'WedFilm Academy' NEEDS YOU!

very excited about this, i thought it was a good idea about a year ago to have a site like andrew kramers but for our industry.

off the top of my head, tutorials id like to see

the best settings to get the best render
how to save time in editing
sound mixing
color grading

good luck with your new venture!

Hi Richard,
I dont know if you have done it already or not but here we go:

Vintage Lenses. Which ones are good for the price and which ones are good for different effects etc...

Business wise, where should one be spending money and what not to do. I think a lot of people starting out wonder if adverts on mags are worth the money, fayres, ppc (pay per click) etc...

You could even go into different strategies on closing your prospects. Do you try to sell them 'The Bride getting ready' or the 'same day edit' even though it wasnt their initial request? or else...?

I find this things interesting as there are not topics usually covered by experts.

All the best

David

Thanks so much David, really useful!
And thanks too for private emails from other people - we're already working on so many new tutes, so it's very exciting + busy!

What a wonderful idea for the cowboys wedding wont too be videographers.
In one way not a good idea. Most future people come up in ranks to learn this craft.

don't worry Maxwell, we were expecting that at some point. The same could be said for anyone that goes to training or academy classes...people want quick answers to get from point A to B, without making common mistakes inbetween. WedFilm Academy is obviously a visual version of forums/books/etc, whereby they can gain quick answers, suggestions and solutions.

Photographers have been uploading trade tutorials for years now and there's always plenty of guidance if anyone cares search the variety of video forums.
A good idea to have a central base for them all as video tutors FX. It's far better that wannabees have access to good tutorials then there's no excuses for poor workmanship.

Oh, sorry, I'll rephrase that - Some will always have excuses anyway :D

thanks branny - well said :)

Any person who goes to classes and pays for the learning knowledge is going in the right direction. Weddings was learned doing other things in the art of filmmaking. Then one advanced with family after having learned the basics.
Your site has the hallmark of only using the best equipment. I guess the cowboys will not be able to learn too much.
Please note i do not have any disagreement in regards what you are setting out. Just the principal in this field which is going through a bad patch and peoples lively hood are at stake. Then again technology has advanced to such a high point anything is possible to pick up for free on these formats.

i know neither of us is arguing here, but for arguments sake, i don't use high-priced steadicam/cranes etc.
Infact I've used the same glidecam-copy (£150) since day 1 of running this business, right up to today.
And I actually know so many people who bought the same one as me, and gave up on it. Frustrating! Hence I'll show stuff (balancing, hints+tips) that simply can't be explained in text-format.

And before the glidetrack came out, I was doing dolly-shots just with a tripod (yep, we've done a tutorial on that).

Pete and I are deliberately doing tutorials from all perspectives, to suit all budgets + needs - e.g. from camcorders to DSLR, from no glidecam to full-on steadicam, from single shoots to team shoots....

Honestly, WFA has had a LOT of thought go into it. We want to cater for all people who sign up to it, no matter what their experience, budget or location. And we're pricing it so reasonably, so as to not eat into anyone's income or even start-up budgets :)

I think It's a great idea, and exactly how as an industry we should go forward in demystifying the craft.
I don't know what it's like in various areas in England but in Scotland I have found a lot (not everyone by any stretch of the imagination) of cliquishness and people not wanting to talk to you because you're the competition.
I don't know the numbers exactly ,but around 10% of weddings have a video, 10% :eek: there is MASSIVE potential for growth in this industry yet it will stay at 10% because for the most part everyone is so guarded about people copying their ideas (even when they're not very good) that they don't communicate within the industry and they don't learn or teach anything new.
It's not about giving away all your secrets and ideas but its about working together to push this industry forward, give brides a better idea of what can be done, creating higher expectations and making this market bigger.
Think about how much more business there would be if we could even get the market to 20%, it would be doubled and still we would only have a small portion of the wedding market.
Create higher expectations and desirable films and you'll have more Brides wanting one and WedFilm Academy is an essential part in that not to mention it's a bloody good business idea.

Couldn't agree more...I always find it so interesting (and shocking) that when i ask photographers 'how many weddings do you do a year where there's a company filming?', they nearly always can only count on one hand (haha, unless it's my partner photography company, in which case they are prob sick of the sight of me ;)
Whereas the reaction we all here get from our customers after they've seen their wedding film, it's pretty much 'we can't imagine not having a wedding film'...so yes, those numbers def. need to increase!!

p.s. eventually, WFA will be asking around for guest tutorials, so as to diversify the videos even more! even if it's a newbie describing their initial hurdles in the industry, or tips on dealing with tricky wedding vendors, etc, we'll welcome as many helpful suggestions as poss...we'll def. start a new thread when we're ready for those...

Congrats guys on launching the site. Looks very nice.

However I have a few suggestions that I hope you don't take as criticism.

As you know I think a wedding film tutorial site has huge potential. I thought you might take a similar business model as andrew kramer, where you release various tutorials and then release products. I am very loyal to his site and have bought all his products because I like supporting someone who really goes the extra mile with his customers.

We all know you have exceptional skills , but I think it would be a good idea to give away a few basic tutorials. Thats what has made ak so successful and he is now doing titles for JJ abrams and spielberg.

Would you consider splitting up tutorials, so £250.00 is for all of them, but if people just want to know about ,filming, they can purchase the "filming tutorials", or the same with editing. Or would you make it so you have a preview of each tutorial and then sell them separately. I know if i could see a taster of somthing and it ended, id have no problem paying to see the rest.

just a few thoughts :)

Hey Simon,

Everyone who has signed up since the launch yesterday has loved the site, and realised their investment has been so well spent. For a WHOLE year, it's the same price as half a day's 1-to-1...you can't get fairer than that!! :)

We absolutely wouldn't do it in the same way that Andrew Kramer does. We have COMPLETELY different business models, and our businesses were constructed with v.different audiences in mind. (Ours was aimed at the UK and international people that already wanted to pay for 1-to-1 training...daily enquiries were phenomenal)

We will aim to have a free tutorial on the site next week, as well as doing some for our various sponsors for their own sites. And we will also be showing the list of tutorials, with their time durations. But if we give away lots of free ones / minisamplers, then that defeats the whole object of what we are offering.

thanks though, take care

Im sure they do love the site. I think id be more interested though if i could just subscribe to a certain subject, for example ,business, then id be learning exactly what id want to learn, without having to pay for the other two subjects.

Ill look forward to see how it develops :)

p.s a tutorial on how to deal with a bridezilla would be worth its weight in gold ;)

Well from what you've said then, it sounds like you're not in the target audience we had in mind. Shame! Our audience is 'people who want to learn all aspects'

And yes 'dealing with difficult clients and vendors' tute is being made :D

cheers

What is it for an one of those hour long training DVDs £70 - £80. There is 8 hours or so and growing on Wed acad. Phenomenal Value. I'll wait till a bit after new year to join, but I will join. Even well established pros would find something interesting in it I'd bet as you never stop learning in this game.
Well Done Richard & Pete

P.s which one's Obi Wan and which one's Yoda? :D

Yep, Even i'll join in the new year. Unfortunately funds are tied up at present in the 'Rachel Christmas presents fund'... anyone wants to donate a good cause feel free....:D

I would like to make one suggestion though. Can you throw in some popcorn please.....

Cheers.:)

Hey, thanks JPL and JDR!

well i'm glad you said that and not 'which one's jabba, and which is leia?' ;S

we hope the popcorn jpeg is satisfactory :)

cheers

Didn't want you both fighting over the gold costume. (I'll go back to editing now:D )

It's not at all clear to me from your website what I get I would get for my £250. How many tutorials are there & who long does each last? If the site has only just been launched & there are only a few tutorials then paying £250 to join now doesn't look such good value. Far better to leave it 6 months or so until there is a decent amount of material on there.

Perhaps you should be offering some incentives for founder members to sign up now e.g. 18 months subscription for your payment of £250? How about some samples of tutorials so that we know what we are getting before lashing out £250?

lynda.com sell a monthly subscription but also give 1-3 days free access to give you a proper chance to evaluate what they are offering.

Nigel - you somehow seem to have missed the part about 40 existing tutorials, 8 hours of content - doubling every few months...
and you seem to have missed the part where I said to amberfilm about listing the tutorials + times (to come v.soon), and a free tutorial (currently being uploaded).

wish people wouldn't compare us to other sites with completely different histories/needs/audiences ;)

and Nigel - can I please just say in a nice way - joining the site is OPTIONAL - it's for those that have wanted 1-to-1 but would rather be taught in the comfort of their own homes. the way you've written your post seems somewhat angry and disappointed, but you surely must realise we're not trying to impress or convert anyone!! the website was built in a way that pete and i are perfectly happy with, and many many people seem to 'get' it.

perhaps people can email us, as now this thread is becoming an advert for the site, but all we wanted (as per title) was future tutorial suggestions from people in our industry, d'oh!

Can you please post a tutorial in how to read a thread before making sweeping assessments :cool:

hey hope you dont think what i said was negatie. im really looking forward to see it develop and anything that raises the bar in our industry can only be a good thing.

tell u what, let's just leave this thread alone with site feedback...as it was only meant for tutorial suggestions, of which we're grateful to all who have come forward....2011 is going to be a very busy year of filming and editing :)

I clearly have missed this info because I have just looked on every single page of your website & I still don't see what I would get for my £250. Nowhere can I find any mention of 40 existing tutorials or 8 hours of content.

Comparison to other sites delivering online video tutorials is inevitable.

I am not angry at all nor disappointed. I was just pointing out that either the information on what you actually get for your money is missing from your website or it is hidden very well indeed at at least one user (me) can't find it. If you are happy with that then fair enough & good luck with your venture but I for one would like a bit more information before I parted with my money.

Thanks for the good luck wishes Nigel - all the best.
And feel free to check out the free filming tutorial we have now started sharing.

you need to go to the tab 'Tutorials' - wait until the video plays and it will give you all the info you've been looking for.

robo

I signed up straight away and I think £250 is very reasonable for the content and quality of the site. I have done 1-2-1 training with both Richard and Danny of Mintyslippers and while this face to face training is exceptional the Wedfilm Academy is like having a reference book on hand to refer to at any time.

I have to say I knew what I was expecting when I signed up so can't understand the question about what is included not being clear.

I have already picked up some great tips which I put into practice in my editing yesterday and the difference in the final video is fantastic. I have masses more I want to experiment with but that will have to wait until a quiet spell if it ever comes!

My only criticism is that I want to buy so much more stuff I need an enormous bank balance!!!

I'm glad you find the service helpful and i just hope at some stage you will get the money you have payed out back.
My one argument with this technology is that the manufactures of computers and all the trimmings have gone mad. Every month some new item comes out and it is always spend spend. Even to make a video they want you to have the latest invention.
Look at the camcorder market it is saturated with equipment and the end will never be in sight.
All i can say don't be sucked into this wonderful Aladdin's cave. But if you have the cash and you can benefit from the products then have fun.
I guess some of us know what we need. Even having a paying market on the internet has open some doors for people.

I said there was so much I wanted to buy, not so much I am buying - big difference :D

I have selected a few things that will make an instant difference to where I am now but will not buy any of the 'luxuries' until it is paying for itself.

We have been running a very successful photography business for the past seven years so I'm certainly not doing this just to 'have fun' ;)

If a person can OR can't afford new technology, then that's absolutely fine, and we realised our audience's needs/budgets before we even made the site - we're teaching people all types of things, and from 2 very different perspectives, so they can pick and choose which to learn.
e.g. If you want to learn about glide-moves: For those with money, watch Pete's tutes on the £4k steadicam. For those on a tight budget, watch mine where I teach with my trusty £150 ebay-glidecam!

As many know, I do sooooo many solo shoots, with just absolute minimal equipment (camcorder and/or DSLR). A wedding that Pete did recently, was also a solo shoot with just 2 cameras, 2 tripods (no cranes/steadicams). People have been so thankful that we've shown them ways in which to manage a day with minimal / cost-effective equipment and methods. It's not all cranes and steadicams and big crews ;)

I wish you luck fx, though I think you'd have had more enquiries if this had been launched 5 years ago.
There's just sooooo many video tutorials on you tube nowadays I can't see why anyone would wish to pay for them.

because they are from quality pros who's work speaks for itself, a whole range of business needs appear to be catered for and there will no doubt be a consistency throughout all the tutorials that you can't get by pick and mixing on you tube.
We're quick to tell brides cheap or free isn't the best way to go and if your good at something never do it for free.
And I'm a lazy man who likes the idea of them being in one place:D

branny - if that's the case, why do you offer 1-to-1 training too then? i'm guessing your answer is because people like your work and want to gain as much info as they can from you before they then go on to develop their own styles?? yeah, i thought so.... hence WedFilm Academy (cheaper than personal 1-to-1 rates, might i add). That's our own approach to dealing with (mainly) international people who have requested training from us (we've had people willing to fly over from ireland, canada, thailand....)

can't believe how much this thread has deviated ;)

I'm not flogging DVDs on the back of it though. Like I say, I wish you luck. :)

flogging DVDs? not sure where that came from?! and thanks for the msg of 'luck'...oh branny ;)

so.....u do all know, don't you, that the reason i started this thread was to welcome completely unique guest tutorials from fellow industry colleagues, which in turn would lead to paid guest tutorial speakers....hmmm.... methinks this whole thread should be deleted now, coz it has deviated into the usual crowd just laying into me...some people just cannot stand new + eventually-v.successful ideas (think glidetrack, colour-grading, same day edits, 'shoot yourself', short forms, DSLRs...need i go on), LOL.

I don't think it should be deleted at all. The only criticisms are coming from people who are not making a judgement based on seeing the actual product being offered. As a VERY satisfied paying customer I feel justified in commenting on the content and quality and I have no doubt there will be many more. It's like me slagging off The Ivy when I have never even been there and have no intention of going!

It's the same in every industry, there will be a core that don't like what you are doing who will try and bring you down. I think much of it is just resentment and perhaps jealousy that you are educating those people who may perhaps be knocking them out of their ivory towers in the future :eek:

;) :D

hey bev, thanks...

i'm totally used to all this by the way - i'm one of few people who stick up for myselves (others, who email me outside the forum, are too afraid to come forward and say something)

wherever you go in life, there are always the people who don't like new ideas, or change.
bad examples i know, but look at the immediate outrage of the congestion charge, banning smoking in pubs etc, tuition fees.... me, i like to give everything a chance...and to be honest, i'm better off for it ;)

Well I have been watching how this thread develops from afar, and keeping an eye on what you're producing. As I'm never afraid to speak my mind, I'd like to go down on record as one who congratulates you in what your trying to achieve. The concept is good, site looks good and the content looks good... you just need to ensure the content is applicable and the advice relevant and sound.

I think there is a place for direct one-to-one training that should not be knocked, but there is also much scope for the way that you're developing Wedding Academy with tutorial videos and easily accessible (and regularly updated) multi-media reference material. As far as I'm concerned it's the future of training/mentoring, especially when one-to-one is not available or affordable... The added advantage is that if peer-group networking is integrated into it, the opinions given by a tutor don't have to be taken as gospel and a 'student' is able to cherry pick from the advice given based on overall industry opinion.

If I can be of any help, don't hesitate to ask. Just wanted to add I'm not looking for work though. :)

The most popular wedding website Confetti still has an article I wrote over 4 years ago as it's main wedding video tips feature. That's a bit out of date now, but a lot of the advice can still be applied. The first recommendation was obviously because of at the time of writing I had a agenda to secure as much work as possible for APV members... I would now have to change that considerably. :)

A few years ago the APV tried to get more direct training off the ground on a regular basis and whilst we ran a few courses (in fact I think a couple of forum members attended), we never managed to get a wedding video course off the ground. In fact I was even planning an intense three-day 'Wedding Video Bootcamp', however at that time, though we had no shortage of potentially experienced tutors (myself included), and 'actors' to play the couple and friends, I found it hard to get any churches involved (we wanted as much realism as possible).

So well done to both of you for getting this up and running. :D

Oh and definitely don't ask for the thread to be deleted. Learn from negative as well as positive criticism, even if you don't think it's justified. People (including prospective candidates) will judge you by how you respond to the criticism and it could be beneficial you in the long run. Asking for it to be deleted sounds as if you want it to be hidden from view. Stand up for what you are doing in the face of the detractors and any jealousy; people will respect you for it if your arguments are sound.

Great post from Steve:)

I'm a believer in anything that will raise the bar in the wedding industry and whilst I am never afraid or ashamed to speak my mind I think what you and Pete are doing is superb, bravo Mr Wakefield and Mr James.:) I truly wish you borh evey success and believe you will succeed in your goals.

There are so many poor examples out there representing us within the wedding industry and naturally affecting our overall position and respect from magazines, clients etc.

Those who want to learn and try out new ideas will love this. Those who are set in their ways and don't like, want change will hate this. Either way, NEVER become attached to peoples negative comments that it provokes you to comment back in a negative way.
(Something I have learned over the years....)

More people will be watching you, and your actions now then ever before,lol:)

Go Go Wedfilm Academy....

Cheers.

thanks a million JDR and Chrome! wise + honest words, and I appreciate that...

i'll leave it there I think :)

I think it's superb what these guys are doing and there work is a credit to the industry.

If Rich and Pete feel they can assist the industry by imparting some or all of their knowledge and in the process make some pocket change then good on 'em.

Yes Branny, I agree that there are many vids across the internet which can teach you many things for free. I learnt a great deal by doing exactly that and putting things into practice in the field. However, there is also so much crap to wade through just to get to one piece of useful information.
By acting as a mini library of info there is a good chance that others across the world will wake up and realise that this industry doesn't have to be all black and white slo-mo captured in 4:3. I see their step as being a positive move in an otherwise (and some of these posts testify to this) negative industry.

I'd rather shake the hand of someone who states 'why don't we try this' rather than 'let's stick to what we know'.

I for one support this move.

Just to reiterate my main point, (before too many more knickers get twisted and gang insults get thrown) which was purely based on good business, why would anyone need to pay for it when every tutorial on every gizmo/idea/style is already there for free on youtube?
If you can get the reason why across to cynical (and savvy) would be 'joiners' it would be much more impressive.
As most newbies automatically presume they're going to be God's gift to the wedding DVD world and assume they have divine intervention when it comes to their 'new inspired vision' of how wedding videos should look, why would they choose to mimic a set style/technique of anybodys? I know I wouldn't.
So fx, don't automatically go on the defensive and see an insult where there isn't one, try to see where this point of view is coming from.
If I'd have wanted to insult your 'new' ideas I could have done so a lot more brutally. I didn't, I wished you success, laced with some food for thought.

Hello Everyone,

As fx has stated, this thread was about suggestions for tutorials that people would like to see at wedfilmacademy and it's now turned into something else. If Richard had asked for suggestions on how to run his business, I could understand the last few posts. As he didn't it seems clear to me that a little green eyed monster is running on this thread! The comment about '... in the process make some pocket change' is unnecessary and just comes over as patronizing at best.

By the way, I don't earn my living making wedding videos, but I've always admired Richard's work which to my eyes is excellent. My field is littered with forums full of nasty, jealous 'experts' and can be extremely negative. I've always thought how refreshing this place usually is. People are actually here willing to help and the general vibe is great, so lets try and keep it that way.

Best,
Russ

Branny, the problem with any of these forums or indeed anything written down is that 'tone' can be taken outside the context in which it is intended. By "writing why would anyone need to pay for it", you are unfortunately generating a negative and dismissive tone. I don't believe that to be your intention, but that is the way it comes across.

I'm not sure where you have the idea that most newbies think they are God's gift to the industry. One wedding will quickly teach them otherwise. Take the example of http://forums.dvdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=52364 as a case in point. I don't believe for a second that the OP holds this stance.
We've seen on this forum and others countless times a question which is raised which has been answered numerous times before. Some peeps get all het up about the poster not using the search function. So it is obvious to me that either people are looking for the quick answer, the information isn't easily accessible, or a combination of the two.

You do touch briefly on a good point though. If Wedfilmacademy ever suggest that the only way to operate is by how both Pete and Rich are doing it, then that is bad for the industry. There is always a However I don't believe this to be an issue with the two concerned.

The main reason is because nothing on Youtube has the quality in respect of production quality or content of what is on the Wedfilm Academy. It's £250, it's not like it is going to bankrupt anyone.

There are some very negative, cynical people on this forum and you only have to look at their websites to see how out of date they are.

I look at all the modern videographers I admire and take inspiration and seek training from them to produce a product I like to think is my own, the same way I developed my own photography style. I don't believe I am God's gift to anyone, I just want to be the best I can.

Ha, looks like my previous post proves that forums are not the ideal place for the written word.

Russ, maybe this hasn't come across right, but my comment on the pocket change was intended to demonstrate that I feel Pete and Rich are in this primarily to help the industry not about the £££ on the table.

Hi everyone,

I've been following this thread for a while now and I'd like to say that I am shocked at some of the reactions that it has originated.

I have personally asked Richard and Pete for advice in the past through Vimeo and have always had a prompt response, specially from Richard who has always recommended what to do and tell me without holding back what he was doing himself. This has been regarding different areas of expertise from best workflow using DSLRs to prices for specific jobs.

I believe that I am not the only one doing so and you can tell by the number or replies and views on Vimeo that their work is appreciated by many videographers (cinematographers, filmmaker, whatever you call yourself... :rolleyes: ) Many of whom are willing to pay sums in excess of £250 for a 1-1.

I believe that having that into consideration WedFilm Academy was the only next obvious step to take.

As someone who is not new at filming or editing I find that even seasoned videographers would get new and useful data from keeping up to date with tutorials weather free or paid for.

It is true that many of them are available for free on the internet so it just comes down to; how long do you want to spend looking for them and finding out how well they work? as opposed to having all the data compiled in one place for the modest fee of £250.

I myself think that every hour I spend watching a tutorial on the net or go to a seminar I am expanding my set of skills and increasing the value of my work which ultimately yields more money, therefore this time and money can be seen as an investment and never wasted.

(This is what I tell my wife when she tells me I spend too long on Vimeo...):D

Thanks,

David Garcia

zenithcinematography.com

It's good that the professionals amongst us can recognise where I'm coming from, as fx will once his knickers are pulled up tight again :)
He knows I'm no sycophant and always try to tell it how it is, though the quick jots of mine don't always get the point across as clear as I'd like.
We have, despite what some may think, swapped advice too. No-one knows everything.
The 'Pay' or 'Free' point I was making is going to be a major barrier for some. Many newbies struggle in the 1st few years buying their kit and some will question wether £250 should be spent on a better tripod or some training.
These are the ones he needs to convince that the 'paid' training will pay more dividends in the long run than the 'free' clips.

Branny raises a good point about being free, but as I have found, from my many, many years of filming, that couples will plead poverty on your budget yet happily pay over the odds for Designer stuff.
If price was a the major factor everyone would go for the cheapest, but they don't and that's why there is a market out there for everyone.

Is this bad time to mention I offer one to one training, with a high level of technical expertise :-)

good luck to all I say there is room for use all in this world.

Lol, this forum officially frustrates me! For some reason, choice of words can come across as profound/negative/etc. Some posts come across well and some really don't.
And Branny, yes, if u really were just offering wise words to ensure we don't put off newbies with tight budgets, then ok, I understand. I guess we're just assuming that people who look at the site will understand the investment, but assumptions should never be made. :)

Cheers.

Ps i don't wear knickers...contrary to belief :)

Sorry couldn't resist, but the mind boggles... "thigh level" does that mean you do all your thinking below the waist Cheema? :eek: :D

Cool, thanks Branny...will reply to it now...

And thanks for clearing stuff up too - I had a funny thought, imagine if all replies were video messages, haha, opinions and comments would come across so much better from person to person...although no, bad idea, we'd all see what each other looks like after long days/nights of filming/editing :S

So I have been told Chrome :-)

For anyone interested, here's a new highlights clip with a link to an accompanying free tutorial:

http://www.vimeo.com/17840405

p.s. what a car :)

I've stayed out of this thread but I do have one question.

My style is very much not posing anything or setting up any shots so that everything is natural.

In the clip you just posted at 29s the toast pops up during your glide. Did it appear of its own accord or did you push the button!

nope! proud to stand up and say i didn't stage either of the toast shots - just simply paid attention to the surroundings, and seized the opportunity when the brides mum decided to use the toaster (LOL, u can only imagine me glidetracking back and forth frantically until the toast popped out! lucky moment yes!)

and no, i didn't stage any B+G posey shots either... that's the togs job :)

outstanding. :)

Just got paid for weddings after christmas so I'll be sticking myself down for wedacademy once I actually get time to look at it.

M.

cool!

and actually michael, i'll know you'll have some great tute suggestions so have a think over xmas! :)

Im more than interested, just wondering why do you limit how many can do the course?

hey simon, can u please ask non-thread questions on our facebook page instead, cheers