Whether it’s offering customers a unique gift idea or a quick and easy promotional piece, here is an extensive list of freelance job ideas for video editors, videographers, and entrepreneurial filmmakers broken down into several categories. Get started making money by creating video content or offering your video related services through a micro job portal, video content marketplace or a freelance website today!
Freelance Job Ideas For Video Content Production
Obviously, video content creation is at the core of video entrepreneurism. Video content can be broken down into a few different types of content depending upon how it is produced. For our purposes:
- Video is “real life” captured with a camera.
- Animation is creating the illusion of movement through a series of progressive changes to images or inanimate objects.
- Digital Motion Graphics is using a computer to create video content through digital animation and image rendering.
Video
In terms of the micro job market, entrepreneurial filmmakers are using their cameras in a number of ways to meet consumer demand for video. Here are some typical freelance job ideas for video content producers and videographers:
Business and Corporate Videos – Businesses of all types can communicate more effectively through the use of video in a variety of ways:
- Advertising and Promotion (Commercials)
- Customer Testimonials and Product Reviews
- Internal Company Announcements and Communication
- Introducing the Company and Team Members via a Website “About Us” page
- Press Releases, Company News and Events
Demonstration Videos – Video is able to clearly communicate a complicated set of ideas, features or benefits that might be otherwise difficult convey in words alone. Video excels when “show me” how something is great is more important than “tell me” how something is great. Isn’t that about always? Potential clients include:
- Software and Application Developers
- Consumer Products Manufacturers
- Service Providers
Instruction and Training Videos – Similar to demonstration videos, freelance videographers, editors and filmmakers are teaching through the use of video many different subjects including working out and fitness, cooking, building and construction projects, gardening, sporting techniques, etc. The types of clients that purchase training videos are usually selling a product or service closely related to the subject being taught. For example, freelance job ideas for video training clients who sell a line of food spices and sauces might hire a video content producer to create a series of videos teaching viewers how to cook foods that incorporate their products into the ingredients; a seed producer might commission a short video on how to properly prepare soil for planting; an athletic shoe store manufacturer might want a video created about proper running techniques.
Music Videos – Cranking music up a notch or two since MTV!
Personal Greetings and Messages – People and business are sending out video greetings and personal messages for a variety of reasons. If you are ready to step in front of the camera and offer a huge dose of personality, talent, humor or creativity, then you could be in demand!
Here is one of my favorite examples of a wedding announcement and invitation video created through a micro job marketplace:
Video entrepreneurs are delivering messages and greetings using a variety of accents, animals, costumes, characters, puppets, songs, music, personality styles and delivery methods. Freelance job ideas for video producers and videographers who are interested in this type of work should consider the following occasions:
- Anniversaries
- Announcements – Sales, Pregnancies, Births, Career Promotions, etc
- Birthday Wishes
- Get Well Soon
- Holidays – Valentine’s Day, Christmas, New Year, Religious Holidays, etc.
- Invitations – Weddings, Parties, etc.
- Congratulations
- Rants
- Shout Outs
- Tarot and Fortune
and many, many others.
Photograph and Still Imagery – Bringing still images to life through the addition of motion is a great way to tell stories and all of 
the major brands have embraced making videos from a collection of photos. There are a number of ways that video and still images intersect:
- Animated GIFs
- Cinemagraphs
- Ken Burns Effect
- Slideshow Videos and Video Albums
- Time Lapse Photography
The good news is that if you are using your mobile phone to take pictures or create video, there are many apps available that will allow you to get very creative. I created this cinemagraph with the Cinemagram app with my iPhone and earned a few hundred dollars in trade when the attraction asked me for permission to use it in their online advertising. Brands are using apps like Vine and Instagram to create video content from still images, too.
Screencasting and Screencapture – Screencasting is a method of recording a computer screen’s output to video while screenshot is used to describe a still image capture of the computer screen. Often narrated, a screencast is used to demonstrate or teach the use of things like applications, software, video games and websites.
Speed Drawing and Writing – An artistic way to convey written information or drawn images in which an artist records on video, or uses time lapse photography, writes a message or draws a picture that is then edited to playback at high speed. For instance, a drawing that took 10 minutes to create and record might be condensed down to a 30 second video. This method is often used to convey short messages, reinforce branding and in explainer videos.
Spokespeople and Personalities – Also often referred to as brand ambassadors. Video entrepreneurs who have a following or are well known in a particular sport, location, hobby, profession, subject, etc. can produce videos for a variety of clientele offering services such as endorsements, testimonials, in-video advertising, and product placement. Freelance video professionals are earning a living while traveling around the world. Even if a person is relatively unknown personally, certain professions also make desirable spokespersons: doctors, veterinarians, chefs, attorneys, etc. for their perceived expertise.
Here is one of my favorite micro job offerings; a video entrepreneur is using his likeness to a certain celebrity to make fun celebrity impersonation videos for his clients:
Stock Video Footage – Short video clips, or “b-roll”, are often used by other vtreps, filmmakers and documentarians as supplemental or alternative footage that is edited into the primary video footage they’ve obtained in order to create a better or more complete product. There are several online marketplace websites where stock video footage is sold directly for download and video entrepreneurs who have figured out what types of footage are most popular are making very good money! Shoot and upload the the video once and make money over and over and over again!
Animation and Cartoons
Animated videos are popular because they are relatively easy to make and don’t require the complexities of a video camera, proper lighting or capturing audio. Using animated video and cartoon creation websites like GoAnimate, Xtranormal, Powtoon, and others, producing interesting videos for clients can be fun. Vtreps are even creating video content using massively multiplayer online games like Minecraft and World of Warcraft.
Animated videos can be extremely creative and easily tackle whimsical subjects and tough-to-video themes like history, fantasy, deep sea, space, the red carpet of Hollywood, and most anything else you can dream of. Virtually anyone can make an animation or cartoon to create:
- Explainer Videos
- Personal Greetings and Messages
- Speed Drawing, Caricature and Writing
- Whiteboard Videos
Here is an example of an explainer video:
Forms of animation that do not involve computer motion graphics include stopmotion, claymation, flipbook and brickfilm videos. These, however, usually don’t make desirable micro jobs because of the enormous amount if time required to create them.
Digital Motion Graphics
If using complex computer software like Adobe After Effects, Maya or AutoCAD is right up your alley, you might enjoy creating videos and visual effects (VFX). There are a variety of ways that video entrepreneurs can offer their services:
- 3D Rendering and CAD Model Video
- Using Presentation Software Like Powerpoint and Keynote to Create Typography Videos
- Turn Audio into Spectrum and Waveform Representation Videos
- Turning Static Logos into Video
- Video Intros and Outros
- Credits and Titles
Freelance Job Ideas For Video Editors
Video editing is the process of taking video clips and assembling them into a cohesive and compelling video. Editing video involves composition, correction, sequencing, trimming, and adding transitions, titles, and other effects.
- Video Editing and Assembly
- Color Correction and Grading
- Remove or Change Background in a Video
- Add Subtitles and Captioning
- Add Lower Thirds and Title Slides
- Remove Noise from Video
- Add Watermark or Video Bug
- Green Screen and Chroma Key Compositing
Freelance Job Ideas For Video Marketers
Putting together a polished video is only the first step; after all, there is no reason to develop video content if no one will ever see it. Video creation is vastly different than video marketing and require entirely different skill sets. Video marketing specialists perform a variety of important tasks to achieve maximum video distribution and exposure:
- Video Commenting
- Distribute Videos Through Email
- Manually Submit or Upload Video to Video Sharing Sites
- Provide Video Likes
- Provide Video Views
- Provide Channel Subscribers
- Sharing Videos to Social Networks, Forums, Blogs and Potential Partners
- Video Search Engine Optimization
Technical Video Services
For the technically inclined there is plenty of opportunity in the micro job market; some video-related service ideas include:
- Screencapture a Video from any Website
- Downloading Videos from Video Sharing Sites Like YouTube
- Working with Video Formatting, Compression and Resolution
Writing for Video
Many potential clients are looking for writing services as it relates to their video content, too:
- Script Writing
- Audio Transcription
- Translate Scripts and Transcriptions into a Different Language
Freelance Job Ideas For Audio Services
When it comes to video, the audio component is just as important (if not more important) than the visual component of video. Clients are clamoring for help. Musicians, singers, voice talent, creatives and engineers are all crucial to the video making process. Freelance job ideas for video related audio content include:
- Making Technical Adjustments to Audio Content (cleaning up audio, adding effects, making adjustments, etc)
- Score and Soundtrack Services
- Foley and Sound Effects
- Video Voiceover and Narration
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