CleanerB Commercial - Director's Notes

Earlier this year, cleanerB - a small, Twin Cities-based, home cleaning company - approached Stranger Things Studios about shooting a commercial for them.  Here’s our finished product.  Not bad for our first contracted video.

Director's Notes:  STS For Hire

It was sometime late March or early April that I was approached to shoot the commercial for CleanerB.  The owner of the company and I have a mutual friend.  When the idea of making an online commercial which could also be used on the CleanerB website came up she through my name out there.

Of course I said I was interested, even though I felt like I was in over my head.  I've never done any form of freelance work before.  I am not a professional.  I do not have any form of degree or training in film work, and I work with low end equipment and software because that's what I can afford.  My only credentials are the videos posted to the STS YouTube channel, and while I don't think they're half-rate, I wouldn't say their of the same caliber as anything professionally done.  At the same time though, I wasn't going to gain any of those experiences unless I decided I was up for the challenge.  I imagine that anyone doing freelance work for the first time goes through the same doubts. 

Seeing how the owner had not set a price for the project, I had to determine what my going rate was.  Again, not being a certified professional, I obviously was not going to set the bar at what things typically cost.  I looked that information up later on, by the way; it's astronomical.  I estimated how much time I thought it would take to write, film, have Randy write music, and edit the commercial; picked an hourly rate I thought was modest; multiplied it out and tossed that figure out.  She thought it was agreeable, and we got started.

They say that everything’s different when money's involved.  That is true.  I agree.  However, I think it’s more accurate to say that its different when what you're making isn't for yourself anymore.  My opinion is the only opinion I have had to worry about up until this point.  I was the only person I had to impress; granted, I am hypercritical of every last detail, but it's easy to figure out what the customer wants when that person is you. 

Fortunately, the owner already had an idea for the commercial in mind, so I just took her concept and visualized something to represent it.  The entire process went very smoothly actually, which was definitely a plus for my first stab at freelance work.  Yet, I was still biting my nails when I sent the first polished cut of the commercial off for review.  To my great relief, she replied back saying she love it.

Going forward, I now have a going rate, previous film work under my belt, and an idea of how the freelance process works.  I feel all grown up now!  Okay, well, maybe not; but I'm certainly not as green as I use to be.

On that note, if you are looking to contact me regarding freelance work, please email me at either StrangerThingsStudios@gmail.com or jonnydstrong@gmail.com