Price not always equals quality

[fiftybucks]

Ever hired someone more expensive than usual, also saw their past work and seems quite good, on the actual day still run here run there, action big big, then when the video comes out, looks like the fella set camera to AUTO MODE and run around the whole day?

Example: Bride march in all back-lighted and cannot see face

Wouldn't it be good if there were some kind of body that awards rankings to videographers that actually meet some kind of standards?

Just an idea...

[adamadam]

If you see their past work is ok, hopefully that will reflect their future work.
What mode they shoot on shouldn't matter if the result is good,
but you said that the bride marched in all back lighted and the face cannot be seen - is that the result you received, or what you expect from their auto mode?

I think their past work, reviews and comments by others should be their ranking

[DXNMedia]

hehehehehe...sadly, even in the professional broadcast market, you're getting the same problems....it's really hard to find people who know what they're doing.

you get a lot of 'pian-chia' people nowadays.

That's why most of us who are already in the industry only recommend each other jobs constantly coz we know who can deliver and who cannot. I believe that the wedding video group of people can work closely together too....form a close knit community...even though one might be considered as 'competitors' in business, but let's make it a healthy competition where we can all benefit....in wedding video market, you can probably only take in 1 job in a weekend...if you cannot benefit from another job, why not recommend the job to someone else whom u know? next time, you might even be recommended back a job or two.

[fiftybucks]

It is the result received.
I can easily tell it is on auto mode as the exposure keeps changing very quickly according to the general amount of light in the video... giving the bride a dark face one moment and a bright face the next... then dark again... all in the same shot.

Originally Posted by adamadam If you see their past work is ok, hopefully that will reflect their future work. What mode they shoot on shouldn't matter if the result is good, but you said that the bride marched in all back lighted and the face cannot be seen - is that the result you received, or what you expect from their auto mode? I think their past work, reviews and comments by others should be their ranking

[fiftybucks]

Donno about the "wedding video group" thingy... there is one local forum for this... all pay money so they can get recommended and advertise inside... that videographer is from there... found out much later from a bride that one of the videographers there admit to self promotions under false userids... donno how true but really sad if it all works like tat... thats why... price no = quality...

Originally Posted by DXNMedia hehehehehe...sadly, even in the professional broadcast market, you're getting the same problems....it's really hard to find people who know what they're doing. you get a lot of 'pian-chia' people nowadays. That's why most of us who are already in the industry only recommend each other jobs constantly coz we know who can deliver and who cannot. I believe that the wedding video group of people can work closely together too....form a close knit community...even though one might be considered as 'competitors' in business, but let's make it a healthy competition where we can all benefit....in wedding video market, you can probably only take in 1 job in a weekend...if you cannot benefit from another job, why not recommend the job to someone else whom u know? next time, you might even be recommended back a job or two.

[Hobbes00]

Hi guys, a huge bill doesnt guarantee quality.

Fact 1. To each videographer they will quote different rates per hour/day/products

Some videographer feels that the fieldwork(coverage) needs more effort than in editing, but some think otherwise

Fact 2. Some of them charges high because they feel that have the experience in the field for xxx period of time. Some do it for the sake of making a higher profit.
Some do it because they feel the client will still hire them even if they charge higher but deliever a mid-standard service.

Fact 3. It doesnt matter if they charge high or not. It doesnt matter if their services they provide is shitty or not. At the end of the day its about the client and whatever makes the client happy.
Who are we to judge (: All we can do is grumble and comment =X

I don't know where this thread is heading to... I feel that in this line - networking and upgrading oneself takes utmost importance.

How much you charge, thats up to you.. if the client wanna pay you 5k so be it - Just make your client happy.

I qouted 3k, the client agreed, I did my job as discussed, client was happy, I got paid, I am happy.

Regards
David (:

[sundazz]

i seconded Hobbes00 & DXNMedia.. networking and collaboration is very much needed in this industy.
grading of videographer? it reminds me of hawker and food stall grading "A", "B", "C" or "D"

[alvinsclee]

A = Award-deserving
B = Bravo! for good work
C = 'Chiong' (copied) standard
D = Downright unwatchable

[tommon]

That's why better to deal with company than individual. How can you be sure that the folio are actually his/her work. After all with post, any clips can look pretty good.

[shojibake]

You know, it's actually difficult to compensate for light just before the march in and during. I guess most people just set to auto and try to keep the couple's heads in focus for auto exposure.

[tommon]

Use lights

[Hobbes00]

March in, I never used lights so far.
Shot it totally natural, manual settings - boost the gain, increase irsis, lower shutter, stetch the blacks.
Thats the diff between a more customizeable camera(expensive) than a simple camera.

I mean simple fact, if the march in is super dark.. I mean even the guest will be hardly able to see their faces - prob smoke, and a shadow walking past.
So thats what I'm going to shoot it.. from how the guest views it - how everyone views it.

Regards,
David

[alvinsclee]

I have attended a friend's wedding where a videographer blasted one super powerful light on my friend... making her facial makeup looked all washed out. I shuddered to imagine the image quality that was recorded in the video tape or in the photographer's film.

I would recomend a power-switchable light in this case. To boost gain in that kind of darkness would increase video noise to unacceptable level. Better to switch to a lower power light... or even better still is to have an assistant follow the couple with a portable light to ensure even and constant lighting throughout the march-in.

Of course, it would be good to apply colour correction (a colour gel on the videolight, not a filter on the videocam's lens!) to match the videolight's colour temperature to the ambience and then do a manual white balance based on the ambient-matched videolight. This small effort will help to even out unnatural colour casts.

[tommon]

Control and experience counts, mates. That's why commercial cameraman are so expensive and no one use them for weddings in S'pore. For the same price you pay freelancers in S'pore you can hire a prouduction crew in India to do the same job. All in DigiBeta. Talk about overkill. But price must match the skill and experience level.

[Hobbes00]

Originally Posted by alvinsclee I would recomend a power-switchable light in this case. To boost gain in that kind of darkness would increase video noise to unacceptable level. Better to switch to a lower power light... or even better still is to have an assistant follow the couple with a portable light to ensure even and constant lighting throughout the march-in. This small effort will help to even out unnatural colour casts.

I agree with the gain/noise issue totally.
And of cos an extra crew with a light scouce would be awesome!

But...
1. how often do you acutally get to sit down with the hotel and talk abt how are they going to light the march in?
2. If the above point is possible, you could even advice them on how to light it up saving you an extra crew and all the trouble

But, its not often you acutally get to do that.

Cheers

[tommon]

Get a wedding planner lah, It's their job to get the act together. Ha ha

[GhostSG]

Originally Posted by DXNMedia hehehehehe...sadly, even in the professional broadcast market, you're getting the same problems....it's really hard to find people who know what they're doing. you get a lot of 'pian-chia' people nowadays. That's why most of us who are already in the industry only recommend each other jobs constantly coz we know who can deliver and who cannot. I believe that the wedding video group of people can work closely together too....form a close knit community...even though one might be considered as 'competitors' in business, but let's make it a healthy competition where we can all benefit....in wedding video market, you can probably only take in 1 job in a weekend...if you cannot benefit from another job, why not recommend the job to someone else whom u know? next time, you might even be recommended back a job or two.

I support DNXmedia. Been shooting since 1999 as a apprentice, only started fulltime in 2005. Seen a number of those "selfish people" who dun wana network. But if all videographers & photographers band together and share the pie - there "bubble-tea" syndrome will not hit our industry. Otherwise, those "pian-chia" fellas will cos our industry to collapse like bubble-tea market.

I am not as experienced as others but these are my personal observations:
Experience 1 - even the best professionals make mistakes
Experience 2 - even the bests will perform poorly due to emotions, tiredness etc
Experience 3 - Murphy's law; equipment screw ups

Actually I have plans to start something like an association of sort where professionals come together to regulate market pricing from falling etc share tips to maintain market standards etc. But if we start this we need someone very experienced and senior to head this project. Preferably a cinematographer who has the expert opinion on our works.

[jhansolo]

Originally Posted by GhostSG Actually I have plans to start something like an association of sort where professionals come together to regulate market pricing from falling etc share tips to maintain market standards etc. But if we start this we need someone very experienced and senior to head this project. Preferably a cinematographer who has the expert opinion on our works.

Like all market or industry there will be hungry and over committed folks who under cut. But I cannot support these people who cry foul because the budget is limiting. This is where professionalism makes the difference.