Well, they did say the best things come free

As an aspiring videographer (still honing my skills), I’ve had many weird questions such as:

5) “Why do you need to edit? Isn’t it… you just video the thing and send to the person?”

Yes, because color correction, audio toggling, swapping of angles, subtitles etc are all bestowed upon us naturally by fairies and elves hiding behind video cameras.

4) (When I request for better lighting during the shoot) “I thought you can just change the lighting in the editing?”

Yes, I can tweak the lighting of a clip when it’s a bit dull, or a little overexposed. NOT when it looks like it was filmed in the depths of a bear’s asshole. So get up and turn on the damn light.

3) “Wah your camera so pro, really necessary meh? So rich ah.”

Then don’t use my fucking camera.

2) (When I ask for another take) “Really must do so many times ah.”

If it’s not satisfactory, no director or producer will approve of it. But ultimately it’s you who’s looking like a jackass on camera so… whatever floats your goat.

And of course, the best for last:

1) “Can you film this xxx event for me? Free?”

 

This question irks me the most. Do you go to the chup chye png auntie downstairs and ask for free lup cheong with free rice and free towgay? Auntie will fling her curry zup in your face so fast you won’t know what hit you. Do you go take a taxi and tell the uncle that you want the ride for free? Uncle will roll you over like meepok.

So why do photographers and videographers, who have invested tons of cash in their tools, get such nonsense requests? Like everyone else, we are selling a skill. We are selling a skill that you don’t have (or possess but is very shitty). We blow wads of cash on cameras, tripods, SD cards, audio devices, editing software, just to name a few basics. We need to edit extremely quickly for hours and days to bring out the best in your special day. Heck, we need to pay bills for electricity used to charge our batteries and laptops and video cameras. So why makes you think we can do this for free?

I think that the most common requests out there, also one of the more expensive requests, are wedding videos. Alan, a fellow videographer (albeit much better than I am; he does it for a living) friend of mine, laughed when I told him about my predicament – I have had multiple requests to film weddings for next to nothing. He says it’s normal for people to try their luck with videographers. He’s been approached by aunties (mere acquaintances) with requests to shoot their daughters’ wedding ceremony for free. He doesn’t even know who the heck their daughters are.

For those who don’t know, wedding videos are tedious.  They’re stressful, fast paced and extremely exhausting. From start to end, we are with either half of the married couple, all the way from 4 am in the morning, where the bride starts to puts on her makeup and dress, to the tea ceremony, to the wedding dinner march in, up till the part where the guests leave. Hopefully no video requests for what happens after the wedding, if you get my drift.

Of course, you could be partial, depending on how well you know the requester.There are certain simple things you can do for free. I will gladly film anything for my temple if needed. I have done a simple pre-wedding video before, which was fun and basically just one of those easy how-well-do-you-know-your-partner videos to show the audience during the dinner. The shoot was short, planned and it was for a good friend of mine. I also made a video for another good friend of mine during her 21st birthday party. That is no problem, but also the best I can do for free. Chasing a couple around over 14 hours in the heat and editing on the spot? No thanks- I will need more than $600 for that.

Wedding videos cost anything from $900 to $1.5k or more, depending on the videographer and the intensity of the filming. I have had some friends tell me about how couples want the videos to show every single minute detail along the way, right up to the time they march in at their swanky hotel ballroom. That means relentless, rapid editing and no breaks. The only time you are allowed to pee or eat is when you’re waiting for your video to render. This is about 5 seconds, depending on your software.

My point is: if you want to be a cheapskate on anything that happens at your wedding, don’t think you can just cut your budget by telling a videographer to work for peanuts, or worse, free. Don’t think that you can drop $8k on your wedding dress but assume someone will do your video for free. Go be a cheapo somewhere else.