Credit/Self-Promotion Wedding DVD at DVinfo.net

Pete Cofrancesco · October 13th, 2006, 08:29 AM

I usually put 6 second screen with my name and website on the start up of the dvd. I'm wondering would this be considered impolite for a wedding video? Do you put your name on the menu? What is the ettiquete for self-promotion/credit for weddings.

Tom Hardwick · October 13th, 2006, 08:46 AM

Good question. Not so much impolite as very non-you. You'd not see a wedding album of photos shouting the photographer's name on page one, and if you did it would scream 'Naff!' at you loud and clear.

Have a very small logo, website, contact number etc fade from and to black a few seconds after the last note had died away. Think how the couple are going to feel as they sit down to watch this film for the first and forthieth time. Less is more.

Lots of contact details on the DVD insert sheet is fine.

tom.

Pete Cofrancesco · October 13th, 2006, 08:00 PM

thx. i guess the reason i put my name in the start up is that dvds aren't always shown all the way through or the credits are commonly skipped. But in this case I agree, I'll add it to the end and put it on the jacket that should be sufficient. no need to be heavy handed.

Waldemar Winkler · October 14th, 2006, 12:21 AM

I don't do it, but why not? Every movie you watch has at least (or so it seems) the flashing logos of every producer, associate producer, 2nd and 3d rate producer involved in the production. And that is before the distributors get into the act. What seems like fifteen minutes later I am finally allowed to see the opening credits of the feature I wanted to watch in the first place.

I don't to it now, but I will be doing it next year. The fun part will be to design a very appropriate introductory logo.

Tom Tomkowiak · October 14th, 2006, 04:17 AM

Reading this thread prompted me to pull off the shelf the VHS tape of our son's wedding 7 years ago. In fact, I think this is the first time I've blown dust off of this video in about 5 years.

The outfit that taped the wedding in DC was based in MD. It starts out with some cheesy instrumental and a 10-second screen of the company's name superimposed over video of the usual DC sites, then fades to "Presents," then the names of the B&G, etc.

I've always put all my info at the tail end of the video, as well as on the dvd, and on the dvd case. I don't have any plans to change the format.

However, looking at that 7-year-old vhs tape, starting out with the production company's name doesn't seem out of place. Maybe it could've been done better, but it's not obnoxious or distracting. And, Pete, putting your company's name up front probably is a good marketing tactic. As long as it's appropriate for the occasion, I see no problem with doing that.

Tom Hardwick · October 14th, 2006, 07:28 AM

I think the point you make Waldemar is confined to movies made for the paying general public. What we're doing here with a wedding film is providing a very personal service indeed, where the b & g are all important and their feelings should be respected - even at the expense of your self promotion.

You wouldn't expect to see the flowers advertise the florist around the vase, and you wouldn't expect to see the Rolls Royce to have a website painted down the side.

Label the DVD's printed surface certainly, and the insert sheet also - you want to make it easy for the b & g to order more copies and to pass on your details in recommendation.

Discretion is the better part of valour.

tom.

Jason Bowers · October 14th, 2006, 04:20 PM

We have a 6 second clip of our logo in 3d which plays at the beginning of each video we produce. I have yet to find a couple complain about this. The logo clip just states our name and no other information though. However, it does let everyone know that it is our work and no one else's.

Waldemar Winkler · October 15th, 2006, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Hardwick

I think the point you make Waldemar is confined to movies made for the paying general public. What we're doing here with a wedding film is providing a very personal service indeed, where the b & g are all important and their feelings should be respected - even at the expense of your self promotion.

You wouldn't expect to see the flowers advertise the florist around the vase, and you wouldn't expect to see the Rolls Royce to have a website painted down the side.

Label the DVD's printed surface certainly, and the insert sheet also - you want to make it easy for the b & g to order more copies and to pass on your details in recommendation.

Discretion is the better part of valour.

tom.

You are absolutely right in labeling our work as a personal service. However, I disagree regarding business promotion. I do in fact see florist and limo advertising at wedding sites. Of course, I do have to look carefully to find the respective business name. A tasteful silkscreen on the limo driver's window or a discrete card hidden within the stems of perhaps only one floral arrangement. Nothing loud. Just enough to get the message across to those who want to know.

As I have already mentioned, I have yet to place any kind of introductory logo on my finished wedding videos. I do like the idea, and if I can make an introductory logo look the way I think it should look, I am going to use one.

For a long while I thought as you do. From my current perspective it is makeing mugh more sense to have logo identification on both ends of the video.

Andrea Lair · October 15th, 2006, 05:39 PM

I have a 5 second fade-in and out clip of my logo right in the beginning of the video. I really don't think it is obtrusive at all and this way people know who made it. I don't think people really stick around for the end credits so I didn't want that to be the only place my name shows up.

Peter Jefferson · October 16th, 2006, 01:36 AM

i have different logo routines..

for weddings theres a 10second backlit kinda text thing happening with a 5.1 mix as an intro
Its impressive, so people dont complain.
When its over, I also throw in a text credit roll message congratualting the couple.
Ads a personal touch and a final word to the piece... i usually throw this in before the secret messages... plays with their head.. just when they think its over.. bang, heres the surprise..

for corporate, its a dead simple presented by blah blah

for reception SDE's/slideshows the credit is at the end.. (as above) very simple but its
Presente by www.XYZ.com.au

this way potentials know the website if theyre interested.. and tehy see the work before hand, so usually they jsut email to book without even seeing demos, coz theyve seen me work and theyve seen teh results

In 6 years i had one client ask to remove the logo, and i refused. Then again, i could go on about her.. but i wont..

in my contract, logos and intro pieces and Dolby trailer choices are at my discretion.. if its upbeat and fun, i use the helicopter over the movie theatre, if its mellow and strictly formal, i use Aurora

all these help the vibe, despite what people think.. the more it FEELS like a movie, the more the clients get into that mindset..
I also use darker gamma configurations and set my final work calibrated to cinematic levels and put on the box that "for an optimal viewing experience, please set your tv mode to "cinema" brightness

it all starts with the intro..

Also with titles, i DONT have a seperate title page or credit roll for them.. titles are overlaid as we watch teh footage.. much like a TV show or Movie...
If the clients wants a tv style intro/outro, then that costs extra

October 13th, 2006, 08:29 AM	#1
Pete Cofrancesco Inner Circle Join Date: May 2004 Location: USA Posts: 2,995	Credit/Self-Promotion Wedding DVD I usually put 6 second screen with my name and website on the start up of the dvd. I'm wondering would this be considered impolite for a wedding video? Do you put your name on the menu? What is the ettiquete for self-promotion/credit for weddings.

October 14th, 2006, 12:21 AM	#4
Waldemar Winkler Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Durango, Colorado, USA Posts: 711	I don't do it, but why not? Every movie you watch has at least (or so it seems) the flashing logos of every producer, associate producer, 2nd and 3d rate producer involved in the production. And that is before the distributors get into the act. What seems like fifteen minutes later I am finally allowed to see the opening credits of the feature I wanted to watch in the first place. I don't to it now, but I will be doing it next year. The fun part will be to design a very appropriate introductory logo. __________________ Waldemar

October 13th, 2006, 08:46 AM	#2
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	Good question. Not so much impolite as very non-you. You'd not see a wedding album of photos shouting the photographer's name on page one, and if you did it would scream 'Naff!' at you loud and clear. Have a very small logo, website, contact number etc fade from and to black a few seconds after the last note had died away. Think how the couple are going to feel as they sit down to watch this film for the first and forthieth time. Less is more. Lots of contact details on the DVD insert sheet is fine. tom.

October 13th, 2006, 08:00 PM	#3
Pete Cofrancesco Inner Circle Join Date: May 2004 Location: USA Posts: 2,995	thx. i guess the reason i put my name in the start up is that dvds aren't always shown all the way through or the credits are commonly skipped. But in this case I agree, I'll add it to the end and put it on the jacket that should be sufficient. no need to be heavy handed.

October 14th, 2006, 04:17 AM	#5
Tom Tomkowiak Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: On the NC Crystal Coast Posts: 203	Reading this thread prompted me to pull off the shelf the VHS tape of our son's wedding 7 years ago. In fact, I think this is the first time I've blown dust off of this video in about 5 years. The outfit that taped the wedding in DC was based in MD. It starts out with some cheesy instrumental and a 10-second screen of the company's name superimposed over video of the usual DC sites, then fades to "Presents," then the names of the B&G, etc. I've always put all my info at the tail end of the video, as well as on the dvd, and on the dvd case. I don't have any plans to change the format. However, looking at that 7-year-old vhs tape, starting out with the production company's name doesn't seem out of place. Maybe it could've been done better, but it's not obnoxious or distracting. And, Pete, putting your company's name up front probably is a good marketing tactic. As long as it's appropriate for the occasion, I see no problem with doing that.

October 14th, 2006, 07:28 AM	#6
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	I think the point you make Waldemar is confined to movies made for the paying general public. What we're doing here with a wedding film is providing a very personal service indeed, where the b & g are all important and their feelings should be respected - even at the expense of your self promotion. You wouldn't expect to see the flowers advertise the florist around the vase, and you wouldn't expect to see the Rolls Royce to have a website painted down the side. Label the DVD's printed surface certainly, and the insert sheet also - you want to make it easy for the b & g to order more copies and to pass on your details in recommendation. Discretion is the better part of valour. tom.

October 14th, 2006, 04:20 PM	#7
Jason Bowers Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Thunder Bay, ON. Canada Posts: 374	We have a 6 second clip of our logo in 3d which plays at the beginning of each video we produce. I have yet to find a couple complain about this. The logo clip just states our name and no other information though. However, it does let everyone know that it is our work and no one else's.

October 15th, 2006, 05:39 PM	#9
Andrea Lair Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 32	I have a 5 second fade-in and out clip of my logo right in the beginning of the video. I really don't think it is obtrusive at all and this way people know who made it. I don't think people really stick around for the end credits so I didn't want that to be the only place my name shows up.

October 16th, 2006, 01:36 AM	#10
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	i have different logo routines.. for weddings theres a 10second backlit kinda text thing happening with a 5.1 mix as an intro Its impressive, so people dont complain. When its over, I also throw in a text credit roll message congratualting the couple. Ads a personal touch and a final word to the piece... i usually throw this in before the secret messages... plays with their head.. just when they think its over.. bang, heres the surprise.. for corporate, its a dead simple presented by blah blah for reception SDE's/slideshows the credit is at the end.. (as above) very simple but its Presente by www.XYZ.com.au this way potentials know the website if theyre interested.. and tehy see the work before hand, so usually they jsut email to book without even seeing demos, coz theyve seen me work and theyve seen teh results In 6 years i had one client ask to remove the logo, and i refused. Then again, i could go on about her.. but i wont.. in my contract, logos and intro pieces and Dolby trailer choices are at my discretion.. if its upbeat and fun, i use the helicopter over the movie theatre, if its mellow and strictly formal, i use Aurora all these help the vibe, despite what people think.. the more it FEELS like a movie, the more the clients get into that mindset.. I also use darker gamma configurations and set my final work calibrated to cinematic levels and put on the box that "for an optimal viewing experience, please set your tv mode to "cinema" brightness it all starts with the intro.. Also with titles, i DONT have a seperate title page or credit roll for them.. titles are overlaid as we watch teh footage.. much like a TV show or Movie... If the clients wants a tv style intro/outro, then that costs extra