electra films blog
Dragon's Den - they don't always know everything!!
posted by: Karrie on 28 September 2011
Did anyone see Dragon's Den and the supposedly innovative wedding videos you shoot yourselves?
Hilary Devey on Dragon's Den - invested in Shoot It Yourself wedding videos.
STOP PRESS - Please look at our brilliant Shoot It Yourself Packages, starting from just £330.
If like me you’re addicted to Dragon’s Den what did you think of the idea of Shoot it Yourself wedding video? I just went on their site and compared what they do and also their hidden extras to compare prices. Now while I don’t usually like to slag off competitors I feel no shame today cos Shoot it Yourself go to great lengths on their site and in their promotions to make sweeping (mostly inaccurate) statements about professional videographers so here goes ...
Firstly they are really quite expensive - costing more than professionals doing the job while your guests actually enjoy themselves.
Prices - their basic £749 is totally stripped bare so you have to pay for lots of extras. A professional company would automatically bring a camera light (+£30 from Shoot it Yourself), titles and credits (+65), highlights on Youtube / Facebook (+£20 but you still need to do it yourself - no charge), personalised case design (+£20 but WHY??), extra DVD copies for parents (+£25 each) All this adds up to £884 plus £50 for 2 parent copies.
Shoot it Yourself say you would pay a minimum of £1000. Our all day budget coverage with one camera operator (and even more crucially with microphones for ceremony and speeches) is £995 plus £30 for 2 parent copies so you would save £111 - every bit as contemporary and fun but better filmed ... no offence to your friends intended! Hilary Devey - I’m a fan usually - was taken in by what she was told was an original idea ... it’s not! However as she has hundreds of ideas for them I’m guessing things could alter.
If you wanted 2 camera operators then our Top Notch Package is just £1395 with 5 DVD copies and at the moment that includes bridal preparations and video messages / diary room.
Electra Shoot it Yourself Wedding Video Package - yes we have done that too - is just £660 ... without loads of extra prices to pay. BUT we don’t think your guests would want to carry round a heavy pro camcorder all day so we include TWO convenient HD mini camcorders plus a camera light and the rest is the same ... except that I think our editors are even better!
If there’s something exciting happening at your hen or stag do we also offer the same service but include the option of helmet cameras and even ... secret cameras (if requested) ... so that what goes on tour might be fun later.
And guess what? Other companies edit your film for you as well as Electra Films and some companies even make a living out of ‘rescuing’ wobbly footage filmed by guests. So the choice is yours. If you want a film you can feel confident about then choose professionals - but check out their work before booking. If you want the video equivalent of using table cameras and your friends Facebook photos for your photo album (more of your drunken mates than of your wedding) then choose a Shoot it Yourself option - and yes, we’ll do it for you and edit it into a really cool funky watchable film ... all our films are really fun and watchable!!
Anyway that’s me calmed down now. Time for a calming cup of Redbush tea methinks! Anyone else got any views?
our rss feedSubscribe to electra wedding films blog by Email
Comments
29 September 2011
posted by: Paul Henry (pseudonym)
As a former professional stills photographer I found this utterly bizarre. To me it would be the equivalent, when I photographed weddings, of hiring out Hasselblads to complete amateurs and then trying to do something with what they produced - in a word: unthinkable.
29 September 2011
posted by: Karrie
Quite agree ‘Paul Henry’. The idea that wedding guests would manage professional broadcast cameras - they are heavy too - and would know how to film a wedding is mind-boggling. We’ve filmed Marryokes where the guests haven’t even learnt the song before the wedding so are they going to study the online tutorials on filming? And when they put the camera down somewhere and it accidentally gets broken what happens to the poor bride who has booked it for the next wedding? Don’t get me started ... it’s a minefield!
29 September 2011
posted by: Simon
Hilary - £60,000 for 26% - the worst deal ever (for Hilary) ?
Out of 80 events thats the best footage they could get?
Broken cameras? who pays for that?
Obviously Hilary missed the bit about the amount of time the girls spend editing footage. for 1 event (wedding) 6-8 weeks before get the completed video back, 3 days editing (not specified whether 3 days one person, or 2 - if so 6 days in total). And I suspect that they beyond the normal 8 working hours in a day!
Im do have knowledge editing, it takes time to do well, and thats with good footage.
Dont get me wrong, its a great business for enthusiastic business women as a small business sure - but expandable, investable, worthwile for investment/expansion? - dont think so. It will require a team of editors for the business to be expanded, who will need paying for.
Yes weddings, birthdays, hen nights, stag dos, any event can be covered. Whos going to edit 5 or 6 events per week - whos going to edit 20 or 30 events per week? and the cost/time?
And if it is such a great deal whats to stop anyone else doing it .... nothing at all.
Great deal for the girls!
Sorry Hilary, the other dragons were being very kind not saying anything. But then again only £60k down the tube....
Or am I missing something here...?