Raw footage request
 

How do you handle requests from clients that want raw footage when you shoot with multiple cameras? A typical wedding may consist of 6-8 hours from 2 cameras and that's quite alot of editing to clean up the bad stuff. If you deliver on a hard drive, do you give them the .m2t files and let them fiqure out how to play it back?

Just can't see loading all of that on serveral DVD's or Blurays just so they can see it for what some people are charging $200 for.

Re: Raw footage request
 

Hi Tom

I'm shooting 3 cameras so any brides that want raw footage get 3 x 16GB thumbdrives with the footage from each camera on it. I supply the footage in Panasonic's raw MTS AVCHD format too.

I know ideally you need to go thru all of it and trim up the wobbly bits but I get so few requests for footage plus once a couple actually request raw footage I am careful to explain that it's in AVCHD and it's up to them to have a fast enough computer and a decent NLE that will recognise the format. More often than not they find out that they cannot even edit it without spending a fortune on upgrades and software so they decline the offer.

Raw footage is raw footage so that's what they must expect ...partially editing footage transcoded into a format that the "man-in-the-street" can run on his Duocore Laptop and Windows Movie Maker is another story and that involves post time which you are quite entitled to charge for.

Chris

Re: Raw footage request
 

My contract... "All audio and video footage is the copyrighted property of the producer. The final edited footage will contain all usable video taken on the day. Raw footage is not available for purchase."

Re: Raw footage request
 

I"ve done one Turkish wedding end last year end they specifically requested me to film the dancing part 4 hours straight and then deliver that to them on their ext harddrive as they wanted to edit themselves, with that I had no issue as the client knew exactly what to expect. Same for me as I filmed in a way they wanted me to so it would fit their editing needs.

But in all other cases where I deliver a finished wedding dvd I never hand over raw material afterwards, this because my filming is done in the way that it will fit how I plan to edit it afterwards, Since it's sometimes material from 4 different camera and 4 different audio sources if you view them seperately it won't look that good, only if you fit all pieces of the puzzle together it will look good and I don't want clients contacting me why this part was unsharp, or they could not hear that part well, or that there was several parts of shaky footage. In the final edit I provide there won't be bad footage or bad sound, only in the raw footage there will be parts like that.

If the client asks it's a simple "no" and I don't even discuss about it, only exception I make is with the Turkish wedding example I gave.

Re: Raw footage request
 

I also never make original raw footage available. I've had the odd few requests but never let it go.
Unless you had specifically promised that you'd let them have it I'd tell them that it's not available. What they are paying for is the final creative product not the scaffolding, that's taken away to let the work been seen as it is intended to be.

Re: Raw footage request
 

I allow my brides to purchase raw footage as an option only if they get a main feature from me first.

It's an extra income and it makes my clients appreciate my edits even more.

Re: Raw footage request
 

We sell them a copy of the live footage for $300. I tell them that it will be based on the card and not necessarily in chronological order. From there we start dropping cards on the timeline until we hit 2 hours. They receive 3 or 4 DVD's without menus and they are labeled "Raw wedding footage Disc #". We probably have 5 to 10 couples each year request this.

Re: Raw footage request
 

First, I dissuade them by explaining that the "running footage" part of their discs includes 99% of the footage. (I film discriminately, not continuously).

If they still want it, I require they send a hard drive that can hold the 150 GB project (the Pro Res transcodes) and I give them the files in the order of the day. No guarantees on play-ability, etc. $100 charge for the time.