Over the past fourteen years, No Film School has published thousands of free articles, videos, and podcasts about how to make better movies. But to really impact filmmakers’ careers, we’ve always wanted to create in-depth online courses available to everyone around the world.

After a decade, we finally have an expansive, career-changing course to share with you, How to Make Money as a Cinematographer.


We created this course to go much deeper than any article or podcast could, to really dig in and answer the question, “how do I support myself doing something I love?” How to Make Money as a Cinematographer is a step-by-step guide on how to level up your career as a video shooter — no matter your current skill level. We’ll teach you how to get more clients, maximize profits from your gear, get paid higher rates, and quit your day job.

Save $148 - This Week Only!

We're so excited to finally release this course after two years of production. To celebrate the brand-new release, we’re offering you an exclusive 50% discount (that’s $148 off):

Across 75 chapters and 8 hours of video, Professor/DP Charles Haine shares the lessons he’s learned from over 20 years in the film industry. We think any one of the thousands of tips inside can easily pay for the whole course...

How to Make Money as a Cinematographer - Charles Haine

We also include 50 exclusive resources — checklists, gear lists, lighting diagrams, worksheets, calculators, day rate analysis, and more — to give you an edge over other shooters.

We'll even tell you how much money other creatives are charging… in your part of the world… at your specific job. Thanks to our global reach with this site, we surveyed DPs, videographers, editors, and other crewmembers all over the globe to give you the kind of valuable information you won't find anywhere else. Our exclusive analysis in this course — broken down both by job and by region — will help you set the right rate and learn how to negotiate with clients.

NFS Course How Much to Charge

Learn The Business, Not The Craft

Two years in the making, How To Make Money As A Cinematographer was crafted by all of us here at No Film School to give you a leg up when you enter the market. We cover everything you can do to make a living shooting video, including:

  • Getting paid a higher rate
  • Building a client list
  • Quitting your day job
  • Landing a larger client at a higher day rate
  • Structuring your deals to include compensation you wouldn't normally receive.
  • Choosing what gear to invest in
  • Having your gear pay you
  • Shooting in ways that will make you stand out from the crowd
  • Working your way up the crew ladder
  • Running a set as the director of photography
  • and so much more!

We even cover the subject of taxes. Not only how to do them properly for your type of business, but also how to save money on the gear you finance, and what you can do to reinvest all those savings back into the growth of your career.

How to Make Money as a Cinematographer

Special Launch Week Pricing

To celebrate the launch of our first course, we're offering $148 off, this week only:

Visit the Course Page to Learn More (and save 50%!)

Make 2025 the year you level up your video career—and your day rate. We're so excited to share How To Make Money As A Cinematographerwith you, so please take a look and let us know what you think!