Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

Hey Steve

I do feel for you!! I had the complete opposite last year where an ethnic bride wanted CCTV style coverage for 6 hours non-stop!!!

I honestly don't think that most brides are ready for cinematic/creative video (and never will be!!) Most seem to want you to make sure you cover the essentials and as long as you do that they are happy!!!

That's why I shoot in documentary style...not 10 hours with an unmanned camera but usually around 2- 2.5 hours of footage edited down to just over an hour. Want some creative stuff??? Just circle the bride and groom at the photoshoot and slow down the footage and they are over the moon..yeah, I know it's real corny and done many times before but it keeps clients happy!!

If your contract states that they have one week to contact you for changes then you are covered...however from the sound of things you did a really polished job and they didn't appreciate it..and whatever you change (if you still had the footage) still wouldn't be good enough!!

Chris

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

Given how we love video, it can be a mental hurdle to do something simply. We want bells and whistles and a video that makes our clients look like movie stars.

How many of us stop to ask what the client is expecting? If the client wants 8 hours of video, I'm happy to provide it to them. We are in a service industry, and we should be servicing our clients, not servicing ourselves. And from a business perspective, I can do it in less time, meaning greater profit. It's win-win.

Having simple footage of the whole day (yes, even if it's a camera set up in the corner at the reception) is wonderful. In "CCTV" style, the video isn't the memory. The video is the cue for all the memories that the couple already has.

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

This post sounds like your saying that I'm unfamiliar with the needs of my clients. Which couldn't be further from the truth. All I'm saying is that you either want product A or product B. Most clients want my product, but this particular person would have been happier with a less expensive, simpler video. There's nothing I can do, as I will not change my shooting or editing style to appease someone. As this is the reason I thought one would book me to begin with
This is my first client that isn't happy with the final video, which is unsettling for me.... The complaints were well out of my control... Regardless of which shooting/editing style.

Steve

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

Steve, don't take it personally. No doubt this bride complained about her photographer, entertainment, florists, makeup etc etc..

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

If it's any consolation, think about the poor guy who is going to have to live with her.

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

After 10 years in this business, there a few things I learned quickly.

1. Never accept a wedding conducted in a foreign language - unless you speak the language!

2. Three-day Indian weddings are nightmares. Period.

3. If your clients were born in India or the Middle East, chances are they love to haggle and will never be satisfied with anything you give them. This has definitely been my experience.

I stopped accepting these types of weddings after my 2nd year in business, and in the process I avoided 8 years of headaches and nightmares.

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

Hey Jeff

Those are probably the 3 most important things to remember if a bride calls you on the phone in broken English asking if you are available!!

No disrespect whatsoever meant to couples that are not Western but communication is important with any supplier and I actually have a section on my website suggesting that if a wedding is indeed in a language other than English then it would be far wiser for the bride to find someone who both understands the language and the culture and traditions so they end up with a better end product.

I can safely say that 99.9% of my issues with brides happened during the time I was first doing these weddings...after I stopped accepting them all problems also ceased!!

Chris

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

Same experience here, I also stopped accepting these type of weddings, my last Indian wedding was also a nightmare with the client asking for things that were never agreed upon like free of charge editing changes.

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

What's wrong with giving encoded to DVD format of the raw footage? I do this with my highlights package.

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

Rather than post a new thread, let me share an experience I had last Sunday. I think it is very important to review line items of your agreement with Bride & Groom. Four things came up that had red flags written all over them.

1. We want copyright, we don't want to have our photos/videos used for any promotional purposes. Fine with me.

2. Creative control during the day. They want inputs on how videos are shot and how they want to be posed during the day. But we like your work, feel free to do what you like but we want to have a say during the photo shoot.

3. They want 25% downpayment, 25 % on the day rather than the full payment. They want to view the footage 2 days after to check if the quality is up to their standard. " They don't want the headache of going to small claims court", were their exact words.

4. 12 hour day does that mean we get 12 hours of footage? Thanks to Travis for this, I told them it means 12 hour presence.


Having said all of that, he wants me to revise the agreement then he'll issue me a check for the downpayment.

I politely declined the gig, it's the only Saturday available for me in August. I think I'd rather go camping.

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

Noel, I've had a couple of similar contacts in the past such as yours. I remember my jaw dropped and I was almost speechless. I was able to recover my presence of mind enough to send them to another videographer whom I disliked.

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

Yoinks!

Red flags? Sounds more like 10 foot tall, red flashing neon letters... "RUN AWAY!!!"... they'll want to review that footage quick, I see an annullment not long after the video is shot...

Better to go on a camping trip to a mosquito infested swamp... with alligators... and snakes...

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

I had my share but this one ranks up there!

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

To be honest I saw my life flashing in front of me if I do sign the couple up.LOL

Re: Clients Very Disappointed...
 

I had one that sent me a list via email that outlined terms, such as yours did. I truly wondered what fool would take the guy on.