New to videography, advice needed!

[On a Roll]

Yo Jordan,

On the issue of branding, I think it really comes down to figuring out what you're going to offer, and then being willing to be stuck to that. It was actually a blessing in disguise when I sold my business in Omaha in 2005 and moved up to Central Minnesota. I got a chance to re-imagine what I wanted to do with my business, and my wife, who I hadn't even known when I hung up my shingle in Omaha, got to play a part in the development of the new business.

As far as "picking a business name" goes, I do still remember the pain in the neck that was! We actually came up with several great names, all of which turned out to be some other business. Finally, we were having dinner at an IHOP when we started making up silly nonsensical business names, and during the laughfest I made the comment that "We're really on a roll now!" A sort of "Aha moment" hit both of us when I said that, and the name On a Roll Video Productions was created. Clients like it, and it reminds us of a fun moment between my wife and I. What more could you ask for? Of course, we do rarely get grief from those film/video purists who hate video producers using terms like "footage" or "filming" and insist that videographers don't use rolls of film. (Why does everyone think I'm talking about Adam??? :lol: ) Honestly, my best advice is to have some fun thinking up as many rediculous names as you can. Eventually you'll stumble upon one really great one.

Anyway, Hank is right on about mics. More is better. The same goes for cameras. I would never hire myself out as a wedding or special event videographer if I only had one camera. One is just not enough for live recording. You might (and I stress MIGHT) be able to make a nice, artsy highlights video, but if you were to try a longform video, you'd either get 1-A really boring, mostly static ceremony, or 2-A camera that moves from place to place to get nice shots, but leaving moments necessitating the viewer take strong migraine medication before pressing "play" on the DVD player. Unless you want boring videos or you plan on gaining corporate partnership status with Excedrin, a second, and hopefully third or fourth camera are in order.

If you're on a super tight budget, hit your local pawn shop for super cheap consumer cameras (I've been to Kansas City enough times in my life to know that there are plenty of them down there!). That's how I got started. If you bring cash into the shop with you, and tell them you want to buy three cameras, you can negotiate a far better deal than the sticker price. When I got started, I got three cheapo consumer grade cameras for a grand total of $350, including cases and batteries. I've seen batteries that were more expensive than that price!

Oh, quick side note: buy the batteries for that snazzy new Canon on Ebay. Generic batteries are dirt cheap, and they do almost as good a job. Just be careful, as I was told by my local AV supplier that the very largest available battery for the XH series can get wedged in the battery compartment and it takes a bit to get it out of there.

Anyway, you sound like you're on the right track. I would highly suggest offering to do at least one free wedding, so you can truly experience the joy of videography. Maybe your dad can get you a few free gigs with some of his couples?

Anyway, good luck, and we'll be here to help you when the need comes!

[Jordan Berry]

Thanks for all the advice jim.

I'm really trying to have fun with the brainstormings.. I really thought penguinfilms was cute, because everyone looks like a penguin at a wedding, etc. But it was taken.

The real issue is since the boom of streaming video on the internet, anything with video or film is basically taken.

Productions might be the only way to go.

As far as multiple cameras, i know, i need more. The problem is i'm really pushing HD, it in it self is being pushed by the government. The ads are allover the places. It's going to be big soon, and I almost feel a responsibility to deliver HD content, because in a few years it will be almost standard, and that's when you're going to be watching your wedding video the most.

[On a Roll]

Jordan,

There's an old saying: "A Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". Having 3 cheaper standard Def Cameras today is still going to be better than having 3 high def cameras 6 months from now if you bump into a bride looking for a video this week. Believe me, I still shoot exclusively in SD, and business is booming.

It is true that by 2009, all broadcasters are going to be required to switch over to digital video streams, but that doesn't mean the same thing as switching to High Definition. In fact, virtually all Standard Definition TV's sold since March of this year will still work and receive SD signal after the switchover.  "High Definition" video is not Federally required, so the many voices you've probably heard saying that SD will be obsolete after February 17, 2009 are either misinformed or lying for one reason or another (possibly to sell the more expensive HD TV's and gear to naiive consumers?)

SD isn't dying out any time soon. With the battle still waging between Blu Ray and HD-DVD for market dominance, the utterly ridiculous pricing of units to play said formats, and the fact that there are more SD camcorders in use today than there have ever been before in history, I don't expect SD to vanish in the next several years. And since the average videographer trades in their gear every two years or so, that means that you could still buy all the SD stuff you need and the market will still be there for it in two years when you upgrade.

On the name issue, you'll find something to name your business, but don't worry too much. After all, even if you just go with  "Jordan Berry Video Production" for a name, you'll still be offering the same service that you would if you had a really clever name. Names aren't as important as marketing whatever name you use.

[HankCastello]

I agree with Jim...BUT...offerring hi-def gives new people an angle to wrangle business away from the more established guys, who already have a bundle invested in SD.

Everything Jim says is true, but the HD may help you win some business.  Someone did a really good article on this - maybe eventDV magazine - recently.

HD has awesome color and just enough extra definition to make a nice difference.  Also, the widescreen format is starting to grow on me. We've got "Ask us about hi-def" on our site and I'll buy my second FX1 as soon as we book our first hi-def wedding.  Problem is, we've had that "hi-def" thing on our site for a year now and no one has ever asked.  Also, we only did about two widescreen SD weddings this year.  Did five last year.  We've done over twenty weddings this year (31, I think) and only two 16:9's!   Not only is hi-def having a slow start, but widescreen isn't even popular yet.

[Jordan Berry]

Jim,

I'm not under any propaganda spell or reading articles written by SAMSUNG CEOs haha.

I understand that SD is very much used and important today, and I'm not arguing that.

My point is this: HD is beginning to get momentum, thanks to the funding of corporations wanting to sell their next product. I've never seen so many ads for it until just now. It's pretty assessable, you can go to Sams Club and get a 42" HD 1080 LCD for $1,000, and a player for $199.

As far as Blueray vs HD, I don't care. As long as they pick one.

I guess even if HD becomes more available in the next 5 years its worth it to the client to get HD. I mean, i feel like it would be unwise to do anything else. Just imagine watching your 1080hd in a few years instead of your SD..

This is a different debate I guess. And i believe you SD is king for now.

[Forever Endeavor]

Hey Jordan! I don't have much time to read the entire topic (wow, it's been busy around here today) but I wanted to say welcome and congrats on getting into the biz (even if just for now). Listen to Hank, he has a ton of practical advice that will get you through any shoot.

Some quick thoughts on the HD question and the name question: While my market area may not be typical, I have NEVER had a client want HD (and I do offer and advertise it). It's great to have the HD camera and I would love to be able to buy all HD stuff but it would not do my business any good. It is something to look forward to in the future but don't expect it to be a big selling point just yet. As for your company name, I obviously chose to go the catchy, creative route. However, if I were starting over I would probably change my strategy. When you see "Forever Endeavor" it could mean anything. Nobody knows by the name what I do. I would use something a bit more obvious with "keywords" that people will recognize right away when they see it. That will also help with your search engine optimization when you get a website set up.

[Jordan Berry]

I'm taking everyones advice for granted, i understand the years of experience flying from every key stroke you guys type

As far as HD, its not costing the client more, and I'm going to push it. If they don't want it, then fine, they won't get it. But like i said i'm going to push it. If everything doesn't go well, maybe I'll resell the camera, or maybe i'll return it, and get 2x gl2s instead.. Well see.

Edit: You know, i think apart of it is just watching beautiful HD captures from the XH A1 and going, my god, i want that at my wedding, haha.

[Forever Endeavor]

As a former GL2 user and a current pd170/vx2100/vx2000 user, I love the GL2 but only in really good light. In average to low light you will get grainy footage every time. The pd170 and vx2100 are superb in low light. And you will find that to be a huge factor in wedding videos.

[On a Roll]

I'm in the same boat as you are Hank. I haven't had a single request for widescreen this year, and right on my package page I'm offering to upgrade any of my SD packages to HD for a fairly small fee, but not even one inquiry has come in on it.

If it were up to me, I would get as many cameras as I could, and sell my talent, as opposed to selling the fact that I have the best technology. After all, if you were building a new home, would you choose the contractor that still uses a lot of hand tools, but has built hundreds of beautiful houses, or the contractor who has all the greatest power tools but has never built a house, or even so much as stepped foot on a construction site?

Sure, a newcomer to the industry might be able to use new stuff as a leverage tool, but to convince any discerning consumers, the only way to make up for less experience is to beat the prices of the experienced folks. Hard to do when each of your cameras costs a full grand or so more than the SD counterparts. Like I said, even if you only buy super cheap pawn shop camcorders, you're better off than having nothing, and you can build a demo reel to sell your service on.

[Forever Endeavor]

I've always believed in selling my talent and not my gear which is why I don't advertise my equipment (others do and that's not necessarily a bad thing). When people see my work they don't ever ask about my equipment because they know that whatever I'm using is apparently doing a good job for me and they trust me to do that good job for them.

[On a Roll]

I actually like, and still use, my GL's. Yeah, they can get a little grainy in some conditions, but you can make adjustments to help compensate for a lot of that. And honestly, as I'm always saying, good audio will always make up for less than stellar video.

I don't think there's anything wrong with pushing HD, but consider that there are still very few homes with Blu Ray or HD-DVD players in them, and if your clients don't have this very expensive item, then you're going to have to output to Standard Def anyway.

On that note, can I assume that you have a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD burner? If not, you'll need one to output High Def video. I think I've seen them at $700 lately. Yet another reason I still do SD.