Will these guys put videographers out of business?

Will these guys put videographers out of business? · July 5th, 2013, 01:18 AM

You Film It: You Film It | unique wedding videos

They supply the camera, tripod, lights, and instructions in how to film. The couple's friends and families create the footage. Then You Film It edits it.

Definitely possible to find videographers who will shoot and edit for less than what You Film It are charging for rental+edit, but the packages do represent a considerable savings compared to most Sydney videos, "cinematic" or otherwise.

I've seen similar things advertised on The Knot in America (sometimes accompanied by camera workshops), but I think it's pretty new for Australia.

The degree to which people are relaxed and the amount of nice candid moments -- I think these are hard for a stranger to capture. Focus, shake, exposure, sound -- how much do these really matter when weighed against content?

Edit: Just noticed video can't be embedded. Anyway, website again is: http://youfilmit.com.au/ . A shout out to the You Film It people if you ever read this. I might see you guys at the One Fine Day expo.

Noa Put · July 6th, 2013, 06:46 PM

I just came back from a wedding where the couple had hired a fully automated photobooth, it was a small box with a build in camera, screen and printer. They could see themselves on the screen and you had to touch the screen on a start button and it took 3 photo's in a row and 30 seconds later a small strip with all photo's rolled out.

The photog (not the owner of that box) was complaining because he proposed to the couple to set up a professional photobooth with his colleague taking the pictures and using these light umbrella's, the price for this would be the same as the unmanned both they hired but the image quality would be a lot better.

So in his case he was loosing from a automated camera, beside this photobooth there was a videobooth as well, you know these with a build in camera where you also need to press a button to start the camera recording so you can give your best wishes and you only need to press stop after you give your regards.

I could see both boxes all evening and you know what, no-one said something to the videobox but there was a constant line, all night long with people, especially woman who wanted their photo taken. They had funny hats, fake mustaches and so on that they could use and I could here the women laughing out loud all the time.

The photog couldn't believe why these people would want to have such low res a low quality snapshots while he could deliver a much higher quality at the same price, I only saw a very easy way to make money since there is no extra work afterwards, photo's are printed instantly and the couple gets all the digital prints that come from the camera's sd card that only need to be burned on a dvd.

It's essentially the same story as the "you film we edit" guys but here there was evidence that the photog lost income because of it.

Dave Blackhurst · July 6th, 2013, 07:45 PM

There are various "startup" biz options to supply photos and video of some sort or another. They typically have light, breezy "copy" to say how great the results will be... ummmm, OK... check...

For a while it was popular to have a bunch of disposable cameras for guests to use... these "great ideas" come and go... the results mostly "go" - straight into the dumpster with maybe a little bit of usable footage or a few barely usable "snaps". My kids like to shoot, sometimes they get pretty good results... with digital, at least you can toss all the rest!

A far larger threat is the potential for "crowdsourced" snaps and video from the weedfields of camera phones present at ANY event nowadays - give a thousand monkeys a bunch of image capture devices, and certainly somehow someone could salvage enough usable bits and pieces for a "masterpiece".... right? Or not...

I'd suppose offering "professional editing" of piles of such amateur footage and snaps would be an option, if you don't mind being bald and sticking forks in your eyes...

There is a REASON to hire "talent" to do the capture work - it's a JOB, and at least in theory, you should get better results from someone who is there to DO IT RIGHT... but there are so many tempting options!

Adrian Tan · July 6th, 2013, 08:06 PM

I think the main thing that interests me about You Film It is the candid moments, which is sort of similar to what you get from photobooths. They're usually particular types of "candid" though -- the people are considerably more relaxed than they would be when watched by a videographer, but they're often still conscious of the camera and are playing up to it. I've sometimes been surprised, when stalking guests at receptions, that they'll sit at a table, chatting, doing nothing interesting -- but put them in a photobooth, and you suddenly see all sorts of emotion and interesting "physical life".

Watching the You Film It vids, I was in awe at how relaxed people were. Eg: at the groom's place, for their first video, there's guys sprawled around the room in their underwear doing normal guy behaviour, joking with each other, perfectly unselfconscious, with the camera pretty much shoved right in their faces.

There's also footage of things that, under the time restraints of a wedding, a videographer wouldn't normally capture. Eg: footage from night before the wedding, or early in the morning.

Putting aside the question of whether you'd want groomsmen in their underwear on your video (some people would, some wouldn't), I think there's no way I'd be able to capture the same sorts of things -- if I knocked on their door in the morning, a stranger, politely distant, walking around in my formal clothes, with monopod and big telephoto lens.

Whether You Film It will put anyone out of business -- well, the question was meant to be provocative; of course I don't seriously think they will. But, as someone who watches a crap tonne of wedding videos, I do feel there's something interesting or something new in their work, and that definitely intrigues me.

One possible way to incorporate this sort of stuff: supply a video service to people where you also arm the bridal party with cameras, and tell them that you might or might not use the footage. Adds to your editing time, but presumably you'd charge a little more for it as well.

Chris Harding · July 6th, 2013, 08:36 PM

Hi Adrian

My mate Philip in the UK used to/still does the same sort of thing BUT for the honeymoon and it's all in the wedding package. He essentially loans them a handycam which they take on honeymoon and then he does a simple edit and puts it all on DVD for them.

You could do much the same I guess for local clients too. Even a Go Pro would be fun and much less inclined to mess up the footage. At my wedding yesterday I mounted a Hero on the bride and groom's windshield and let it run between the house and photoshoot...Really neat and usuable footage and they didn't have to do anything. Brides might respond to have a extra service "free" that your competitor doesn't offer. Like a self service photobooth a Hero would give you more candid footage.. everything doesn't have to be top of the range quality ...content is still king!

Chris

July 6th, 2013, 06:46 PM	#16
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,509	Re: Will these guys put videographers out of business? I just came back from a wedding where the couple had hired a fully automated photobooth, it was a small box with a build in camera, screen and printer. They could see themselves on the screen and you had to touch the screen on a start button and it took 3 photo's in a row and 30 seconds later a small strip with all photo's rolled out. The photog (not the owner of that box) was complaining because he proposed to the couple to set up a professional photobooth with his colleague taking the pictures and using these light umbrella's, the price for this would be the same as the unmanned both they hired but the image quality would be a lot better. So in his case he was loosing from a automated camera, beside this photobooth there was a videobooth as well, you know these with a build in camera where you also need to press a button to start the camera recording so you can give your best wishes and you only need to press stop after you give your regards. I could see both boxes all evening and you know what, no-one said something to the videobox but there was a constant line, all night long with people, especially woman who wanted their photo taken. They had funny hats, fake mustaches and so on that they could use and I could here the women laughing out loud all the time. The photog couldn't believe why these people would want to have such low res a low quality snapshots while he could deliver a much higher quality at the same price, I only saw a very easy way to make money since there is no extra work afterwards, photo's are printed instantly and the couple gets all the digital prints that come from the camera's sd card that only need to be burned on a dvd. It's essentially the same story as the "you film we edit" guys but here there was evidence that the photog lost income because of it.

July 6th, 2013, 07:45 PM	#17
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	Re: Will these guys put videographers out of business? There are various "startup" biz options to supply photos and video of some sort or another. They typically have light, breezy "copy" to say how great the results will be... ummmm, OK... check... For a while it was popular to have a bunch of disposable cameras for guests to use... these "great ideas" come and go... the results mostly "go" - straight into the dumpster with maybe a little bit of usable footage or a few barely usable "snaps". My kids like to shoot, sometimes they get pretty good results... with digital, at least you can toss all the rest! A far larger threat is the potential for "crowdsourced" snaps and video from the weedfields of camera phones present at ANY event nowadays - give a thousand monkeys a bunch of image capture devices, and certainly somehow someone could salvage enough usable bits and pieces for a "masterpiece".... right? Or not... I'd suppose offering "professional editing" of piles of such amateur footage and snaps would be an option, if you don't mind being bald and sticking forks in your eyes... There is a REASON to hire "talent" to do the capture work - it's a JOB, and at least in theory, you should get better results from someone who is there to DO IT RIGHT... but there are so many tempting options!

July 6th, 2013, 08:06 PM	#18
Adrian Tan Trustee Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 1,149	Re: Will these guys put videographers out of business? I think the main thing that interests me about You Film It is the candid moments, which is sort of similar to what you get from photobooths. They're usually particular types of "candid" though -- the people are considerably more relaxed than they would be when watched by a videographer, but they're often still conscious of the camera and are playing up to it. I've sometimes been surprised, when stalking guests at receptions, that they'll sit at a table, chatting, doing nothing interesting -- but put them in a photobooth, and you suddenly see all sorts of emotion and interesting "physical life". Watching the You Film It vids, I was in awe at how relaxed people were. Eg: at the groom's place, for their first video, there's guys sprawled around the room in their underwear doing normal guy behaviour, joking with each other, perfectly unselfconscious, with the camera pretty much shoved right in their faces. There's also footage of things that, under the time restraints of a wedding, a videographer wouldn't normally capture. Eg: footage from night before the wedding, or early in the morning. Putting aside the question of whether you'd want groomsmen in their underwear on your video (some people would, some wouldn't), I think there's no way I'd be able to capture the same sorts of things -- if I knocked on their door in the morning, a stranger, politely distant, walking around in my formal clothes, with monopod and big telephoto lens. Whether You Film It will put anyone out of business -- well, the question was meant to be provocative; of course I don't seriously think they will. But, as someone who watches a crap tonne of wedding videos, I do feel there's something interesting or something new in their work, and that definitely intrigues me. One possible way to incorporate this sort of stuff: supply a video service to people where you also arm the bridal party with cameras, and tell them that you might or might not use the footage. Adds to your editing time, but presumably you'd charge a little more for it as well.

July 6th, 2013, 08:36 PM	#19
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Will these guys put videographers out of business? Hi Adrian My mate Philip in the UK used to/still does the same sort of thing BUT for the honeymoon and it's all in the wedding package. He essentially loans them a handycam which they take on honeymoon and then he does a simple edit and puts it all on DVD for them. You could do much the same I guess for local clients too. Even a Go Pro would be fun and much less inclined to mess up the footage. At my wedding yesterday I mounted a Hero on the bride and groom's windshield and let it run between the house and photoshoot...Really neat and usuable footage and they didn't have to do anything. Brides might respond to have a extra service "free" that your competitor doesn't offer. Like a self service photobooth a Hero would give you more candid footage.. everything doesn't have to be top of the range quality ...content is still king! Chris