I'm very interested what exactly are you doing?
About 40%-50% of my customers come back and ask me to create extended highlight videos, shortened ceremonies (kind of a ceremony highlight video), and DVD's that have additional content on them that didn't make it into their original package(like adding slideshow content to the DVD that was not previously there, which means I also get to do a slideshow). Most of the time I don't do the traditional highlights video. Instead I like to take the more intimate footage of getting ready for the day and cross-edit it with formal-pic time. It is usually between 5-15 minutes depending on the quality/quantity of the footage. I do subtle music and titles and all that, but for the most part cut it in sequence kind of like a narrative/documentary film(I shoot this way knowing how I like to edit) without resorting to the music video format unless they ask for it. I really find it to be more personal to use live audio for this feature as much as possible, it is less distancing than just dubbing music and eliminating all of the conversation and ambient noises that really take them back to the day. I cannot stand wedding videos when the over-stylization suffocates the stories of the day
as they unfold. If I see another dutch angle, black&white cut with color, huge orchestral musical scores that don't fit the scope, or soft filtering I might die.
Anyhew, I find alot people love the 5-15 minute sequence so much that they come back and ask me to do an all day highlights video or multiple highlights videos from different parts of the day. The sequence also takes me more time than the editing of the ceremony or reception since their has to be a real story there, and the production value of the editing is more intensive. Applying the music sometimes takes me 2 days just to find the right song, so I spend ALOT of time perfecting this part by going through tons of music until it just fits(and know that they won't be turned off by it!) I know alot of videographers just ask couples for their favorite songs to slap on the highlights video, but I do not like to work this way. I certainly ask them for a list of songs, but I usually use that as a reference point if the music doesn't jive. I also don't like to do the generic thing of using the same tired songs on different people's weddings. It numbs me.
It is also easy at this point to do more work for a former customer since you know their sensibilities and reactions to your previous work.
I feel like if I gave them everything I had from their wedding archive, then I would lose out on all that extra business I am getting.
We as consumers are responsible for this in many aspects of our lives already. Being the archive for your customers costs money. Are you being adequately compensated for being that storage facility?
I know that you are saying, and I agree with you for the most part. By having the archive, though, I get that extra business that I just mentioned. In a way, I feel like that is the tradeoff; them coming back for more editing business after I already did the shooting is the compensation. Since stuff is on tape. I just keep it stored away if I need to come back to it.
EDIT: Something I forgot to mention was that some customers want DVD's that in High Definition some do not. If they can only use Standard DVD's I tell them to come back when they are ready for HD, and I will upgrade their DVD's at a price(since I archive in HD). This is less common, but sometime the reverse happens where they have a grandma or somebody who wants an SD version of their wedding which was delivered in HD originally since she doesn't have HD hardware to watch the wedding. There is money here too!
About 40%-50% of my customers come back and ask me to create extended highlight videos, shortened ceremonies (kind of a ceremony highlight video), and DVD's that have additional content on them that didn't make it into their original package(like adding slideshow content to the DVD that was not previously there, which means I also get to do a slideshow). Most of the time I don't do the traditional highlights video. Instead I like to take the more intimate footage of getting ready for the day and cross-edit it with formal-pic time. It is usually between 5-15 minutes depending on the quality/quantity of the footage. I do subtle music and titles and all that, but for the most part cut it in sequence kind of like a narrative/documentary film(I shoot this way knowing how I like to edit) without resorting to the music video format unless they ask for it. I really find it to be more personal to use live audio for this feature as much as possible, it is less distancing than just dubbing music and eliminating all of the conversation and ambient noises that really take them back to the day. I cannot stand wedding videos when the over-stylization suffocates the stories of the day
as they unfold. If I see another dutch angle, black&white cut with color, huge orchestral musical scores that don't fit the scope, or soft filtering I might die.
Anyhew, I find alot people love the 5-15 minute sequence so much that they come back and ask me to do an all day highlights video or multiple highlights videos from different parts of the day. The sequence also takes me more time than the editing of the ceremony or reception since their has to be a real story there, and the production value of the editing is more intensive. Applying the music sometimes takes me 2 days just to find the right song, so I spend ALOT of time perfecting this part by going through tons of music until it just fits(and know that they won't be turned off by it!) I know alot of videographers just ask couples for their favorite songs to slap on the highlights video, but I do not like to work this way. I certainly ask them for a list of songs, but I usually use that as a reference point if the music doesn't jive. I also don't like to do the generic thing of using the same tired songs on different people's weddings. It numbs me.
It is also easy at this point to do more work for a former customer since you know their sensibilities and reactions to your previous work.
I feel like if I gave them everything I had from their wedding archive, then I would lose out on all that extra business I am getting.
We as consumers are responsible for this in many aspects of our lives already. Being the archive for your customers costs money. Are you being adequately compensated for being that storage facility?
I know that you are saying, and I agree with you for the most part. By having the archive, though, I get that extra business that I just mentioned. In a way, I feel like that is the tradeoff; them coming back for more editing business after I already did the shooting is the compensation. Since stuff is on tape. I just keep it stored away if I need to come back to it.
EDIT: Something I forgot to mention was that some customers want DVD's that in High Definition some do not. If they can only use Standard DVD's I tell them to come back when they are ready for HD, and I will upgrade their DVD's at a price(since I archive in HD). This is less common, but sometime the reverse happens where they have a grandma or somebody who wants an SD version of their wedding which was delivered in HD originally since she doesn't have HD hardware to watch the wedding. There is money here too!
I think I will have to get some porn blurays for "research" purposes.