First Wedding

[Jack Major]

So I've been offered to film my first wedding, i was referred to by a friend who i originally edited her wedding. anyways ive done some other paid work but never a wedding. i am a narrative filmmaker so this is a side thing. i charged $300 for the edit of my friends wedding and i was just wondering what you guys think is a good price to charge my equipment is below if that gives you a better idea. thanks

[Steve Elgar]

G'day Jack
It's difficult to determine what you should charge as it is your first wedding. Weddings can be hard work depending on how long they want you for and the complexity of the edit. After many weddings experiences in the past, I will not do a wedding for anything under $2k depending on the amout of shoot time required.

Lots of Luck
Steve.

[Steven Davis]

After your first wedding you'll quickly want to reconsider any price it seems. If the market would bear it, we would go up significantly in price, and that's because of the custom work we do which is different than mostly my generic competition.

If it's your first wedding, consider yourself blessed to be paid. At the least, you'll get your name out there, so this is good marketing. But don't be surprised if the next phone inquiry you get asks for the same price.

[Jason Robinson]

Originally Posted by Steven Davis

If it's your first wedding, consider yourself blessed to be paid. At the least, you'll get your name out there, so this is good marketing. But don't be surprised if the next phone inquiry you get asks for the same price.

If you have no experience, then expect to work for very little. Filming a wedding is different from filming almost any other non-live event. A live on scene news camera op is about the closest thing to a wedding videographer due to the no-retakes must be perfect nature.

Before considering expenses, do you enjoy filming a wedding? If not, then consider something else. Wedding filming is something you have to enjoy (in my opinion) because there are a lot of annoyances to make the job difficult.

As my experience increased, I increased my prices to match. If you are superman behind the lens and don't blow shots and cut together amazing cinematic experiences, but have only filmed 2 weddings...... then charge like you are a superman behind the lens and create amazing cinematic experiences. But be prepared to back up those claims with great samples & references.

Your edit price is a good starting point. Add to that the cost to film, and then decide how you want to price your filming. Per Hour? Flat rate per day? Do you have expenses (everyone will). Build expenses into the amount to charge. Are you shooting 5hrs for a wedding? 5 tapes x $3 each. What about misc cables & equipment that this wedding may require. Build that in. Do you have liability & equipment insurance. If not, consider getting it and building that in to the cost (or spread it out over several events).

I don't want to overwhelm you, but there is a pretty big laundry list of considerations.

[Jack Major]

thanks guys i appreciate the input. i really would not expect to charge thousands of dollars for it i just was thinking around 500 or 600 depending, i dont know i have to look into this whole thing more. and yes i have no experience shooting weddings, but the people that i have done work for whether it be an event or a documentary (which could be closely similar to a wedding shoot style) have all been extremely pleased with my work and are very eager to refer my name to other potential clients, so im hoping to continue the streak. thanks again any more ideas shoot them my way. this thing wouldnt even be till october so i have some time to figure it out.

[Steven Davis]

Originally Posted by Jack Major

thanks guys i appreciate the input. i really would not expect to charge thousands of dollars for it i just was thinking around 500 or 600 depending, i dont know i have to look into this whole thing more. and yes i have no experience shooting weddings, but the people that i have done work for whether it be an event or a documentary (which could be closely similar to a wedding shoot style) have all been extremely pleased with my work and are very eager to refer my name to other potential clients, so im hoping to continue the streak. thanks again any more ideas shoot them my way. this thing wouldnt even be till october so i have some time to figure it out.

Let us know how it goes. And remember the most important thing..........take the lense cap off!

[Ervin Farkas]

And put your cam on a tripod (weddings are long, you will get tired) and ask a friend to take second angles at least at the ceremony; if you decide to go alone, put it on a monopod so you can move around quickly.

Good luck,