This has been a busy week so far. I have finished up a photo montage for a wedding at the end of March, doing some pre-planing for my very busy May. I have a wedding EVERY weekend in May right up into the first part of June. I am thrilled and more than excited. I know it is going to be a LOT of work, but I am looking forward to it.
The other day I was talking with a friend while our kids were playing together. She asked me how things were going and how busy I was getting. I told her about what was going on in May/June. She asked me what was involved in getting ready to shot a wedding and I did when I was working at the wedding. So, I thought I would share with you what a wedding video shoot is like and how much work is really involved.
It all starts about a month before the wedding is scheduled, I send out a short questionnaire to the bride and groom. This gives me a chance to get to know them a bit better, who they are and how their video should reflect them. I start thinking about how I want the shoot to go, how I want the video to look and what kind of shots I need to make it look that way. I make a list of all the shots I want, what I will need equipment wise to get that shot. I also make a list of everything I will need that day, equipment, any food or drink I need for myself and the person working with me, if I need someone with me. I start checking the weather for the day to see if I need any special weather gear or not.
The week of the wedding, I try to contact the bride to go over any last minute changes I need to be aware of, what time is the rehearsal, and do they need anything from me. I start going over my equipment making sure everything is working correctly. I calculate how many video tapes I will need, charge all my batteries and that everything on my list is ready to go.
The day of the wedding is usually a long day. I try to get to the venue about 2 1/2 hours before the bride gets there, this gives me a chance to set up my equipment in an out of the way area, go over my shot list with my assistant if I have one with me. I get some establishing shots of the venue, prep of the location, meet with the location coordinator about any restrictions they might have in place. Once the bride arrives, things really kicks into high gear. I start going down my shot list to start getting the 22 must have shots, keeping an eye out for both the special moment shots and B-roll shots. I then get the groom, go over a few things with him, mic either him or the officiant up, then go and get the equipment set for the wedding ceremony itself.
After the ceremony is done, I continue to stay with the bride and groom while they are doing the family photos. This is when some of the most emotional and romantic shots come from. Then its time to head to the reception, still keeping an eye open for anything and everything that goes on. I get a short break during dinner as no one wants to see their friends and family eating on their video. I am there at the reception until the bride and groom leave for the night.
When the reception ends, my work is just starting. Now I have to download the video onto my computer, go through all the video to look for any problems that my be present and fix it. Start to put the clips together in a way that tells the story of the day, add the music, sync the audio to the video, do the titles, go over the video any where from 30 to 50 times looking for anything and everything. It all has to look and feel just right. Once the video is done, then I have to put it on a DVD, create the menus, put any motion to those menus, add any music and/or photos, go over the DVD 15 to 30 more times, make any additional changes to give it just the right feel so that the bride and groom can relive that emotional day. Then I do all the authoring of the DVD, etch the label and then deliver the finished DVD to the bride.
When all that is done, it starts all over again for the next wedding. So the next time you wonder what I do and why it may be a long time between blog posting, now you know.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Price alone should not make the difference.......
Things have been really busy the past couple of weeks for me and I have to say, I am very happy. I have loved meeting brides and in some cases, their mothers. I have been very happy with the response to both the ad in the Premier Bride Magazine and to the bridal fair this past January. I was hoping that things would go well, but I have to admit I am surprised at just how well they are going.
I have been getting a lot of emails and phone calls asking about availability and price. I don't mind answering those or any other questions about Midnight Magic Video. I have been noticing that the first question that most people ask is "what is the cost of your packages?" I know that is an important question to ask, but I have had discussions with brides that tell me that price is their one deciding factor in choosing a videographer. I have to wonder why some brides are basing who they choose to video their wedding based on price alone.
Let's face facts, most videographers use the same type of equipment, digital video cameras, wireless microphones, and some type of editing suite. How the videographer uses this equipment is the real difference in who you choose to shoot your wedding. Let me explain it this way: lets say you are going out to buy a new car, you go to a near by dealership and tell them what your looking for. The salesperson finds the car your looking for with all the bells and whistles you want on the car, but right next to it, is the exact same car, with the same bells and whistles the other one has, the same color and everything. The big difference is one car is priced at $1800 and the other one is priced at $400. Are you going to choose the $400 car? Most will choose the $1800 car for a number of reasons. Now, I know that a $1800 car is not a great car, but I am just using it as an example. Most people would not choose the $400 car because they know how unreliable a $400 car can be. How that car will be more trouble than a more expensive car can be.
When you choose a videographer based on price alone you are taking a risk in the type of video your going to get. If you pay $400 for a wedding video, your going to get a $400 video. I am not saying you should pick a videographer on price alone, you should look at their demo video, and ask to see the last wedding they did. Look to see what their style is like, how do they shoot the wedding. Is it a style that fits how you want your video? Are you comfortable with the person that is going to shoot your wedding? Do they know how to use their equipment correctly? Do they have any special training on their equipment? These are some of the questions you should ask the videographer your looking at wanting to hire.
Let me share with you a story of a bride who chose the $400 videographer. This bride comes from a very well to do family in the area, Money was not a huge concern but, the bride wanted to save some money in her wedding planning. The videographer she choose showed up the day of the wedding having not gone to the rehearsal to plan out where to get the best shot or where everyone is going to be during the ceremony. He also showed up with just one hand held camcorder. When she got the final video a couple weeks later she knew she made a mistake, he didn't get a shot of the bride coming down the aisle, He used just the microphone on his camera to get sound from the wedding, needless to say she did not hear a single word of her wedding vows. When she asked for him to fix it, he tried, but it is hard to fix bad camera work. You only have one, and only ONE chance to capture your wedding on video. She will never get to see that day the way she wanted. She got a $400 video.
I hoping to hear from more new brides in the up coming weeks.
I have been getting a lot of emails and phone calls asking about availability and price. I don't mind answering those or any other questions about Midnight Magic Video. I have been noticing that the first question that most people ask is "what is the cost of your packages?" I know that is an important question to ask, but I have had discussions with brides that tell me that price is their one deciding factor in choosing a videographer. I have to wonder why some brides are basing who they choose to video their wedding based on price alone.
Let's face facts, most videographers use the same type of equipment, digital video cameras, wireless microphones, and some type of editing suite. How the videographer uses this equipment is the real difference in who you choose to shoot your wedding. Let me explain it this way: lets say you are going out to buy a new car, you go to a near by dealership and tell them what your looking for. The salesperson finds the car your looking for with all the bells and whistles you want on the car, but right next to it, is the exact same car, with the same bells and whistles the other one has, the same color and everything. The big difference is one car is priced at $1800 and the other one is priced at $400. Are you going to choose the $400 car? Most will choose the $1800 car for a number of reasons. Now, I know that a $1800 car is not a great car, but I am just using it as an example. Most people would not choose the $400 car because they know how unreliable a $400 car can be. How that car will be more trouble than a more expensive car can be.
When you choose a videographer based on price alone you are taking a risk in the type of video your going to get. If you pay $400 for a wedding video, your going to get a $400 video. I am not saying you should pick a videographer on price alone, you should look at their demo video, and ask to see the last wedding they did. Look to see what their style is like, how do they shoot the wedding. Is it a style that fits how you want your video? Are you comfortable with the person that is going to shoot your wedding? Do they know how to use their equipment correctly? Do they have any special training on their equipment? These are some of the questions you should ask the videographer your looking at wanting to hire.
Let me share with you a story of a bride who chose the $400 videographer. This bride comes from a very well to do family in the area, Money was not a huge concern but, the bride wanted to save some money in her wedding planning. The videographer she choose showed up the day of the wedding having not gone to the rehearsal to plan out where to get the best shot or where everyone is going to be during the ceremony. He also showed up with just one hand held camcorder. When she got the final video a couple weeks later she knew she made a mistake, he didn't get a shot of the bride coming down the aisle, He used just the microphone on his camera to get sound from the wedding, needless to say she did not hear a single word of her wedding vows. When she asked for him to fix it, he tried, but it is hard to fix bad camera work. You only have one, and only ONE chance to capture your wedding on video. She will never get to see that day the way she wanted. She got a $400 video.
I hoping to hear from more new brides in the up coming weeks.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
New post, New Music
I hope you like the music playing as you read this. I have to thank my loving wife Leeann for helping add this to my blog. I think music is one of the most important art forms we have today. I mean it can do so much, it can take you back to a summer vacation with your family when you were a kid, it can remind you of your first kiss, a loved one no longer with you and it can make you act like a fool in front of friends, family and even strangers. Music is a key factor in my wedding videos. It can do so much, it adds the emotion to a photo montage, the feel of a day, the blooming of a new love or life.
I use music to help tell a story. For example, one of the first weddings I did many years ago, I was looking for a song to help me with a photo montage. It was the first photo montage I had done on video and I wanted it to really tell the story of these two people growing up and setting out on a new adventure. I found a song, but it just did not feel right to me and I have found out that if it doesn't feel right, you need to go back and change it. Anyway, I found this song and put it to pictures. I liked it, at first. But, the more I watched it, the more I didn't like it. It didn't flow very well, it didn't tell the story of these two people starting their new life together. Then Leeann found it. It was a song from the animated movie "Anastasia" called "At the Beginning". The song was a prefect fit. When the bride saw it, she had a tear in her eye. She said it was prefect. Music to my ears.
Music is one of the most important elements of your wedding video that is why I let my brides pick out the songs that mean the most to them. These are songs that mean something to them. I always have suggestions, but like I do with the video itself, I let the bride lead the way.
Business has been growing the past couple of weeks. The month of May is completely booked, I mean EVERY weekend I am doing a wedding, March is half full, June is booking up and I have a few in September as well. Things are going to get busy and I like it that way.
I use music to help tell a story. For example, one of the first weddings I did many years ago, I was looking for a song to help me with a photo montage. It was the first photo montage I had done on video and I wanted it to really tell the story of these two people growing up and setting out on a new adventure. I found a song, but it just did not feel right to me and I have found out that if it doesn't feel right, you need to go back and change it. Anyway, I found this song and put it to pictures. I liked it, at first. But, the more I watched it, the more I didn't like it. It didn't flow very well, it didn't tell the story of these two people starting their new life together. Then Leeann found it. It was a song from the animated movie "Anastasia" called "At the Beginning". The song was a prefect fit. When the bride saw it, she had a tear in her eye. She said it was prefect. Music to my ears.
Music is one of the most important elements of your wedding video that is why I let my brides pick out the songs that mean the most to them. These are songs that mean something to them. I always have suggestions, but like I do with the video itself, I let the bride lead the way.
Business has been growing the past couple of weeks. The month of May is completely booked, I mean EVERY weekend I am doing a wedding, March is half full, June is booking up and I have a few in September as well. Things are going to get busy and I like it that way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)