bar mitzvah success, now what?

D

drjrt

Member
To help pay for my investment in my 15yo son's new camera and editing system, I "encouraged" him to shoot a friends bar mitzvah gratis with hope of generating future business. They weren't going to video the bar mitzvah so even if it didn't work out well, it would have been good experience.

As it turns out, I helped quite a bit with the shoot and we both learned *alot*. Now he has numerous requests for possible bar mitzvah shoots. Appears this is an un-tapped market. I'm starting to get nervous.

I think I know the answers to some of these questions, but, how "professional" should he get as he starts this venture? From the beginning should he have a contract, etc? How involved should I be - if someone is dissatisfied, are they less likely to come after him if it appears this a *kids* business? While I'm sure he will always do the best job he can, I know how parents can get....

Also, what to charge? He did three parts for this bar mitzvah 1) taped the service 2 hours), 2) created a multi-media "slide show" for the party (10 min final), 3) was the roving camera-man at the party capturing the guests and doing impromptu interviews (~1hr of footage). I can see people choosing 1 or all three of these. The service is the easiest - mostly slow pans and zooms from a fixed position (although we both wanted to do the next one with two cameras). The hardest was the slide show.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I think this is a great opportunity for him to learn more about his camera, production, and post-production work. I wouldn't mind him earning more toward this camera and setup, either :) But I don't want to take on a lot of liability.

Thanks!
 
First off, congrats to you and your son for getting the business together.

For your first question; "How professional should he get", let him go as far as he wants. Let him know this is a big responsibility, and if he wants it to run well, he's going to have to take it seriously.

Honestly, if people are dissatisfied with the results, more than likely, you'd get an earful, but I doubt it'd ever get that bad. I mean, it sounds like you two know what you're doing.

As far as charging goes, you should either directly negotiate with the client on behalf of your son, or if the market is THAT rich, then set a fixed rate. Me and a buddy did a bar mitzvah just for some extra cash and we only charged 300, apparently someone else in town quoted her at 700, so she got a deal... apparently.

I think the price can change though, and should be figured out with each client. I know Barry could give some insight onto this... "how much do we charge" question. Basically, ask yourself "would I pay This many dollars for this product we turn out?"

I hope this answers most of your questions. Gigs like these are tough, unless you've already established a business and have become aware of the market/competition in your area. So Maybe you could do a few gigs, and just feel out your clients. So best of luck to you!
 
Treat it like a business. THAT experience will be more valuable than just learning to shoot.

That means he needs to charge enough to cover his out of pocket costs for tape and DVDs, replacement equipment, new equipment (wireless Mics?) paying market rate for second camera (you), marketing and cell phone, pay himself a reasonable rate, and still show a profit.

He needs to look at how much time he spends editing, as well as shooting. You did not mention that, and finished minutes is the worst way to price your work.

FWIW, I shot 2 hours of a party a while back, one 1ccd cam, recorded speeches, events, and interviews. Did a quick highlight edit of cocktail hour shots to music , edited interviews and events, 3 dvds, and charged $575. Had about 11 hours in it, including setup & travel. Not great, but it was my first gig.

He can do a couple for cheaper, but he should try to get his rates up to something close to market rates once he has done a few. He will want more equipment, will want to buy a car, hire a driver to take him to work (he is 15 now, right?), will want to finance his first feature film or major documentary, pay for college, fund an IRA or Keogh.. If you never lose any work because you are too high, you are not charging enough. Too low prices will also lead to burn-out, and he will start to hate video if he is working too hard for too little money. The novelty of shooting bar mitzvahs or weddings or corporate training or even movies wears off quickly.

He should also have a contract for EVERY job he takes on. Mine is simple, outlines what I will do, when, where, how much, when due (money and product). Also explains my liability if camera fails, event gets rained out, venue will not let me tape, I totally mess up, or I forget to show up (and everything else). This is critical to protecting myself and making sure client and I have same expectations and understandings.
 
Oh yeah. Liability and aggravation are generally inversely proportional to how much you charge. Free and cheap jobs will be more problems than if you charge enough. Trust me, I am right. ALWAYS make sure he has a contract (written agreement). And I would let him do most or all of it himself (sales, negotiating, etc), you just keep an eye on things and help him write his agreements so they are complete and clear.
 
you guys are way undercharging, you need to think about every aspect..

mainly how much is your time worth.

After doing numerous weddings and events, and learning how much a hastle this can be, i wont do anything for less the 1000, its just not worth it.

plus if you undercharge, then the word of mouth about your company being "cheap" you will keep getting calls with people who dont want to pay the money...

donno if this is good business wise, but i find myself turning down job after job, if they arent willing to pay....

9 times out of 10 the videographer is the 1st to go on budget limited jobs....

If you set your prices a little higher you will get clients that dont care about getting a deal, and are willing to pay....plus it gives you room to lower the price if needed...

MAKE A CONTRACT AND ENFORCE IT....
 
Jourabchi said:
plus if you undercharge, then the word of mouth about your company being "cheap" you will keep getting calls with people who dont want to pay the money...
Click to expand...

I've never thought about that. Event videography isn't my thing, but if it comes up again, I'll keep that in mind.
 
I assume if I look around this forum I will find a template for a wedding contract which I suspect should be similar to what we need.

I'm most concerend about language that covers him if he can't deliver such as due to technical reasons.
 
We've kept a pretty close log of hour spent so far so hopefully we can calculate *real* costs and apply them to a final cost.

Thanks for everyone's input.
 
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