Filming in the evening and at weekends while employed is common here. What causes trouble is almost never the paperwork.
The administrative side is the simplest
Contrary to belief, that is the mapped-out part.
Running a self-employed activity while employed is possible in most cases, with a registration and its own obligations. What varies is the regime, the threshold, the frequency of returns and how it fits with your employee status.
These elements depend on your situation and change over time: they are checked with the competent administration and with an accountant, before invoicing the first job.
The principle to keep: invoicing without being registered exposes you far more than earning little does.
Reread your employment contract
Three clauses decide everything.
Exclusivity, which sometimes prohibits any other paid activity for the duration of the contract.
Loyalty and non-competition, dealt with in the box above.
And confidentiality, which stops you showing anything belonging to the company: a file, a screen, premises, a colleague, a client.
If a single one of those clauses is ambiguous, have it read before you start, not at the moment a job arrives.
Do not touch work resources
The rule is simple and has no useful exception.
No computer, phone, connection, software, printer, premises or working time belonging to the employer. No filming during the hours you are paid for, even working from home, even at lunchtime.
It is not a question of value: it is what turns a tolerated side activity into a punishable breach.
Organising the week for real
A rhythm that holds, rather than an ambitious one.
Group the shoots into a single slot, in daylight at the weekend, when the light is usable. Filming on weekday evenings costs equipment and tiredness.
Prepare during the week whatever needs no light: reading briefs, writing scripts, replying, invoicing, preparing products.
And set a workload limit: a number of jobs per month you know you can hold, rather than an income ceiling. A late delivery costs a client, a sleepless night costs your job.
Where to place the hours in a busy week
| Slot | What you do there | Length |
|---|---|---|
| One weekday evening | Editing and exports | 2 hours |
| Saturday morning | The shoot, in daylight | 3 hours |
| Twenty minutes at lunch | Quotes and replies | Every day |
What you tell the client from the first exchange
The real lead time, not the ideal one. Announcing seven days and delivering in five beats promising two and delivering in six.
What to check on the employer side
The employment contract, any exclusivity clause and the reporting obligations, to be confirmed with a lawyer.
When to take the step
Three conditions, not one.
A regular income over several months, with at least three clients who have ordered more than once.
A collection cycle you know and that does not exceed what your cash can absorb.
And having turned down jobs for lack of time, several times, which is the only reliable signal that demand exceeds your current capacity.
Until those three conditions are met, the job is not a brake: it is what funds the building of the portfolio.
