My first real video job...

[Rebecca]

I am so excited and want to share a little. Yesterday, I had my first paid video shoot to get my little business off the ground. My friend's son was graduating from high school and hired me to document the graduation ceremony as well as the party afterward. I was so nervous that I kept checking and rechecking my gear all morning.

Everything went great! I got some good emotional shots of the young man while he was listening to the speakers and he was a ham for the camera when he walked in front of our seats.

The party also went fairly well... good learning experience. I will now be more observient as to what events are going on as I did miss the start of the graduates cutting into their cakes (the combined party was thrown by four different families) I ended up having a little "help" as two of the little girls (cousins of one of the graduates) decided that it would be great fun to assist me with my video. They followed me around and wanted to watch the screen as I was working. They also wanted to be reporters and "interview" the guests with the handheld mic. It might actually be cute to put that in the final video.

Now, the edit process begins. I am going to try and get this edited in the next 2-3 weeks so that all the parents and grandparents will be able to buy a copy of the video. (just a small amt of $ per disc as what I really want right now are referrals) What started out as a small video for a friend has turned into a possibly great opportunity for me.

[admin_old]

Congrats..

Yeah when I started doing the first ones, I would stick a biz card in every DVD case..:) Referrals are golden.

[ppatton]

Congrats, Have done several graduations over the years, but no party afterward. make a sweet looking cover design and label for disk. include your business info on back of cover and company name on disk. More advertising as they show off their graduation video.

good luck,
paul

[jay²]

Very nice are we going to be able to see a clip of your work?

[RatVega]

Congrats from here too!

The beauty here is that as you start cutting you'll also start visualizing things you didn't get but should have. This is a positive, what's done is done (and you'll make a lovely movie) but what you do next time will be tempered by those visions. "Shooting for the edit" is more than a catch-phrase, it's how we improve out craft. Best wishes for a good cut.

A fun thing to do might be to make up one of those "care and compatibility" cards for inside your DVD case. It's likely to actually get read and is a good place to place a nice big logo and contact info. It's a little more effort than a business card but is a lot less likely to be misplaced or discarded.

[JC/DV]

Congrats! Can we see some of it? Anywhere you can put your logo and info is good... DVDs, Cases, insert pages, etc. is great to do.

[Rebecca]

Thanks so much!

My friend took a stack of my business cards and handed them out to all the family that was at the party so that they could contact me if they have any questions.

Y'all have some great suggestions, I hope to be able to repay in the future. I really like the idea of creating an insert for the case.

At the graduation ceremony, I was restricted to using a monopod because we were sitting in the stands, so I will use all of that footage for a montage type piece or filler for the party edit.

I have to admit that I was a nervous wreck inside... but my friend thought that I was calm (yay)

I will definately post a clip when I start editing the footage. I am currently working on a massive photo montage.

[Daniel Runyon]

Ok, someone put out a hit...this girl's gonna take the rest of Rusty's business!

The beauty here is that as you start cutting you'll also start visualizing things you didn't get but should have. This is a positive, what's done is done (and you'll make a lovely movie) but what you do next time will be tempered by those visions. "Shooting for the edit" is more than a catch-phrase, it's how we improve out craft. Best wishes for a good cut.

Man, look at that jam packed nutshell of wisdom right there! I'm still getting that trimmed down and handled. I have to run the cam more than I care to though because it takes the DVX so long to start recording, even from standby, from dead off your moment will be gone.

[RT Steele]

I was so nervous that I kept checking and rechecking my gear all morning.Glad for you Becca.

Strange as it seems, I think one of my best shoots was my very first paying gig. (only $100 though and it took the bastard 3 months to pay up).

I think like you though, my nervousness turned into a good strategy for just being careful and doing a good job.

And can I say "bastard" here Andrew?

- RT

[Daniel Runyon]

Sure you can! I believe that if we avoid the f-bomb altogether and keep s**ts to a minimum we can let loose with the non-attacking use of bastard and it is my opinion that ass is more or less open for whenever you need it...the word I mean....

I would say that as long as everyone uses good judgement and keeps it sprinkled and occasional there is no reason we can just talk naturally...we're all adults here.

[Rebecca]

Ok, someone put out a hit...this girl's gonna take the rest of Rusty's business!

No, don't do that!!! I promise not to mess with Rusty...I swear!!!:D Besides... it is just toooooo hot and humid in Houston.

[Clock]

Congrats on your first paying job - its always the hardest

Don't go too high on the price of the dvd. Make it affordable and go for quantity rather than profit - you'll sell more and its great for referrals

[Rebecca]

Congrats on your first paying job - its always the hardest

Don't go too high on the price of the dvd. Make it affordable and go for quantity rather than profit - you'll sell more and its great for referrals

Thanks... yeah, I am thinking that $10 per DVD is the best way to go right now... will cover my costs and still have a little left over to buy a soda or two.

[RT Steele]

it is my opinion that ass is more or less open for whenever you need itThis has all the makings of another, "Do you edit on the crapper?" thread.


- RT

:razz: :razz:

[Daniel Runyon]

I would if my laptop was strong enough! I use that time for reading conspiracy books.

[ppatton]

Just Completed my 6th graduation video in 2 weeks. we do 4 camera live mixed. then just add titles and credits, then burn baby burn. Of course we also take over their audio setup for the night. and run their speakers off our equipment. First Quality. We run all mic cables, extra speakers, whatever we need to get great audio. And seein no 2 are alike the camera setup varies.

Paul

[JC/DV]

Just Completed my 6th graduation video in 2 weeks. we do 4 camera live mixed. then just add titles and credits, then burn baby burn. Of course we also take over their audio setup for the night. and run their speakers off our equipment. First Quality. We run all mic cables, extra speakers, whatever we need to get great audio. And seein no 2 are alike the camera setup varies.

Paul

what do you use for the live video mixer?

[ppatton]

right now we use a panasonic, but will be purchasing a new one within a month, still trying to get some research done on prospective units.

[rmckoen]

Thanks... yeah, I am thinking that $10 per DVD is the best way to go right now... will cover my costs and still have a little left over to buy a soda or two.


dont sell yourself short....this might be your first paying gig but you are running a business and $10 is mighty cheap. Although I'm in canada I charge $50 a copy and get it.

charge what you deserve factoring in time/hard costs/etc.....and if $10 is a good start..then its a good start.....

OT....was on your website and saw your dog video....hilarious....hilarious how afaid they were of the xl1 being stuck in their faces....damn pupperazzis...lol


rob

[Rebecca]

dont sell yourself short....this might be your first paying gig but you are running a business and $10 is mighty cheap. Although I'm in canada I charge $50 a copy and get it.

charge what you deserve factoring in time/hard costs/etc.....and if $10 is a good start..then its a good start.....
Hi Rob,

I charged my friend $100 when she hired me for the job of filming her son's graduation walk and the following party. The other three kids were a last minute addition and will only be included in a very small part of the video (only have a few clips of their family saying a few words to them) so I would not feel right charging more than $10-15 for a copy. but thank you for your input.

OT....was on your website and saw your dog video....hilarious....hilarious how afaid they were of the xl1 being stuck in their faces....damn pupperazzis...lol
Glad you liked that little clip. I was actually trying out my new GL2 at the time ... don't know what their reaction would be to the XL1 :mrgreen: