my website: what are your critiques? www.silasbarker.com at DVinfo.net

Silas Barker · January 5th, 2010, 01:34 AM

Please check out my business website and tell me what you think and how I can improve. I would like to do more corporate type work so please pay special attention to that. Also view sample videos. Thanks in advance! Wedding & Corporate Video, Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, Auburn

Chris Harding · January 5th, 2010, 02:53 AM

Hi Silas

The most important aspect of a website in my opinion is to give the client as much information as possible and yours seems to do just that!! For me it's totally useless for a client to contact you about costing after being impressed with your work and finding out that you are totally beyond their budget.
I also try to give as much info as I can and subsequently, client's don't phone me to enquire, they phone me to book!!

I'm actually surprised at your prices!! I cater for the "budget bride" as most wedding videographers here are talking in terms of $4K or $8K for a wedding. I would think that your prices would also suit the bride on a stricter than normal budget. Most US based videographers talk about not being able to break even under $2500!!

Well done for keeping a realistic price structure so normal brides can afford a video!

Chris

Marty Welk · January 5th, 2010, 03:04 AM

what he said. ^
the layout is nice, color is nice, i would want to put simple small text under the front page Picture icon links, as it takes a "hover" to read what that item is. (ohh i am soo confused:-)
as the text at the top, looks like the menu. or just bring the Text links closer to the picture, so it is understood that they are the same thing.

i like the having a "Home" button, the website logo thing, to Jump back to the front quick, some sites getting back "home" has to be found.

here is one thing i have seen before that i dont get.
that "hours of coverage" thing , couldnt that get you burned? its Hours of You EXISTING/Working , at the location. the first time a client says where is my 10 hour raw footage :-) and you have to wonder how they were born yesterday :-)

Myself i want to know how to Say that i am spending X number of hours working on your project, but certannly not getting 10 hours of mindless footage out of it.

coverage (kùv´er-îj) noun
1. The extent or degree to which something is observed, analyzed, and reported: complete news coverage of the election.

Marty Welk · January 5th, 2010, 03:21 AM

i think the reason some people wouldnt be caught dead putting in rates, is for customers like mine :-)
they would try and create thier Own "package" out of the rates, and complain that thier Event costs more for some reason they dont understand, because they DONT understand the different processes and editing and equiptment and personell and all used for different type of production.

like my dance customer would say, we want the $500 rate (with no editing) , and we dont want it edited , so there :-( <------ eat me!
we want the One hour with the extra hour . . . for our wedding :-O <--- go away!
We have a 10 location music video we want done for $500 <----- in ya dreams!
and stuff like that.

Chris Harding · January 5th, 2010, 06:29 AM

Hi Marty

I think that client's generally understand that you will be on-site for the number of hours stated but, as you point out, if just one wants 10 hours raw footage then you have a big problem!!.

I used to also have a 3 hour, 6 hour and 10 hour package but now I just say "We cover the ceremony from when the bride arrives at the Church...etc etc" For the dumber client's (or shrewd ones) that should cover you. Most client's are not really video literate and they don't have any idea of what the edit process is about!!

Silas does specify that DVD's are between 20 and 60 minutes at the top of his page but it might be safer to say when you will be onsite. It's usually a good idea to explain to the B&G that their final DVD will be xx minutes long so you will not be filming repetitive stuff like guests dancing for 3 hours!! but you WILL get some of the dancing..just enough so the DVD is not boring!!

During the signup I always tell them exactly what I will be covering and what I won't be covering so they can't come whining afterwards that there is no footage of Uncle Bob who did an impromptu comedy act in the far corner of the room!! It's normally a good idea to tell them "If you want anything special filmed then ASK me!!" During signup you will establish an relationship with the B&G and it's a good time to explain your operation then so there are no nasty surprises when you deliver the DVD.

Chris

Cody Dulock · January 5th, 2010, 09:17 AM

My thoughts are that you have to be careful when you say "unlimited" when it comes to the amount of hours you work covering and editing the wedding... some weddings last 4 hours and some last 4 days! Just imagine a bride coming up to after you finish the dvd and they say they don't like it and want it re-edited... "it specifically says on your website that it's unlimited". How much would that suck... If you state something different online than what your contract states... well, I think you get the idea. Everyone has their own philosophy on how their business should be run and I think you should follow yours. Good luck!

Roger Van Duyn · January 5th, 2010, 11:14 AM

Silas,

I really like your site. Wow! You've got an eye for design. As long as you are good with the face to face communication with your clients, there shouldn't be too many misunderstandings. Of course clear contracts help greatly too. Looks like we have similar ideas about going after a budget minded clientele. Until I checked out your blog, I assumed you'd been in the business for quite a while. Did you go to film school or something? You definitely have the skill, and the eye.

Again, I really like your site. How'd you put it together?

Jeff Harper · January 5th, 2010, 11:38 AM

The use of packages for corporate work seems odd to me, but that is just me.

I feel your videos should be smaller in dimension and higher quality, but again that is just me.

Also, do your corporate prices include editing? I ask because your prices are extremely low for corporate work...I don't normally charge under $750 for the simplest of corporate shoots, but on occasion I've charged less. Tomorrow I have a two hour shoot and I'm charging $750, and that involves a minimum of editing.

Your pricing for weddings is low too...but that would be in my market...your wedding prices would be bargain basement for 3 cameras and glidecam in these parts.

Either your finished wedding product isn't nearly as nice as your highlight clips show, or you are underpriced, or your area is very competitive!

Marty Welk · January 5th, 2010, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

It's normally a good idea to tell them "If you want anything special filmed then ASK me!!" During signup you will establish an relationship with the B&G and it's a good time to explain your operation then so there are no nasty surprises when you deliver the DVD.

Chris

Yes exactally, if you or your party planner have Anything going on , or anything goes on, that you want to be sure to film, makes sure you tell me a few minutes before.
/\
tell them that
and Hear this
\/
Did you get that? you did get that right? Over there at the brides table while you were filming the electric slide , 2 people who havent talked to eachother in 3 years, just talked :-)
uhh ya i got it :-)

Silas Barker · January 9th, 2010, 12:02 AM

Great ideas and feedback people!

I have been in video for about 4 years, thats why my prices are a bit low. I book almost every job that people call me in for, and it is a bit competitive here in California.

That said, I think you are right about removing the corporate prices probably, (most of the really big corporate stuff I ve done were multi thousand dollar projects).

As for weddings, my prices are good, but there are people who have lower prices. My quality of work is much better then some of the "old" dudes who have been filming for ages however.

Any suggestions for pricing on anything?
Other comments?

Marty Welk · January 9th, 2010, 03:45 AM

If i changed anything to keep things in different arenas from seeing things they have no need to see.
i would Put pricing/info for EACH thing under each thing, that is how i was thinking I(myself) could avoid that. Like google, keep it as simple as possible, lead them by the nose for thier one interest.

Main

- Corp
------corp info
---------------corp samples
-----------------------------corp prices
--------------------------------------hour production prices
--------------------------------------------------Edit prices
----------------------------------------return home

- Event
------Event info
---------------Event samples
-----------------------------Event prices
----------------------------------------return home

- wedd
------wedd info
---------------wedd samples
---------------------contact us info
-----------------------------wedd prices
----------------------------------------return home

- party (we cover non cerimony party things too like 50ths)

- Other
------diversity info
---------------diverse samples
-----------------------------hour production prices
--------------------------------------------------Edit prices
-----------------------------------------------------------return home

sorta like that, the only differance being, after i sell, then show, then that is what i price, and each type of job gets thier own respective prices, for thier own respective work involved. as hopefully explained in the info.
like the assumption (not that a customer should assume) is wedding is editied, therin the costs are much higher.
if they cross the price lines up then that is thier problem :-)

Steven Arbiu · January 9th, 2010, 11:58 AM

I would break up your website into smaller sites that are more dedicated to the client. Purple is nice for wedding/events but is feminine for a male which most likely will book you for the corporate stuff. White backgrounds for the wedding site and more greyish for the corporate site. Then you can target google better with seo.

The gumease made me hurl a little from the blood. ew. Edited perfectly though.

January 5th, 2010, 01:34 AM	#1
Silas Barker Major Player Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sacramento, California Posts: 577	my website: what are your critiques? www.silasbarker.com Please check out my business website and tell me what you think and how I can improve. I would like to do more corporate type work so please pay special attention to that. Also view sample videos. Thanks in advance! Wedding & Corporate Video, Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, Auburn

January 5th, 2010, 03:04 AM	#3
Marty Welk Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: East Bay Cali Posts: 563	what he said. ^ the layout is nice, color is nice, i would want to put simple small text under the front page Picture icon links, as it takes a "hover" to read what that item is. (ohh i am soo confused:-) as the text at the top, looks like the menu. or just bring the Text links closer to the picture, so it is understood that they are the same thing. i like the having a "Home" button, the website logo thing, to Jump back to the front quick, some sites getting back "home" has to be found. here is one thing i have seen before that i dont get. that "hours of coverage" thing , couldnt that get you burned? its Hours of You EXISTING/Working , at the location. the first time a client says where is my 10 hour raw footage :-) and you have to wonder how they were born yesterday :-) Myself i want to know how to Say that i am spending X number of hours working on your project, but certannly not getting 10 hours of mindless footage out of it. coverage (kùv´er-îj) noun 1. The extent or degree to which something is observed, analyzed, and reported: complete news coverage of the election. __________________ ----------------sig----------------- Re-learning everything all over again, one more time.

January 5th, 2010, 03:21 AM	#4
Marty Welk Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: East Bay Cali Posts: 563	i think the reason some people wouldnt be caught dead putting in rates, is for customers like mine :-) they would try and create thier Own "package" out of the rates, and complain that thier Event costs more for some reason they dont understand, because they DONT understand the different processes and editing and equiptment and personell and all used for different type of production. like my dance customer would say, we want the $500 rate (with no editing) , and we dont want it edited , so there :-( <------ eat me! we want the One hour with the extra hour . . . for our wedding :-O <--- go away! We have a 10 location music video we want done for $500 <----- in ya dreams! and stuff like that. __________________ ----------------sig----------------- Re-learning everything all over again, one more time.

January 5th, 2010, 11:14 AM	#7
Roger Van Duyn Major Player Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Lakeland Florida Posts: 692	Silas, I really like your site. Wow! You've got an eye for design. As long as you are good with the face to face communication with your clients, there shouldn't be too many misunderstandings. Of course clear contracts help greatly too. Looks like we have similar ideas about going after a budget minded clientele. Until I checked out your blog, I assumed you'd been in the business for quite a while. Did you go to film school or something? You definitely have the skill, and the eye. Again, I really like your site. How'd you put it together? __________________ Roger My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAp...2AHr_pHFID5LDA

January 5th, 2010, 11:38 AM	#8
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	The use of packages for corporate work seems odd to me, but that is just me. I feel your videos should be smaller in dimension and higher quality, but again that is just me. Also, do your corporate prices include editing? I ask because your prices are extremely low for corporate work...I don't normally charge under $750 for the simplest of corporate shoots, but on occasion I've charged less. Tomorrow I have a two hour shoot and I'm charging $750, and that involves a minimum of editing. Your pricing for weddings is low too...but that would be in my market...your wedding prices would be bargain basement for 3 cameras and glidecam in these parts. Either your finished wedding product isn't nearly as nice as your highlight clips show, or you are underpriced, or your area is very competitive! Last edited by Jeff Harper; January 5th, 2010 at 01:18 PM. Reason: spelling

January 5th, 2010, 02:53 AM	#2
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Hi Silas The most important aspect of a website in my opinion is to give the client as much information as possible and yours seems to do just that!! For me it's totally useless for a client to contact you about costing after being impressed with your work and finding out that you are totally beyond their budget. I also try to give as much info as I can and subsequently, client's don't phone me to enquire, they phone me to book!! I'm actually surprised at your prices!! I cater for the "budget bride" as most wedding videographers here are talking in terms of $4K or $8K for a wedding. I would think that your prices would also suit the bride on a stricter than normal budget. Most US based videographers talk about not being able to break even under $2500!! Well done for keeping a realistic price structure so normal brides can afford a video! Chris

January 5th, 2010, 06:29 AM	#5
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Hi Marty I think that client's generally understand that you will be on-site for the number of hours stated but, as you point out, if just one wants 10 hours raw footage then you have a big problem!!. I used to also have a 3 hour, 6 hour and 10 hour package but now I just say "We cover the ceremony from when the bride arrives at the Church...etc etc" For the dumber client's (or shrewd ones) that should cover you. Most client's are not really video literate and they don't have any idea of what the edit process is about!! Silas does specify that DVD's are between 20 and 60 minutes at the top of his page but it might be safer to say when you will be onsite. It's usually a good idea to explain to the B&G that their final DVD will be xx minutes long so you will not be filming repetitive stuff like guests dancing for 3 hours!! but you WILL get some of the dancing..just enough so the DVD is not boring!! During the signup I always tell them exactly what I will be covering and what I won't be covering so they can't come whining afterwards that there is no footage of Uncle Bob who did an impromptu comedy act in the far corner of the room!! It's normally a good idea to tell them "If you want anything special filmed then ASK me!!" During signup you will establish an relationship with the B&G and it's a good time to explain your operation then so there are no nasty surprises when you deliver the DVD. Chris

January 5th, 2010, 09:17 AM	#6
Cody Dulock Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: arlington, texas Posts: 420	My thoughts are that you have to be careful when you say "unlimited" when it comes to the amount of hours you work covering and editing the wedding... some weddings last 4 hours and some last 4 days! Just imagine a bride coming up to after you finish the dvd and they say they don't like it and want it re-edited... "it specifically says on your website that it's unlimited". How much would that suck... If you state something different online than what your contract states... well, I think you get the idea. Everyone has their own philosophy on how their business should be run and I think you should follow yours. Good luck!

January 9th, 2010, 12:02 AM	#10
Silas Barker Major Player Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sacramento, California Posts: 577	Thank your all for your comments AND..... Great ideas and feedback people! I have been in video for about 4 years, thats why my prices are a bit low. I book almost every job that people call me in for, and it is a bit competitive here in California. That said, I think you are right about removing the corporate prices probably, (most of the really big corporate stuff I ve done were multi thousand dollar projects). As for weddings, my prices are good, but there are people who have lower prices. My quality of work is much better then some of the "old" dudes who have been filming for ages however. Any suggestions for pricing on anything? Other comments?

January 9th, 2010, 03:45 AM	#11
Marty Welk Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: East Bay Cali Posts: 563	If i changed anything to keep things in different arenas from seeing things they have no need to see. i would Put pricing/info for EACH thing under each thing, that is how i was thinking I(myself) could avoid that. Like google, keep it as simple as possible, lead them by the nose for thier one interest. Main - Corp ------corp info ---------------corp samples -----------------------------corp prices --------------------------------------hour production prices --------------------------------------------------Edit prices ----------------------------------------return home - Event ------Event info ---------------Event samples -----------------------------Event prices ----------------------------------------return home - wedd ------wedd info ---------------wedd samples ---------------------contact us info -----------------------------wedd prices ----------------------------------------return home - party (we cover non cerimony party things too like 50ths) - Other ------diversity info ---------------diverse samples -----------------------------hour production prices --------------------------------------------------Edit prices -----------------------------------------------------------return home sorta like that, the only differance being, after i sell, then show, then that is what i price, and each type of job gets thier own respective prices, for thier own respective work involved. as hopefully explained in the info. like the assumption (not that a customer should assume) is wedding is editied, therin the costs are much higher. if they cross the price lines up then that is thier problem :-) __________________ ----------------sig----------------- Re-learning everything all over again, one more time. Last edited by Marty Welk; January 9th, 2010 at 05:50 AM.

January 9th, 2010, 11:58 AM	#12
Steven Arbiu Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Tarzana California Posts: 75	I would break up your website into smaller sites that are more dedicated to the client. Purple is nice for wedding/events but is feminine for a male which most likely will book you for the corporate stuff. White backgrounds for the wedding site and more greyish for the corporate site. Then you can target google better with seo. The gumease made me hurl a little from the blood. ew. Edited perfectly though.