Video Professional vs the “Video Professional”

Adam asks: Video Professional vs the “Video Professional” – the lines have blurred! Can you point out the differences? I think it would be great to have this knowledge to point out to clients.

Answer: Yes, everyone is a “professional” videographer these days.

With low cost production equipment and free tools, anyone can produce a short video. Edit some smartphone footage together, drop in a few dissolves, flavor it with some music and upload it to Youtube- bam! you’re considered a professional.

Some argue that definition of “professional”.

What is the distinction and what does it really matter?  There are many factors to throw on the table.

You’re probably a video professional if:

• You felt powerful because you were the one who rolled the film projector into the classrooms for “film strips” and you love the smell of celluloid near the heat of a bulb.
• You think radio stations smell like electricity.
• You are the weird kid who tinkered around in the basement with video, joined the AV club or was the most enthusiastic when picked on to record any event while other kids studied hard and shunned you off as the “least likely to succeed”.
• You make a living, or at least a good part of it (the economy being what it is), from producing video.
• Peers treat you like a professional.
• You’re name comes up on every Google search related to video and production.
• Relatives always look at you when it comes to recording family events.
• Relatives look at you and demand a video be produced for their new business and you wish lightening would strike you dead right there at the dinner table.
• You want to strangle people for offering you $50 to produce a video for them.
• You don’t worry about a client paying because you still have their video and their %50 deposit.
• You complain about how small and thin video industry print publications are becoming.
• You don’t want to upgrade any software on the simple fact that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
• You know the difference between RGB and CMYK and know they are not TV stations.
• You think Turnhere.com and other filmmaker networks are cheapening the industry.
• You think video contests are eroding the industry.
• You swear your kids will never go to a college dedicated to video production.
• You think there is too much focus on DSLR video.
• You have the same equipment purchased 4 years ago and still produce the best video clients are lining up to pay for.
• Your focus is on storytelling.
• The best of your video work, including your demo reel, is on Vimeo.
• You have experience with all types of productions and know to handle them.
• You are constantly learning and what you learn is applied to enhance your existing style.
• You are starting to see a point to this article.

You’re probably just playing at being a video professional if:

• You were the kid studying hard who shunned off that geek who was in your class.
• When a relative asks you to do produce a video for their business you get excited and tweet to your 12 followers about it.
• When a relative asks you to produce a family video you get excited and tweet to your 12 followers about it.
• When you walk up to a group chatting at a video related event, they roll their eyes, become very quiet and scatter quickly — while you are still in mid-sentence.
• You’re on the first page of Google simply because your name starts with the letter A.
• You make plans to quit your job and open a business when someone offers you $50 for producing a video.
• You worry about eating and paying rent when a client decides not to pay for the work you did.
• Your spouse pays all the bills and you have no idea where the checkbook is kept, nor do you care.
• You subscribe to every video related industry magazine to put on the coffee table but never actually read them.
• If you read the video related industry magazines, you feel anxiety rising within you because you are jealous of the people in the publications.
• You consider wearing a hook and eye patch from all the video production software you had to pirate.
• You enroll your kids in every video production course, camp or class, go with them and yell about how their work is “sloppy” and “lazy” until they cry.
• You’re ready to invest in DSLR equipment and change your style in a heartbeat just to stay  ahead of the competition.
• The equipment you own is never good enough- your videos need to look better to beat the competition.
• Your focus is on the latest gadget or equipment.
• ALL of your video work, including your demo reel is on Youtube.
• You’re always looking for more experience with all types of productions and want to learn more on how to handle them.
• After watching thousands of Youtube videos you know it all when it comes to video production.
• You think this article is mean, I’m an idiot and will never come back to thedvshow.com again.

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