Edit Times vs Cameras

[DavidPartington]

I've been keeping an eye on our edit times recently.  Since we went all HD and went to 4 cameras during the ceremony and sometimes 3 at the reception,  the edit times (and general post production) have definitely increased.

So, I'm interested in knowing (ball park) how much time you take to edit your weddings, and how much overall time you spend in post production.  There are many variables, so in trying to figure things out it would be helpful to know a few of them, like:

1) How many cameras do you shoot with during the ceremony?
2) How many cameras do you shoot with during the reception?
3) How many total hours of footage do you generally come away with (total all cameras)
4) Are you shooting SD or HD?
5) How long is your average finished DVD(s) or BD?

Other things that may impact on time (on a scale of 1-10 maybe?):
6) How picky are you about fixing white balance and exposure during PP
7) How picky are you about fixing audio so there are NO obvious problems.

And then there is a question of editing style.

If the sermon lasts for 25 minutes, do you leave him to bore the viewer with only one angle or do you actively look to relive the viewer boredom by switching angles from time to time? 

the last ceremony I did took me 8 hours alone due to the extended (boring) readings, extended (boring) sermon etc.   And this was after I'd cut out all the hymns and other misc songs they had.

I've seen a lot of people talk about cookie cutter weddings and I'm starting to wonder exactly what they mean.  Every wedding is unique, and while there are certain common elements I'm still finding it hard to get down below 40 man hours of post production.   

Hints and tips always appreciated - but I am really interested in how people view the points/questions above.

[kwshaw1]

As far as HD production is concerned, I'd say that's less of a hassle than some of the other issues you raised. I tend to get hung up on things like color matching between cameras and audio tweaking, and the final stages of rendering and packaging seem like a bit of a chore.

One example of "cookie cutter" weddings I've seen was a company that had a written shot list of specific scenes they wanted to capture (e.g. closeup of bride's eyes) and a standard editing template they use to drop those clips into before fine-tuning the results. Anything you can do to streamline your process is good, so keep looking for ways to do that.

[HankCastello]

1) How many cameras do you shoot with during the ceremony?  [3 to 5, depending on conditions]
2) How many cameras do you shoot with during the reception?  [Generally 3, (1 on jib) sometimes more]
3) How many total hours of footage do you generally come away with (total all cameras)  [9 or 10 tapes]
4) Are you shooting SD or HD? [hd]
5) How long is your average finished DVD(s) or BD? [50 to 70 minutes]

Other things that may impact on time (on a scale of 1-10 maybe?):
6) How picky are you about fixing white balance and exposure during PP  [10]
7) How picky are you about fixing audio so there are NO obvious problems. [10]

And then there is a question of editing style.

Cool If the sermon lasts for 25 minutes, do you leave him to bore the viewer with only one angle or do you actively look to relive the viewer boredom by switching angles from time to time?  [Switching cameras and angles (on manned cams)]

the last ceremony I did took me 8 hours alone due to the extended (boring) readings, extended (boring) sermon etc.   And this was after I'd cut out all the hymns and other misc songs they had.  [1 full day on editing ceremony is normal for me]

I've seen a lot of people talk about cookie cutter weddings and I'm starting to wonder exactly what they mean.  Every wedding is unique, and while there are certain common elements I'm still finding it hard to get down below 40 man hours of post production. 
[3 to 4 days editing + the shoot & reception time, 40hrs is about right]

Hints and tips always appreciated - but I am really interested in how people view the points/questions above. [I think you've raised good questions and that these things need to be kept in mind when pricing our packages.]

[DavidPartington]

[I think you've raised good questions and that these things need to be kept in mind when pricing our packages.]

And therein lies the problem. I'm looking at packages and prices again right now. I'm trying to figure out how to double prices without more than halving the sales   Too many low-ball people around here - they're crap - but the bride doesn't know that until after the big day.

[HankCastello]

That's always been a problem.  It's an even bigger problem in my web development business.  It's up to you to sell quality and educate brides, but it's a tough job, especially in tough times.

[BillGrant]

David,
Beyond answering any of the specific questions, I'll let you know my solution to the problem you've raised. First, I have 2 packages. 1 is the essential which I shoot alone with as many cameras as it takes to get it done. Usually, 1 for prep and reception, and 2-3 for ceremony. I am limited to 6 hrs on the wedding day, and the edit takes me about 4-6 hrs, and it is very simple Documentary coverage. My Cinematic is shot much the same way except I will have a second shooter if he is available and I will catch alot more detail. The cinematic edit is done by my editor. I balance the weddings out with corporate video which is building momentum. I also freelance quite a bit. So, I mic the groom and minister. I mic readers if there are any. I use a Zoom H2 at the reception to get that audio, etc. This is an important bridge you're about to cross. I say price your wedding packages so that you make a fair wage. I have a friend that is the best in our area by far. He charges $3-6k for his videos. The finished product takes sometime up to 8 months to be ready, and he has told me that he puts upwards of 120 hrs into it. No thanks. I'd rather make $1500-$2000 and have a life. Just my thoughts...
Bill

[DavidPartington]

Bill, thanks for posting.   Did I read that right?  It takes you 4 to 6 hours to edit a complete wedding video?   I guess with only one main camera there isn't much of a choice of shots - so that makes the editing quicker/easier ?   I can't see how to get the whole thing down to 4-6 hours if the ceremony alone takes 8

[HankCastello]

My cermony editing day is actually a pretty light day usually taking no more than six hours.  That's a "full day" for me, doing web development and handling our rental and investment properties in between.

I can see it going much faster though if only one manned camera and understanding it's a budget production. Much of my ceremony editing time is in planning the cuts between the two manned cameras.  The static cameras always have usable content.  If only a single-manned camera, you generally use the good shots from that camera and cut in the static cams to cover camera repositioning, thus a quicker edit.  But I still don't see the ceremony edit going faster than two hours.

[DavidPartington]

Oh well... I guess we'll keep a close eye on things this weekend.  Just about to leave for the rehearsal now - then shooting from prep to first dance on Saturday.  I'll keep a note of what takes how much time on the next one and review things again once it's done.

[BillGrant]

David, I never spend more than an hour on ceremony. My thought is really simple. They haven't paid me for an art piece about their ceremony. They've paid me for documentation of it. Good solid audio, etc. What may not be interesting to the casual viewer is captivating to a bride on her own wedding day. Now, understanding that the bride is promised a "simple" edit of her day. That is what she receives. And so far they have been exctaticly happy with it. Otherwise, I let my editor do it. But still, the ceremony is to be left intact.
Bill

[DavidPartington]

Looks like the highlights take me longer than your entire DVD .....!     The highlights for yesterday's wedding took 6.5 hours.  I haven't even begun editing for the DVD yet!

[HankCastello]

David - 6.5  hours editing highlights sounds good to me.  I think Bill is in the minority with his short editing times.

[BillGrant]

Yep,
Hank I'm in the minority of videographers that do the amount of work I'm being paid to do. I give them a great product, and I don't spend my life editing. But, you also missed the part about my editor handling the more time consuming edits. I only edit the simple ones.
Bill

[DavidPartington]

Ok - perhaps I could rephrase the questions then?

How long does it take your 'editor' to do these things? 

[BillGrant]

Ahhh...
Don't know, don't really care...  I give him a deadline, and he hits it.
Bill