Any one only offering highlights?

[Jeff Cook]

There is a company in town that is covering entire day but only offering 3 to 5 minute highlights of ceremony, reception, preps and so on. Do you think we could offer this and then up sell the client if they wanted full ceremony?

[Robert Benda]

I don't do this, instead we deliver a 15 minute and a full length. HOWEVER, there is a guy I've run into three times now who 'only shoots highlights.' Of course, he isn't filming much, so it's not like he films the whole ceremony, then decides what to keep. I doubt he fills an entire 32GB card on the day.

Here is my problem with that. He misses things ALL the time. At one wedding, I was the MC/DJ, I give him the friendly heads up that speeches will start and he doesn't grab his camera. He doesn't film them. Well, he misses the groomsman beat boxing with all 300 guests on their feet cheering. Insane stuff. Not on film.

[Noa Put]

I was hired by another videographer a few years back to shoot starting from the reception (he did the first part of the day but had other obligations later that evening)

He also offered only very short (I think 5 minutes) highlights, when I ask him what he expects from me he says, I only want the first entrance, the cake, the first dance and a bit from the dancing after that and he wants me to do it all on my steadicam. When I ask him what about the speeches, he says, don't need that...

So the speeches start and the father of the bride gives a emotional speech, the bride cries, I see other people tearing up and I sit there on a chair with my camera in my camerabag waiting for the cake cutting...

[Jeff Cook]

Those are insane stories. I feel, if you are only to deliver highlights, you still have to shoot everything! You need content for that short piece to appeal to the client. I myself would really like to start delivering 12-15 minute films. However, I need tons of content to pull this off. I just watched Ray Roman's course on wedding films and he up sells a lot. He offers a 20 minute video and that's it....I do understand that these clients have tons of money and want to feel like movies stars as well. But if we could deliver a compelling film that evokes emotion and great visuals and use the dialogue from throughout the day to tell a story, it would be much better than an hour long boring dvd. But for 20 minutes of video you would need tons of content and 2 to 3 shooters. I am looking into doing something similar but would like to see examples of a 12-15 minute film for ideas. I would then try to sell the speeches separately. There has to be a reason for them to buy which I understand. Maybe offering the film and the full edit ceremony and then up sell them the reception and or speeches? What do you guys think? I feel we have to do much more work than photographer and we get paid a lot less.

[Max Palmer]

I would, personally, love to get into the "short film only" market. I currently offer one package: a very short film, plus the a full day. I know there are studios around my area who are charging 2-3 times as much as me just for a 3 minute video (more for longer cuts), and are upcharging for full ceremony, speeches, dances, etc. I'd really like to offer something like that, but I don't know how to market it so that it's attractive to the right people. My current clients, while very attracted to the short film, would definetly shy away from hiring me if I said that the full ceremony, speeches, etc. wasn't included.

[Kyle Root]

About 2 weeks ago, I had lunch with another videographer in the next town over, about 30 miles away.

I'm trying to build out my "rotation" of guys because we're all pretty busy and it never hurts to have 4 or 5 people you can call if you need help.

He charges about what I do ($2,000-$5,000) and only does the highlight reel. He offers the ceremony as an upgrade.

I've been doing "long form", keeping it to about 45 minutes to an hour on average.

The appeal of doing the short ones is, it's easily shareable and watchable on vimeo I've found. I've gotten incredible responses and emotional responses from friends of the couple who have watched my 4-5 minute highlights. I think that's just as important as delivering the full length stuff... so I'm doing both.

[Jeff Cook]

The fact that video now days is much better than it was 10 years ago should allow us to charge more. If done correctly, the short highlight reel could appeal to many. Some clients are set in the old traditional way of thinking that they want the whole day on dvd. If that is the case they should let uncle Bob record the whole day. We as artists are there to capture the day with creative shots. Any one can document the day with a camera. They should be hiring us for our creativity which would mean a nice cinematic film. I do understand that we need to make it appeal somehow to them...but why should they get the whole day for such a low price. I mean we spend a lot of time with them, and go home upload video and then edit. I have been married now for 14 years and have not seen my long version wedding vhs for about 13 years.

What are your thoughts about giving the raw footage to them? Would that be enough to please them if we offered a short film and maybe edit the ceremony? Or just simply shoot all day, and condense the ceremony, and reception to highlights?????

[Kyle Root]

Ray Roman's 3-day class is what got me to thinking about doing the shorter versions... but in order to do that you've got to have a lot of "beautiful words"... and those have been very hard to come by. Even after I ask nicely and what not, most of my clients don't want to talk on camera. Neither do their parents. Around here, it's also rare to actually get toasts.... so that makes incredibly difficult to make impactful 15 minute films.

I do the full ceremony (about 30 minutes), reception highlights (about 10 minutes) and if they hire the pre-ceremony about 10 minutes total there.

As far as raw footage, I offer it for sale for $500 on a hard drive and also include all graphics, an ISO image a master mp4, and any pictures I took.

[Jeff Cook]

Kyle
That sounds good as far as your pricing. We are not all going to get great speeches and great audio. Ray's clients are very different from ours. However, I think if we worked hard we could do a 7-10 minute reel with some audio from pastors and toast. Lay down a few cinematic sound beds and first lay down the good speeches on the timeline. Build everything from the speeches. Has anyone asked why you did not include a certain shot into your highlights after they see the raw footage? Any downside to selling the raw footage? I have heard not to do so, but if they are willing to pay the price why not? I think many videographer do not want to explain why at times the camera was jerky and what not. But the clients have to understand that is all part of our craft.

[Steve Bleasdale]

I went all out last year with short form movies 15 20 minutes long but have now scrapped that and just do a nice 45 minute film, if they want all the soppy bits i put em on end of disc, people want their monies worth and will always pull you up if you miss anything any ways...So film the lot be sure you get everything and dont miss a trick or it will bite you in the bum area...

[Robert Benda]

Steve, I do both (sort of). Since I put all my footage in order, synched, as part of my process to make the shorter 15 minute video anyway, and that is what sells us, I make both the 15 minute video and the full length video. They get both the soppy bits and the full speeches.

[Jeff Cook]

Originally Posted by Robert Benda

Steve, I do both (sort of). Since I put all my footage in order, synched, as part of my process to make the shorter 15 minute video anyway, and that is what sells us, I make both the 15 minute video and the full length video. They get both the soppy bits and the full speeches.

Robert,
Have you increased your price? The 15-20 minute film takes time to produce. Isn't anyone selling additional footage?, or is everyone giving the client everything for a base price. Ray Roman had some good ideas with up selling. Like I said before, we need to make it attractive to the client but we also need to get paid well for our craft.

[Robert Benda]

Jeff, I have, but from our quality increase. We offered the shorter highlight style from the beginning as a sales tool.

Saturday I will go shoot for $1595 (8 hours) and make a full length video and 15 minute highlight. Now that I've got some experience, it takes about 5 half (maybe 3/4) days to have their videos done.

[Jeff Cook]

I know you said you shoot with your wife. Do you have time to get both bride and groom preps? or do you simply focus on the bride makeup and her dress fitting? I have been having a heck of a time trying to get makeup and the groom prep. I feel like I am running all over and of course they tend to be running behind. I then have to go get setup at the church. I am gonna start suggesting that I either get her fitted in dress or shoot the groom prep. From my experience the groom doesn't care if you are there or not. It would make it a lot easier for me to just focus on the bride unless the couple are very near by.
1595 isn't bad for 8 hours. I charge 1600 for long version and a 3-5 trailer. I am really thinking about doing a trailer and ceremony only. I would cover the whole day 10 hours but charge for additional footage. Or the other idea is to create trailer, and then short versions of the ceremony and reception. Is anyone doing this short form for ceremony and reception?

[Roger Gunkel]

I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOVIE, you know the sort of thing, boy meets girl, they fall in love, they work hard to build their relationship, then one day he proposed to her and they set a date for the wedding. So much to plan, dress, flowers, colours, main participants, suits, shoes, venue etc etc. Then it's time to decide who to invite, family members that haven't seen each other for years, friends, workmates and decisions to make on what to feed them, how to seat them and so many other things to decide.

The day artives after months of planning for perhaps the most romantic day of the couple's life, excitement builds and all the planning is drawn together for those final magical hours of the wedding day. It is a day filled with love, emotion, family politics, overcoming the seemingly insurmountable for this day of triumph.

I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOVIE so how will I handle this dream handed to me ready prepared for my blockbuster, once in a lifetime interpretation? How about if I take a few words from the ceremony and speeches, film a couple of nice technical shots and shallow dof that I so admire in other peoples work, then choose a song that I like, to inject a bit of emotion. I'll jumble it all up a bit in no particular order, keep to a few minutes in length so that it's not long and boring and charge a lot of money for it. That should keep them happy! I might even chuck in the roughs of the dialogue.

Sorry guys, but some of the attitudes to this wonderful opportunity that we are offered makes me quite angry. It is so often offering painting by numbers, by applying the same regurgitated shots over and over again. I see all these new guys wanting to make it in the wedding video business asking for critiques on identical formulaic offerings that are so predictable in their sameness that I can't watch them any more.

Then there is Ray Roman!!!! Why do so many want to die trying to emulate him? He makes a lot of money by being a wedding video celebrity- end of!! I've been a pretty competent guitarist most of my life, but I would never try to become Eric Clapton because I would never be him. It works for him because he is Eric Clapton.

So many here seem to be frustrated film makers, but given the opportunity to make something exciting and interesting they want to paint by numbers.

I expect to be shot down in flames for my views, but hey I have plenty of work and prefer to say what I think.

Roger