Film Tutorials

5 realistic ways to create additional income to support your film career


During those periods when there is no work available, filmmakers often have to find alternative short-term jobs to fill the gaps. Below are some additional ways in which you can earn extra income while pursuing a career.

Of course, there’s no reason why finding other possible working opportunities in different roles wouldn’t be suitable. For instance, it might be that you work in set design as your main role, but aren’t afraid to drive around the country with film equipment. With a steady set of wheels, a clean license, and the protection from a car accident lawyer should you need it, you’ll be in good stead.

All of these options don’t require a 9-5 commitment and can be achieved directly online. You can also build up a bigger business with your existing passion by tapping into some of these options. Let’s get started.

Set up your online store

Now this option may seem daunting and a lot of work at first but having an online store is becoming increasingly attractive to both freelancers and small business owners. If you’ve got a film production company or work as a freelance filmmaker/editor, having a place online where people can buy your services and products is ideal. This trend is just emerging but for those who want to get in on it, you can start to do so by building a simple store with a plugin such as Woocommerce or Shopify.

You can check out our guide that goes further into detail about how to use Shopify, choosing your products and promoting via Facebook. With this approach, you can build your online store with easy-to-use templates and start accepting payments from people anywhere in the world. The benefit of this system is you get paid upfront. No more waiting for that late payment!

Join or create an affiliate program

You can earn additional revenue and get paid for people’s products you sell online by joining an affiliate network. The way it works is you sign up for a free account and then select advertisers you want to promote. Every time you make a sale, you receive a commission. Each advertiser sets their own rates but there are some very high commission offers that can be obtained depending on the niche you select.

If you already have a product that you sell online you can get other people to sell it for you. Shareasale is one of the networks that provides this service where you can add your products and they send them out to their list of publishers. Once approved, your products will then get promoted on other websites that have an audience who could be interested in what you sell. You get to choose how much commission you give to others, and you don’t pay anything until you’ve received orders. The bottom line is, you get an additional revenue source thanks to other people promoting your products, and for free.

Accept donations for your broadcasts

Live broadcasting has become popular in the past year. With Periscope and Facebook Live there is a big audience waiting to hear your wisdom. What you can do to earn money from this is to create a Paypal donation link and encourage people to support your content. Many people on Periscope have managed to do this with considerable success. You can also sell products and services online through Periscope or Facebook Live and connect to your community.

Start today and build your personal brand. You may want to take a look at an online course to perfect your live broadcasting. Whether you’re a student or seasoned pro, this is without a doubt the format to build a presence on. You’ll be able to monetize this and start creating new networking opportunities.

Add a payment option to your personal website

If you have an exciting website that is self-hosted or blog where you can add a snippet of HTML code, why not add a Paypal or payment button to your pages? If you can create an overview of your service, you can then use buttons as a way to direct people to pay you upfront with a credit card. This is especially convenient for freelancers who don’t want to chase up payments and have peace of mind that their money is already in the bank. On top of this, you’re not competing with hundreds of other freelancers in your space because you control all the content on that page. We’re used to seeing platforms where freelancers go to sell services, but it’s very difficult to stand out or get work when so many people with similar skills are also trying to do the same thing.

Do paid surveys online

You can take paid surveys online to get additional income in between jobs or while you’re travelling. Check out this resource which highlights various websites where you can fill out surveys and even participate with paid video testimonials. While this is not a get rich quick scheme, if you’re someone who travels a lot by plane, bus or train, this can be a great way to monetize the time you spend commuting.

If you found this useful you can check out our list of recommended things you can do to increase your income in the next 30 days. You can also see the top skills you can learn to support your film career.

Iain Alexander

Founder - Film Industry Network

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