venting thread...
 

I just wrote something long and drawn out... Long story short; Have you ever had almost every idea turned down? I'm shooting a STD video and now I'm a little worried that all my input hasn't been taken into consideration. Some were creative ideas to build the story, and some were to make the production less complicated (as far as location).
Uhhggg...

Stephen, I feel for you but keep in mind they're the client and like it or not, we have to cater to them however distastful it might be at times.

how about this. Shoot what they want the way they want it then inbetween "sets" shoot it YOUR way, put both togethor, let them see THEIRS then YOURS. Whichever one they like wins. Of course it might not be possible of feasible to do this, so here's one thing I've learned in the first couple of years I was in the business. Sometimes ya just gotta suck it up and do it their way, like it or not. I always have a hard time biting my tongue and smiling but it's their gig and their money.
No concilation I know but...
Good luck. Have a "refreshment" watch the Oscars, don't worry about it. Remember Momma said there'd be days like this..

""Sometimes ya just gotta suck it up and do it their way"" . . . better than they ever dreamed it could be. With the only ramification being , you will probably be doing that AGAIN :-)

Gents, we've become divided by our common language again. I've racked my brains but to no avail. In my UK understanding of the acronym, STD means Sexually Transmitted Diseases - but from the context I'm sure that's not the subject of Stephen's programme. Please enlighten me.

In the US... STD means the same that it means in the UK, however, in the wedding industry it also means "Save The Date"

Never too old to learn! Thanks.

we need an "I told you so" contract that states that you argued for doing it this way, and they insisted on doing it that way, so when the product comes out like horse poo, they can't get mad or demand money back, because you warned them and argued and fought.

One thing I've learned in 25 years of business - sometime you just have to give the client what they want, not what they need.

My first question to my clients is "what do you want?", "what you do you envision?". If they have the answers, great! That makes my job easier. I just do what they tell me. But if they're unsure and really are new to video productions. My job is to be the professional and recommend ideas. If they love it great. If not, we keep working together until they're happy. The video is not for me - it's for them.

I can't think of a commercial profession which doesn't need to adopt the policy best described by an old and recently deceased pal of mine - "The customer's always right, even when they're wrong".

The only exception that comes to mind is a portrait painter. I used to know one quite well and he always regarded the fact that he was paid to paint his view of the sitter as he saw them as a privilege, not an excuse. Painters always seem to get paid regardless of what people think of the work - a case in point is Graham Sutherland's portrait of Sir Winston Churchill which he loathed and which his widow reputedly had burned after his death.

I tip my hat to all of you guys. My wife and I work strictly narrative and there are challenges with client's needs / wants vs. our take on what works best but at the end of the day it's their show. I cannot imagine dealing with what you guys have to deal with regarding weddings. Every wedding I have ever been to was an emotional battlefield and I always felt sorry for the poor videographer that had to deal with all of that.

Kudos to you all.