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TOP 10 TIPS
& ADVICE
For many people
their wedding will be the first time they have hired a video
production company. So what questions should you ask, what does the
"jargon" all mean, and what should you look for? Hopefully
this guide will help you out!
QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING
-
"What
are your payment terms?" - nearly all wedding suppliers ask
for a deposit. This is to secure their services for the day. However,
some less trustworthy suppliers will also ask for the FULL payment IN
ADVANCE of the wedding leaving you to trust that they will provide a
good service. Cambridge Wedding Video only require full payment AFTER
the wedding when the DVD's are ready. Who will you trust to capture
your big day?
-
"How
much do copies cost?" - this little "hidden extra"
can cost you a fortune! We have heard of suppliers charging as much
as £40 for each additional DVD. When you realise a good quality
blank DVD including packaging costs less than £1 ask yourself if
the supplier is being a little greedy. Sure it takes time to make a
copy and to post so we we make a charge of just £17.
-
"Can I
see an example of your work" - of course you can! You can download
a demo from this site, you can request a DVD in the post, and
you can even visit our studio to see our
facilities and view our work. We will be delighted to show you
around. It is a good idea to gain first hand knowledge of a suppliers
capability and facilities before you commit.
JARGON TO WATCH FOR
-
"...digital
video is better..." - nowadays people are used to seeing
"digital" electronic devices everywhere and assume it is
therefore "better" than analog counterparts. Well it
depends how you measure "better"! Digital recording and
editing technology tends to be small, cheap, and easily available.
However, analog equipment provides a "warmth" to the
colours and a resolution that can outstrip many digital systems
(hence why most Hollywood producers still use analog cameras).
However you are unlikely to find many wedding videos produced in an
analog format as the equipment is too big and expensive. But just
remember when you read the phrase "digital video" it also
means "small and cheap" and then ask yourself "why
is this supplier charging so much?". The bulk of the cost of
a wedding video is time (not equipment). Some suppliers are just more greedy!
-
"We use
broadcast quality..." - if you have a digital TV receiver
try comparing the picture quality with a DVD. You may be surprised to
see that the "broadcast" picture from the digital TV
receiver is not as good as the DVD picture. This is because the speed
of the broadcast data stream is not as fast as the DVD data
stream. Its bandwidth is less and therefore digital compression
is higher. So "broadcast quality" does not always mean
"better"! The best advice is to study the results of a DVD
wedding video for yourself. Ignore the jargon......ask "does
this look good?", "did they capture the flavour of the
event?", "are they honest?", "can I trust them
with my wedding?". Most of the perceived quality in a wedding
video comes from the way the story is told, how the shots are
composed, and the sensitivity of the producer towards the subject.
We'd love to show you some of our productions.....so please contact
us to see a DVD!
BEWARE THE SALESMAN!
-
"I
can't quote a price" - many suppliers will tell you they
have many years of experience in producing wedding videos. So you
might expect this would enable them to give you an idea of price. NOT
ALWAYS! They want to know your budget, who else you have had quotes
from, and to undermine your confidence with "salesmans
patter". Don't take it! A good experienced supplier will know
what it costs to produce a video. A truly honest supplier will publish
their prices!
-
"We are
qualified in video production"
- qualifications can indicate that a video producer has received some
formal training......assuming of course that the qualification
actually exists! We have heard of some unscrupulous producers who
INVENT qualifications to add some "credibility" to their
work! If you want to find out if a qualification is genuine there are
a couple of things you can do; (a) ask to see their certificate which
should show where and when the qualification was obtained, (b) do a Google
search for the qualification and/or college where it was
obtained. Look at the results closely....do they really match? what
skills were taught? At the end of the day you must judge the
videographer on their honesty and capabilities from previour work.
-
"We
won an award" - as with qualifications ask "is it
real? Is it relevant?" We know of videographers who claim to
have won awards for their web sites. Ask yourself "does a web
award make them a better video producer?". And look at the
web site design.....does it really look award winning? Whilst web
awards are not usually of any relevance to a wedding video production
the honesty of the company making the claim probably is! If they are
prepared to lie so openly about their awards what else are they lying about?
At Cambridge
Wedding Video we pride ourselves in providing a quality service at a
sensible price. We won't ever be vague. We will be honest about our
prices, our capabilities, and our
terms of business. We do not believe you will find any other
wedding video supplier in the Cambridge area like this!
Do
not hesitate to contact us if you have any
further questions.
We look forward
to hearing from you!
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