How to pay your filmer

Economics of freelance filming and what big brands in skateboarding should do

In an industry already ripe with exploitation, there isn’t anyone more taken advantage of than the freelance skateboarding filmer. Filming in general is a pretty thankless job, but the freelancers have it the worst. These unsung heroes often create the skateboarders we worship, but are rarely compensated fairly. And sure, plenty of skaters aren’t paid well either, but there’s an argument for “building a name,” that can justify poorly/unpaid representation in videos. For a skater, having more exposure and a bigger name can lead to better pay or other opportunities down the road. For a filmer, these opportunities barely exist.

Filming is a time-consuming, high pressure skill that one could argue is the most important job in skateboarding. Videos shape the culture, influence trends, and track progression. Videos are why most professional and amateur skaters make money from big corporate brands. Without the people making these videos, we’d just be any other competitive sport, blandly broadcasted on YouTube or, if we’re lucky, mainstream sports channels. Beyond their craft, filmers are often expected to be trick muses, spot fixers, and impromptu therapists. It’s a tough job, and throughout my twenty years of working in skating, most filmers I know quickly (and wisely) transition into other professions or careers.

Now I don’t expect the industry to change overnight, but I do think there are small steps that could make the commercial work we constantly consume more ethical. I also think we would have a much more productive output from professional and amateur skaters if there was a more equitable approach to hiring freelancers.

So how does it work?

When and how do people get paid to make skate videos? Excluding revenue sources like YouTube and social media, filmers are mostly dependent on filming sponsored skaters who ride for big brands. There are three primary ways this happens.

1. Per Month (Retainer/Salary for a Brand/Media Company)

These roles are rare and coveted, and the best case scenario for everyone involved. For the skater, it means you can feel guilt-free about doing your job. Their day with you—the hours it takes to battle a trick or decide what to try—is their job. Like skaters, they usually work as 1099 independent contractors, ideally with reimbursements for gas, materials and other expenses. Sometimes brands bring in filmers to focus on specific skaters at the tail end of a big video, which might make it a month-to-month agreement. But generally these gigs are annual, like skate contracts. These retainers can be living wage salaries but are often supplementary, and still require some freelance hustling. A big part of their job is editing, as well. The key problem is that there are usually only two to three filmers on retainer for a given brand but dozens of different skaters living or traveling all over the world. Companies simply aren’t hiring enough filmers on retainer to cover the content they demand.

2. Per Project (Video part, commercial or travel piece for a Brand/Media Company)

The other option for the freelance filmer requires a little more effort and hustle on the backend, which is to pitch a project to a brand or media company. This might be a video part, a travel piece, or some product-related concept. Payment might come upon delivery or as a day rate, depending on how the filmer negotiates.

3. Per Clip (Single, Line, B-Roll or Slam for a Brand/Media Company)

Getting paid per clip has long been the industry standard for freelancers and contributing filmers, with different rates for the varying types of clips (single, line, b-roll, slam). In my opinion, this is the most problematic “norm,” and what needs to change. I can’t speak for all pro skaters, but I have always feel immense guilt working with a freelance filmer who is dedicating their time to film me, knowing there is a slim likelihood they’ll ever see any money for their work.

I’ve also spent time on the other side of the camera, and can empathize with the filmer. The other day I went on a mission in San Francisco to film someone. After all parking, gas, tolls, coffees, snacks and sandwiches were paid, I’d spent about $150 and twelve hours driving, filming, waiting, and logging. Now I’m not a freelance filmer and my mission was really just an excuse to hang out with one of my best friends. But if I was a filmer, and we got the clip, the per clip rates for most companies would have barely covered my expenses. This specific day my friend didn’t get the clip, and as the filmer, I would have been in the red for my day’s work. I’ve heard of skaters going back fifteen times for a single trick with the same freelance filimer. It’s not unusual for red days to stack, and the job is no longer a job, it’s just unpaid labor. Often for the benefit of a giant corporation.

What are the rates?

In 2016 I got hit up by a company asking me to send an invoice for a clip I filmed, and I had no idea what they were talking about. What clip? I assumed they were mistaken, but I sent the invoice anyway. I mean, why not? At the time, the rates were as followed:

$200.00 Line

$150.00 Single Trick

$100.00 Single Trick (2nd Angle)

$75.00 Approach/Rollaway/Slam/Bail

$75.00 Lifestyle/Scenic/Detail

They paid me $150, I went to the premiere, and it was only during one of the main parts that I remembered being on a trip with the skater years before and shakily pointing my DSLR at him. How that clip even ended up on their hard drive is still a mystery to me. I also couldn’t believe they actually paid filmers before the video came out. Maybe that’s standard now, but back then, filmers usually only found out what clips got used once it was already online or playing at the premiere.

I’ve been asking around, and rates haven’t changed much in ten years. It seems the current rate for a clip that ends up in a corporate brand’s YouTube video (I assume rates are different for social media campaigns) is between $200-$300. For a small brand, like a board company, skate shop or clothing company, the rate is more like $50-150, if monetized at all, since a lot of companies will try to pay in product.

The worst part about this arrangement is that you don’t get paid until the video comes out and the company decides to use your footage.

This sometimes takes years. And they might not use the freelance filmer’s footage at all. This could be because the editor doesn’t like the angle, or the way the skater did the trick, or the clip just doesn’t work with the song. Maybe the skater has already done a similar trick. Maybe the company is more budget conscious, and prefers to use clips filmed by the filmers on retainer. Maybe there’s another angle that’s better, so they use that one instead. If I was a working filmer, these impediments to actually getting paid for work would drive me crazy.

The reality is, most filmers do it for the love. And that’s admirable, but it’s not fair. Generally, their work is helping promote shoes. Shoes made by GIANT CORPORATIONS. Here are some revenue stats for the big three operating in skate, provided by companiesmarketcap.com.

Nike: $49 Billion

Adidas: $29 Billion

VF (Vans): $9.6 Billion

These are not small, or even large, skater-owned brands. These are the some of the biggest companies in the world! And while each brand might support two to three filmers with retainer roles, the riders for these big brands often rely on freelance filmers to complete their projects. These freelancers end up looking at payment for this work, however many months or years later as a bonus. Almost every freelance filmer I know who doesn’t have a retainer role for a big brand has another job outside of skateboarding.

It shouldn’t be like this.

So here’s what I suggest. It’s very simple. Big companies who sponsor skaters (Nike, adidas, Vans, Red Bull, Monster, etc.) should add a line item to their contracts with professional and amateur skaters that allows them to pay filmers themselves. No different than travel expenses or incentives. Here’s an example of how the “Incentives” line item looked in my contract with C1rca in 2012.

Incentives. Company shall pay Athlete incentives (“Incentives”) calculated in accordance with Exhibit A attached to this Agreement up to a maximum of Five Thousand Dollars and No Cents ($5,000.00) per Contract Year. Athlete shall submit to Company copies of all publications and materials upon which Athlete believes Incentives are due.

In this way, a company can allow their “athletes” to pay filmers for their time. I never had a clearly defined “Travel Expense” limit in a contract, but I know that it’s normal for pro skaters to buy their own travel and invoice the company for the costs. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for skaters to pay their filmers in the same way.

If they need a filmer to complete a video project, empower them to get the work done.

Let them pay the filmer for their time, as a day rate or a half-day rate, like every other industry that requires video and photo talent. Now what should those rates be? I’m not sure. Maybe that’s up to the skater and the filmer to work out. But they should try to make it at least minimum wage. I highly doubt any freelance filmer working today gets anything close to that when they average out their time spent filming and what they actually earned.

Now I know this will probably upset a lot of people out there. Most filmer/skater dynamics are rooted in friendship. And you shouldn’t have to pay your friends to hang out with you. But if you’re a pro skater, filming is a job. If you’re a filmer, you’re often expected to do it for the love. We all love this shit, and we wouldn’t be doing it otherwise, but c’mon. Let’s get our friends paid for their hard work. I also want to watch my favorite skaters, knowing their big video part didn’t require the generosity of a struggling filmer.

Below, I share some stories from working with filmers over the years, and my career highlights of trying to be a filmer myself.