.
Coordinate with the bride's best friend. Groom knows nothing and his friends are there to get wasted.
Develop a signal so your. B cam can. Go wide when u go telephoto eg. Ring on finger
Everything on slider, tripod or gimbal. Go hand held at your own peril.
Seek perfection.
Oh, and don't fuck up the dance by being embarrassed to light it.
 

shooting weddings is slave labour.
You simply have to have a passion for filmmaking and journalism to even come close to not feeling abused by transcoding, watching, editing and vfx'ing 20+ hours of footage for less than most people would happily spend on a tv monitor (which they will even take credit cards for, and pay monthly....).
best advice would be to find a new job and do it part-time...

Photographers around my way (that I personally know) get £500 to £1000 for around 80 to 100 photos. They spend about 40 hours in Lightroom picking out and processing the best of 1500 shots or more.
I shot two weddings with one of them (who is a professional) and wasn't even wanted there unless I did it for free. Ended up with 45 minutes of footage, including highlight reels, which took around 30 hours each to edit.
People just aren't (in general) interested in video.
Both clients were over the moon with what I had produced (even my photos were better in some cases) but nobody thought to give me a penny. They just assume that I point the camera and upload straight to a DVD or something lol.
 
 

My style is different. I talk to everybody, make compliments and jokes, smile. By this I indirectly ask everybody to look at me because my job is to portrait them in the best light. I casually reassure them, make them feel comfortable. They don't awkwardly avoid me (but forget my presence when it's appropriate), they smile directly into my lens. In other words: I direct them. 
I had this in me before, but I really improved this as a technique since I began my new job five years ago, nursing people with dementia. It's called validation. You approach the human being in question with the conviction that she is the most valuable person in the world, that he makes you radiantly smile, you let them mirror their best experiences. To achieve this, you first have to sense what makes them wary, shy or even hostile. There are quite reliable signals of body language. You charm away their unease just by your own positive reaction to that, by subconscious changes in your own eyes, posture and voice too subtle to feign. What I learned from this: you can manipulate others in a good sense and in a bad sense. People, no matter how blatantly they contradict the current concept of ideal beauty, like themselves on photos/videos when they are happy.
 

Great, albeit slightly erratic, advice @HelsinkiZim ;-)  Which Canons do you use? How do you find them? Yes, it is difficult to get colours straight out of camera that good with anything else.
I think you can still do beauty with C100, no? But there is something special with the colour and DOF (and inherent softness) of the 5DMkII which lent itself to beauty.

I have been filming weddings for 10 years. Ask yourself:
Am I beauty or am I documentary?
If you are beauty then go with full frame (doesn't matter by whom, get shallow DOF).
If you are doc, then get a c100.
Develop an instinct for schedule changes. eg. When everyone is going to the next room, and when. Even if on paper,, it always changes. Ask people where they are going and why.
Coordinate with the bride's best friend. Groom knows nothing and his friends are there to get wasted.
Develop a signal so your. B cam can. Go wide when u go telephoto eg. Ring on finger
Everything on slider, tripod or gimbal. Go hand held at your own peril.
Seek perfection.
Oh, and don't fuck up the dance by being embarrassed to light it.
 

o, and remember... you are the invisible man. Let ur brother do the talking. Know ur shit.