Event Filming Hiccups

I often get asked by reporters and tv programmes do we have any funny event filming hiccups? The answer is usually no, despite filming hundreds of event, it seems our clients have been very lucky! However I did come across an event filming blog that had one clip that I found rather shocking, more than a minor hiccup you might say. It would appear to have occurred to a rather unfortunate couple in the states. Having watched it with colleagues in the office a couple of times, there is a sense that this may not be entirely real - anyone else think this might actually be staged? Perhaps we've just stumbled upon a new angle to our business - staged disasters! Okay only kidding...

http://www.banthis.com/videos/1450/The-Best-Bestman.html

A Wedding Videographer Needs Coffee!

I'd like to pay tribute to a special wedding videographer on our team - Dan. He has been with us since day one and is one of the most cheerful and creative wedding filming professionals in the business. Whether working alone or as part of the director's cut team, he has shared the same enthusiasm as me for cutting edge videography techniques. He has been all over the country, however he probably is at his finest doing wedding videos in Kent or wedding videos in Sussex. Why? Because one thing he likes is a cup of coffee before he gets started and these areas are near where he lives in south east London so he can easily pick one up en route! This might sound a trite reason, but as any professional wedding videographer or photographer knows, you need sustenance to work well and many clients overlook that creative thinking requires calmness and occasional refreshment. For this reason all our wedding video contracts state that our video chaps should have at least 30 mins break during a day. Does it make a difference to our quality and commitment? Yes it does!

Credit Crunch on Wedding Videos

The economic news looks ever more gloomy at the moment, which is affecting how well many of us can prepare for our special day. Maybe London wedding videos are a bit less affected but certainly in the home counties weddings we can see things being reined in a little. Wedding videos in Kent are usually in high demand as are wedding videos in Sussex, but the number of enquiries from both counties for 2009 seems down at present. Probably the only home county holding its ground right now is enquiries for wedding videos in Surrey. I hope the situation changes soon, although I take comfort from the fact that people are also increasingly booking at the last minute, so there is plenty of time to take wedding video bookings for next year!

The value of a wedding video

Lots of people have been telling me this week about how the credit squeeze is affecting their business and particularly how this is likely to affect decisions about a wedding video. One client enquiring about an Indian wedding video explained that his family were expecting a video regardless, but it was hard to pay for this on top of all the various expenses. By contrast to this I was surprised how much other clients were willing to spend on their Sikh wedding video recently, I think this is regarded as an especially key experience for them. All wedding filming in my opinion is important, its just that it needs to be considered again the other expenses. Personally I think setting aside 5-10% of your budget to preserving the occasion is worthwhile! Recently we filmed a wedding video in Hampshire for a celebrity client who spent over £300K on their wedding. Do you know how much they spent on their video? £3K Although they will get a super video, I know they will regret not setting aside more money to capture even more details of the event, such as interviews (which weren't allowed!). Thankfully not all our Hampshire wedding video clients put such a disproportionate value on their wedding DVD.

Asian Wedding Videographers

One of the more recent ways in which clients choose to book their Asian videographer or photographer is by reading their blogs. Personally I found this a more insightful way of assessing the work and character of both western and Asian wedding videographers as you can read the inside track on what they are doing. Much of Asian videography is performed by semi skilled people and hobbyists who don't really understand the industry. Lots of individuals with full time jobs create a cheap website and then start claiming the specialise in Asian wedding videography. It is painful for seasoned professionals like ourselves to hear the many horror stories from clients who have been badly let down. Makes me wonder what these people are going claim next - they specialise in bar mitzvah videos?

Talk About Wedding Videos

There's always a lot of talk about wedding videos at this time of year, either it is producers like Essex Wedding Videos talking about their clients or it is couple's planning to be married talking about the options for wedding videography with their parents and families. Even if you are unsure, everybody is tempted to pop a wedding DVD into the TV as see if they can picture themselves in a similar position. Perhaps the most avid watchers of wedding videos are Asian families who may be tempted to contact several videographers and get samples to watch. I've seen the quality of some Asian videography and I can see why many families after watching their DVD contact us! All too often Asian videographers think the spectacle of the event is enough and all they need do is point the camera - not so! Making a film is like telling a story, the angle, tone, speed and use of language are everything! But lets not go there yet, lets save that talk for next time.