Wedding video prices

R

Rick_ford55

Member
Hi guys, I have recently been asked to film some weddings and having got the first one under my belt :) I'm now thinking how to approach pricing.... My equipment includes 2x 5d (mk2 and 3) which I use to shoot most of the day in RAW with an assortment of lenses. I have all the usual extras for a small set up including rig, stabiliser and slider as well as a monopod, decent tripod and decent sound set up.... I have never been trained in videography or cinematography and try to learn as much as I can through watching tutorials, other peoples work etc so although my stuff is not the best example I am trying to get better although I still wouldn't say my stuff is professional.... In fact at what stage do you become professional? Setting a price based on this is proving rather difficult!!!
Here in the U.K pricing seems to vary between around £700 up and at the moment I'm not charging anywhere near that although at the price I charged for my first serious wedding it just didn't seem worth it by the time I paid my overheads etc petrol, food for me and the extra camera operator and paying the extra camera operator left me with barely enough to buy a new cf card which is sorely needed for RAW.... I suppose my point would be I'm not wanting to jump in and charge big bucks as I don't feel my work is that level yet however i don't want to be doing lots of work for little reward.....
what are the general thoughts about this? What do others charge who may be in the same boat?
if you want an example of my stuff the link to my last vid is here.....

https://vimeo.com/m/99809957
 
just wanted to say gud vid...rick...you have got a nice setup. which lens you used for initial close ups? and which one for wide angle? did you shoot in raw?
 
Did you actually apply noise reduction to the music, because you should probably remove it (or whatever effect you used for it). The music will sound better without it :)
And regarding your question, even though it sounds a bit cheesy, I think that you're worth whatever you think you're worth (to a certain extent). If you feel that you're not good enough or not confident in your work, then you probably shouldn't charge higher rates just yet. But don't starve yourself with your rates! Keep in mind that you're usually always your worst critic/judge too!
 
Thanks for feedback guys.... I shot in RAW apart from the speeches as we knew they might be long.... Close up was an 85mm I think or 24-70mm at 70mm and the wide angle was a 14mm rokinon cinelens....
still no closer to a definitive price....:)
 
Hello Rick,
For a start take a look at that: http://petapixel.com/2012/01/26/why-wedding-photographers-prices-are-wack/ ... really interesting and keep in mind that our job (videographers) is much more difficult at the weddings and in post!
So, if you want to do that for a living, you should start being happy with your prices otherwise you ll get sick of it sooner or later! As I see you have good gear, you have the technical knowledge and all you need is to believe in yourself and expand your creativity! If you price your work really low, you ll lose more jobs because clients will not feel secure with you! Find your price and back it up with your words and your work...step by step. But DONT start from very low. Check the work and prices of other videographers in your area and fix your prices accordingly! Im sure you can tell whose videos are looking better or worst than yours!
The video you posted is good. You have some nice shots in there, but you need to work a bit on your editing...for example try to avoid cuts between similar shots (bride, wedding dress), try not to use too much fast motion especially when there are people walking in your frame (looks funny) and where fast motion doesnt fit with the pacing and if its possible try to use some natural sound especially when people is talking. Finally while RAW is super awesome I dont think its for weddings. I dont know...I dont think it worth the effort and the possible risk. Brides will never pay any attention on resolution...trust me on that:)
 
+1 on what Lyrov said
don't shoot RAW, you need to streamline the post production process as much as possible with weddings,
get your look in camera as close as you can, correctly expose and WB and save yourself rendering time later
 
TubEfingers said:
+1 on what Lyrov said
don't shoot RAW, you need to streamline the post production process as much as possible with weddings,
get your look in camera as close as you can, correctly expose and WB and save yourself rendering time later
Click to expand...

Yeah it's a nightmare when you're at a wedding and you can't find anything to WB from!
 
You should use a sliding scale...... anyone who can afford such a wedding can easily send a few thousand bucks your way.
 
nathanjrb said:
Yeah it's a nightmare when you're at a wedding and you can't find anything to WB from!
Click to expand...







No sh*t, unfortunately a few 2nd shooters i've used haven't processed this information and it's left me with a whole wide shot of the ceremony which needs additional work/render in post
 
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