RED for Shooting weddings? [Archive]

Nik Manning

09-09-2007, 07:06 PM

Someone mentioned that in the RED Value drop thread and I wanted to elaborate a little more. I think it is a great idea! Not practical but neither is shooting film. Is their anyone here who plans on shooting weddings with their RED? Has anyone ever shot a wedding on a f900 or varicam or something. I have never shot a wedding but it just seems like something you could get away with in let's say orange county for a premium.

Shawn Nelson

09-09-2007, 07:10 PM

Jay A. Kelley

09-09-2007, 07:11 PM

Hey, I'd shoot Jim pissing on a spark plug if the gig paid enough.

:)

Jay

Tim H.

09-09-2007, 07:16 PM

It can't be just a normal wedding video but in ultra clear HD. You need to put together a very cinematic reel and show it to them in HD. It needs to feel like a movie. Those are the clients that will pay for this.

If it just looks like uncle bill shooting it but in ultra HD they won't see the benefit.

Sell it and you will own it.

liquidigital

09-09-2007, 07:26 PM

I'm getting married in May and would love to have mine filmed with Red. Anybody here in in Florida?

number6

09-09-2007, 07:30 PM

It would take a bride/groom who realized the value. Most marrying couples still shell out $3k for a photographer and then balk at paying any more than $250 for a videographer because "Uncle Charlie will do it for free, and he's really good..."

But for a couple who was willing to shell out $7k for a wedding video, it could be leaps and bounds beyond even the industry leading wedding videos

I think for 7k you would have to go on the honeymoon. Or maybe give them a discount to 5k if they LET you go on the honeymoon.

edit: but don't give away the DVD rights.

Paul Hazlett

09-09-2007, 07:35 PM

edit: but don't give away the DVD rights.

this brings us back to the earlier ponderings...do you really want to see
"everything" in 4k?

Shawn Nelson

09-09-2007, 07:36 PM

this brings us back to the earlier ponderings...do you really want to see
"everything" in 4k?

It's not about 4k. Heck, I'd deliver in 1080p. It's about the latitude, the frame rate, the 35mm DOF, and ultimately, just how dang beautiful the Red images are.

Tonaci Tran

09-09-2007, 07:37 PM

topic covered earlier, for a good read go to:

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1830&highlight=wedding

and yes, I will shoot weddings with RED in between the bigger gigs. I am shooting a 4k wedding on October 14th (assuming red delivers on time).

In addition to talent, it also comes down to how well you market yourself. I know a photographer who charges 1500 per hour. Is he THAT good? Well he is definitely hella good, but it is his ability to market himself that is getting him this pay moreso than his talent.

I know it will take awhile for me to develop a rep doing 4k weddings, but hey, the bottomline is that I love shooting..no matter what it is.

pablokorona

09-09-2007, 07:41 PM

there are spectacular wedding videographers, and it takes a certain type of skilled shooter with the proper planning execution and inventive spark to do beautiful wedding videos.
http://www.still-motion.ca/

I've been admiring them lately, and i do wedding videos on the side for some decent money....

red DEFINITELY would help, seeing as though it seems to be a documentarian's dream come true with high ISO shooting combined with its film DOF

well, those two reasons are why i'm buying it.

Ethan Cooper

09-09-2007, 07:41 PM

Weddings move fast and are hard enough to shoot with HVX-200's and camera's like that. If someone wants to pay me $10k to experiment on their wedding, I'll gladly rent a couple Reds with fairly wide lenses and give it a shot. I'd hate to have a 300mm on that thing and try to pull focus on a boquet toss. Something tells me my Merlin wont cut it with a Red either. Maybe I need to bump the price up to $12k so I can hire out a real stedicam op for a day. Better make it $15k so I can afford to beef up my storage as well. Then again, I might have to add even more $$ to spring for some extra CF cards... and if you're shooting with a Red you may as well be outputting to BlueRay which would run me another grand or so for the burner and some kinda software on my Mac. Factor in shipping of the Reds to my location, insurance, and extra support staff costs and I'm thinking $20k could possibly do it. Maybe $25k if I pay for a colorist to give my stuff a final tweek to make sure it's top notch.
I'll do your wedding with Reds for $25k. Who wants one?
By the way, my wedding stuff can be seen at www.silver-media.net if anyone is curious. I know I don't charge enough, but I'm in Louisiana and need to sell some of these things to eat.
________
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Greg M

09-09-2007, 07:50 PM

I had my wedding shot on 35mm...why not with a Red.

That being said I wouldn't shoot a wedding (with any camera) if you paid me 10X my day rate.

Tonaci Tran

09-09-2007, 07:50 PM

By the way, I'm also planning on getting an actioncam for my RED. For overcranking, I'll shoot 2k 96fps. Call me nuts.

Either way, as Steve Gibby has said over and over, RED is really versatile..so I can do really any type of work with it. In the beginning, I think there will be good projects of different types to take that will override any weddings. When things begin to wind down a bit, I look forward to shooting RED weddings. One thing I forgot to mention is that Red-Drive will definitely be a must though. Hopefully they ship by the time I get my RED.

number6

09-09-2007, 07:51 PM

Weddings move fast and are hard enough to shoot with HVX-200's and camera's like that. If someone wants to pay me $10k to experiment on their wedding, I'll gladly rent a couple Reds with fairly wide lenses and give it a shot. I'd hate to have a 300mm on that thing and try to pull focus on a boquet toss. Something tells me my Merlin wont cut it with a Red either. Maybe I need to bump the price up to $12k so I can hire out a real stedicam op for a day. Better make it $15k so I can afford to beef up my storage as well. Then again, I might have to add even more $$ to spring for some extra CF cards... and if you're shooting with a Red you may as well be outputting to BlueRay which would run me another grand or so for the burner and some kinda software on my Mac. Factor in shipping of the Reds to my location, insurance, and extra support staff costs and I'm thinking $20k could possibly do it. Maybe $25k if I pay for a colorist to give my stuff a final tweek to make sure it's top notch.
I'll do your wedding with Reds for $25k. Who wants one?
By the way, my wedding stuff can be seen at www.silver-media.net if anyone is curious. I know I don't charge enough, but I'm in Louisiana and need to sell some of these things to eat.

Go ahead and buy all that stuff... I'll call you when we set a date.

number6

09-09-2007, 07:55 PM

this brings us back to the earlier ponderings...do you really want to see
"everything" in 4k?

Good point.. most of the ones you would want to see are still single.

Joel Kaye

09-09-2007, 08:01 PM

I'd hate to have a 300mm on that thing and try to pull focus on a boquet toss.

I think the strategy would be to create a romantic movie of the ceremony and other staged shots much like a still photographer does. You want to turn her into Cinderella the movie star.

The fact that you can pull stills from RED can't hurt.

Leave the reception and things like that to a 1/3" chip.

But yeah, high end clients only.

Tonaci Tran

09-09-2007, 08:02 PM

there are spectacular wedding videographers, and it takes a certain type of skilled shooter with the proper planning execution and inventive spark to do beautiful wedding videos.
http://www.still-motion.ca/

I've been admiring them lately, and i do wedding videos on the side for some decent money....

One website I recommend checking out is http://www.cinematicbride.com

Ethan Cooper

09-09-2007, 08:02 PM

Go ahead and buy all that stuff... I'll call you when we set a date.

I'm here for you. Just let me know when and where and put half down to reserve the date. You want some helicopter shots as well? I'm thinking we can add a couple hours of chopper time, a tyler mount, technician, and an operator for $5k - $10k. While we're at it, think you'd be willing to spring for an actor to play the priest? I'm thinking the right guy with the right voice doing the ceremony would be worth it's weight in gold... and if we had someone write a great speech for the guy too, that would top it off nicely.
________
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number6

09-09-2007, 08:17 PM

I'm here for you. Just let me know when and where and put half down to reserve the date. You want some helicopter shots as well? I'm thinking we can add a couple hours of chopper time, a tyler mount, technician, and an operator for $5k - $10k. While we're at it, think you'd be willing to spring for an actor to play the priest? I'm thinking the right guy with the right voice doing the ceremony would be worth it's weight in gold... and if we had someone write a great speech for the guy too, that would top it off nicely.

hmmmm... this is getting expensive. May need a little time to find a woman with that kinda dough.

Anthony Gratl

09-09-2007, 08:18 PM

I'm here for you. Just let me know when and where and put half down to reserve the date. You want some helicopter shots as well? I'm thinking we can add a couple hours of chopper time, a tyler mount, technician, and an operator for $5k - $10k. While we're at it, think you'd be willing to spring for an actor to play the priest? I'm thinking the right guy with the right voice doing the ceremony would be worth it's weight in gold... and if we had someone write a great speech for the guy too, that would top it off nicely.

Nice, although i gently chide you for completely forgetting about the animation....

Elizabeth Lowrey

09-09-2007, 08:32 PM

I'm getting married in May and would love to have mine filmed with Red. Anybody here in in Florida?

Me! I'm small time, so even though I hate doing weddings and have only done them for extended family or (once) as a hired second camera, I'd be willing to shoot one with my RED when it comes in just to gain experience with it. I ordered 8/25 and am projected for a spring delivery, so the dates may work.

I'm in the Pensacola area. PM me if you want to discuss it further.

Hitman Jr

09-09-2007, 08:44 PM

There are many videographers shooting with the Sony DSR 500 which the last itme I looked had a similar price point to Red. There are also a handful that offer 8, 16 and 35mm film capture. They are what I would call "film snobs" so Red would never be an option for them, they want crap looking footage in dark dance halls. One film snob was recently raving about his footage from a reception and posted a clip. The only thing I could make out was a wall of dim lights and blobs dancing in front of it and this was "good", because it was 16mm film and not video. :sad: There are also a number of videographers toping the $10,000 mark on a regular basis, in the industry.

With it's low light sensitivity, I honestly see the RED One making a significant inroad into weddings. I know I'd sure love to afford one! I have high hopes for the pocket cam, whatever that may be by NAB of next year. If RED can hit a sub $10,000 price point with it and give us pro features with the same low light sensitivity as the One, they'll own the industry! And I'd love to see that since the big guys have been trying to shove crap down our throats for the last two years.

Ethan Cooper

09-09-2007, 08:51 PM

The PPC might be a good wedding cam... when we find out what it is and what it will do.
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Nik Manning

09-09-2007, 08:56 PM

Wow alot of interest in this topic. I agree if you are shooting a wedding with RED you should make the bride look like cinderella. If digitalfx can have his wedding shot on 35mm then RED shouldn't be a problem.

Jannard

09-09-2007, 09:03 PM

Bring a focus puller along with you!

Jim

Shawn Nelson

09-09-2007, 09:05 PM

Hey Jim, you have kids right? When one of them gets married you should make it a 5-Red affair!

Jonathan L. Bowen

09-09-2007, 09:08 PM

David and I joked about this once before, but no, I wouldn't do this unless I was really desperate and I just can't see that happening.

Zach Hilton

09-09-2007, 09:20 PM

It would take a bride/groom who realized the value. Most marrying couples still shell out $3k for a photographer and then balk at paying any more than $250 for a videographer because "Uncle Charlie will do it for free, and he's really good..."

But for a couple who was willing to shell out $7k for a wedding video, it could be leaps and bounds beyond even the industry leading wedding videos

So true! Especially in Utah, but of course, that's the only place I've had experience. :) In my opinion, the wedding video is more enjoyable than photos...and with Red, you could be both! So that would make it, $3k for the photos and $250 for the video...:)

number6

09-09-2007, 09:29 PM

In my opinion, the wedding video is more enjoyable than photos...and with Red, you could be both! So that would make it, $3k for the photos and $250 for the video...:)

Yeah, and you could show them the photos in a demonstration like they talked about on the RAW RULES thread. That thread made my day... no, week... no, month.

Nik Manning

09-09-2007, 11:17 PM

Man I guess wuth 4K stills you could be the photographer also. Now that is a sales pitch.

Ivan G

09-09-2007, 11:20 PM

I've been shooting weddings for a very long time. To direct, camera, fstop, option lens, focus.... I hope your good at multi tasking! I wouldn't do it alone. There is too much going and to forget that it is a documentary and there is no going back - http://www.futurewaveimages.com/

Joel Kaye

09-09-2007, 11:34 PM

I hope your good at multi tasking! I wouldn't do it alone.

3 or 4 shooters... maybe an assistant for each. It would cost money to do it right. This isn't about making a documentary - it's about making a movie. Leave the doc part of it to a shooter with a 1/3" in camera. At least that would be how I'd try to sell it.

mavrix

09-10-2007, 12:11 AM

Was supposed to get the REDS on Sept. 15th - getting married on the 17th -- but because of delay till the 28th, I'm resigned to having my cinematographer shoot it on an XDCAM 350 - I'm not dragging an F900 to Italy. Bummer..

Jeff Coatney

09-10-2007, 02:09 AM

The average bride will be horrified and cancel payment on the check when she sees her every "flaw" magnified and preserved in HD. There are professional make-up artists that are finding the challenges of HD to be enormous. I've spoken to many make-up pros who are turning to airbrush-applied foundation and color for their talent. I suggest heavy filtration and possible secondary color-correction similar to the huge amount of work the networks add to their female news talent. This is an issue that I don't think many of us have considered but I'm sure will have a huge impact on our work. The grimy soldiers in Crossing The Line look great. But what if you've got a famous actress, fresh from a night of partying and her "peeps" are expecting you to make her look like the $10 million paycheck she earns. I'd like to see some serious R&D effort put towards this issue and pronto before Cameron Diaz or Julia Roberts have "no Red" clauses put into their contracts. This is a very serious issue. The DP that delivers the "goods" with a RED will be in very high demand. So, throw in some glamour time when you're out testing your shiney new RED, because as important as action sequences, stunts and low-light footage is, the vanity and the fantasy hold a lot more sway in negotiations than you think. Image is power.

dvpixl

09-10-2007, 02:15 AM

its all gonna end up in DVD anyway, it shouldn't be as difficult to shoot a RED during a wedding as one would think. If you put yourself up for it, it's doable.

Ben Ponce

09-10-2007, 05:12 AM

I own and operate a wedding photography company. I own a couple of DVX's I am a huge Red fan and eventual owner. I work with wedding videographers all the time and surprisingly not one of them here in FL knows about Red when i ask them. The wedding industry is my day job and I'm grateful for it but the love of movies and cinema is my true passion and when I first entered into the world of digital movie-making I contemplated using my cameras for weddings. I personally decided against because of the time involved with editing. If I work on a movie project, I want it to be my own and that's why Red, my movies and everything associated with making them will come out of my own pocket. Not to say that Wedding videographers won't use it though. It's only a matter of time.

Desert Rune

09-10-2007, 05:20 AM

The average bride will be horrified and cancel payment on the check when she sees her every "flaw" magnified and preserved in HD.

Really, does this mean the bride will also cancel payment when she sees her photographer's digital proofs? :blink:

number6

09-10-2007, 07:20 AM

There are professional make-up artists that are finding the challenges of HD to be enormous. I've spoken to many make-up pros who are turning to airbrush-applied foundation and color for their talent. I suggest heavy filtration and possible secondary color-correction similar to the huge amount of work the networks add to their female news talent. This is an issue that I don't think many of us have considered but I'm sure will have a huge impact on our work. The grimy soldiers in Crossing The Line look great. But what if you've got a famous actress, fresh from a night of partying and her "peeps" are expecting you to make her look like the $10 million paycheck she earns. I'd like to see some serious R&D effort put towards this issue and pronto before Cameron Diaz or Julia Roberts have "no Red" clauses put into their contracts. This is a very serious issue. The DP that delivers the "goods" with a RED will be in very high demand. So, throw in some glamour time when you're out testing your shiney new RED, because as important as action sequences, stunts and low-light footage is, the vanity and the fantasy hold a lot more sway in negotiations than you think. Image is power.

This is a good point and should be addressed. Isn't there one of the smaller HD cameras, a Sony I think, that actually put a setting on their camera to smooth out facial images? I think I read that somewhere.

donatello b

09-10-2007, 07:36 AM

"when she sees her every "flaw" magnified and preserved in HD"

thats HD - where camera's over sharpen every edge & detail ...
i haven't seen that in RED clips .. yes i've seen CTL at NAB & CineGear .. seen the milk girls ( and where are the milk girls one year later ? ) ...

IMO- from what i've seen - make up = no more then one would in 35mm ..
and i would recommend a little less - yes less ... be very careful when you powder down a hot spot reflection on head/face ( you'll see the powder - make up persons will have to blend it in ) - might want to use a low # soft FX filter on CU ( both male/female) ...

Ken K

09-10-2007, 11:36 AM

It's not about 4k. Heck, I'd deliver in 1080p. It's about the latitude, the frame rate, the 35mm DOF, and ultimately, just how dang beautiful the Red images are.

You're still shooting my wedding, right? I want that baby in 4k. And don't worry too much about FF... the girl knows she's marrying an indie guy, so she'll be prepared for multiple takes of the boquet toss if you weren't able to keep focus the first few times. :)