Videography Career Overview
Film and video editors, including videographers, earned median annual salaries of $55,160 in 2019. The top earning videographers made over $110,790 that year. Pricing correctly per project is an essential skill videographers must develop to boost earnings. Costs for rent, equipment, etc. should be factored into project billing rates to support overall business success. While formal education in film/videography is beneficial, experience and developing a profitable niche drive independent videography careers.
Earning Potential and Job Opportunities
There are passive income streams like online tutorials and active income from client projects in videography. However, average videographer earnings on platforms like YouTube are often only a few hundred dollars monthly. So developing reasonable financial expectations around an independent videography business is important.
Wedding videos provide the easiest videography jobs. Live events, music videos, high school sports highlights open other opportunities. As house sales happen rapidly, real estate videos to showcase properties can offer work too. Shooting stock video clips like background shots or aerial views lets videographers contribute “b-roll” footage for others.
Whether interested in weddings, events, music, TV, etc. there is a niche market when building a videography business. Key is to hustle, cultivate relationships and identify one’s profitable specialty. With demand for online video rising across industries, creative videography careers offer plenty of possibilities.
Income Statistics for Film and Video Editors
Film or video editor salaries averaged $86,830 annually as of recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Top video editors can earn over $170,040. Entry-level editors may start around $31,940. Most get started after college training in videography, editing, camera use. Some job roles for editors include TV studio editors, film editors on movies and feature productions or video editors focused on commercial and corporate projects.