Two years ago my cousin was getting married so I wanted to give her an original present. After asking around to various videographers I discovered almost none offered the entire wedding video affordably online. So I created my own solution. The entire wedding video, converted, posted online, password protected, with an online guestbook. Her videographer decided no one would watch the video online. So he decided not to use it. I disagreed with his opinion that no one watches video online, and started talking about this nationally. I spoke nationally at local videographer associations around the country. I went to both the WEVA and 4 Ever Group conventions as a vendor. We were fortunate to get the first booth at the entrance in both places. And slowly I began finding videographers who had been wanting to do this, but just never knew how. Some found our ad in the WEVA magazine. Others found us on Craigs List, others, found us directly at our website. A few belong to local videographer groups. A lot more are totally independent, have never heard of local or national videographer groups, and have no interest in joining. If you’re going to WEVA or the 4 Ever Group this year, look us up. I don’t know if we get first entrance booth. But stop by, say hello.
It’s been 2 successful year later, and we now have videographers using our online video conversion service nationally. The website is at www.wedclip.com All video is in the flash video flv format. The original focus never changed:
- Create Something Amazing
- Give it to 20 people who care
- Make it easy for them to share
After watching hundreds of videographers work, after looking at their video and converting it, I learned that they all create something amazing. Each of their client projects is unique. That’s the first part: Create Something Amazing. But then packaging it onto DVD means a very limited number of people get to share in it. Because video is inherently a passive medium, the marketing 101 rule, “Call To Action”, is never created in a video. Even though someone watches it, they never do anything about it. Or forget who shot the video after they watched it.
As a computer programmer I realize that unless the wedding videography community begins to scale, to show a hundred times as many people what good professional video is like, we will not move forward as a group. I’m 35, and by watching how other people use their media online, share it and talk about it, I have much more respect for professional wedding videographers. The wedding video business is a very tough one. Lots of pressure, the audio has to be just right, lighting has to be really good, you only get one chance to get the footage. At this age all my friends are online, and unless I reach them online, I won’t be able to reach them. These are the second and third parts: Give it to 20 people who care; Make it easy for them to share. Once I have this amazing video, I want to let my friends, coworkers, and community build on the experience my videographer created for me.
So I’m getting married on August 17th and I’m using my own services. Not to push the product or sell more services. But because I have come to believe in it over the years. Because I know that unless I reach my own friends where they exist, I will not be able to reach them.
Here’s a link to our surprise marriage proposal: Sharing Our Marriage Proposal Online. Within a few days of posting it was visited over 75 times, by our friends around the country. This one’s not password protected, it shows the quality of online video and functionality. Ajax comments, video continues playing, no skipping or stuttering or stopping while the guests place commentary, the commenter is not taken to another page to post comments, it’s easy, it’s intuitive.
Currently the online wedding video sharing service is $100/video. Up to 2 hours, hosting included, 500 views, online for a year, password protected, online conversion included.
This is about increasing value through distribution over clients personal network. Reaching people we as a video community could never reach on our own. Showing off our work to a hundred times the number of people we try to reach, by advertising or networking. If they love what you do, if you do your work on time, placing your entire media online in an easy to use interface will only bring in more business. But you have to be open to allowing your clients to openly communicate. While video by itself is amazing, letting a private network of positive people add to it increases its effectiveness hundreds of times.
I created it for a personal project. Over time it has become much more. It’s not just for me, it has general appeal.
I have to say, videomaker.com did a lot to allow me to share my knowledge and information over time. I’ve probably posted 2 dozen informative articles about online video and other topics here: Video Maker Forums. The first reading I did about video was in their Video Maker magazine. These days I still log on to this website to try to keep up. Thanks for creating community, Video Maker.
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