In this episode, I interview Ben Wilke of Deep End Films, which is based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  He shares his insights and experiences of how he’s grown his business over the year.

I had a great time talking with Ben and hearing his story of how he started, the ways he uses social media to market and where his business is going in the future.  I think you’ll learn a lot as you listen to this episode.

Here is Ben’s bio:

Tell me what you think!  What do you do to insure the wedding video looks AND sounds great while shooting outside?  Leave your comments below.

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How do you increase your bookings?  How do  you market and advertise your wedding video services?  In this episode, I’ll share some ways you can book more wedding videos and get increased exposure. By using these simple methods you’ll be able to get more people to meet with you and book you.  Do you just rely on word of mouth or your demo reel or are you actively seeking new methods?

What are your favorite ways to get more brides to book your wedding video services?  Share some ways you are getting the word out about your business.

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Do you want to learn how to grow your wedding video business?

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In this episode, I interview Ian Atkins of IansCreations.com.  He shares how he got started and how he manages his wedding videos.  I think you’ll find his perspective interesting and he has some good points.

Ian’s bio: Ian began working in the video production business over 10 years ago by starting with a local news station in Charlottesville, Va.  He later joined and soon managed a small video production company.  Currently, Ian has his own small business, Ian’s Creations.com.  His work experience includes video production of sporting events, corporate videos, weddings, parties, plays, legal depositions, short films, university lectures, historical documentaries, feature films, and more.  He has produced over 150 professional wedding videos for couples from all over the world.  Ian also creates full color murals for homes and businesses and continues to draw caricature portraits on a commission basis and also at events including private parties, county fairs, and corporate events.

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Do you want to learn how to grow your wedding video business?

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There are a lot of ways to film a wedding ceremony with two cameras.  In this episode, I’ll share a few possible ways that I shoot a wedding ceremony with 2 cameras.  Knowing how to use the two cameras and where to place them can mean the difference between getting that perfect shot, and having people standing in your way.  I’ve had a lot of experience with camera placement in various type of churches, outdoor locations, and more.  And it’s taught me what works best.

What are your thoughts?  Where do you place your cameras?  Share your thoughts below in the comments.

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If you’ve been doing wedding videos for very long, chances are that you’ve used a lot of the same tricks and techniques.  This can make your videos seem canned or like a basic template.  How can you get out of the “wedding video creative rut”?  In this episode, I’ll share several things that I do to keep myself creative and excited about what I do.

What do you do to continue to innovate and get creative ideas?  Share some ideas in the comments below!

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Do you want to learn how to grow your wedding video business?

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In this episode, I talk about how to deal with difficult brides, grooms, mothers-in-law…you name it.  I’ll share how to prepare before you even shoot any video and what to do afterward if the bride isn’t satisfied.

What do you do if the bride or groom aren’t satisfied with your work?  Leave a comment below and tell me what you think!

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Do you want to learn how to grow your wedding video business?

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Apple recently release their new “upgraded” version of the popular Final Cut Pro software.  It cause quite a firestorm of opinions.  I give my honest thoughts on why you might love or hate this product.

Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts?  Do you use FCPX in your wedding video business?  Or, are you thinking of switching to another editing platform.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Tell me what you think in the comments section below.

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Do you want to learn how to grow your wedding video business?

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1. Should I use lights at the reception or not?
2. Do you recommend going into business with a partner?
3. How many cameras should you use to film the wedding
4. What platform do you build your wedding website on?  Check out www.WebsiteTrainingHub.com
5. What type of Mac computer should I use to edit my wedding videos on?

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Do you want to learn how to grow your wedding video business?

Check out these audio tutorials:

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I’m sure everyone could use more business and could also use specific strategies to increase brides calling you to book your services.  In this episode, I talk with Jeff and Stephanie Padovani about their website, BookMoreBrides.com.  They not only give some tips on how to get more bookings but they also share their experience as wedding DJ’s and how they grew their DJ business.

If you want to book more brides, than check out this free special offer from them and learn how to utilize the “Personalized Video Pitch”.  Find it here: http://bookmorebrides.viprespond.com/improvevideo.  You can also get great information by going to their site, BookMoreBrides.com.

A little about Jeff and Stephanie:

Stephanie and Jeff Padovani started a wedding entertainment company in 2000 and in only four years built a 6 Figure Wedding Business, leaving their corporate jobs behind.

They specialize in creative and inexpensive bridal marketing, dealing with “price shoppers” and using the Instant Connection Technique to connect with brides from the very first moment they find you.

Stephanie and Jeff created BookMoreBrides.com to help wedding professionals build 6 Figure Wedding Businesses without fighting about price or wasting money on expensive advertising.

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Do you want to learn how to grow your wedding video business?

Check out these audio tutorials:

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Shooting video outside or in bright light locations.

We’ve all shot a wedding video outside or where there is a lot of light.  It brings some challenges, especially moving from inside (where it might be low light) to outside during a bring sunny day.  In this episode, I’ll share some ways I deal with shooting in bright light situations.

If you’re shot outside, on the beach, or even under the bring spotlights of a church, you know that each brings challenges of how to get a good looking video image for the ceremony and reception.

What do you think?  How do you shoot wedding video outside or in bright light settings?  What camera settings do you use?  What tricks have you learned?  Leave your ideas in the comments for everyone to learn.

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Do you want to learn how to grow your wedding video business?

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In part 2 of my interview with Andy Owen of OwenVideo.com, we go in depth on how he uses HDSLR cameras in his wedding videos business.  Andy is proof that you can start small and work your way up to do high end weddings.  We’ll cover things like advertising, lens selection, gear and how he delivers his videos to the bride and groom.  I think you’ll really like his perspective on wedding video and HDSLR cameras.

Andy’s bio:

Owner/Videographer/Editor
Father to a beautiful little girl named Elliot
Husband to the out-of-my-league Chandra
Bassist without a bass
New Jersey born, but never lived there
Lover of all things G.I. Joe
Owner of all 10 seasons of Friends
White chocolate enthusiast
Biggest Muppets fan ever

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Do you want to learn how to grow your wedding video business?

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In this episode, I interview Andy Owen of OwenVideo.com to see how he uses HDSLR cameras in his wedding videos business.  We talk about his background, cameras he uses and his thoughts on where wedding video is going.  This is part one of my interview, since Andy gave so many good tips and tricks.  Come back soon for the second part of his interview.

Andy’s bio:

Owner/Videographer/Editor
Father to a beautiful little girl named Elliot
Husband to the out-of-my-league Chandra
Bassist without a bass
New Jersey born, but never lived there
Lover of all things G.I. Joe
Owner of all 10 seasons of Friends
White chocolate enthusiast
Biggest Muppets fan ever

Here is a link to the article where Andy was featured:  MSNBC article

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Do you want to learn how to grow your wedding video business?

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Apple just announced their software details at NAB in Las Vegas last night to the Final Cut Pro Users Group and their Supermeet.  In this episode I’ll go through the latest announcement of Final Cut Pro X and how it applies to your wedding video business.  I’m excited for the announcement and can’t wait to see it, when it’s released in June.

This announcement was controversial since Apple “kicked” others off the stage.  I’ll talk about it more in this episode, as well as my thoughts on this event.  This new software will make it easier to manage your footage, edit AVCHD video footage, eliminate rendering and so much more.  Final Cut Pro X will also make editing the ceremony and reception a lot easier since you won’t lose sync with audio and video.  It will also be a lot easier to sync several audio sources, especially since this is mandatory with an HDSLR video camera.  You used to have to use a program called Pluraleyes…but Final Cut Pro X does this audio syncing with a click of a button.

This announcement is huge, along with the download in the App store in June for $299.00!  Find out more of my thoughts by listening to the podcast found above.

Here are some articles about this announcement:

Macworld article:

Apple says Final Cut Pro X has been rewritten from the ground up, with support for 64-bit, a user-interface redesign, and a whole host of new features. The software takes advantage of core Mac OS X features like Cocoa, Core Animation, Open CL, and Grand Central Dispatch to speed up and fine-tune performance.

Macrumors Article

Final Cut Pro X will be a 64-bit application with Grand Central Dispatch support, allowing it to scale and use all available cores for background rendering. Comments from those who watched the demos indicated that background rendering was a big feature (no more waiting) and lots of real time effects and high performance. Final Cut Pro X will be available for $299 on the App Store in June. There was no mention of Final Cut Express or the rest of the Final Cut Studio.

Watch a great video from the announcement here.

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Do you want to learn how to grow your wedding video business?

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In this episode, I’ll go over what settings your camera should be in to shoot in low light scenarios.  Some cameras do well in low light and some struggle, but most cameras have the same options for manual settings.  I’ll share with you how I handle weddings that have low light.

Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

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