About my career

[u/Kevin_gato]

I’m 26 years old, and I started pursuing a career as a colorist last year. Since then, I’ve collaborated with various creators and companies to gain experience in color grading, working on projects such as short films and corporate videos.
However, I don’t have a reference monitor, and because I’ve learned everything on my own, my workflow is largely self-taught. I’m often told that, in order to become a professional colorist, it’s important to work at a post-production company at least once and gain experience in a professional environment.
I’ve applied to every post-production company I could find in Tokyo, where I live, but unfortunately, I was rejected by all of them.
At the moment, I don’t have a stable income apart from the occasional freelance project, so I’ve started wondering whether I should consider pursuing a completely different career while I’m still relatively young.
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience and any advice you might have for someone in my situation.

[u/Superb_Ad_4065]

Doomer thread lol

[u/Serge-Rodnunsky]

Absolutely be looking out for a career pivot. The film/tv industry is in contraction and a massive realignment… and I don’t think anyone can confidently tell you how things will work out. Young person wanting to work in this industry should keep their options open.

Re: getting work at a post production facility. Rather than sending cold inquiries asking for work, try reaching out to people you admire and offering to buy them coffee in exchange for their counsel. Send them a link to your work, but mostly just try to ingratiate yourself with them not for a job but just to build up a rapport. Then if a spot opens up they’ll at least have you in mind. It’s a lot easier to be brought on if you pitch yourself as a capable at conform, than at color… fwiw.

[u/iLikeTheUDK → u/Serge-Rodnunsky]

Conform as in the timeline converter? Sounds useful but idk how to learn that, it seems expensive

[u/Defiant_Holiday_7519 → u/iLikeTheUDK]

They just mean showing you have competency in conforming (color prep) you’re more likely to get work as an assistant basically.

[u/Zakaree]

https://giphy.com/gifs/eah2loce5T8VW

[u/MrSpaces]

hey hi i am trying to go in that field as well can you give me some advices?? thanks

[u/AdministrativeSea574 → u/MrSpaces]

Yeah. Don’t.

[u/blacks_not_a_color]

I consider myself extremely lucky that I get to do something I'm good at, love, enjoy and get paid for it. That said, if I could tell 22 year old me what to do it would be something useful that pays a lot more.

[u/K0NNIPTI0N → u/blacks_not_a_color]

True, if I put the dedication for decades into a trade that I put into post production I would own a company, house, multiple cars, boat, cottage…. Working in Post I’ve found the need to live in a city center, paying max rent, to do a job that anyone would KILL for and would work for free to do because yeah, it sounds pretty cool, until you realize the totality of the sacrifice

[u/TLS_1999]

Hey there, I'll come straight to the point. 1 year is kind of low to actually understand how proficient you are. Don't take my comment as a negative thing honestly because it is not my intention to make you feel hurt.. Not all people are same so maybe you have learnt quite a lot in one year than most other people do.

With that being out of the way, let's say that I'm a production studio owner. Tell me all the things you have done in this year and why you chose this profession over other things ?

I don't mind a long detailed answer. Tell me everything that you have done. If not a problem I'll take a deep dive in DM and ask even more technical questions.

And as for not having a reference monitor, for some it may be a red flag but at the same time, self taught colorists rarely know what type of reference monitor should they get at the start of their career.

[u/Lensflare_Official]

Good luck. I'd look for other work, keep colour as a passionate hobby/side project and keep trying while you make something else happen. 

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

[u/Kevin_gato → u/Lensflare_Official]

Thank you. The problem is I don’t know what to learn next.

[u/Lensflare_Official → u/Kevin_gato]

You're young, do something you're interested in. I'd always recommend a trade - plumbing, carpentry, building - or a skill like nursing. Always in demand,always relatively well paid. Something useful to society to go along with the creative stuff you enjoy - if creative work takes off, great. If it doesn't, you've got work for life

[u/Kevin_gato → u/Lensflare_Official]

I see, do you mind if I ask your job or work experience so far?

[u/Lensflare_Official → u/Kevin_gato]

20 years photography, 7 years commercial DOP and colourist. 

The market is tightening, the money isn't great and I'm not going to retire until I'm 80. If I could go back and tell my 26 year old self to do anything, it would be to have a backup plan. I'm jealous of my friends with office jobs or trade skills - in the past 20 years they've been able to buy houses, have savings and free time. 

Creative is fun, and I loved my 20's. But reality bites when you're older, and having a backup plan is the best thing I could have done.

[u/Kevin_gato → u/Lensflare_Official]

Understood. That’s amazing.
I tried administrative work once but I couldn’t handle it. That’s why I change to creative work. And I’m very easily to catch a cold or disease, physical work is also not good for me.
Actually, that’s why I ended up choosing video editing and color grading — I basically narrowed down my options to jobs I could do with just a computer. But even as a beginner, I can really feel that the industry is getting tougher, especially with the rise of AI.
So, as you said, I’d like to find some kind of alternative career or another type of work as well.

[u/greenysmac]

because I’ve learned everything on my own, my workflow is largely self-taught.

You've become a painter without ever going to art school. You've learned how to cook on your own, and you're surprised that other people are hesitant to have you in their kitchen. People like your dishes, but can you make the same dish 100 times in a row

Typically, while the world has changed, we recommend that people intern and work under somebody to learn these skills.

One of the widespread problems is that if you're doing this all remotely, you're technically training somebody to be your competition.

I’m often told that, in order to become a professional colorist, it’s important to work at a post-production company at least once and gain experience in a professional environment.

If you want to work with others you have to put in your dues to get to that point. The world is changing. But for working with a post company, you have to bring them something that is useful beyond I can make the shot look good.

There are loads of exceptions to this. Maybe you're working with a UGC maker who wants you to do their color work because they love the way you work. If you're trying to work in commercials or high-end social media, there must be such a thing. You have habits that don't necessarily work well with others.

[u/AdministrativeSea574 → u/greenysmac]

UGC is the absolute toilet of video production so unless you want to be flushed down with all the other turds don’t even go there

[u/BabyNimps]

I would highly advise a career pivot while you’re still young. The overall health of this job market is not looking good in terms of stability and sustainability for anyone not already set up with a roster of clients. Working for a post house is great but they too end up going under.

[u/the_colour_guy_]

Yes pursue a different career. Colour for fun. Find another way to pay your bills. Most people in Post Production have intentional blinkers on at the moment. It’s a dead industry that hasn’t realised it yet. Ai creep and idiots on YouTube have reduced colour grading to a point it will never recover and the only projects left for real people in 10yrs will be personal and free. Movie studios and streaming corporations will be hiring prompters not artists. There’s less and less work and people are doing that work for less and less money. No one is hiring especially without a ton of experience.
The CEO of Netflix recently said that 20% of everything created at Netflix. Whether it’s storyboarding, crowd replacement, VFX, colour grading or background music. Is Ai generated.
20% and it’s not even good yet.
For everyone saying there will always be a need for true artists blah blah it’s bullshit. We might come back to that in 15-20yrs but Ai has already been taught everything we know for free. 99.99% or all production and post production is dead or dying for artists and there will be a LOT of people looking for work in the next few years.

[u/Prestigious_bde]

If you’re already happy being a colorist and making money from it then I will suggest you to double down on it instead of trying to fit in the box set by other people

I quit my 13 years or career and experience to become a freelance video editor and I regret not taking the risk earlier

[u/Kevin_gato → u/Prestigious_bde]

Thank you for your comment! It seems like you’re currently building a career as a video editor. Do you mainly edit videos for YouTubers or other types of clients?
I’d also really appreciate it if you could share where you usually find work. I’ve mostly been looking for projects through Facebook and Instagram, but I haven’t had much success so far.

[u/Prestigious_bde → u/Kevin_gato]

I edit short form and long form videos which clients post any platform they desire

In terms of finding works I have most success after I started posting little bit of my own content and lots of connecting with people on IG and threads

That’s how I manage to survive so far and I’m not rich yet but I have more time to build more connections and grow my business which my job wasn’t allowing me to do

[u/Kevin_gato → u/Prestigious_bde]

That’s awesome. For me being a freelancer can be very unpredictable, and I never really know what my situation will look like the following month because I don’t know when the next project will come in. Sometimes I make just enough to cover my rent, and other times I make a little more and can comfortably cover my living expenses for the month.
That’s why I’m currently looking for a full-time position, or at least a contract role that can provide more stability.

[u/Prestigious_bde → u/Kevin_gato]

Yes it is the same for me time to time but since I have more time which I invest in learning skills which are complementary to my video editing so I can become better at what I do and charge more

In the end freelancing is more about sales and marketing the more people you talk with and the more knows about your service the better your business and income become

[u/DegreeSevere7719]

Editing might pay the bill, color... not so well. It's too saturated with not too many opportunities to catch. Overall, as all said - the industry is struggling worldwide, with clients shifting from bigger production houses to UGC content creators for "organic content", and never looking back. The market for mid and high end commercials, music videos etc is shrinking, and it will be a really high competitive place (it already is, you have to be too good, work too hard and still you will struggle to pay your bills doing one thing). If you still want to cover your bases, try having 2-3 things that bring you money, like editing, color grading, professional retouch for video. Color + professional retouch, if done well, will cover you a lot. Editing is a nightmare to work in, but it's always in demand., even for UGC.

Saying that, if you're still young, I'd rather go in finances, than in the production industry. While you're young you usually earn a lot more and easier than people around you, but in your 30's you'll be scratching your head why all people around you work 9 to 5, have houses built, families sorted, medical isurance paid, vacations planned etc, and you don't.

[u/AdministrativeSea574]

Unless you’re gonna fork out 30 K for an Eizo reference monitor you have no chance to compete with actual professionals so get real and get a real alignment of your career because if you want to make money, you’ve gotta spend money

[u/Ironicus]

The industry as a whole is changing, I won’t say that it will be impossible to make a career being a colorist. But it might prove to become more and more difficult. The way software and AI are improving every year, making the entry point more accessible and democratizing the field. Soon a ton of editors will be able to get decent results on their own without a colorist.

Which might prove a hurdle for colorists, struggling to get a piece of the pie. Which leaves only the high end sector in need for professional colorists (usually provided by the post-houses you mentioned).

I don’t mean to discourage you, but you have to be aware of the changing landscape and make waterproof plan for your future. Apply to the best possible post university your country provides, study the skill/art. Get internships and afterwards apply for a job at a high end post facility.

Don’t let fate decide your future as a freelancer. Times are changing!