I wanna see some GOOD stuff...
 

I dunno if there's another thread like this, but I know that there are several threads out there from wedding videographer newbies that post a highlight reel for critique, which I find comparable to stuff I've put together.

I'm courious as to what the high end videographers who have been doing weddings for YEARS are putting out and what I and the other newbies can aim for.

Thanks.

Brian,

I appreciate the spirit of your post, especially since I am a newcomer to the game as well, but I don't know that a lot of the high-end videographers are going to drop what they are doing and throw their best clips up. Would it be nice? Sure. While I've found that many people here are willing to critique your work, not very many will just randomly post clips for everyone who asks. I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I just thought I'd mention this so that you don't get frustrated when the best videographers in the industry don't show up and display their clips for you. You may want to search them out and take a look at the samples on their websites. It's worked for many others in the past.

Search for posts by The VonLankens, Chris Watson, Glen Elliott, David Mathew Bonner and Walter S Cheila (both with very different type of wedding videos from the other) All deal with more of the higher end and have varying styles-for the really high end -well most of them don't post clips but Laura Randall of Edit 1 in Washington, Jenny Lehman in D.C., Ken Erhardt in New Mexico and Robert Allan in New Jersey as well as Art Polin in Florida, Mark Shepard in CA are just a few of the folks that are considered to be in the upper echelon of wedding videographers in the US of A. Again I don't think any of them really post clips but you might be able to search and find their sites and see a sample or 2.

He who aims at nothing is sure to hit it! Aim high...higher....higher...

Don

IMO the only things u can really aim for for YOUR OWN success is to work out afew things first..

The first is approach.. ie how u intend to approach any given job any potential client and the edit itself..

the second is execution - ie how ur gonna pull this off

the third is originality - ie what are u gonna do thats different to everyone else?

the fourth is style - what can u do to bring your own style into the piece? What is your style, do u have one, do u need one? do u want one? What type of wedding clients are u going for? does that style fit with that market?

from there all u can do is practice and work out what works best for u

sure u can get ideas by lookin at other ppls work, but lets face it, these ideas have been done to death and sure enough they look good, thers just nothing "different" about them.. my own included.. the only way to really be different is to have a variety of different clients who want different things, ive had ravers thrugh to stuck up daddys lil girl princesses through to celebrities, and each style is different and for most weddings theirs usually an element which is different to other weddings and i latch onto it and milk it for what its worth...

Hi Brian,

This was a Chicago wedding from last summer. Great couple and a cool reception location - on top of the Sears Tower. Got a parking ticket during the park stop photo shoot. :(

www.WeddingFilms.com/h264_test

Its big file so I'll see how my bandwidth holds up...

Looks sweet..
 

I like it.. looks good...
which camera(s) do you use?

Great shoot. What kind of stabilizer were you using to get those high shots looking down?

I am guessing you are using HD, too? The clarity is amazing. :o)

Hi Tom,

I'm using a monopod, a Glidecam 2000 Pro and handheld. The high shots are just the monopod. They are all VX2000. The clarity is probably the codec. I'm experimenting with smaller H264 bit rates right now. I think this is at about 800mbps. I probably won't end up using it for a while though - it chokes slower systems and people have to upgrade to QT 7 to watch it, which could deter potential customers from watching it at all.

Thanks Robert!

4 x VX2000.

Four cameras? Is this your standard package, or your deluxe one? How many were using the Glidecams?

Hi Tom,

I shoot alone, so only one Glidecam, monopod etc. I include all four of the cameras for all ceremony coverages. I also have a TRV-900 that I use for family taping that I take along too if I see the need. Its my 'huppah-cam' for Jewish weddings - goes on a home-made clamp with a miniature ball tripod head attached. (But I'm seeing a trend toward really flimsy huppahs, ones that could never support a camera.) I use one stationary and one mobile camera at receptions.

score
 

What soundtrack is the score from? I like it.

Very nice work, well edited. I too liked the music.

The h264 looks like it preserved your look very well. Too bad about the parking ticket...

Can you deduct a parking ticket as a business expense? haha

Thanks for posting
 

Hi Joel,

Thanks for posting. Classic! You are one of the primary reasons that inspired me to start wedding videography.

Peter

Compression
 

I ahve been worrying about posting my samples using to small of a resolution and too large of a file size, but mine are hitting 4-12MB so may be I don't need to worry too much.

Is this the file size / compression you are thinking of using for your customers to preview your work?

jason

Hi Yoochul,


There are actually parts of three soundtracks in there - Cider House Rules, Mona Lisa, and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Hi Chuck,

I really owe a lot to the music. I'll never deny that. Without the music it could never have the same impact.

Very much so. I'm psyched about being able to hold on to a decent image online. It looks a lot better in so many different ways than the Windows or QT Sorenson 3 versions I encoded. Its just a little too new for me to be able to put it out there though. Too many people would need to update either their browser plugin or their player version.

The bride and groom already reimbursed me for it, along with about $55 in parking fees. Its brutal to park in downtown Chicago.

Hi Jason,

It really depends on your target bit rate. You can experiment with the same clip at different pixel counts and frame rates until you get the best compromise. Going to 15 fps can allow you to have a larger image at the same bit rate, for example. But you may not like the choppy look of 15 fps and decide to get a more fluid look with a smaller pixel count.

Rough speeds are dial-up at 50kbps, 500 kbps for a mediocre DSL connection like mine and 1-5 mbps for a cable connection. I limit the files for online previews and samples at an average bit rate of about 500kbps. The H264 sample was about 800kbps and would cause stalling on anything slower than a cable connection if someone tried to watch it right away and straight through. Its 300x400, so I might be able to get the same clarity at 500kbps with 320x240 and 15 fps settings. Its all give and take. Its never going to look fantastic, just 'not bad'.

Hey Peter,

That is so cool to hear. Your web site is looking great. I hope all is going well for you.

Hi Joel, I'm deciding between a Flowpod or a Glidecam Pro 2000 with Monopod. May I ask you how often do you switch between the monopod n tripod. Wouldnt it be real tiring to go on the glidecam without the smooth shooter? OR r u using one? Anyway, great job!

Hi Sean,

I do have a SmoothShooter but I haven't found it necessary. The only problem I've had is some wrist strain. I'd say I use the monopod 75% of the time.

Thanks Joel. I am still trying to drum up business. It seems that March and April are slow months and have been told to just hang in there until the summer months... All the vendors I have met with really like my work and say I should have no problem succeeding in this business but I am having trouble getting exposure to and finding clients.

I'm at a point that I'm willing to do anything to get people exposed to my work, even making phone calls (but not do anything for nothing, if you know what I mean ;). I just have to find good leads... Any ideas as to how to find good leads and/or get exposure?

Hi Peter,

Check out the most recent entry here:

www.JoelPeregrine.com

Its rough because it originated as an email response, but there might be something in there that helps.

Marketing
 

This is the wrong thread I suppose, but since you asked I'll comment real quick...

I found a marketing possibility. I recently opened my corporate financials through a bank in town. That bank has a "Business Of The Week" sort of deal where their corporate customer's get a chance to set up a table in their lobby and put their flyers, etc on display. They also allow computers. I am going (today actually) to set up an old PIII/500MHz system with a big LCD playing my brand new wedding sampler video on a loop. Then I'll have a stack of flyers and business cards available. I might even stop by and stand around for a few minutes during the peak traffic times.

Check with your corporate accoutn bank and see if they offer that kind of opportunity. Or even ask if they are interested in starting that sort of a program. You can spin it to them as a great way to help their corporate customers get more money in their bank. :-)

jason

Thanks, Joel! That's some good stuff! Is there any way to subscribe to your blog to automatically send to an email address?

In terms of getting your demo out there, do you burn and package each of your demo DVDs or do you get them duplicated somewhere? Do you give them a packaged demo or a plain disc with a basic label?

What I have been doing is setting up meetings with vendors individually and then showing them a sample of my work and DVD. I want to have several copies of my demo to hand out and for vendors to keep but I am trying to find the most cost-effective and efficient way to produce them. I've had good reactions from the vendors around here and they really like my work but I haven't had any referrals from them...

Thanks for the "Look into Joel Peregrine's Mind" blog site :)

Peter

That's a pretty cool and creative idea! Definitely something different and that stands out. It might be a better idea to have something like this with different wedding vendors, like reception halls, since they have people coming through looking for wedding related services.

Thanks, Jason.

Peter

Sure! I was going to set up an RSS feed but I think once the season starts I won't be adding much so it won't get used. An email list would work though.

I burn the DVD's in the background while I edit. Every 15 minutes or so I swap out the disc. For packaging I use clear semi-flexible plastic cases from polylinecorp.com and put a full-color NEATO label on them.

http://www.polylinecorp.com/productl...10000400000450

It just takes time. Local name recognition is important. Be persistent. It'll all be worth it. After a while people will say 'oh, I've heard of you.' Be pleasant. Smile a lot. Be enthusiastic about what you do. Everyone will pick up on that.

Joel,

I lot of people are saying that highlight sequence was good...

Sincerely, it was 100% fantastic! Every single element flowed seamlessly from beginning to end. It was a story well told and a joy to watch. Many, many thanks for sharing.

Mossy

Thanks Mossy! Your comments are always appreciated!

more applause...
 

Superb job, Joel! Your highlight piece held my interest from start to finish. The story unfolded smoothly and seamlessly and the pacing to the music was excellent. During the glidecam shot of the photoshoot-was that slow clockwise swing on the y axis intentional? If not, it sure looked that way...
Thanks for sharing one fine piece of work.
Vin

Thanks Vincent!

Most of the glidecam shots were intentional, although I'm working on making them more subtle. I was showing my mother-in-law some of my work and she said it made her sick to her stomach. Time to scale it back a bit...