Huge Sales week! making money on holiday.

Ok this is good stuff this week, I have made 5 sales, I have never made 4 sales in four days, and it was two videos I made whilst travelling round India, thus proving this is something you can make whilst travelling around the world. I asked permission to film one of the shots of people building on the side of road and the good thing about Indian people is they seem to like being filmed, I mean they actually came up to me and asked have their photos taken. Whilst I'm not saying every single person in India wants to be filmed or photo taken, it was definitely different.

When I was in Delhi, people asked to have their photos taken with my girlfriend which she assured me was Ok. I wasn't that keen but later on I was walking along in a market in Kasawli when people asked to have their photo taken with me, as they never get white tourists or tourists for that matter.
They took it in turns to each use a different camera and different combinations standing next to me, I felt famous to be honest like a D list X factor contestant. I have to admit my ego liked it, it liked it a lot.
On this page you can see a film of my travels http://martinellerbeck.blogspot.com/p/documentaries.html



WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF MAKING STOCK FOOTAGE OVER TRYING TO SELL VIDEOS TO PEOPLE?

1. You don't have to spend hours in meetings.
2. You don't have to spend hours phoning and emailing people to meet them.
3. You just film and edit.
4. You practice filming your shots.
5. You learn what is fashionable to sell.
6. It's easy.
7. Its addictive.




Stock Video Footage: Builders in busy street, Delhi India

This video is quite unusual and if you want to capture the chaos of India, there is nothing like this on Pond5.












Stock Video Footage: Crowded Delhi street


This shot is one I was most proud of, it just shows mayhem with all the cables hanging down. I love this shot.








Stock Video Footage: Commuters drive through rain.



This shot has only had three views and after that has sold, I shot it out of my window when it was raining, a lot of my sales have been from my window, you don't need to go all the way to India! The other shot was some builders behind my flat in London who were making a right racket so I thought I should film them.



My Other sales were




Stock Video Footage: The Classic London Underground Sign

2 sales for this, I think London Underground use this shot in their adverts.





Stock Video Footage: Crowds go shopping


This always sells 3 sales now, I have tried to get similar shots in cases people want variety but this is the shot that sells, if a video has sold then it is more likely to get promoted.


OK well I hope you enjoy the videos and if you fancy starting up on Pond5 here is a link


Addiction to Pond5
I find it is quite addictive to sell stock footage, every time you get a sale you get a beautiful email which tells you, you have free money, I mean technically you did film the footage and edit it, but that could have been last year and you've forgotten the work you put in. You always hope to see that message in your inbox, and the more work you put in, you will always get more money- beautiful.


best


see you later

Martin

Stock footage, Video sales, and cacti

All has been busy at Ellerbeck Towers, firstly I have a new camera to specifically film stock footage it is a Canon 550D this is size of a semi professional camera but takes video, here is a video to explain the pros and cons which saves me explaining them to you now, I would just say it is perfect to produce stock, previously I have been using a massive camera and that just don't cut the mustard, as now I carry it around in the off chance I see something that may sell. To prove the point Pond 5 even commented "Good work" they never say anything to me normally, I must be in the big league almost up to 200 clips only need another 800 more before I start breaking even..

Some info also about my latest sales on Pond5 in this..




I shall be out gathering more stock with my camera and have edited my rough guide to India film for all to see. India, I really miss those Chais they drink out there. Hope fully the images I sell from them can pay for another trip out there, take a look








Please feel to buy these here!




Here is episode 1 of cactus in a canoe
This is my bonkers series of videos interviewing Reading people on a canoe, it's too cold now till but in March I shall get back in the canoe and get people on the boat.



We did our most sucesful Corkeyburgers Ramshackle there must have been about 50 people there, which considering its capacity of 50 was very good. Here is the promo vidoe for it, and you can watch the entire series in parts on youtube...



best

Martin

Feeling Zen on Pond 5

I have uploaded 11 more clips for Pond 5 so that I can make loads of money, surely doing all this is very zen, as I have no master, no one to order me about, on the other hand Masters are good, they tell you what to do when you don't know.





When I do get an email that tells me I have a sale of a pond 5 clip, I feel a sense of joy although its only 16 pounds it alwasy feels good, as if it's free money. My most successful month when I got 3 sales I put the money towards the alphasmart Neo which I bought an Ebay. (In the youtube video below all will be explained in quite a passionate way why its so good.)

The clip that has sold the most has always been the one I took from my parants front garden, maybe you dont need to go that far, maybe its under the nose. I have thought about going to Canada what with there being lots of snow, as my clip of ice melting is the big one, the one that sells the most. But there are loads of clips of Snow that don't sell, really you should go for things that aren't necesarily obvious they are under your nose.

If you put ice melting in the search on Pond 5, my clip comes up first, thats what you want really. One sale brings another, like so many things in life, so basically the more popular( if it's the highest seller) your video, the more chance it has of selling even more.





I have also been sent 4 boxes of tea for my other Zen like deal of making videos in exchange for a video, this time I made it first, a bit of a risk but it was just an hour of filming and an hour or so of fiddling with videos, and there it was all done once 200 or so people had looked at it on youtube they sent me the drinks..

As I mention in the video, the next one will be a hotel, to try and get a hotel for two, I wonder if this deal can make the pleasent things in life, the Pond 5 clips could pay for flights and the zen deals could pay for the hotels.


I am making a documentary on Wokingham, it will feature 20 people getting on with their life and career and just follow them like a humphrey Jennings film, I'm going to "fund" this by using clips from the project, for Pond 5. I'm off filming a photographer on Monday I thought this would be a good start, I could use clips of him taking photos for Pond 5 but also use it in a creative way for making a documentaries, which is what I believe I am good at. I could then go to shops, warehouses and so on,odd places where so far no one has really filmed because they can't be bothered to ask for permission.



I have been planning a sketch which involves using a shop but I've been lazy about doing the whole- trying to get permission from a shop -thing. I asked them, sent them a press release and then stopped bothering, as they weren't jumping for joy, Funny how you can just get all apathetic if someone else is really dispassionate.

Of the things I achieved last year I did the corkeyburgers Ramshackle comedy night, a fencing video, a job at Reading Uni and a bit of Pond 5 stuff but this year will echo with the sound of Martin in Wokingham making great moves just you wait and seee...

So things I want to achieve is
(1) Making the Mp3 player sketch.
(2) Finishing a book I've been writing for about 10 years. (I think I 'm on the final draft now)
(3) Make actual money from Pond 5 stock footage (from making the documentaries)
(4) Go canoeing again- maybe free from doing a film for the company(zen deals as I call them now)
(5) Make a fencing documentary and get funding.
(6) Make enough cash to go travelling and filming stock footage, so I can travel around like the zen dealer sleeper in hotels in exchange for videos and making cash from Pond 5 clips and uploading them.