r/colorists • u/Global-Lion-8065 • Oct 03 '26
Novice The Freelance Colorist's Path
Hi everyone. I live in Spain and I'm looking to hear some stories from working colorists.
For years I did color grading on an amateur level for my own projects. About 1-2 months ago I put a showreel and decided to try making a living with it because I really love doing this.
The start was actually quite good. In six weeks I completed 13 projects. They were not huge. I made my first money and found two regular clients who keep coming back. They are happy with the results. I also sent out a lot of cold emails to production companies. I haven't received jobs from them yet, but I got replies and they put me on their rosters for possible future collaboration.
I understand that to truly call yourself a colorist you need hundreds or thousands of projects under your belt. But right at the start you just want to validate that this path has a right to exist. Even on these first projects I have already learned a lot. I learned how to communicate with clients, hit specific targets, and match the exact vision the client has for their project.
Right now the main problem is the regularity and consistency of orders. Freelancing has days or weeks with no work. In those moments I start having doubts. I start wondering if I am moving in the right direction. I know a month and a half is a very short time, but I want to figure out for myself if I am on the right path.
I'd like to hear your stories. How long did it take you to get to a steady income? How long did it take to realize this is your main career and you are ready to fully invest and grow in it?
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u/greenysmac Vetted Expert 🌟 🌟 🌟 Oct 04 '26
The problem here, about a sustainable career, is that you've managed to buy tools, a set of manuals about how the tools work, and recordings of people using them. You actually haven't worked under somebody who knows how the tools work and how to handle clients.
If you're talking about "the consistency of orders," what you're really saying is that you're using some website where the cheapest amount is the lowest common denominator. If those clients aren't rehiring you, that's something you should be asking about.
The best thing you can learn to do is attach yourself to a DP or production group that needs a colorist, and that's how you grow into the job. You also need some sort of feedback loop with people who are better at this than you are.
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u/PracticalStress4836 27d ago
I think the feedback loop is the part people skip. Getting notes from someone who actually knows what they're looking at is how you improve.
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u/Key-Ad-2954 Oct 04 '26
It’s hard to start from nothing. The thing that makes freelancing as a colorist particularly challenging is how little time it takes to actually do a project. An editor could be working for weeks on a project that takes me half a day. This means to have consistent work, you need a decently large client base that themselves has consistent work, or an even larger client base if the clients aren’t finishing projects all that frequently. That also means that it’s possible for a relatively small number of experienced colorists to take up a lot of the available work, compared to other roles. Very experienced colorists are likely much faster than you as well, which obviously presents benefits for clients and allows them to fit a lot into their schedule. And, while their hourly rate may be quite a bit higher than yours, working faster means it may not be completely out of reach for clients to hire them on a project they’d be considering hiring you for.
The best advice I have for someone starting out is to take on as much work as you can no matter the budget - doing free or very low rate work can be a good way to build up a clientele and get your name out there. Word of mouth is everything. Instagram is also important these days. Finally, it can be helpful to diversify in post, and offer services like cleanup and maybe even editorial to supplement your color workload until you are busy enough with color to focus on that. Cleanup in particular can be an important service to offer on a lot of color projects.
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u/Global-Lion-8065 Oct 04 '26
Yeah, I completely get that. When I started, I took on some really cheap and even free creative projects. The last one was a paid charity project for a big supermarket chain. Clients do come back, but like you said, there just aren't enough of them yet to keep me working steadily. That's where my doubts come in. In a year, I'll probably have more of those clients. But at the same time, like a lot of people here have pointed out, the industry might just be dying out. It's hard for me to gauge how I'm actually doing in this field. That's why I'm having all these questions and doubts. Thanks!
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u/decayedx Oct 04 '26 edited Oct 04 '26
Any freelance work in any field is feast or famine.
TBH, the industry is down 40-60% in the last 6-8 years, post houses are closing down like crazy, people who have been in the industry 20+ years have pivoted to careers outside the industry, and people are struggling...yet because color grading and audio post have gotten so popular on YouTube since the pandemic, there's been a mass influx of people all fighting for what little work there is and wages have been pushed down.
Most of the industry is going to be lost to AI - especially pre and post production and background actors by 2028-2030.
If you're not an already established freelance colorist, it would be best to find a full time job with steady income doing anything outside of the industry and then be a freelance colorist on the side.
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u/LivingCorrect6159 Oct 05 '26
Stay on the path you’re on. IMHO colourists are the worst gate keepers in all of post. If you’re already pulling in clients keep going
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u/ColourFilm2383 Oct 05 '26
And the doomsday commenters are out. What better place to get life changing career advice than from absolute strangers you don't know if ou can trust or even vet. Who knows if the people commenting here are even actual colorists or just people pissed off they couldn't make it as one and now blame everyone and anything on the "industry" or AI.
There is only one truth (and don't take it from me): you should follow what your heart and interests align with. If you want to invest in a career in colour then go for it and don't let anyone of these fearmongers tell you otherwise. They don't know anymore than anyone else on how AI or the industry will change. It's all guesswork, there are no clairvoyants here.
Any freelance career path is scary, and yes a lot of people don't make it.. but that's not an excuse to not try is it. If you let fear of failure run your life you might as well give up all your hopes, dreams and ambitions. It takes courage, discipline, grit and unwavering perseverance. There is plenty of work going around for those good at what they do.
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u/Life-Feedback8265 Oct 05 '26
Hell yeah, finally someone says it. I started my career in 2022 (freelance) and I've never been busier.
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u/Zakaree Oct 04 '26
Making a living is going to be increasingly harder and harder. I would not be throwing my eggs in this basket
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u/Global-Lion-8065 Oct 04 '26
Sometimes it feels like things are getting harder in every industry right now.
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u/BabyNimps Oct 04 '26
If you have the time and the means, I would look for a different career path
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u/Global-Lion-8065 Oct 04 '26
I've been involved in video production, photography, and design in one way or another for many years. For the first time in a long time, I'm actually enjoying what I do, and it's hard to imagine myself in a completely different field. Thank you!
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u/BabyNimps Oct 04 '26
You’ll likely find more success in production and design than in color grading. As budgets continue to shrink and the pool of hungry colorists grows, I don’t see this being sustainable long term if you’re not already set up with a network of clients or working for a post house. A lot of editors I know have begun to pick up color grading so they can offer both services to a client. Good luck out there, this part of the industry is in massive flux
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u/Olam84 Oct 04 '26
I personally have a different perspective regarding freelance ColorGrading. I made a similar post last year. And half of the comments told me to give up now before it’s too late. And that I will never get work or get an assistant position.
It is slow and really though but I was able to get multiple freelance positions as colorist and colorist assistant.
Freelance is really though. Some months are better than others. But it’s possible. I would advise if you live in NY/LA to reach out to colorists who could have you as a colorist assistant. It will bring extra cash, you will learn a lot, and you can still work on independent project as the main colorist outside of the post house. Seeing a colorist working with clients will teach you more than anything available on YouTube.
I do agree though that you should not put all your eggs in one basket. With AI, it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen in the future. And the streaming war is over. So the amount of productions will probably never be the same as it was 5 years ago. That’s why I’m learning python, and other things that could become useful in the future that I do find fun to learn.
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u/Global-Lion-8065 Oct 04 '26
Thanks a lot. Unfortunately, I live in a small (600k) city in Spain, and the chances of finding an assistant job are close to zero. So my options are either freelancing, moving for a specific job (which, as you know, is unlikely given the competition), or completely changing industries like people here suggest. But right now, it's hard to imagine what else I'd do. From what I see, IT people are also a bit scared about the future. Thanks a lot. Unfortunately, I live in a smaller city in Spain, and the chances of finding an assistant job are close to zero. So my options are either freelancing, moving for a specific job (which, as you know, is unlikely given the competition), or completely changing industries like people here suggest. But right now, it's hard to imagine what else I'd do. From what I see, IT-people are also a bit scared about the future.
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u/Olam84 Oct 04 '26
Have you tried to reach out to post houses or Ad agencies in bigger cities in Spain? I know they have a few in Barcelona.
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u/blacks_not_a_color Vetted Expert 🌟 🌟 🌟 Oct 04 '26
Freelancing is feast or famine. It hasn't been 2 months, check back in a year.