Here's a link to our latest WDE.
http://www.tulsaweddingvideos.com/video/eganwde.wmv

On Thursday we decided to try to pull it off as a surprise to the B&G. We were already doing the projection for the Photo Montage. In addition to that we had already hired a 3rd shooter to cover the reception for an additional project we are working on.

It was at a very nice reception venue and we felt there would be a lot of good potential clients in the audience.

Here's the details behind the edit. The church didn't allow cameras at the front so there are no nice closeups. Sorry. Cameras: Sony PD-150, DSR-250. Toshiba laptop with Edius. We ran it off to a VX2000 in Real Time and used the 2000 for playback.

I captured to my nNovia Quick Capture Drive. Trisha was in the balcony and captured straight to the laptop's hard drive. When the ceremony was over I transferred my selected clips to the laptop as we broke down our equipment.

On the way to the reception sight, about 5 blocks away, Trisha captured a few prep shots. The B&G arrived about 20 minutes after us and went straight to their 1st Dance.

An hour and ten minues after the 1st Dance we projected the Photo Montage and WDE. Before the presentation started I told the Bride we had a special surprise for her.

I had my camera on her as the WDE started. She was shocked and amazed. She couldn't beleive what she was seeing.

This isn't our best WDE but it is our fastest. We usually have 2-4 hours. Time will tell if our investment pays off in referrals.

All My Best,
Mark Von Lanken
Picture This Productions
www.TulsaWeddingVideos.com

Ok, anyone seen spaceballs? We're getting to that point here. Next thing you know you'll be showing the b&g their wedding before it happens!

Well, it really looked nice and the techinical ability to do that is fabulous, but I have to wonder why you do it? You're catering to and promoting a society of instant gratification. Everyone wants everything right here, right now and you're giving it to them. We need to slow down and learn patience, remember what that is? Let people live the moment instead of watching it back right after it happens.

I'll end this rant now but I have strong feeling about making everything happen on demand. I feel that the best memories aren't in a video, but in our minds.

Ben Lynn

Ben

Why do it? It's a great oppourtunity to show hundreds of people the value of wedding videography. Most people know they want good pictures, but not nearly as many see a need for good video.

I have to respectfully disagree about the best memories not being on video but in your mind. The bride couldn't see what she looked like as she walked down the aisle with her Mom at her side. She couldn't see how beautiful it looked from the balcony as the confetti came falling down on her, but when she sees those shots she does relive the feelings and memories. A good video enhances those memories to make them even better.

All My Best,

I understand the value of a well produced, professional video, I just have personal feelings that just because something can be done doesn't mean that it should be done. I'm sure the brides love it to no end and all but I still can't believe that hours after the ceremony they are watching video of an event that is still taking place.

I guess that it would be like a coach going in at halftime and showing his team the highlights from the first half and all the players talking about their performance and how they did and yet they still have a half to go.

Again, it's just a personal feeling on that type of production. I choose to not produce a video in that manner. I'm sure that it leads to a large number of additional productions for you and it really did look nice, very nice.

Ben

Using the coach analogy isn't a good one.

Because that is what many coaches do today especially in the NBA. These guys are taping the game, editing the significant plays and having them ready when the coach addresses the team at haltime.

With instant replay, tivo and other technologies there is a percentage of the public who would like to view their best moments right after it happens.

We interview concertgoers during the Seagram's Gin Live tour and when we started recording to hard drive and having the videos uploaded so the interviewees could see them when they returned home or the next day at the office our video views and video forwards increased by 30% then when it took 48 to 72 hours to get the videos uploaded.

Finally, I would like to see how many referrals come from your concept.

Best wishes and a good innovative idea.

Stephen,

I agree that the concept is a great marketing tool, no doubt about it. If it works for you then keep on it. And again, the piece that was put together really looked sharp. It was well shot, well cut, and really a great selection to show.

Now you asked about myself? Well, I get a number of people who express satisfaction with the manner in which the crew handles themselves on the day of the event. People are so used to seeing a videographer who runs around with a camera all over the place. They really appreciate it when I send in a crew and the crew can handle themselves in a truly professional manner. They know right away that the camera operator knows his business, that the sound technician is getting things done. That's what brings in additional clients for me: professional results from start to finish.

Again, it's just a fundamental belief that content producers need to begin to ask themselves how their video's shape society, not just how they can make an extra dollar. I understand that you have to make a living but sometimes we cater to much to the instant demands of the audience.

Ben

I hear ya Ben, all the way, and totally agree.

Ben I don't understand your objection to it. The WDE is an incredible marketing tool and also a lucrative option to offer clients. Because of the difficulty it is to pull something like this off- you have to charge accordingly for it. And as Mark said- everyone at the reception gets to see your work. I feel the best way to overcome objections to hiring a videographer is to actually SEE a well produced wedding video. Most potential clients STILL don't know what contemporary wedding videography IS. People like Mark are helping the industry- helping shed the myth that wedding videography is a static cameraman shooting from one angle with very little and/or uninspired editing.

I don't know if many people know Mark and his wife but they are one of the tops in the industry and I wouldn't take your eyes off them. Don't be suprised if this Wedding Day Edit becomes more common. It's a trend that seems to be growing rapidly and if you want high end brides and the highest possible profit margin your going to have to stay ahead of the curve.

As for me I'm open and honest in the fact I don't feel my talent is there yet to pull off one of these sucessfully. I would love to offer this option in the future as I continue to grow as a videographer. Thanks for all you do for the industry and thanks for your contribution to DVinfo, regardless of the negative minority it's much appreciated.

<<<-- Originally posted by Ben Lynn : Well, it really looked nice and the techinical ability to do that is fabulous, but I have to wonder why you do it? You're catering to and promoting a society of instant gratification. Everyone wants everything right here, right now and you're giving it to them.>>>>


And where's the problem...? There will always be people who will enjoy Same Day Edits; and pay for them. There will always be accomplished videographers who have the skill to pull off such feats; and enjoy the challenge! And I'm sure the majority of guests will enjoy such productions; especially if they can compare to Mark's masterful work!

It's certainly unfair to hijack his thread and blame him for contributing to what you (Ben) consider one of the ills of society and throwing Spaceballs at him... Maybe you should have started your own thread to have a rant about the concept of Same Day Edits?

Anyhow, in my opinion, Mark and his wife did an amazing job and I can understand why the entire wedding party would have been blown away by this presentation; and what a wonderful surprise for the bride!!!

Mossy

I thought it was great. But, hey ... I liked spaceballs too.

I owe an apology to Mark. I should have begun a seperate thread on the subject. The video was well produced.

I will put no further posts to this thread.

Ben Lynn

Any moral comments aside, I think this would be a great way to challenge your abilities. It is always great to challenge yourself, and with the number of physical limitations involved in a 2-3 hour edit, I think it would be a stressfull yet very exciting way to push your effeciency while trying to maintain quality.

Great marketing tool as well.

Thanks for the ideas.

<<<-- Originally posted by Glen Elliott : <snip>And as Mark said- everyone at the reception gets to see your work. I feel the best way to overcome objections to hiring a videographer is to actually SEE a well produced wedding video. Most potential clients STILL don't know what contemporary wedding videography IS. People like Mark are helping the industry- helping shed the myth that wedding videography is a static cameraman shooting from one angle with very little and/or uninspired editing.

I don't know if many people know Mark and his wife but they are one of the tops in the industry and I wouldn't take your eyes off them. Don't be suprised if this Wedding Day Edit becomes more common. It's a trend that seems to be growing rapidly and if you want high end brides and the highest possible profit margin your going to have to stay ahead of the curve.

As for me I'm open and honest in the fact I don't feel my talent is there yet to pull off one of these sucessfully. I would love to offer this option in the future as I continue to grow as a videographer. Thanks for all you do for the industry and thanks for your contribution to DVinfo, regardless of the negative minority it's much appreciated. -->>>

excellent post Glen.

Mark, thanks for sharing your work. I cannot even imagine the difficulty in pulling something like this off, especially at my experience level. Great work and thanks for the enlightenment.

Even those of us in Tulsa that know Mark and Trisha commend the excellence of thier work. What also sets them apart is the fact that they share their ideas and technical know-how with others.
We all know there are those of us in this business that get the ego factor real quick. This is just not true of them.
As far as the wedding day edit, I think the wow factor is a key selling point and they pull it off everytime. I strive to be able to do it one day, but for now I will watch and learn.

Ben

I don't feel you owe me an apology. You expressed your opinion as I did in return. The exchange remained professional and informative.

To everyone else.
Thank you for your kind and encouraging comments.

We sent the link to the B&G. The couple will be going on their honeymoon in December, so the groom is already back at work. The Bride sent us a very nice email and said even though the Groom didn't cry when it was projected, he admitted to crying when he saw the clip at work.

All My Best,
Mark Von Lanken
Picture This Productions
www.TulsaWeddingVideos.com

interesting concept, i do it in a different manner though.

we use a dedicated editor for this. obviously we charge accordingly (ie, an extra 1500 to 2000 AUD )

here show its done without skipping a beat and with no stress.

I have an editor.
I shoot for an hour or so.
He takes the tape and captures onto a lacie drive and uses a laptop.
As one tape captures, im still filming the second and so on and so forth. Obviously were not capturing everything for this particular "service" but the footage DOES have to be reviewed.

Usually im a Vegas and PPro head for my main work, but for this, we run Liquid 6 (ONLY for its ability to run background renders) i dont particularly like P6, as it tried to be more than it is. I also hate its stupidly high menu count to get a task done which i can do with 2 clicks in Vegas.
Anywyas, by using P6 on a laptop, we dont have to carry a barebones system, monitor, keybaord etc etc for the type of effects and overlays we need.
Its all done in SW.
During the ceremony, hes editing the gettin ready. hes got about half an hour to make a nice 5 to 10 minute cut.
During the photoshoot, hes editing the ceremony (another 5 to 10 mins)
if we have time, wed also include their entrance to the reception.

output to tape, connect DSR11 to Pana AE500 HD Projector and voila

Now one thing abotu all this is that I HATE IT. I hate the idea of having this much pressure on my crew when we dont have to. but its a living and we have to make ends meet.
I dont like the fact that people feel that what they saw wil be their finished product and i dont like the idea of playing something which should be kept a surprise. With the hype, people are already into it, theres no need to bore them with images theyve already seen only afew hours ago.
But this is what some people want.
And as a business, we provide that. I dont have to like it, but its there....

another thing is that it sets a precedent for delivery expectation. I may be able to pull this off in a day, however i may have 5 or 6 weddings backlogged before i even get to this. It puts an unnecessary expectation of delivery into their heads and its really quite damaging.......

by the end of it, weve had one guy build a 15 minute presentation which looks like a finished product

What did you use to put together the video. I understand it's a windows media file, but what did you use for compression and such? I also noticed your name was down there, which leads me to believe that you used a special piece of software.

Stephen, Mark edits and encodes with Canopus Edius.

Thanks for the reply. I was telling my wife about the video that he posted. It looks really nice. I tried to convince her to let me get some extra wives so we could do four camera angles, but she declined.

Just convert to Mormon'ism..lol. Seriously though I've seen videographers work solo and work with 4 cameras. Joel Peregrine is an example- he shoots with 4 VX2ks and occasoinally walks up to each cam checking for it's composition. Not something I'd like to do- I'll always work wtih at least 1 assistant. They can be very helpfull in a jam...especially to offer coverage of the recieving line as I break down my other cameras and gear. I once took the time to film it myself and by the time I finished up and went to start breaking my gear down they were on their way to the recpetion! Mistake I'll never make again.

Glen
Thanks for helping out. We had a tight deadline yesterday so I didn't have time to post anything. It's good to know you've got me covered.

Steven
Glen was right on the editing and encoding. About my name being down there, if you are referring to my company logo watermark in the lower right corner, it's done in my CG program and not with any special encoding software.

All My Best,
Mark Von Lanken
Picture This Productions
www.TulsaWeddingVideos.com

mark, you have an eye for capturing the moment. i dont know those people, but i bet they both cried when they saw that...

good job buddy.

Excellent job Mark!

I have a WDE coming up in Feb also! I can't wait and dread it all at the same time. But the last one has led to 4 referrals, and I thank you and Joel and all the others who made me believe it could be done.

Mark don't you just love it when you get a full processional? Having the processional cross and everything just gives the whole thing that little extra!

That was an absolutely great piece! The confetti coming down! Oh man!

Congratulations to you and Trisha on another job well done.

Hi Ceasar

Thanks for your kind words.

You are right, WDE's are a really great marketing tool!

All My Best,
Mark Von Lanken
Picture This Productions
www.TulsaWeddingVideos.com

Mark....

Thank you for sharing this WDE clip. As usual, it was truly amazing! Since purchasing your training DVD's, I have taken my shooting abilities to a higher level.

Your work it inspirational.

Linda Walker
LWProductions
Green Bay, WI

Linda

Thanks for your kind words.

I'm so glad the instructional DVDs have been helpful to you. We are really excited about our soon to be released instructional DVD on hand held shooting techninques.

All My Best,
Mark Von Lanken
Picture This Productions
www.TulsaWeddingVideos.com

<<<-- Originally posted by Mark Von Lanken : Linda

Thanks for your kind words.

I'm so glad the instructional DVDs have been helpful to you. We are really excited about our soon to be released instructional DVD on hand held shooting techninques.


You're welcome. I look forward to seeing your new instructional DVD on hand held shooting techniques!

Linda
LWProductionsLLC