How do I get trusted and paid fairly starting out in film?

You are proving yourself in a field that makes you earn trust before it gives it, and being underpaid while you do that stings. It is not a sign you don't belong. Early on, almost everyone in this craft trades cheap work for the chance to show what they can do. That season is hard, but it is a season, not a sentence. Your job right now is two things at once: get better, and get seen. Trust follows evidence. Every gig where you translate the vision cleanly and are easy to work with becomes proof someone else can point to. Quiet reliability builds a reputation faster than talent alone. Know your worth, and raise your rate in small, steady steps as your reel grows. Do not stay cheap out of fear. Pick your next project for what it shows and who it connects you to, not just the pay. You are building a name. Guard it, and let it start earning for you.