do you know what they are shooting with ..as far as camera, lights, and audio go?
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It doesn't say on his website, but he also runs a forum with very few participants. You can probably post the questions there or e-mail him directly.

I searched for articles about Loi Banh and came up with quite a few hits including a few articles in Event DV and posts of his on the Dvx User forums.

I know he uses Final Cut for editing and I saw one post mentioning a Sony HVR-Z1.

John

The guy's known as one of the best in the wedding biz.

Very interesting, thanks for the link. I like his style, but how woud he be able to get get rights to the music he's using and still run a profitable business ? I noticed at least three copyright pieces in one short video including a Frank Sinatra song...

It's much easier to get a good mood happening if you can simply pick and choose from the world's best music....

He didn't get the rights. No wedding videographer does. It's just a common practice that falls under the radar of the music industry. It's still not legal, but it's different because these aren't videos that are for broadcast or retail, where you'd have thousands of copies being sold.

Uh Oh ! ......Looks like the makings of yet another copyright thread.

John

Well I didn't start it, he was asking about it.

The truth is, even if he got the rights to use popular music, the fee would cost as much as his video services. I know he charges $3000-$5000 or more per wedding, and the licensing fee would be at least that much, just for one song, used in one video.

And most wedding videos will consist of at least 3 song selections, so you're looking at a very expensive project if you want to be on the up and up legally.

On the other hand, lets say he was wanting to put together a demo DVD with the same music and make hundreds of copies for a bridal show. If he took it to a legitmate replicator, they'd tell him to strip the video of all copyrighted music before they'd press a single copy.

Doesn't matter, laws are laws not just laws for when it benefits you. So why should he get to make his $5k but the artists don't get to make crap while he is making money off their hard work?

Simply put, the guy is a thief.

The Flash looked best for me in all case. I had a lot of problems with the QT not initializing correctly and the WM look terrible. Any way all wedding with so many smiling face always make me sad because I know its no Rx for happiness in a relationship, and the more expensive and well organised the wedding all the bigger the crap it is. Just my cynical Saturday night rant after too much wine.

Well, it's just not right to use copyright music. I'm not being a puritan here (at least I don't think so), but I have a big problem with this:

1) The original artist (who may in fact be quite poor) gets $0

2) Although people may say "it's just for the wedding video", in fact he's using it for the wedding video; on his website; and as advertising and promotion material for his business. Why not just insert snippets from Hugh Grant movies as well ? Same thing.

3) I have a hell of a lot of struggling musician friends who would happily do this sort of soundtrack work for a very modest fee. But because this guy just rips copyright CDs, they get nothing

4) By using copyright material without permission he gets an unfair advantage over people "doing the right thing"

The whole situation I find really irritating from a legal point of view; a business view; and a musicians' view.

EDIT: Of course maybe somehow he does have permission, in which case I grovellingly apologize.

You divorced, MH? (wink)

P@mast3rs, yes, he's 'breaking the law', much like someone who drives 1 mile over the speed limit is. That would include you and I and everyone in this forum.

Why do we do it? Because no cop is going to waste his time on that type of offense. And we know that the faster we go, the threat of getting ticketed rises.

Just as using popular music in some couples' wedding video, which is only going to be seen by a handful of people, isn't the same as laying down a country music track on a fishing DVD sold online in the tens of thousands.

The industry would sue in the latter case, because they can go for a piece of the profits. Suing a wedding videographer for using music, which by the way has never happened, wouldn't even be worth the court costs or effort.

There's also the issue of personal ethics.

When I go into a music studio and I see they're using warez I just walk straight out again (and that's happened more than once).

My logic goes that if they're prepare to bend the law and rip people off in one area, why not another ? It just puts a question mark over the whole business.

...4) By using copyright material without permission he gets an unfair advantage over people "doing the right thing"...

Google Wedding Videographer. Look at all the sites that come up. You'll probably find 99 out of 100 videographers using popular music. To think he's the only one would be naive.

As I have said, it's a gray area that's not currently on the music industry's radar. They obviously know about it, but it's not like wedding videographers are a huge chink in their chain. The illegal music downloads by the millions is the main threat to them at this point, and they're not seeing a financial loss by some videographer who throws a few songs on someone's video that maybe 5-6 people will have copies of.

These aren't motion pictures seen by hordes of people. How does a wedding video affect the music artist negatively?

DGates, just imagine that those 99 wedding videographers all started using music written by some of the thousands of aspiring soundtrack musicians out there ! The positive effect of that up and down both industries would be fantastic.

You may be right.

But it might be a hard sell when you tell the couple that they can't have their favorite John Mayer song on the wedding highlights, and instead, here's Chuck. He's going to sing a song he wrote about you.

he he, I know what you mean. But I was thinking 'instrumental'.

The whole thing reminds me of lots of situations where people say: "Oh, we couldn't do that it, it's far too hard", or too expensive, too high, too far etc etc. But then one day something changes and suddenly it's not so hard at all.

In most parts of the civilised world one can quite legally use ANY music in a wedding video. And yes the artists get paid.

Think of the guests' excitement as the bride and groom dance for the first time as husband and wife to their song:

Scent of the East River" by Hermione Filibuster.

Later on the DJ plays a medely of MP3s downloaded from the Royalty Free Internet Archive. It was a great wedding reception with tears and joy and everyone having a wonderful time until the final dance - "Credit Roll" by Flash Frame.

I'm in tears just thinking about it.

John

Not so, I can use any music from any CD, Metallica to Madona, in a wedding, nothing royalty free about it, all I have to do is pay a licence fee (around $800/annum) to APRA and I'm set.

Bob.

hmmm... "a licence fee (around $800/annum) to APRA and I'm set." ....what is that? Where do you sign up for that one? Is it just for weddings...or any video you create?

I'm with DGAtes on the one mile over analogy. However, out of pure cowardly fear I'm buying affordable Royalty Free music. If I was a professional wedding videographer I might be tempted to join the Bluecore Media crowd and take my chances, but the thought of someday someone deciding to make an example of that random "little guy." makes me quake in my boots.

Where do you sign up for that one?

Sadly it's for Australia only :-(
Music user licences.

Mike

I film weddings and used to use music that was given to me by the bride and groom to include in their video as I used to be uneducated in the matter and thought that as long as they owned a copy of it, it was okay.

I know now that this thinking is wrong and following through with the action is illegal. For 2 years now I have not used any music that is not royalty free/copyright free unless I had access to it and paid the fee to use it. I have lost several weddings do to this as there are other videographers in my area that do not care about this law.

I have not reported any of my competition for this law breaking, but I have thought about it. More than likely nothing would happen and their actions would just be affirmed. I figure that they will get theirs at some point. There is just something gradifying about knowing you are on the up and up.

j razz