DVD Packaging
 

Do all your customers get the full deal as far as their final project on DVD.

This is not going to be popular, but I have been burning the DVD and putting on a decent looking label, but with no pictures. Customers Name, Title, Our Company Name, Date etc. Does not look bad, but again not what some of you do.

Our wedding video coverage is add on to our photography packages so they are not paying us big money, and they know they are getting the essentials with out all the frills.

I just wonder if I should go up a little in price and include a nice case and spend more time on the label, I have never had a complaint, but just something I wonder about sometimes.

If I were doing video only I know I would be including a leather case, and nicer label but as of now I am not doing anything but the basic 1 camera add on video.

All my DVD case are printed and include pics of the couple - main portrait on the front along with titles and at the back 5-6 small pics. Usually I ask them to send me pics they like taken by their photog that day. To design the whole cover it takes me maybe 15-20mins tops :-)

Hi Denny

I print the B&G's photo on the DVD disk directly with just "Our Wedding" and their names and then that goes into a standard plastic case with a full cover with a photo on the back and front and the usual text.

It's really the first thing the bride sees when you deliver so it has to reflect the contents in a way!! I don't go to an expensive case and they are hard to get, but I always get a nice comment about the case.

Before the photoshoot I just zap around 6 stills directly off the camera and the 1920x1080 resolution is enough to print a nice cover on Photo Quality Inkjet paper too!! Trying to get pics from photogs is a nightmare so that's why I take my own cover shots!!

I have always thought that maybe it would be nice to have really classy cases in a "wedding box" all wrapped in tissue paper ..the same way you might deliver an album???? That would certainly create a good impression!!

Chris

Denny this is my philosophy:

The disk is seen for the 15 seconds during which it is taken from the library case and put in the player - so minimal expenditure, text only, classy and legal and simple.

Apart from the spine the case is going to be browsed for the 30 seconds whilst the disk is taken out of the case and the programme appears on the screen - so the library case is a good quality but standard case. We want it to be kept amongst the owners' other DVDs and available to be played, not stored away. The spine of the insert is simple text "The Wedding of...", the face has a carefully chosen image from the master, usually of the vows etc with simple but stylish text, otherwise clean and white. The reverse is simple text, copyright clause, production ident and logo, nothing that can't be browsed in 30 seconds.

In short we put all the effort and the investment into the programme.

If you make duff programmes, a great case won't make them any better.

If your programmes are class (like Mr Harding's), I don't think they'll be any better for tissue paper and petals - think about the sales assistant in "Love Actually".

Hi Philip

I think you outclass me by a long way and the tissue story actually comes from a friend (photog) who shows his wares in a loose leaf binder with the prints inside the plastic sleeves. IMO not the best way to impress a potential new client!!

When I was doing wedding photography (think Mamiya RB67 and roll film and you can realise it was LONG ago!!) I used to supply the bride with her white album with the words "Our Wedding" in raised silver lettering on the cover. The albums came from the supplier in a white box and the album sat in tissue paper for protection, which I left in the box. The result was always good as the bride opened the lid and then unwrapped the tissue to reveal her album. It did create a good initial impression!!!!

Chris

Chris, the cynics will ask "what class?" but I know what I meant.

Seriously I think your story proves my point; the white album was an intrinsic part of the product, it was not just the packaging. Your clients held it and like all book lovers enjoyed the feeling of the book in their hands as they turned the pages and admired the work.

In contrast the DVD case and face are just packaging.

Hey Denny,

Since the DVD is an add on to your photography work, perhaps there is a way to make your photo album and the the DVD case be a matched pair? If the photo album has a book jacket, the jacket of the DVD case can use the same graphics, color scheme, typeface etc.

Just a thought. Might look pretty good arriving in a nice gift box with tissue paper and all ! : )

IMO the packaging is vitally important. The first thing the bride sees when she opens the parcel is the DVD cases. This initil impression has to be absolutely positive. I send my DVDs out in a lovely white box. It cost a couple of pounds but loks great. I use clear sellotape, not brown tape, with nice, neat, hand written label.

On opening the parcel the bride sees tissue paper, never bubble wrap. Opening the tissues reveals a personal letter from me telling her what a fantastic wedding it was and how everyone seemed to be having a great time. And how I enjoyed filming every minute of it.

Under the letter is a box of hand made chocs to enjoy while watching the film. A smll token which only costs a few pounds but stays in the memory. Think about recommendations.

Under the chocs and more tissues is the blu-ray presentation case. Cost is bout £12.50. A lace case which opens up to a mounted photo on the left and the blu-ray DVD on the right.
These are the ones I use.

MTA Single CD Folios --- Parker Photographics Ltd
The lace ones are very nice. The bride gets one.

Then under the blu-ray are the six DVDs. I use Amaray white DVD cases. Amaray re nice quality. I print a full colour insert to my own design, with a few of the photo's I have taken during the day. i used to carry a Nikon D70s with me but to be honest it was overkill and I now use a little Panasonic Lumix, whhich costs about £80 with quite amazing results. I shoot one of the bride and groom at the curch, cutting the cake, brides boquet and a couple extra, which is ample for the case and menues. I NEVER use screen grabs. Not good enough for the case.

Doing that little bit extra, which only takes a few minutes, will stick in the brides mind and when she tells you what a great job you have done, the chances are she will also tell her friends who might also be getting married.

I am toying with the idea of giving every bride an engraved iPod Nano, with wedding highlights loaded on for them, so they can show all their friends at their workplace. The Nano would have their names, wedding day and my website engraved, plus the start of the clip would also have my details. I would just incorporate the price of the nano in the package so it wouldn't be me paying for it.

It's important to be as pro as you can, and the little things like labels and finishing touches are vitally important to the overall image you are projecting.

Well that's my thought anyway.

While the case is only seen for 15 seconds - it is also the first thing that is seen.

Imagine if the bride has a friend who asks her a few years later who did her wedding video. The bride says 'hang on, I'll go get the case and check.' She pulls the case out of the shelf and straight away that is your first impression to a potential new client. A leather bound case or embossed metal tin will blow look spectacular but a regular DVD case which you've put time and effort into can be equally appealing.

II suppose it all really depends on what type of packages you offer. Budget and regular producers should at least aim for a glossy DVD cover. Prestige operaters might want to try something a little more distinctive. If you do $60,000 premium weddings shooting with 3 RED's and a crane, then you should throw them an offical premiere party!

Denny, are you using an adhesive label?

Same here, we ask the couples for their favorite pics and provide them with a filmposter like design on the case cover and DVD label..we figured it really just takes us 15-20 minutes to design and print so no biggie...we had a client once who showed us his sister's weddnig DVD case and cover, and honestly it was horrible, my 6 year old nephew could have designed a better one with crayola.


The Ipod nano is a great idea! so far we just provide our couples with portable hard drives, that is included in their package price, and throw in the raw footage for their archive...

Regards,

kren
www.verticalvideoworks.ca

Now THIS is what I call "presentation" !!!!!

This is my DVD label and case insert design. I have the template to be used in photoshop you can download too.

DVD cover design and DVD label printing | L.A. Color Blog

Taky those covers are great.
After seeing some examples on this site we starting using a "retail" looking case that even has a dummy bar code. We have received great response from clients and I think it looks slick.
Our discs are either Verbatim digital movie which look like an old 8mm reel or double sided Memorex which don't have labels.
I think the DVD is an important first impression and shouldn't be overlooked.

My advice would be that your packaging should, at the very least, match the quality of the rest of your product/service. What's important is to have consistency in the quality with everything your client sees.

We produce full color, custom-design packaging for our clients. The design is always classy and high end, but that's in order to match the content on the DVD and our own branding. If we were targeting the budget bride and providing a scaled-down product and service, our packaging would be scaled down to match.

So I would evaluate whether your current packaging fits your brand and product, and if not, then I would make a change.