Experienced...eh? Well, come on in~

[Kevin Kwak]

Hello, if I can have a minute of your time, I would appreciate your time:


1) At what age did you start videography? And, are you a creative person?

2) After how many years of videography experience, did you then enter the wedding/event videography field?

3) How much money did you spend total in your investment? (i.e. Video Editing PC and Camcorder plus the goodies)

4) I am new to videography and started reading and experimenting with home camcorder and Premiere. I am a hands-on person. I am not very creative (coming up with new techniques and what not) but I can watch, learn and apply. I am most interested in wedding videography because I want to volunteer to do friends & families wedding video all for free (be the best damn cousin/nephew/friend/boyfriend/____, and etc.). Maybe sometime in the future, the time and effort I invested in "their" wedding video, "they" will return the favor when I need to beautify my house, need legal help, need to borrow a RV, and etc.
Would you recommend a non-creative person to get into the wedding videography field?
I am a determined person and once I start something I like to do, I will finish it. But I don't want to start something that can not be finished in the first place. Need your expert advice. Thank you.

[John DeLuca]

Kevin,


1.) I started videography only two years ago at 21 years old, but have a background in photography that goes back eight years. Although I cant remember who said it on this site, "video is basically photography with motion factored in", I couldnt agree with that more. I consider myself very creative, but still humbled by many on this site.

2.) I started doing weddings for free, and learning by trial and error. This site has helped me beyond words, I always try to give alittle back when I can. The "Total training" series has helped alot with my editing when first learning, I highly recommend it.


3.) Haha, I have to be honest with you, i've lost count.....but somewhere in the 40 to 50k range. Note that you dont need that much to start out. I started with much less and made great movies.



*****Would you recommend a non-creative person to get into the wedding videography field?*****



My advice to you, is to learn photography first. If you have a good eye for composition, the rest will follow.


John

[Carl Walters]

<<<--- Maybe sometime in the future, the time and effort I invested in "their" wedding video, "they" will return the favor when I need to beautify my house, need legal help, need to borrow a RV, and etc. --->>>

Kevin, a better idea, pass my details on (established video/photo company) and then maybe they can return the favour to me! lol.

Seriously as John says you really need to get an "eye" in photography, learn that and then transpose what you have learnt to video creation.

Cost wise, you can start small, using a consumer cam and a home computer, but to get pro looking results you really need more advanced gear/editing suite etc.

I personally think you need to be creative to produce a finished piece. I have two camera operators who work for me, they are wizards on the camera, technically, and have an eye for the picture, but ask them to edit the footage into something creative and their lost. If you're not creative yourself, consider filming the wedding etc and then get outside help to edit, who knows if they let you watch over the shoulder you may pick up enough tips to have a go yourself.

If it's something you really are interested in then give it a go. WHy not attend other weddings and just shoot fly on the wall footage and then try and make something out of that footage. If you get to grips with it then producing a film from full footage should seem easier.

WARNING...Once you get to grips, you will want to spend..spend..spend. As with all hobbies etc, the better you get the better gear you want, this year alone I have spent over 15K UKpounds upgrading and getting better equipment, latest gear, software etc, (although i am a self confessed technophobe).

Go for it!! and good luck.

[Chris Thomas]

I did 4 friends weddings on consumer equipment for free before making the decision to invest and get into the business, which was new this year. I've spent around $7000 on equipment, and am as please as can be, and I think the budget was about as tight as can be to achieve professional (as pro as I can be so far anyway) results. I expect to double my equipment list for next year, for a 2nd camera and all the goodies, now that I have a few paid gigs, and several booked next season.

I already had a great PC, and spent the money on Premiere last year, so that did not have to be in the budget.

I have done 5 weddings thus far with the new equipment this year, ranging from free to close to where I want to be for price on the last one.

Practice makes perfect. I started with my consumer camcorder, as an invited guest to weddings, getting a handle on the order of events, and nice shots to get.

I still learn from others. Look for demo's on websites and you will quickly get a good idea of what looks good and what you will want to keep an eye out for when you are behind the lens.

Shoot everything. Birthdays, family gatherings, day trips. Practice with your camera. Master tripod movements and hand held shots. Piece together some entertainment for the family, film a few weddings for free with what you have, then try to book a few paid ones, and beg borrow and steal to get some nice gear for them.

Remember, even the pro's started somewhere.

[Kevin Kwak]

Thank you for the suggestions and tips. Although I am not creative, I can always watch wedding videos (as you have stated) and learn & apply the exact techniques. Does not seem to difficult to learn many of the basic techniques when it comes down to wedding videography. I think I'll give this a go.