Weddings

[DDirector]

I am in my last year of film school, and I am still worried about finding jobs. It worries me that I wont be able to find a job in the film industry. I have been and still am searching everyday for jobs on film sets. Its hard...

Well, I was wondering about doing weddings. I have always told others and even myself that I would never, ever, ever shoot a wedding video. The stress and the workload, etc. Its not my type of thing to shoot live events. I'm not a big fan of it. I prefer to have everything planned out in detail way in advance like a real film.

But, because it takes a long time to move up the ladder and to find a job, I was thinking about shooting weddings as a backup to get more money and experience shooting on the fly.
I know how hard weddings can be, that's why I never wanted to do it. Especially alone. I would need at least three camera men with me who know what they are doing.

However, the other big problem is the gear. I don't have any gear. I only have a camera, one zoom lens and a tripod.
I don't have any money to buy and extra gear. I would love to buy more lenses, sliders, mattebox + ND's, etc. But not having a part-time job and not having jobs in the film industry is hard.

What should I do?
It seems wedding videography is my last resort, but then again, I cant really do it as I don't have my own gear.... UGH!

 

[Zxander34]

Rent?

 

[bertzie]

Rent?

I would assume that since he doesn't have money to buy gear, he doesn't have money to rent it either.

To the OP: I would suggest contacting local videography companies and offer your services as an additional camera for projects they might have. You could also try other local companies and offer to shoot advertisements. Don't just look for available jobs, look for places that might be able to utilize your service.

 

[DDirector]

I would assume that since he doesn't have money to buy gear, he doesn't have money to rent it either.

To the OP: I would suggest contacting local videography companies and offer your services as an additional camera for projects they might have. You could also try other local companies and offer to shoot advertisements. Don't just look for available jobs, look for places that might be able to utilize your service.

I was thinking about being a second shooter, but Im not too sure if this is what I should do. I dont want to do this professionally for several years. I would like to do this perhaps for a year or two for extra money. Its not my main interest to shoot weddings because its not my style and I prefer to shoot films, commercials, etc than weddings.

I keep on being told t contact companies, but Im not really sure Which or Who to contact. How do I find a company that I dont even know which to contact?

 

[bertzie]

I was thinking about being a second shooter, but Im not too sure if this is what I should do. I dont want to do this professionally for several years. I would like to do this perhaps for a year or two for extra money. Its not my main interest to shoot weddings because its not my style and I prefer to shoot films, commercials, etc than weddings.

I keep on being told t contact companies, but Im not really sure Which or Who to contact. How do I find a company that I dont even know which to contact?

If you go the second shooter route, make sure your intentions are clear to the other parties involved. Tell them straight up that you're looking to earn a couple bucks for some piece of gear or other. That way, once you have the gear, there's no expectations for you to stay longer.

As for contacting companies, find small businesses. Mom and pop stores, not corporate franchises. Then ask to talk to the owner. If the owner isn't there, ask when they'll be there and come back. Once you're talking to them, show them some of your work, tell them what services you can offer them, and just go from there. Even if they decide to not use you right away, leave your contact information for if they change their mind in the future.

 

[chagrin]

I feel your pain, it's hard to get a start right out of school. I spent 3+ years in bike shops after graduation only shooting on the side before my current gig came along. But I can tell you that if you stick to it and build your reel you'll go from small-time freelance work to the pro-ranks pretty quickly. Network, use your contacts, and always have a plan.

From my first PA gig to my first full on DP job I was the first one there and the last one to leave. In this industry, people will notice. If they don't you shouldn't be working with them. If shooting a wedding pays the bills, then shoot a wedding. Contact your local cable company and shoot some locals for them- The list goes on. But be ready to start as a PA, thats where you will meet people. It sucks going from Director/ DP on your own stuff to gopher, but honestly I've made my best contacts doing just that.

 

[mburkefilms]

Yeah, I don't think you should be so frustrated. It's very rare for folks like us to graduate and immediately end up where we want to be. I'm almost two years out of school and finally getting to a place where I'm feeling financially stable. I lived at home while the PA gigs were still sparse, eventually got some independent shooting gigs, and now I'm working as a junior producer at a motion graphics house. If this job lasts (I'm currently longterm freelance), it's not the ideal place for me but good enough to spend a few years until I can afford to truly strike out on my own.

What I'm trying to say, I guess, is know your talents and don't sell yourself short (at one point I was offered a full time video assistant job for only $100/week), but also don't be too proud or stubborn to make certain sacrifices. If work is slow at first, there's no shame in finding an internship or part-time job that will allow you to have very flexible hours while still getting a chance to learn and meet people. My biggest regret from the last two years is all the time I wasted waiting to find a job or for someone to reach out to me.

If shooting weddings is a way to make money and expand your reel, give it a try. You're not making a lifetime commitment to anything or anyone, and if you're intelligent with the gear you buy you can become a versatile shooter. If you shoot your first wedding and hate it, move on to something else. You didn't choose this profession to make yourself miserable.

 

[Crossroads Films]

wedding arent as hard as u think...People dont usually need a hour long ceremonial recap of everybody walking down the aisle and u dont need 3 camera men to do it...I've done 3 and 2 of them I did like that by myself with cameras set up and frankly that turned me off to weddings...but then I decided to compiled the best moments of the wedding to music and it was actually not bad at all...most important thing u need is the kiss when they both get officially married,them walking down the aisle, them getting ready and family members closest to them hugging on them and all that...just do it ur own way, dont make the work load impossible for u to handle and need a whole crew...then when u have that many people u dont get as much money and people these days dont half way wanna pay u anyways...

check out this wedding I did for a friend for free to build up a rap sheet of stuff I did

 

[David W. Jones]

In all seriousness, have you thought about staying in school and studying in a field where there are good paying jobs and openings available? Truth of the matter is there really aren't that many openings in your field of choice.

 

[grantw]

Finding any work in any industry with no experience is gonna be hard. Especially the film industry as you need to have a flexible schedule for jobs that come up, yet somehow keep a stable income. Can get really tough and you have to really want it.

I shot my first wedding with a t2i, stock lens, and 50 1.8. Spent the few hundred dollars I had on a tripod and two 16gb cards that I had my 15 year old brother, who I brought along, help off load to my laptop throughout the day. It was a total trainwreck, don't think my lil' bro will ever hear a human being swear more than I did as we're lost trying to find the reception place before it starts...in the end the couple and their family loved what I gave em. I did two crappy weddings like that then booked another 15 or so off those two for the following year for $1000 or so. Still cheap compared to wedding videographers, but you'll botch a couple ceremony and toasts here and there the first year. This is all coming from a no-real-experience background.

If you do feel like you have experience shooting and can put out a good product, but you just don't have the resources - definitely rent. Get a deposit upfront (norm anyway) and spend 2/3 of it for your rental gear. Could probably rent everything you need (sound, camera, lens, support) for under $600. And then slowly build gear and raise prices as time goes on and you get better.

If you haven't already, head over to DVinfo.net and they got tons of wedding talk in their events section.

In all seriousness, have you thought about staying in school and studying in a field where there are good paying jobs and openings available? Truth of the matter is there really aren't that many openings in your field of choice.

This is also good advice

 

[Victor Nhat Nguyen]

What I'm trying to say, I guess, is know your talents and don't sell yourself short (at one point I was offered a full time video assistant job for only $100/week), but also don't be too proud or stubborn to make certain sacrifices.

How can you even live on $100/week? minimum wage jobs pays more in one day.

 

[Rayden]

I shoot anywhere between 15-25 weddings a year, for the past 3 years. Weddings are great and stressful at the same time. Be careful and highly weigh all the options when considering shooting them. Here are a few things to consider.

Your area's demand and what others in that area are offering/Cost.
Your eqpt. and talent. Know your strengths and weaknesses.
If shooting with DSLR, you will need other eqpt to aid. Sound is huge, and is often overlooked.
Dealing with Brides. Allow yourself enough time to complete your projects. Explain to your clients what to expect.

 

[Adam J McKay]

What do you want to be doing in the end? If that is making movies, then start making movies. Want to work in the movies? Try and become a camera trainee, maybe a lamp op or even a grip. All of which will still give you a huge amount of experience in the craft of filmmaking. I myself left filmschool after the first year to work on set, the usual P.A stuff. I hated it, so I moved to SIM Video in Vancouver. I learned a bunch there, but decided that what I wanted to be doing was making films. So I left to make my first feature, and in the process of doing that I learned that almost everything I learned in filmschool did not apply in the real world...At least not when you are starting out. I have since started a company in Northern, Ontario with a 25k non repayable grant from the government. The catch being I have to stay in Northern, Ontario for at least 2 years. There are a ton of grants in Canada and Ontario for business. Just need to put in a little work to find them. I have turned to weddings as a means of paying bills, I don't mind them. They can be fun, always stressful but it is good experience and it keeps you shooting. At the end of the day, just do it.

 

[CinematicFanatic]

You can either shoot weddings or you can't.

It's like a gift, being able to capture the moment. Everyone has a unique style. You might record something with a sliding shot, I may record that same thing with a steadycam or just on a tripod.

But I can tell you one thing, you need to be able to capture emotion at weddings. If you can do that, brides will be happy.

 

[Chris S. Alexander]

I was thinking about being a second shooter, but Im not too sure if this is what I should do. I dont want to do this professionally for several years. I would like to do this perhaps for a year or two for extra money. Its not my main interest to shoot weddings because its not my style and I prefer to shoot films, commercials, etc than weddings.

I keep on being told t contact companies, but Im not really sure Which or Who to contact. How do I find a company that I dont even know which to contact?

Being a 2nd shooter can get you good money, depending on the area that you live in. When I first graduated from college, I had a 7D, tripod, monopod, slider, and some lenses which got me in to shoot with 4 or 5 different companies as a 2nd shooter, making anywhere from $250 to $450 a day (I live in a good market, so that pay might be higher than yours). I also had a computer with FCP7, which allowed me to do documentary edits at $250/edit. So I was making about $1000 a week right out of school (Summer is the busy season, so it won't always be like that).

I did this by: working as an assistant (3rd shooter) for a wedding film company and learning how to shoot weddings while I was still in school ($12/hour). I then shot a family member's wedding as a lead shooter, which I used as an example to send out to other companies, while I was also still in school. Once I got 3 gigs as a 2nd shooter for a small company (still in school), I used those as examples to send out to bigger companies because they were better than my original example (after I graduated). I eventually got in with a bunch of companies, and now own one myself, which is my primary income besides working on commercials and films.

I originally didn't want to shoot weddings because I thought like everyone else does; that it's a lot of work. It is a lot of work, but once you understand how the events move along and you have a system, the stress level goes down. Now that I've worked on over 100 weddings, I've found that I really enjoy them and I can still be expressive with these films just like I can with narrative shorts.

Think of it this way...when you do a narrative short film, you have to have a producer who gets everyone together and coordinates them to make the film. With a wedding, the couple acts as the producers and coordinates the direction, production design, locations, etc and allows you to photograph things the way that you'd like to. You essentially get to walk onto a finished set with your talent provided to you and tell the story of their day. You can't tell the story in the exact way you would a narrative short film because it's impossible to capture every detail (they can't hold the wedding up just for you). Because of this, you only provide documentary (real time playback) coverage of the ceremony and reception formal events (where you'll have 2 to 3 people covering the action all at once), while you put everything from prep, location b-roll, ceremony prep, ceremony highlights, romantic b-roll, reception prep, reception highlights, etc into the short film. It's obviously up to you as to what you want to provide, but a documentary film and a short film seem to be pretty standard for most companies, and providing both allows you to charge for both (if you do the shooting and the editing, that's money in your pocket).

If you're wanting to own your own company...you can't own all the gear that you want and need right away (I'm still buying gear because it's a never-ending cycle). To start off, you should just rent the gear that you need. To get your portfolio up to where it needs to be, you charge less than established companies. Because you're charging less, people will be coming to you because they like your price rather than your work, which can be troublesome at times because they aren't as invested in you to begin with, but once your portfolio is great and you have clients coming to you just because of that you'll understand that it was all worth it. Below is an example wedding budget for someone who is just starting out. Keep in mind that your 2nd shooter will probably have a kit, but you'll need to provide gear for your 3rd shooter.

Total Package Price : $1500
Lead Shooter : Do it yourself
2nd Shooter : -$300
3rd Shooter : -$150
Doc Editor : -$250
Creative Editor : -$300
Camera Body Rental : -$150
Lens Rentals : -$90
Misc Rental : -$30

Total Profit : $230

So you make $230 for shooting the wedding, but if you do the editing yourself you're really making $780. Keep in mind that this would probably represent about 4 to 7 days worth of shooting and editing, if you were to provide a 3-5 minute short film and a documentary film, and whatever amount of time that it took you to book the client.

You'll be able to get more attention to you and your company and get more bookings if you get in with other vendors, such as wedding coordinators, photographers, wedding venues, and DJ's. Because video is one of the last things that people book (3 to 6 months before the wedding) and the other vendors get booked much earlier (6 to 12 months before the wedding), their clients are likely to ask them for recommendations on who should shoot their wedding film. Photographers and wedding coordinators are the best to get in with. Photographers can sell you to a client before they've met you by saying that you're easy for them to work with and that they love your stuff. Wedding coordinators give a lot of referrals clients, because they are there to assist their clients in finding vendors. So photographers and coordinators are your best bet for getting work when you don't have an established client base.

I hope that helps you a little bit! Cheers!

 

[morgan_moore]

I am in my last year of film school,

Go to your tutors, get them to help you some get work experience set up, make some contacts, be happy to sweep, lug cases, learn, be good and you may find you are on a career ladder?

As for filming something that is really important to people - their wedding - without 100% dedication, commitment, appropriate equipment including backups, AND experience as a second shooter, it is just a recipe for disaster for both them and you.

S

 

[CinematicFanatic]

Go to your tutors, get them to help you some get work experience set up, make some contacts, be happy to sweep, lug cases, learn, be good and you may find you are on a career ladder?

As for filming something that is really important to people - their wedding - without 100% dedication, commitment, appropriate equipment including backups, AND experience as a second shooter, it is just a recipe for disaster for both them and you.

S

Have to agree.

You need experience as a second shooter or must have shot weddings for free before hand.

 

[Leon Bailey]

I shoot weddings. I wouldn't get anything unless you can get a booking. Then if you do get booked depending on how much, rent first and build that way. You can also second shoot. That is less costly as you are the second shooter and won't need to have a gang of equipment. Really all you need as a second shooter, is your camera, lens, external mic, and whatever you use to stabilize.

 

[ectobuilder]

Top wedding cinematography companies emphasize on the planning and pre-production for their videos.

So the fact that you like to PLAN your shoots in detail doesn't change just because you are filming a wedding.

The question is, ARE YOU documenting the wedding or creating a CREATIVE SUBJECTIVE interpretation of the wedding story? If it is the second option then you WILL most likely enjoy filming weddings as the process is similar to a scripted project.

The difference of course is that the action happening in front of you is happening LIVE, but that is where the gratification comes in. IF you can put together an engaging story from the wedding day then you can take gratitude in knowing that you turned a LIVE UNPREDICTABLE event into an engaging cinematic story.

 

[ectobuilder]

You can either shoot weddings or you can't.

It's like a gift, being able to capture the moment. Everyone has a unique style. You might record something with a sliding shot, I may record that same thing with a steadycam or just on a tripod.

But I can tell you one thing, you need to be able to capture emotion at weddings. If you can do that, brides will be happy.

Filming weddings can definitely be LEARNED. All it takes at first is a little INSPIRATION. I LOVE weddings because of the idea of taking a LIVE UNPREDICTABLE event and turn it into a CINEMATIC NARRATIVE.