How do you normally go about showing your completed video, do you ever invite the bride and groom over to watch it with you? I have done that a few times, I have a projector system and I give them popcorn and everything, and its always gratifying to see their reaction and if I can make the bride cry (in a good way) then that feels great. I guess it depends how well you know them and how much time you spent with them before the day, because its such an intimate part of their lives they may also want to sit and watch it in privacy.

Yes, always, unless they live to far from my place and want everything to be send by mail but otherwise they are always invited to my office to watch the 20 minute short film, not the long parts like the full ceremony.

I always personally deliver and ask that they check a small amount of each chapter to ensure it runs properly on their equipment before I leave. I always assume that they want to watch the whole thing privately, but if they want to watch it with me there, no problem.

Roger

I would never dream of watching it with the couple.

Why not? You get instant feedback, many tears have been shed at my office, best compliment you can get for your work. And it's not that I obligate them to come and watch the film, they always want to see it before they pay me the remaining money they owe me.

I don't do, most of the time it's after hours which takes away from family time. Also, in a world of people are consuming programs in their time and on demand, I almost feel awkard watching with them, I would rather send a link & discs/usbs and let them watch in their own time.

I think most couples would want to re-live what is probably the most important day of THEIR lives in private. I would take no gratification in watching the bride (and/or groom) cry - albeit hopefully tears of happiness. It's far too personal and I would be intruding.

As for asking them to play a bit of each chapter - that will be like the annoying 'Coming up...' bits of TV programmes which can ruin the anticipation.

Ian

I find it strange as I always ask if they want to watch the entire 20 minute film in my office before they pay and they always say yes, if you would see them getting emotional about your film as too personal or feel like you are intruding then you shouldn't cover their wedding in the first place as you are intruding on their private space and emotions as well on the day of their wedding but they hired you to shoot the emotional bits! :)

I respect what you're saying Noa but I think the filming and the viewing are very different things. The wedding is over - this is now their time to remember it - nobody else's yet.

And I ensure full payment is received before the wedding.

But if it works for you then of course that's great.

Ian

I do what Noa do, I invite clients to view their video prior to sending it to Compressor and authoring it to DVD. You know how long Compressor works depending on the length of the video. 3-5 hours maybe.

I let them watch on my studio alone by themselves, and after they're done I asked if there are scene in the video they don't want, so I can delete it right on the spot, and most usually there is, example one of the groomsman is sober they don't like that on their video, mom was picking on her nose, she wants her maid of honor to be completely deleted on the video because the night of their wedding day she tried to seduce his husband. All different kind of stories to name a few.

If the bride comes back to me and wants changes after I mailed her the DVD, I'll be spending more hours of work re-encoding and re- aligning the chapter markers. And since I've been doing that I am more efficient on my workflow and deliveries.

I never give the client the option of making editing changes, they chose me to make their video and I don't give them executive producer rights. If they contact me before I edit it and ask me to leave something out, that's fine, but the only changes I would make after editing is if I have made a spelling mistake or some other obvious error that is my fault. That is rare as I check all edits carefully.

I delivered a video this evening and they wanted me to watch it with them. They watched the video and I watched them, it was very informative.

Roger