How to Setup a Profitable Wedding Videography Business

videography business
Source: www.aveclumiere.com

For those of you interested in video production or filmmaking, starting a wedding videography business might be something you’re either already considering, or something you should consider.

The wedding videography business is evolving faster than ever, and has already undergone significant change since our wedding pictures and videos used to depend solely on our family and friends. Now, not only do people hire professional videographers, but all sorts of new and exciting technologies are involved in the process. Wedding videos have become a creative venture of coming up with interesting ways to showcase the love between two people on the happiest day of their life.

If this sounds interesting to you and you’re now wondering about how to start a wedding business related to filmmaking – stay tuned for our tips on getting started!

videography business
Source: www.kaiwin.wordpress.com

What to expect from a wedding videography business

Before you get into it, make sure you understand what is probably going to happen while you’re doing your job. After all, weddings are very emotional and stressful, so you’re bound to see some tears and family dramas, and witness some yelling in the process. Not to mention you may have some unexpected tasks at 5 in the morning, like opening champagne bottles. Being behind schedule is also common at weddings and it often prompts people to try and engage you in a conversation – be friendly, but always professional!

Equipment

It’s best that you go full-frame from the beginning, if possible – don’t overthink it. Some great cameras are the Canon 5D MarkII and the newer Canon 5D MarkIII. When it comes to lenses, you should have one that is suitable for shooting the majority of a wedding, such as the Canon 24-70mm 2.8, and one for close-up shots, such as the Canon 50mm 1.8. You can also add a cheaper lense to your collection that will allow you to get another type of close shots with a different feel – the so called “blown out” depth of field look. Don’t forget to equip yourself with both a tripod and a monopod – trust us, you’ll need both!

Competition

The competition is always going to be there – so don’t try to beat them. Better yet – learn from them. Try to learn both from their mistakes and their success stories. Find out how they attract their clients, which channels they use, how much they charge and, of course, what standard of work they produce. This will give you an idea of how much to charge for your own services.

Pricing

This may be surprising, but when it comes to weddings, in the videography business professionals always ask for the money up front – and couples know this and expect it. Typically, you should ask for a booking deposit, and then for the rest of the payment a month of two before the wedding. Set up a price structure which provides maximum benefit. Our advice is to cater to only high-paying clients – there’s no need to do three jobs that pay you as much as one high-paying job. Your goal should be for your work to be compared to the top-rated wedding videographers out there, so you can charge the same amounts. If you feel that it doesn’t reach the same level yet – find a way to improve.

Editing

Being a good video maker doesn’t necessarily make you a good editor, even though this is often assumed. You should, of course, at some point add this to your skill set, but there’s no harm in getting some help in the editing department. This is where we come in – post your project on our website and we’ll supply you with a great-looking wedding video!

Promotion

It’s like the old saying goes: you have to spend money to make money! Nowadays, this holds more truth than ever. Build a great-looking website that is easy to navigate and very straightforward. Make sure you create a portfolio with different types of photos that portray you can cater to any type of audience. Also, invest time, effort and money in social media: find out which channels your target audience is present on and use them the most. Younger couples use Facebook and Twitter – so you might want to start there. Pinterest is a great promotion channel for such as visual business – upload some of your photos (always with the permission of your clients) and showcase your talent directly to potential customers.

Terms and conditions

The importance of terms and conditions in the wedding video business is immense. They help all parties involved to be clear about the services provided for their wedding day and the responsibilities of everyone involved. There are no second chances to film a wedding video, but even if the end result doesn’t satisfy all parties – you still put a lot of effort into the end product, so you should not be punished for it. Terms and conditions make this clear.

The most important aspect of starting a wedding videography business is to stay relevant. To achieve this, you need to be up to date with all the new trends and technologies in the video industry, as well as in the wedding industry. Also, you need to be flexible and social, so that you can assure your potential clients you’ll do your best to take care of their needs and make their day even more unforgettable. The videography business is undoubtedly a lot of work, but it can also be very profitable – and fun.

videography business
Source: www.buzzfeed.com