Wedding Video Business - How To Get Started.

From time to time I get people asking me "how'd you get started in the wedding video business?"

In the beginning, I wasn't sure how to answer that...

"Well, I saw an ad on a website one day that read.."make a $1000 over the weekend"...so I clicked"

It was basically a link to a blog, which in turn led me to Hal Linden's Video University (great site by the way).

But getting back to answering that question. It's not so much the question, but rather how it was asked and the expression on the people's faces when they're asking me.

It's almost as if they're saying "Really, how'd you get started....Why wedding videos? How did you learn the software? How'd you get your first customer(s)..And, how'd you get started?"

And all I could say to that is "I'm not quite sure".

All I know is that I did it. I was pretty oblivious to all the details and kind of went at with a gung ho attitude. I think with any business venture you have to have some "sack" and just go for it.

If you're thinking about getting into the biz, here's what I recommend...

1) Write a business plan - You need to know right out of the gate what you're going for. In a nutshell, have goals....and have a plan to achieve them. You don't need to draw up a 200 page plan, but you need to write something down.

As you grow, you'll need to really hammer the details down, but for now, writing something as simple as "Make extra $1000 a month in 3 months". Post this somewhere where you can see it, and you're good to go.

2) Buy/Rent equipment - This all depends on your funds, but I highly suggest owning your equipment outright. You don't have to buy new either. I picked up my VX2000 on Craigslist. A great resource for stuff, just be careful when dealing with people. CL is the home of the Nigerian scammers.

If you're that tight on cash, then renting will work for now. There are a few places where I live (SF) that rent out decent cameras for about $150/day.

You figure you charge someone even $1000, you could still profit...even with 2 cameras rented.

If you already have a computer, then you might be good there. It all depends on the processor and the amount of memory you have (cheapest way to up the power of your pc). I'd also suggest to have at least 2 hard drives in your machine; one for the system (Windows) and one for your video projects. And on the side, have an external hard drive to backup your video projects.

3) Pick your editing software - This is huge. Ask 10 videographers what they prefer to use to edit, and you're likely to receive 10 different answers. It's all preference. The great thing about most editing software is you can try before you buy.

I've tried a few out (Vegas, Pinnacle), but I settled with Adobe Premiere. It works well with the other Adobe apps I use (Photoshop, After Effects, Encore) and I find the interface pretty straightforward (after a while they all look the same).

Again, this is all about preference. So test'em all out and see which one you like. If budget is an issue -along with simplicity- then there are a ton of off the shelf applications to pick from - Pinnacle Studio Plus, Adobe Premiere Elements, Sony Vegas Studio. The all do a great job and do more than enough to put together a video.

4) Study and practice your craft - This is in the beginning...in the middle...and for always. To this day I'm still learning about camera angles.....audio editing....and even video editing in general.

But in the beginning you want to focus on the basics; camera shooting (i.e. camera angles, variety of shots), editing footage, authoring a DVD. Go to Barnes and Noble and pick your topic of the day and go at it. You can just surf the net for stuff, but I think it's more involved and fun actually going to a bookstore to read stuff.

A great way to get some inspiration is to hang out at forums and watch other people's videos. I highly recommend videouniversity.com for this. There are a ton of great contributors there that are always willing to give a helping hand.

5) Marketing - This in and of itself is an area you could spend a lifetime learning about. But to keep things simple for this blog, all I'm gonna say is "spread the word". Tell your friends and family what you do and to keep you mind anytime they hear the word "wedding". Call local vendors (photographers, florists, wedding planners) and have them put you on their short list of preferred vendors they refer.

It's not rocket science, but you have to get started (the hardest step). You can worry about refining your business once you get things moving. But the key is to get started!!