I'll learn to be careful what I ask for!!
 

I hung out shingle to do wedding vids. I now have 2 weddings on consecutive weekends in May, a high school graduation the next week, possibly a wedding at the beach in June, and then a potential wedding on a golf course in August.

I think I'll buy a second camera (DVX100B).

I've recorded wedding before. My question is: What's the best approach for taping graduation ceremonies? I've not taped one before, and I'm looking for advice.

Thanks in advance.

Jeff

For a highschool graduation ceremony, I would think one camera setup on the stage opposite of the side where the graduates come up to receive their diplomas.

Another camera setup center to stage a few rows back to frame the focal point of the action on the stage. This camera will also film the speeches

Both cameras would be locked down for the duration of the ceremony.

Prior to the ceremony starting, walking amongst the families and crowds and just film a bunch of B-rolls that you can edit to a song that you can use as an intro to the video..

Sorry, I would think it's a pretty boring gig. I hope you're getting paid well for it.

I'll get paid what I sell to the parents and other attendees. Probably not much, but I plan to charge 20-25 buck each, and it's a small school. It's more as favor to family, and that favor grew. I'll insert cards, and perhaps throw in some extra footage as a "commercial" for my services.

Thanks for the advice.

JPR

I used to film dance recitals, and I was doing it based on DVD sales. Problem was that most of the parents were in the audience filming with their own cameras already, and focusing on their own child as well. I was selling maybe 20 DVD's each time, and the profit wasn't worth the time and cost for me.

After several of these I proposed that the event producer pay me a set fee to film and edit the show, and then I would sell them DVD's at a reduced rate (I still would make a small profit) and they could sell the DVD's to parents and make a profit. They didn't go for it, so I stopped filming recitals.