Wedding Video question

iHartVideo

iHartVideo

Well-known member
Hi all you wedding video shooters....

My question: What do you typically deliver as the final product?

I have seen lots of wedding videos but I always get the impression that what I'm seeing is just the highlights. Maybe I'm wrong and a highlight vid is what most people deliver as the final product. I know that's certainly what I would want... something that I could put on Youtube that summarzies the big day as opposed to hours and hours of footage.

Anyway, do you deliver a nice, graded, edited but relatively short highlight video, or do you deliver the entire wedding? If its the entire wedding then how long is the final product on average?

Thanks.
 
Usually my final edited wed video is an hour or more. I start with an intro segment to the length of a song they choose. This usually includes stylistic shots from their formals. Then, usually there is a photo montage(20-30photos the bride &groom provide) to the length of a song. Then it goes into the entire day in sequence... preceremony, wedding, sometimes a small piece of the formals [but I usually reserve this footage for the intro and credits], the reception to the end. I edit the day with nice transitions, but no special effects or looks just a nice color correct and timing, broll over any shaky cam or re-tripod posting.
Then I put together the recap(or highlight reel). This has all the most important moments in sequence to the length of a song. Slow mo fx, nice color grading, black & whites, etc. I end it with credits which uses up the formals footy.

Now depending on the price I may end up doing without intro, photomontage, recap, credits. If they are really cheap, burn the raw footy to a dvd and call it a day.
But I have done tons of weddings and this basic editing formula works for me and takes me about 2 and a half days(but thats after doing about a hundred weds). I cant imagine any client being happy with just a highlight reel for normal wedvid$$$. Good luck!
 
in my experience it has been to provide the couple/client with a DVD which usually includes a highlight reel, the near real-time wedding stuff (getting ready, ceremony, reception/speeches, dancing/etc), a photo slideshow/montage sort of thing and in a recent case for a friend's wedding we had a "bloopers" reel of sorts that we threw in at the end that included all the silly stuff going on during the day that didn't make it in to the other videos - they seemed to really like it. I'm under the impression that the brides are the only one who really want these videos so it might benefit to ask some women you know what they would want out of a wedding video as well. market research rarely hurts :)
 
Hi, here's what i normally do...
First, the SDE or the same day edit, if they don't want the SDE i can give them the video highlights of their wedding, 3 to 5 minute long. Then I will edit a DVD starting from the preparation up to the reception (25-45 minute long) plus some extras (only if they pay extra) like the 3D photo montage, looping slideshow (played at the reception all night long) and the Audio Visual Presentation.
 
Adam & Bernie - it sounds like you're also providing photo services (slideshows, motages etc)

If I pursue this opportunity I will be woking with an established photographer who'll provide all things photographic. My responsibility would solely be on the video side.

Sounds like a highlight reel + a longer 'documentary' would be the deliverables, strictly from a video side. Is that about right?
 
What I include:

1.) The main wedding ceremony (of course), edited ‘photojournalistic’ style. This will have everything that happened during the ceremony with nothing cut out.
2.) The cinematic wedding – while the photojournalistic approach is great for the couple and the families, often times, a condensed version is great for showing friends. This usually runs a little longer than half of the regular wedding ceremony length.
3.) Full Reception – with 3 cameras running, covering the entire reception and have that for them to watch.
4.) Reception statements – we take a camera around to friends and family and get statements, wishes, advice, etc from them to the couple.
5.) ‘Getting Ready’ Highlights – a reel that shows all of the highlights of the preparation of the bride and groom before the ceremony.
6.) Romantic Review – usually set to a song from the wedding (can be altered), this is a romantic review of the entire day. It covers a 10 hour day in just a couple of minutes. We try and take the moments that mean the most (vows, etc) and have all of them included.
7.) Fun review – usually around the same length as the romantic review, but includes all outtakes, bloopers, blunders, spills, falls, etc. This is a very lighthearted video that is watched over and over.
8.) How we met – this is filmed before the wedding day, and is usually played immediately before the ceremony. Both the bride and groom will explain ‘their’ story. May times, those at a wedding will only know one person of the bridal couple. This brings it to a personal level for everyone, and suddenly there is no ‘bride or groom’ side in the church.
9.) 3d slideshow – a review of the day through pictures taken from the videobuilt in After Effects for a 3D feel to it.
 
iHartVideo said:
Adam & Bernie - it sounds like you're also providing photo services (slideshows, motages etc)

If I pursue this opportunity I will be woking with an established photographer who'll provide all things photographic. My responsibility would solely be on the video side.

Sounds like a highlight reel + a longer 'documentary' would be the deliverables, strictly from a video side. Is that about right?
Click to expand...


Usually I don't provide photo services, I should have clarified that. When discussing things with the couple they have, in my experience, always been more than willing to send me a few dozen pictures that really encapsulate the day, that way I know they are happy with the picture choices and then it just the ol' throw them in over some music, toss some transitions on that sumbitch and add it to the final product. if the photographer sucked, or the couple is taking a long time selecting photos, then that can throw a shoe in the gears and slow down the process, but if you have some tunes picked out and the rest already done then it's just a matter of plugging them in and finalizing everything. if you are lucky some family member made a slide show of the couple and you can just toss that in there instead (I usually don't charge them for this if that is the case).

From the video side you are correct that the highlight reel/trailer/teaser and the documented piece will be the deliverables.

On another note I have a friend that offers a package where he will actually do a sort of documentary for the couple - interviews with parents, friends, siblings and the couple all in different locations, etc. he combines all the video and pictures from the wedding day - anywhere from like 10-30 minutes finished piece. this is done on top of the final wedding video and the highlight reel - the clients eat it up BIGTIME, but the time required to do something like that is outrageous and I'm sure the package price is pretty high. regardless if the client is willing to pay and you can pull it off it would put you in a whole different level of wedding videography.

I'm sure other people have seen or are doing similar things - I seem to remember hearing about someone who hired actors for reenactments of key moments for the couple - while not everyone is gaga for that stuff it might not hurt to look into the logistics of doing such things.

Cheers,
Adam
 
Thanks for elaborating.

And, to make sure I'm hip to the lingo ;) is the 'Same Day Edit' a final cut that you make that day... the day of the wedding? Is the purpose to show it that evening at the reception?
 
iHartVideo said:
Thanks for elaborating.

And, to make sure I'm hip to the lingo ;) is the 'Same Day Edit' a final cut that you make that day... the day of the wedding? Is the purpose to show it that evening at the reception?
Click to expand...

Hi, you're correct, it's actually the video highlights (3-5 minute long and set to any music they like) only edited the same day to be viewed during the reception (you really have to manage your time to do this, you'll get used to it if you really know your workflow. That includes clips from preparation, ceremony and a little bit of clips from the reception like for example the first dance. Here's a sample of the wedding highlights (my own wedding, I was able to get a videographer that only shoots video using the 7D, I edited this myself the day after our wedding).

http://vimeo.com/12522419

For the other services that I offer, actually I only concentrate on video although have a knowledge in making 3D photo montage and slideshows, so if they want added services like those mentioned, I definitely deliver. For the slideshow I get the pictures from them taken from other photographers who took their engagement pictures (only if they have though) if they don't have any pictures will do.

Let me know. Cheers!
 
still haven't done SDEs yet. Looking to get my routine down a little better before I offer that as I assume it will require working out some bugs over the course of a few weddings to get the workflow right.
 
As for me I usually do:

3-5 min highlight reel

10-20min (MAX!) 'story' edit...which includes interviews with bride/groom (seperately) which end up weaved into the beginning of the edit (how they met etc). We also usually set up a 'testimonial' booth at the reception hall for guests to leave stories/messages to the couple which also gets added at the end of the edit. Some may say "but that's SO short!"...the edit always has alot of detail and pace (basically a short movie).

I don't provide 1hr+ videos even as an option as I do this as a higher end boutique style DSLR edit. Besides that I find that most couples don't want everything and the kitchen sink in the edit...its the main complaint I get from couples that they would rather it be something watchable to show friends/family than just to have a 1hr+ clunker that bores people to tears.

As for you mentioning online how you only ever see 'highlights'...well my personal reason for highlights *only* online for my business is that if I use any commercially licensed music its for the couple's DVD edit only as its meant only for home use and not anything else.

Any promotional edits (highlights) I use always have license free or creative commons/cheaper license music to save any potential legal hassles down the road.

Also for raw footage...I personally *never* give that away...there is a totally seperate charge for any raw footage.

- V
 
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