Who is just doing a hightlight film and giving away raw footage?

[Chris Harding]

Hi Kyle

That's what I though too and on the last job when they wanted shoot and raw footage only, the bride expected just one file not little bits and pieces of camera footage. If I'm going to assemble the footage into a watchable single segment surely that qualifies as edited footage (Ok it's very basic) but it's certainly not "unedited" ... This was going to an editor to make into a video so as an editor I would expect just camera files. Do brides say anything to you when you supply just a pile of unsorted camera clips??? or it that what they expect?

[Danny O'Neill]

Never give away the raw footage.

I don't know why couples want it but they do. At least half take it and we charge for it. It's one of our highest profit items.

They never have the money for it before the wedding but 2 months later they want to buy it.

[Roger Gunkel]

Originally Posted by Danny O'Neill

Never give away the raw footage.

I don't know why couples want it but they do. At least half take it and we charge for it. It's one of our highest profit items.

They never have the money for it before the wedding but 2 months later they want to buy it.

How long is your normal product without the raw footage?

Roger

[Kyle Root]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Hi Kyle

That's what I though too and on the last job when they wanted shoot and raw footage only, the bride expected just one file not little bits and pieces of camera footage. If I'm going to assemble the footage into a watchable single segment surely that qualifies as edited footage (Ok it's very basic) but it's certainly not "unedited" ... This was going to an editor to make into a video so as an editor I would expect just camera files. Do brides say anything to you when you supply just a pile of unsorted camera clips??? or it that what they expect?

I've never had anyone come back to me and ask why it was just hundreds of clips.

I explain pretty clearly up front in the consultation and in my documentation what they are getting for $500.00

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Danny O'Neill

Never give away the raw footage.

I don't know why couples want it but they do. At least half take it and we charge for it. It's one of our highest profit items.

They never have the money for it before the wedding but 2 months later they want to buy it.

Do you mean with raw footage what comes straight off the sd cards? I used to offer a 20 minute short film and longer parts lke ceremony and speeches completely but those where edited and a paid option and they always payed extra for that but I never would consider copying all the data from my cards and provide this to my clients, unless I was hired to shoot only and teh client would do the edit.

[David Barnett]

I've been pretty frustrated with raw footage requests. I don't like them seeing it thinking 'Why'd he shoot the invitations for 40 seconds' or if I rushed to a shot & hit record to getting started thinking 'Well he's got the camera on while walking around' etc.

IMHO we spend a ton of time editing it for them, for it to look presentable. So why would I risk letting them see a lesser product of mine also? Secondly I had someone claim 'they knew someone who edits' and wanted to do a version for them too? They sent me a brand new Seagate for Mac hard drive? Knowing Macs can't take my Sony .M2T files I labored converting them all to Quicktime, then when I hook up the HD found out I need to download some driver software to use a PC with it..

So I was asked a couple weeks ago for raw again, I remembered reading on here something stated they educated couples on why they wouldn't want or need it. So I tried that & got a snippy response a few minutes later saying "Thank you for your time & customer service. We will be using another videographer" (I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm due to me basically saying no), so the next time I simply said 'No I do not'.

I don't wanna give it away, but it seems adding a cost is the best option. I've been meaning to ask rates you charge for this but I might as well offer it for a fee if it's becoming a dealbreaker. One thing I understand is as DVD/Blu Ray are being phased out they may want a media file of it, but can't I just supply a mp4 file of the final edit? Again, I'll just change to say yes & put a cost on it.

[Noa Put]

It's very rare I get a request for raw footage from the cards, I use up to 5 different camera's and recorders, not sure what they would be doing with all that footage which can run to over 100gb. It requires someone with experience and the right software to put all that together. Then there is the different codecs some camera's use that they won't be able to open on the moviemaker windows version most use so not sure what they are trying to gain with asking for raw footage.

And if they ask I just say no and tell them they will get all footage in a edited version instead.

[David Barnett]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

It's very rare I get a request for raw footage from the cards, I use up to 5 different camera's and recorders, not sure what they would be doing with all that footage which can run to over 100gb. It requires someone with experience and the right software to put all that together. Then there is the different codecs some camera's use that they won't be able to open on the moviemaker windows version most use so not sure what they are trying to gain with asking for raw footage.

And if they ask I just say no and tell them they will get all footage in a edited version instead.

Noa, I feel they think 'more is better'... Therefore, if the like a 40 minute video, well then for sure they'll love all 3 hours we shot!!

People typically don't understand what editing really includes, and I guess think its going to be like watched an NFL game vs watching the highlights on TV. But when they see the focusing, the white balance, the retries etc they end up watching a minute just for a 5 second shot sometimes.

I've gotten it requested 3 times now, I literally googled "What should I ask my wedding videographer?" to see if bridal sites were suggesting they request it. I didn't really find it, although I saw some interesting ones (one stated a pro editor can edit your wedding "in about 3 hours"? not sure I agree with that at all but maybe I'm slow at editing), I was thinking of posting a few here.

Anyway yeah Chris' post about them being confused about the 'multiple files format', although I can understand random people not in the know not knowing that. But still I certainly wouldn't assemble edit into 1 clip either for them. Sometimes I think people think we shoot nearly an in camera edit, shooting the days events very linear, yet with very little excess footage shot. Then taking the 50 minutes of footage and trimming a little bit here & there out, narrowing it down to a polished 40 minute video.

Just another reason to charge for it I suppose, you never know what followup questions/issues will arise.

[Roger Gunkel]

I think there is a very simple reason why clients may want the raw footage. If you are presenting them with let's say a 30 minute finished product, they probably love the product but would actually like to see the rest of the day that you filmed as well. When they ask for raw footage, you can probably replace the word 'Raw' with 'Rest of the day'.

My main product is a whole day documentary video and I have rarely been asked for raw footage. On the odd occasion that I have, I have asked what they actually want and it invariably is for any bits that I didn't include. As I tend to edit in camera as I film, anything I don't use would be a few seconds off the start or end of some clips or unuseable bits where I deliberately or accidentally left the camera on, with maybe the odd person walking through a shot. When I explain this they are happy to accept that anything else is not worth having.

If your end product is short form and you are regularly being asked for raw footage, it may be worth offering them a full length edit at extra cost.

Roger

[Nigel Barker]

I guess that some couples want to see all the usable footage that you shot. With set pieces like the ceremony or speeches that in the regular final product will be mixed down to a single track from multiple locked off cameras or a second or third shooter then there will be a whole load of footage that while technically usable just didn't make it to the final cut. In years to come the couple or their descendants may be interested to view what everyone in the congregation was up to by just watching the entire take from the locked off wide camera.

It is technically feasible to produce multi-angle DVDs & Blu-rays) where the viewer chooses which camera angle to view. This would be the elegant way of answering the requirement to view all usable footage but I doubt any couple will be prepared to pay a realistic price for the enormous amount of work required to produce a multi-angle disc.

[Chris Harding]

That is a very good point about exactly what brides consider to be "raw footage" ... I'm wondering if their expectations are closer to a long form edit rather than camera files. I'm pretty sure that 99% who ask and not going to edit the files but simply want to see everything shot on the day and that is expected to be in a watchable format.

We always provide a long form so the bride gets the whole day anyway. Photogs will often say on their website "you get all the photos we take on the day, not just the best 100 shots" so it sounds like brides also want the same thing so they don't miss a thing and also they want it to be private too as that sort of footage wouldn't be shown around ..it's mainly just for the couple!!

[David Barnett]

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

I guess that some couples want to see all the usable footage that you shot. With set pieces like the ceremony or speeches that in the regular final product will be mixed down to a single track from multiple locked off cameras or a second or third shooter then there will be a whole load of footage that while technically usable just didn't make it to the final cut.

I do long form, so the speeches, ceremony toasts dances etc are in full. I was thinking maybe since DVD/Blu Ray etc is phasing out they'd like to have it for any future media conversion, but if that were the case wouldn't a mp4 or Quicktime file of the finished product suffice? I really think they think there's hidden gems in there I didn't find. And maybe there are, like a favorite aunt dancing which meant something to her but to me is just some person on the dance floor, but I typically try to pull in nearly every interesting shot into the edit. The laughing, the giggles, the unexpected kisses & laughter etc.

[Leon Bailey]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

It's very rare I get a request for raw footage from the cards, I use up to 5 different camera's and recorders, not sure what they would be doing with all that footage which can run to over 100gb. It requires someone with experience and the right software to put all that together. Then there is the different codecs some camera's use that they won't be able to open on the moviemaker windows version most use so not sure what they are trying to gain with asking for raw footage.

And if they ask I just say no and tell them they will get all footage in a edited version instead.

Right. Like, you really going to look at a bunch of files?

I feel like they will try to edit their own video and put it online and say I did it. smh...FB tagging lol.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by David Barnett

I do long form, so the speeches, ceremony toasts dances etc are in full. I was thinking maybe since DVD/Blu Ray etc is phasing out they'd like to have it for any future media conversion, but if that were the case wouldn't a mp4 or Quicktime file of the finished product suffice? I really think they think there's hidden gems in there I didn't find. And maybe there are, like a favorite aunt dancing which meant something to her but to me is just some person on the dance floor, but I typically try to pull in nearly every interesting shot into the edit. The laughing, the giggles, the unexpected kisses & laughter etc.

It's not necessarily hidden gems but ten years down the line when Grandma has passed on that the family may want to watch all the footage of her enjoying herself at the wedding watching the speakers rather than the speakers themselves.

I only once supplied all the raw footage & this was at the request of the bride whose father died just a couple of weeks after the wedding. There were plenty of the shots of her father that weren't included even in the long form edit. I didn't bother to top & tail or edit the raw footage in any way I just dumped the files as they had come off the memory cards onto a portable hard drive.

[Noa Put]

I only once supplied all the raw footage & this was at the request of the bride whose father died just a couple of weeks after the wedding.

I have had that happening 3 years ago when the grooms brother died in a car accident 2 weeks after the wedding, they also asked me if I has any other footage from him that was not used in the film. They allready had the most precious part which was a 20 minute speech his brother gave but I then handpicked all shots that showed his brother and made a separate dvd and a dvdvover with a picture from his brother that they supplied, I didn't charge anything for that as something like this doens't happen every week and it felt a bit not done asking money for it.