OT: Wedding Video *Shoot* Only.

kentwolf wrote on 1/14/2006, 4:57 AM
I have a daughter who is getting married and since I am going to be in the wedding, I cannot shoot it. Plus, I do not have a camera good enough. I do, however, have all the editing tools required, and hopefully, the expertise on the editing level.

She found a videographer who will do a shoot only for about $800.00. This is for 12 hours of video, so I am told. I will then receive the original video tapes and will then edit the footage. I do not yet know if this is 1 camera or 2.

Is this a pretty good rate? It certainly seems it. In your estimation, how much do you think I may be saving on editing? (Trying to make myself feel good here!) Most other videographers would not do a shoot-only without doing the editing. I know this rate savings question is pretty subjective, so ballpark estimates are fine. I would imagine it would be substantial.

Note: I will have access to all weding photos from the photograper so I can use them for photo montages.

Any extra Comments? Suggestions to tell the videographer? Seeing I do not normally do this kind of thing, I really do not have any agenda to detail to the videographer. Experience/pointers would be most helpful to me.

Thanks!

Comments

jeff_12_7 wrote on 1/14/2006, 7:15 AM
Congratulations on your daughter's wedding.

You don't know if it is one or two cameras? I suggest you make sure you get 2 cameras going. Having a second camera is key. First of all, editing with Excalibur or Ultimate-S multi-cam features makes editing so much fun! But more importantly, that second camera gets so much more of the "good stuff" that the first camera doesn't get (reactions of the guests, different angles, etc...).

I find that when you have the ability to cut to the parents of the bride/groom, a wide shot of the church/hall as secondary footage really adds to the production. Also, having a second camera at a wedding really saved my butt as a shooter/ editor - changing tapes, people walking in front of camera, etc... You never know what will happen. Expect the unexpected.

I would also look at the way audio will be recorded. I have seen professional companies send out their demo tapes where the audio wasn't loud and clear. Talk about a letdown. Is there a wireless mic with backup? I use an Iriver with a Giant Squid mic and I was blown away with the crisp clear audio. I was planning on using that as backup and used it as primary in a lot of cases.

Another tip: Keep a video cam on the dance floor (I assume this includes the reception as well) on a tripod. I made a separate DVD of just dancing (edited to 1.5 hours long). Sounds boring, right? Who wants to watch dancing that long? Well, you might be surprised that the bride in this case and her friends watch the dancing all the time, laughing all the way through it.

White balancing of course is key. The lighting is never optimal. You want an on-camera light that doesn't blind people. Monopods work well to get steady shots, and are more manueverable than tripods. Make sure the videographer attends the rehearsal (just have him show up for 20 minutes to get a feel for the setup, don't invite him to dinner).

Also, make sure you tell the DJ to inform the shooter of what's happening. In many cases the DJ can be the shooter's best friend at the reception. When the bride wants something to start (cake-cutting, garter toss, etc...) they don't tell the video guy. They run up to the DJ and tell him because he has the mic. There's nothing better than the DJ telling me to go setup "over there" because the bride just told him "Event A" is going to start in one minute and he is going to announce it after the song is over.

Nothing new here, just a few reminders for you based on my experience. (Edited for grammar)
RalphM wrote on 1/14/2006, 7:22 AM
The rate sounds reasonable, depending on your locale.

Questions to ask - is it one or two camera operators? Assuming one cameraman, what does he charge to also use a static camera in the church? (It's hard to do full coverage with only one camera)

Will he come to the rehearsal dinner (if you so wish)? How about the bride and groom preparations on the day of the wedding?

Will he show you some of his finished work so you can see the camera techniques.

Is he familiar with your traditions so that key parts of the ceremony are captured.

My own favorite: Does he want to be fed? If so, make sure he gets counted if it's a sit-down dinner.

The other question is: how much of your own time are you willing to put into the editing? I can assure you that this will be many, many hours of editing.

Padre wrote on 1/14/2006, 7:58 AM
to be hooenst with u, for 800 bux US, the guy obviously knows what hes doing to be charging that much... Here in Aus, your lucky to get half that for a shoot only job... thats just the way the market here is... which is why i persoanlly dont offer that service

either way, let him do his job.. what ralph has mentioned should be enough to determine what ur looking for and whether the guy is cut out for it..

theres nothing worse than being at a shoot with someone "whos in the industry" who just has to give their 2 cents with reagd to what to do and how to do it.. ..

It pises me off to no end.. i do ALOT of celebrity wedding here , and for privacy reasons, i dont advertise the fact to the public, but many of there guests are obviously in this line of work one way or another.. and i hear it all the time..
in the end though, being the familiar circle of friends, they know that i would not have been hired in the first place if i didnt know my shit..

SO... respect the fact that the Camera guy knows his shit (thats IF he knows his shit) and let him do what he does best..
jeff_12_7 wrote on 1/14/2006, 8:26 AM
Padre says: "for 800 bux US, the guy obviously knows what hes doing to be charging that much"

Padre's probably right, but if it was MY daughter's wedding I would make sure. Nothing wrong with asking questions in advance. This is a job interview and your family is the one hiring.
Padre wrote on 1/14/2006, 8:50 AM
exactly. and this is where ralphs questions come into play...

If u want specific shots, let it be known... if u want specific audio tools to be used, provide them...

This is all basic stuff that ANY AND EVERY WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHER should be talkng to their clients about anyway..

kentwolf wrote on 1/14/2006, 11:11 AM
Thanks guys so far!

Yes, I cerianly do hope it's a 2 camera shoot. I'll find out. Also, I know I certainly wouldn't want to be told what to do...especially if I already knew. Kind of like my kids watching over my shoulder while I type. The "audio alert" to any typos is not welcome. :) (I check when finished.) :) I definitely want to let him do his job.

I will check on the audio. That is a good point.

I will have as long as needed to edit all of this, so time won't be a factor.

I would imagine that the *editing* part (as versus the shooting) is where most of the money would go, would it not?

Terrific tips!

Thanks!!!
john-beale wrote on 1/14/2006, 11:29 AM
I charge somewhat less than that for a raw footage only wedding, but I've never shot as much as 12 hours of tape- that's a lot! Unless the wedding really is noon to midnight I assume that has to be two (or more) cameras. In my contract I specify every item to be covered, so eg. if bridal prep beforehand is to be included, it's all listed out. Also how many cameras for ceremony and reception, of course.

[edit] ...actually I don't know even with two cameras how you get 12 hours of worthwhile footage, unless this is eg. an Indian traditional ceremony happening over two days. You can leave the cameras running while people eat dinner but I can't see using much of that footage.

John Beale
www.bealecorner.com
winrockpost wrote on 1/14/2006, 11:48 AM
12 hrs,, wow thats a lot of stuff,
800 sounds high to me for one cam, unless they really are working a 12 hr day . say 600 for a typical 10 hr day, then 2 hrs of overtime, bout right.
.
winrockpost wrote on 1/14/2006, 11:56 AM
oh and have plenty of tissues available for the edit,, my daughter was married in April and i did the same sort a thing, wow ,added old home videos of her as a kid, and also of her husband ,,tons of tears on the old keyboard and lots of fun,, also a real respect now for wedding videographers and editors.