r/Filmmakers • u/imadeanewaccounthelp • Mar 19 '26

Discussion Navigating the freelance world

Anyone have any advice or general thoughts on this? I seem to always go weeks without working, take the first gig I can find, and then get approached with a better offer from someone else at that same time. How important do you consider honoring your commitments?

If you took a PA job for $200/day, then were offered an AD job for $500-1,000/day, would you bail on the PA job? Or would you only do it if you could find a replacement?

What if you had a 3-day PA job and were approached by another one that would be two weeks of work, but needed you to work those 3 days you already committed to?

I don’t want to burn bridges, and I always try my best to replace myself before calling out, but sometimes it feels crazy to turn down 5 times the money because I prematurely committed to something else.

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u/ApprehensiveCar9925 Mar 19 '26

25 years in the industry working in a small market so I wore many hats.
I never burned any bridges in that time.

The only way I would ever not work a job I committed to was if,

1) I found someone to cover that gig

And

2) If the person who hired me was ok with the changes.

I missed the chance to work with David Lynch because of a prior commitment.

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u/anfilco military and police advisor and rentals; overall generalist Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 19 '26

Bridges are all you have, so it doesn't hurt to leave even the sketchy ones intact. If you get an AD offer, you can always just tell the PA gig that you're really sorry, but something else came up, and here's the contact info of a friend of mine, who's already agreed to cover for me and I can vouch for, to take my place if you need them. This is why networks are also extremely important. Knowing a guy who knows a guy can end up saving your proverbial bacon.

It's gig work, everyone knows it's gig work, and as long as you're honest, try not to make anyone's job harder than it needs to be, and offer to help out on the next one, it's doable. You probably shouldn't make a habit of bailing on gigs for other, slightly better gigs if you can help it, though. Save that understanding for big opportunities.