• Event Videographers

  Wedding video day/tape prices

  Posted by Thethirdtear on August 22, 2005 at 3:53 am

  Greetings.

  I am currently negotiating a contract with a bride-to-be and I gave her a list of options that I had not really thought about too well.

  I am wondering how others charge for the amount of hours of tape they use on the wedding day, if anyone does charge per hour at all.

  E.g. Single cam: 1 hour = 1 tape
  BUT
  Two cams: 1 hour = 1 tapes?
  OR
  Two cams: 1 hour = 2 tapes (the same hour of real time is being recorded, but on two different cameras and on two tapes, thus doubling the cost of buying tapes).

  SO, my question is, if I give the option of different “packages” that have 6, 8, or 10 hour recording times, when I am using two cameras, should I equate 1 hour PER tape, or 1 hour PER two tapes (effectively being 2 hours of footage, but only 1 hour of the day)?

  I remember hearing about limiting the amount of hours shot at a wedding, both for my sanity in the editing room and for their sanity of the bill. But I don’t know how others address this issue of cam to tape to hours ratio.

  My apologies if my question is not at all clear!

  Thanks.
  Steve

  Doug Graham replied 20 years, 9 months ago 4 Members · 3 Replies
• 3 Replies

• 

  Tom Maloney

  August 22, 2005 at 11:48 am

  Hane you tried doing a search on the web for”wedding videographers” You will find tons with a lot of their prices and packages listed
• 

  Craig Seeman

  August 22, 2005 at 12:09 pm

  Different wedding videographers have different shoot ratios but mine tends to be 1 tape for every 2 hours per camera. Thus 2 cameras for 8 hour wedding would yield about 8 hours of video (1 camera 4 hours). Some would consider this a high shoot ratio. I actually think it’s easier to edit with more video. While the input and logging take more time it’s much easier to have more b-roll and that extra video for just the right shot in the edit.
• 

  Doug Graham

  August 22, 2005 at 12:55 pm

  Most don’t equate price with the number of tapes shot. Instead, price may be based on hours of coverage (how long you are on the clock, not how long you ran the camera), and how many cameras you used to cover the event, especially if those cameras come with operators.

  For example:

  Base price, ceremony and reception, one camera, six hours: $1200
  Additional camera at ceremony: $500
  Overtime (four hours at $100/hr): $400
  Total: $2100

  There are lots of other things that can be additional add-ons, such as pre-ceremony coverage, photo montages, highlights/recap segment, or a Love Story segment.

  Or you can just set one price for everything. “I charge a flat $x,xxx. For that, you get me and my assistant for the whole day.”

  Regards,
  Doug Graham

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