Tell them to check out this AMAZING contest... a bunch of great Toronto wedding vendors got together and are giving away over $10,000 in wedding services and products! It's called Toronto Wedding Professionals 2011/2012 GIVE-AWAY-PALOOZA! Please spread the word! Night Day Productions will be giving away a "Prequel" Featurette Video. And look what else is up for grabs:
It’s summer! This time of year, I get a lot of last minute calls and emails regarding our wedding videography services. As much as I’d love to accommodate everyone, I’m sad to say that it’s often impossible to help these poor brides and grooms, simply because they waited too long to contact me.
To avoid frustration and disappointment, it is important that you book your wedding vendors early: for example, I recommend booking your wedding videography at least 9-12 months prior to your event. If you find yourself dragging your feet, keep in mind these reasons to book early: 1. Availability – The good ones get booked early. Most wedding vendors are small businesses and they can only do a certain number of weddings per weekend without compromising the quality of their services. If you want someone good, book early.
2. Cost – Generally speaking, pricing goes up the longer you wait, not down. Why not benefit from 2010 pricing even though your wedding is not until 2011? 3. Affordability - If you give yourself more time to save and plan your budget, you might be able to afford that vendor you REALLY want, instead of settling for the cheaper, less desirable alternative. 4. Practicality – If you book early, you’ll likely have the option of spreading out your deposits so they won’t hurt as much. For instance, at Night Day Productions, we take 1/3 deposit to hold a date for you, 1/3 a month before the event and then a 1/3 two months after the event. If you leave your booking to the last minute, you’ll be faced with fewer and larger deposits with less time to pay them off. Why not spread out your payments and make things easier for yourself? 5. Sanity – It’s tough enough making an informed decision with all the hoopla out there! Give yourself time to find the vendor that is right for YOU. Read articles about what to look for in a wedding vendor, research web sites and online demo reels and portfolios, do price comparisons. You can find lots of helpful articles here.
Planning your wedding should be fun, not an ordeal! Booking early means less stress in the long run. And we can all do with less stress, right?
Happy planning!
Yours Truly,
Nishi @ Night Day Productions
This article was written by Nishi Dias of Night Day Productions, a Toronto-based Videography and Photography studio. Night Day Productions specializes in event coverage, including: weddings, seminars, workshops, funerals, theatre and musical performances.
You’re excited. You’ve just put the finishing touches on your brand new product or service and you need to reach out and let you potential customers know all about what you have to offer.
One of the most effective way of telling your story is to present a workshop or seminar: demonstrate how great your new product or service is and how it will benefit their business.
No easy task. Book a venue, rent audio equipment, promote the event. Lots of work. And if it’s a one-off event, hopefully you’ll make enough impact to send sales through the roof.
Making a good thing last
Problem is, your brilliant presentation will be mostly forgotten by the attendees after a few hours. It’s not that you were that bad (hopefully) it’s just that we have short attention spans.
We’re bombarded with so much information on any given day, that we just naturally filter most of it out. See, I told you that you weren’t that bad. So how do you keep your presentation on the top of every attendee’s mind?
Believe in Magic
Actually, it’s not magic at all. In fact it’s really a no-brainer. Video your event. Let your audience relive your presentation over and over again. We learn through repetition and a DVD of your event is a sure fire way to drive your message home.
Is it hard to do?
Simple answer is: it doesn’t have to be. And we all like to keep things simple: so hire a professional videograher. A professional videograher will take care of all of the details and fiddly-bits that will ensure that your product or service and you look the best they can be.
Can I do it myself?
Short answer is yes. However, based on your skills, you could come out looking brilliant or like a day one amateur on Youtube. Statistically, the latter is usually the reality.
Yes, Uncle Phil has a really neat video camera with the latest bells and whistles and he’ll do it for free but sadly, we get what we pay for. (No offence Uncle Phil). The question is: does your product and service require the best? I’m assuming your answer is yes. Then pro is the only way to go.
Is it expensive?
It doesn’t have to be, unless of course you have a few spare million in your wallet to create the latest James Cameron epic. A good videograher will sit down with you, explain what works and more important, what doesn’t work and plan something that will be memorable while still remaining in your budget.
Create added value for your participants
Give away the DVD for free. Use it as a bonus and entice people to come to your seminar. It’s a great way to harvest participant’s contact information. And follow-up with them: tell them about your next promotion, ask them to subscribe to your blog, Facebook fan page, Twitter, or whatever else you might have going on.
Make extra money
Why not sell the DVD for added income? Offer a discount to those who attended your workshop, and charge everyone else regular price.
Your DVD could be earning you dollars long after your workshop is over. Work with a videographer that can do small runs (rather than producing hundreds of DVDs at a time), order a few at a time as needed and keep your cost low.
Expand Your Audience
Now that you’re on DVD, the world’s your oyster. (Or clam, if you prefer.) Sell your DVD online. You could go global! Consider getting subtitles or voiceover done in different languages if you think there is a market for it.
Expose Yourself
Once your seminar is shot, get your videographer to edit a short promo. It doesn’t have to be very long, even 15 to 30 seconds could be enough of a teaser.
Make sure you include these three points:
• showcase yourself as a dynamic speaker
• feature your content as something exciting and cutting-edge
• tell viewers to subscribe to your blog, hit your website, follow you on Twitter and Facebook
Don’t forget to include your teaser on your DVD production, so that your captive audience will know how to get in touch with you and know to expect more presentations and DVDs from you.
Post your teaser online, on all your social media, on your website and blog, email it to your network and go viral!
Keep Going!
Once you get the ball rolling on a workshop video, why not turn it into a series and start to grow your audience. Who knows, your videos could generate greater income and larger audiences than your presentations. Now that’s added value.
This article was written by Nishi Dias of Night Day Productions, a Toronto-based Videography and Photography studio.Night Day Productions specializes in event coverage, including: seminars, workshops, weddings, funerals, theatre and musical performances.
Getting married in 2010 in Toronto? How would you like to win a wedding video from Night Day Productions, winner of the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Videography (WeddingWire.com)?
The Prize
Four hours of continuous 1-camera video coverage by Night Day Productions. Includes: 3CCD camera, lighting, wireless lavaliere microphone, digital edit (music, titling, chapter menu, effects), one copy of uncut footage on DVD, 5 copies of edited wedding on DVD, online streaming on your own web page (for proofing and sharing with friends and family), and a highlights montage.
Here’s how to enter the contest:
STEP 1 Become a fan of our Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/NightDayProductions
STEP 2 Post your entry on our wall: tell us in 150 words or less, or in a photo or in a video (1 minute or less) WHY you want Night Day Productions to shoot and edit your wedding video. Be sure to mention your wedding date and location(s). You can be as creative as you want!
STEP 3 Get votes! Get your friends to be fans and post comments (comments = votes) on your contest entry. The entry that gets the most votes/comments by March 31, 2010 wins. Please note, a fan can only vote for you ONCE. They can comment as often as they want but their vote only counts as 1 vote. Fans can vote for more than 1 entry, but they can only vote for each entry once.
EARLY BIRD BONUS! Post your entry by February 28 and get 5 free bonus votes!
EARLY BIRD BONUS! Twitter this tweet and get 5 free bonus votes!
Is it necessary to feed your vendors the day of the wedding?
My answer is yes, if we are talking about vendors that are with you for the better part of the day: such as the videographer, photographer, day-of-coordinator, and DJ, to name a few.
Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:
- A vendor will perform better if his stomach isn’t growling (who doesn’t, right?)
- Ask your venue about “vendor meals.” These are less expensive, simplified meals (they might have less courses, for example) that are especially prepared for wedding vendors.
- There is an advantage to feeding your day-of-coordinator the same food that your guests get: if something is wrong with the food, she will know right away and she might have an opportunity to get it fixed on your behalf.
- You could get your vendors to take some time off and go hunt down their own food offsite, but I would advise against that. They could get lost, or there might not be anything available nearby (many banquet halls are in industrial parks, so typically there are no fast food places nearby). It will be time wasted when they could be working at your wedding.
- Remember to check beforehand if your vendors have food allergies or intolerances.
- You can seat your vendors with your guests or reserve a special table for them. DJs often eat at their booths so they can keep an eye on things, but ask them what they would prefer. Some venues plant the vendor table outside of the reception area; this could be counter-productive, especially for the videographer and photographer, as they could miss an unplanned, spontaneous video or photo opportunity.
- If you must have the vendors eat in the kitchen, or in the lobby, or anywhere separate from where you and your guests are eating, you should assign someone (your coordinator or perhaps a member of the bridal party) the task of notifying the camera crew when a speech or game is about to begin. However, if your Uncle Bob suddenly decides to tell a funny story in the middle of dinner, by the time your bridesmaid runs to the kitchen, notifies the camera crew, they drop the chicken wing and pick up their gear, get into position and focus… the moment may be over.
Don’t be shy about addressing this issue with your vendors… trust me, they’re used to dealing with it. In fact, many vendors (including myself) mention it in their contracts and pre-wedding consultations.
Happy planning,
Nishi
This article was written by Nishi Dias of Night Day Productions: a Toronto-based video production company. If you'd like to publish this article, please credit, link-back and contact Nishi at:
Night Day Productions www.NightDayWeddings.com 416-821-8669 Nishi@NightDay.ca ENTER OUR CONTEST AND YOU COULD WIN FREE WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHY! http://www.nightday.ca/fan.html
As a wedding Toronto wedding videographer, I hear these questions a lot. And truthfully there is no short answer. It is challenging trying to sum up our or anyone’s work in one word or phrase.
The terms, “filmic” and “documentary” get thrown around a lot, and can mean different things to different people. Often times, a videographer won’t strictly belong to one category or the other. If you’re not sure where a certain videographer fits in, just ask to see a sample of a complete wedding they have shot and edited… then decide if you like it. Then, who cares what it’s called? If you like it, you like it.
Usually, a “filmic” or “cinematic” look implies that a video has been shot widescreen or 16:9 (with the growing popularity of widescreen TVs, most videographers shoot widescreen these days anyway), with saturated colours, and some dramatic slow motion effects. It can also mean very stable moving shots created with the help of cranes or jib arms, steadicam apparatus, etc.
The advantages to going with a cinematic videographer, is that you literally get a chance to star in your own professionally shot movie. You will be beautifully lit, and captured from the right angles, and only the best, most glamorous shots will make the final cut. You may never look better!
The drawback, of course, is the cost. It takes a lot of people to put a production like this together, not to mention a lot of high end equipment. And finally, there is editing time: for a truly filmic experience, several hours in an editing suite is required to synch up footage from multiple cameras, mix sound and music, create transition effects and titles, etc.
Another drawback, depending on your point of view, is it is not an ideal setup for the camera-shy. You will be surrounded by a crew, lights, and equipment. You will likely be aware of the cameras. You may occasionally have to wait for the cameras to get in place or re-enact for the cameras if necessary.
A “documentary” approach implies that your video is shot with less bulky equipment, and you might only get one or two cameramen with this approach.
The drawback of a documentary approach is it’s going to have a grittier look than the filmic approach. How gritty? Again, this is going to vary from shooter to shooter, so ask to see a sample DVD to come to your own conclusion.
The major advantage of a documentary approach is that because the equipment is lighter, the shooters have more flexibility, so they can move and capture spontaneous moments as they happen naturally. The approach is less obtrusive, and when done correctly, you shouldn’t feel the cameras around you a whole lot. The cost for a documentary approach should be less: the equipment isn’t as high end or cumbersome and you can get away with less people on set. How smooth the final DVD looks depends on the amount of time allocated to editing, and this can vary from production house to production house.
Hopefully, this article has shed some light on the pros and cons of a filmic approach and a documentary approach. It should make finding a balance between these two styles easier, so that you end up with a wedding videographer that is right for you.
This article was written by Nishi Dias of Night Day Productions: a Toronto-based video production company. If you'd like to publish this article, please credit, link-back and contact Nishi at:
Night Day Productions www.NightDayWeddings.com 416-821-8669 NightDayPro@aol.com
Toronto - Ontario – January 20, 2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Night Day Productions has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Videography!
The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.
Night Day Productions is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.
“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”
We are happy to announce that Night Day Productions is among the very best Videographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.
About WeddingWire, Inc. WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.
1) Wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers so you can shed some clothes if it gets hot
2) Bring an empty backpack for fliers and swag: not too big, you have to manoeuvre through crowds
3) Bring pre-printed address labels so you can save time (and hand cramps) filling out ballots and request-for-info forms
4) Bring a bottle of water and a small snack
5) Ditch the dead weight. Don't drag a huge unwilling entourage to the show, you'll lose them in the crowd and they'll bring you down. Bring enthusiastic, energetic, motivated people with you... then you'll have fun!
6) Go in with a mission. Know which vendors you're looking for. If you've already booked a florist, get a site map of the show and skip all the florists. If you're looking for a band, bring a list of questions you want to ask a band.
7) Bring a notebook and pen so you can write down the vendors that impressed you. Be prepared with questions you want to ask them and record their answers.
When it comes to videography, don’t make the common mistake of thinking you are paying for just one day of service. A lot of prep time goes into any production, and after the shoot, as much as 50 or 60 hours might go into editing and refining your footage. Or not. It depends on the production company. So ask what your videographer puts into their editing process, and expect to pay accordingly for their time and efforts.
Your videographer might simply offer the raw (unedited) footage; in which case, a tape or hard drive to DVD transfer and some packaging is all that is required after the shoot. This is by far the cheapest option when scouting for video packages, but it is important that your expectations for this option are realistic.
There is a lot of software out there that can enable anyone to edit their own footage, but even if an amateur has the time, patience, and creativity to finish their own video, a professional editor is likely going to see more potential in the same batch of raw footage. If you don’t plan on editing your own footage and just want to leave it unedited, understand that everything is going to be left in, audio levels may be inconsistent, and without the benefit of chapters you won’t be able to skip to precise points of interest.
Your videographer might offer light editing; a “clean-up,” if you will, where some of the rougher, darker, uneventful footage is taken out, and dissolves are put into to soften the transitions between scenes. DVD chapters might be added. Some music might be added. A light edit will cost more than no edit (obviously), but it will give you a nicer finished product that is more entertaining to watch.
Of course, if you really want to dazzle your friends and family, you might opt for a full-on edit: which includes effects, titling, colour-correction, evening out of audio levels, montages where video is edited to music, etc. This edit takes the most time and so it will cost more.
Other factors to take into consideration: are you able to screen the first edit and have input on the final product (will your editor re-edit?). Does the editor upload your video to a website so you can proof your edit and share it with friends and family? How many copies of the finished product do you get? All these perks take more time and resources, so they will add to the cost of your wedding video.
When shopping around for a wedding videographer, you are going to encounter a lot of different packages and a lot of different price points. Hopefully this article will help you understand the amount of time that goes or doesn’t go into a wedding video production, so you’ll know why some videographers charge what they charge.
This article was written by Nishi Dias of Night Day Productions: a Toronto-based video production company. If you'd like to publish this article, please credit, link-back and contact Nishi at:
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