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Mar 2, 2008, 8:31 PM
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Re: [TimRyan] Mitzvah Sales/Marketing Advice
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Hey Tim---Glad to see you as an active member to this board...I'll do my best to answer your questions!
· Is there anything to shoot BEFORE the ceremony?
This depends on how crazy you want to go...obviously there is the concept videos and such you can do to show at the reception (stuff david robbins does etc) .but there it also involves wheater this temple allows you to videotape the actuall ceremony? If yes...well that is an easy upcharge throw a mic on the kid and follow the action from the back. If not - I do something called a "haftorah" segment - during the week the client is gonna go to the temple at take formal pix with their photog - at the same time I go there (I always go first) and I have the kid read their haftorah segment - I'll actually break it up into a few segments and change the camera angle so it's more intereting - I'll also do fake reax shots from any family members....I sell it as "a way to get the jewish element on the video" when it's not allowed. As far as anything "before" the ceremony itself if you can do the ceremony - most likely the answer is no - because if they are they religious then most likely you cant be there anyway. However in some circles or judiasm a BOY will put tzfillin on (leather straps with boxes at the end - in the boxes there is pieces of the torah) and there are some prayers that will go along with that...so if it's gonna be an orthodox ceremony - or even a conservative ceremony where they allow you - you may want to look for that.... you wont really see that though unless the ceremony is on a sunday or a holiday. The only time a bar/bat mitzvah can happen is when they can take the torah out a read it---this only happens on the sabbath, a holiday or if a SUNDAY falls on either the first or last day of the jewish month (I dont remember if it's the first or the last!)
· Are your weddings more/less expensive to produce than your Mitzvahs? Better asked, do you charger more/less/same for Mitzvahs compared to weddings?
At The core - it's less expensive - unless you start adding the add-ons - i.e. projection, plasmas, montages etc etc....I can usually get more money for a fully loaded Bar mitzvah then my base wedding. They are of course significantly less money to produce as it requires less editing time (this is assuming you do a full length piece as opposed to some kind of short format)
· Besides what I’ve listed, what are the possible options for Mitzvah video?
o Concept/Music Video
o Photo Montages
o Pre-Produced Candle-lighting video
o Ceremony rehearsal
o Video Projection
o SDE? Can you pull that off if you can’t do the ceremony?
YES - of course you can...dont forget there are many events during the bM to highlight such as entrances, candle lighting, hora, hamotzee etce tc.....
· How do you package your options? Or is it easier to put everything ala carte?
Pretty much I offer 3 packages
Coverage of the party
Coverage of the Party + haftorah
Coverage of the party + Ceremony
I then list alacart all my other services inluding montages, projections, plasmas, "concept" etc etc - so they stat with the base package---and then go from there..
· Is it worth offering “Zap Shots” or anything that the DJs already offer?
Yes and no - right now the DJ's really have a stranglhold (unless your client knows that you handle the service too) but my concept in doing projection/plasmas is (1) I own everything - I dont wholesale out to anyone - which means I can give the client a better price (2) what I tell my clients - is I'm a videographer, I do video - let me handle video - meaning the screens etc etc. Some of the DJ's in "our" area (I consider us relatively the same area) are getting really aggressive at selling EVERYTHING, where now they wont even allow you to plug into them for sound (input or output) - they say they cant be respsonbile if something goes wrong - and obviously to an extent that is true...but obviously it's a BS line, so they can force the client into hiring them for everything - btw: I've heard from SO many of my clients that they are utterly disgusted with this practice, and it's getting WAY out of hand. The short anser is why would you want to do PICTURES (Unless you are going to be selling photography) you are a videographer, do video - which goes back to your questions about SDE's for BM's - I've done them - I'm not a big fan-i found it breaks the flow of the day- for BM's Montages are much more meanigful - so what I do instead is instant replay - I'll throw one of my nnovias on my camera (or capture live from a wireless video signal) and I'll do a non-audio slow motion instant replay of the entrances, motzee, candle lighting, hora, first dance - and then make a 4-5 minute loops of all these shots, and then put it up on the screen during dinner, I dont bring attention to it, I just put it up there - and people like it all the same....
I hope this helps....you know how to contact me if you want any more insight....
Any advice you can offer, we’d be VERY appreciative!
_______________________________________
Eric S. Model
www.reelmoments.com
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