What to charge

[Michael Best]

I have no idea -

This is what I'll be doing - All I'll be shooting is some pre-wedding stuff and the ceremony, nothing else. The groom, best man, and minister will arrive on choppers, I intend to shoot them several different times on route to the ceremony. Then, shoot the brides arrival, and then the ceremony which immediately follows. Should
take about two hours. I know there can be a lot of variables to consider I'm just trying to see what one might charge for this as a starting point. I shouldn't have anymore then 40 minutes of actual footage. Any help asap is appreciated - thanks.

[Rob Lohman]

I think the first order of business would be to find out who your competitors
are in your area and what they are charging. Otherwise you may be way
above their prices and not get any clients.

[Waldemar Winkler]

Originally Posted by Michael Best

I have no idea -

This is what I'll be doing - All I'll be shooting is some pre-wedding stuff and the ceremony, nothing else. The groom, best man, and minister will arrive on choppers, I intend to shoot them several different times on route to the ceremony. Then, shoot the brides arrival, and then the ceremony which immediately follows. Should
take about two hours. I know there can be a lot of variables to consider I'm just trying to see what one might charge for this as a starting point. I shouldn't have anymore then 40 minutes of actual footage. Any help asap is appreciated - thanks.

Unless you plan every detail of your shoot to the second, this is more than a mere two hours. Personally, I'd allow four hours to get good quality video of all the events you describe. Then there is the time you expect to spend in post putting everything together into a finished project.

The previous post indicates you should find out what your competitors are charging. Good advice, indeed.

If you are serious, or will soon discover that this kind of work is worth getting serious over, you will need to establish a price equivalent to your experience. Pricing varies all over the country, mostly based upon what the market will bear and the quantity of consumers willing to purchase your product. In my area, for example, most videographers don't offer a specific fee for just a ceremony. They want to shoo the entire event. I'm one of the few that do, and only when specifically asked. It is around $500 for a single camera, and includes just a bit more than you are describing for your project. Most entry level wedding videographers will charge a small fee to get both the experience and stock footage for their advertising purposes.

Think your project through ans apply a fair price.