Blog – Page 20 – 24kt Sound & Video for business, websites, weddings & special events

Amateur Wedding Videographer Misses Shot, Ruins Wedding

videographer Marc Gold with camera Wayfarers Chapel — Marc Gold, 24KT Sound & Video

Selecting A Wedding Videographer – The Power of Experience

It seems to have become more and more an economic necessity for some brides and grooms to recruit a friend or family member to record their wedding ceremony and reception.

There’s an old British expression that says: “Penny Wise and Pound Foolish”. It’s used to describe situations like the one above, involving people who are very careful about unimportant matters and careless about important ones. (referring originally to British currency, pence and pounds). That’s not to say that you shouldn’t try to cut costs and save money. Just be smart about it and think of the future consequences, which, when it comes to wedding videography, can mean the difference between enjoying the results for a lifetime…or not.

A Personal Story: Restricted by a very small budget when I got married, I had a friend record my own wedding (before I was in the business) and there were no shots of the cake cutting or garter toss. I did the same thing with the photographer, also to save some money, and there were no photos of my sister.

Couple about to kiss at Wayfarers Chapel wedding — Image from video

Sad but True Story: An amateur wedding videographer (the bride’s cousin) who was so transfixed by the guitar players fingers strumming his guitar that he missed the shot of the bride’s two nieces (the flower girls) walking down the aisle, making for a very disappointed bride.

Bride kissing groom during their wedding, scene from video — Image from video

The Gift That Doesn’t Keep on Giving: Unless they’re a wedding video professional, accept a friend or relative’s well-meaning ‘gift’ of a video with caution knowing that it will likely have flaws and omissions that a professional video won’t have. A pro has a keen sense of his (or her) surroundings and what’s coming next purely from the experience of having recorded countless events before yours. He or she is disciplined to look everywhere, see everything, and has the crucial skill and foresight to be in the right place at the right time. He can anticipate and address issues before they become problems that attract guests’ attention.

Advice from a Veteran Los Angeles Wedding Videographer: While applying the ‘shop for the lowest price’ strategy may be fine for buying a car, it can be a path to disappointment when looking for a videographer. A car is a product, videography is a service provided by an individual with a background that presumably will serve you well. Not all videographers are alike. They vary in experience, technique, people skills, attitude, style and customer service (in the event there’s ever an issue). Then again, even the same model car at different dealerships may offer different features, some of which may make that particular car more to your liking in the long run. (Read the entire article“How to Find a Good Videographer)

joyful bride and groom at their wedding reception — Image from video

Approach extremely low prices with a lot of caution.There’s a reason (that you may not be aware of) that a videographer isn’t charging what others are.

Keep in mind that a good image with bad sound doesn’t make for a very enjoyable video. This is another instance where experience really matters.

Recommendation: Shop value, not price. Price is what something costs. Value is how much it’s worth to you. Something of value, like a good video, will increase in value over time not only because of the importance of the occasion, but because your video allows you to recollect the loved-ones who were there to celebrate with you who may not be with you forever.

Please feel welcome to contact me directly for more information: marc@24ktsound.com or contact form. Watch a video right now in our wedding & special events video gallery.

Click to watch a cute video about hiring a wedding videographer.

Los Angeles Wedding Videographer Re-discovers Long Lost Clients – Hits the Lottery!

scene from Shrek The Musical with Shrek and Donkey — Shrek & Donkey from “Shrek the Musical

We All Suddenly Realized That I Was Their Wedding Videographer 15 Years Ago! Of the many different kinds of events that I enjoy recording, live theater, dance and ballet are high on my list simply for the technical challenge they present. Fortunately, there are a lot of opportunities in Los Angeles for a videographer like myself to record those kinds of productions that pop up in local theatres in L.A. and the South Bay throughout the year. My unexpected re-acquaintance with former wedding clients, Summer Cacciagioni, artistic director of Encore Entertainers in Redondo Beach, CA, and her husband, Marcello, resulted in a summer-full of marvelous experiences recording six of their shows at the Warner Grand in San Pedro and Redondo Union High School auditorium. An enjoyable excerpt from “Shrek The Musical” follows below:

Three Fionas from Shrek The Musical — The three Fiona’s from “Shrek The Musical”

I can say for a fact that reconnecting with Summer and Marcello definitely qualifies as a genuine OMG moment. When I responded to their search for a local videographer to record their upcoming shows in Redondo Beach, San Pedro and Palos Verdes, and met with them at their office in Torrance to discuss the job, it wasn’t long before we all realized that I was their wedding videographer 15 years ago!

The dragon scene from Shrek the Musical — The dragon from “Shrek The Musical”

They agreed to have me record performances of “Shrek The Musical”, “Oliver,” and “Hairspray”, most of which were three camera productions. I brought in colleagues Lon Andre from West Los Angeles, and Chris Babbit from Laguna Niguel to help with the camera work. The finished productions were fabulous and turned around in record time much to Summer’s satisfaction after having been made to wait up to 18 months by their former video production company. Happy client + happy videographer = more shows coming in January and February. Check out more video demos on my website at www.24ktsound.com in the wedding and special event video gallery or the corporate video gallery.

Los Angeles Videographer gets Heroic Customer Service

I knew I needed it, but there was slim to no chance of getting quick customer service when I walked in without an appointment to Sony’s professional video camera service center, camera in hand. Typical wait time is 2 weeks. Minimum fee just to take a look at a camera, several hundred dollars. I needed to walk out of that place with my camera fixed that same day. I had several special events to record in the not-too-distant future. This was going to be a challenge!

Luis was the man at the counter, the “gate-keeper”, with the power to route the incoming video equipment to the short list or the wait forever list. I needed a strategy. Instead of becoming the angry, ugly, disgruntled customer, I acknowledged Luis’ authority to help me with my dilemma: “You’re in an enviable position, Luis, to help people like me resolve their problems.” I made sure to let him know that I was a dedicated Sony customer, and a very busy Los Angeles videographer with an emergency that only he could help me with. At that moment Luis was my ‘doctor’ and I needed him to feel my pain.

Long story short, Luis called the lead technician who patiently listened to my story and took the camera to the diagnostic area. So far, so good. He would need about an hour, so I went to lunch wondering what the result was going to be.

On returning, I was given my camera. I was told that it had been adjusted and I thanked everyone sincerely. No Charge! One hour turnaround! My lucky day!

The camera has performed flawlessly ever since. I was a very happy videographer. (I never asked, but I believe there is a chance that they did a courtesy lens replacement while I was out to lunch).

Moral of the story: “You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar”. No truer words were ever spoken!

Check out some of those videos I mentioned on my website at www.24ktsound.com.

Completed Project – South Bay LeTip

Check out the below video featuring South bay Chapter LeTip business networking group.

South Bay LeTip is a professional organization of men and women dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service. Our primary purpose is to give and receive qualified business tips or leads. Members will, at all times, maintain the highest professional integrity.

We know you have a lot of choices when selecting a marketing company. Make certain you choose a video marketing company with the experience and professional approach that helps you succeed.

Ray “The Cabbie” Austin, Videotaped Interview with a Los Angeles Icon

The Trick is to Make The Video While They’re Still Alive.

videographer Marc Gold with camera — Marc Gold, 24KT Sound & Video

My video interview with “Ray ‘The Cabbie” Austin as he talked about a robbery at gunpoint and his encounters with Actors Greer Garson, Paul Newman, J. Carrol Nash and Bob Hope is a piece of invaluable American folklore about a local legend who drove the streets of L.A. in the 1950’s. As it turns out Ray was more than just a cabbie. His resume is beyond anything you could imagine. That interview turned out to be one of the most fascinating of my career as a professional L.A. Videographer, and the fact that it even exists makes a great argument for more people to record the life histories of their beloved elders. Ray’s video will be released once permissions are granted.

Revealing the wealth of incredible stories tucked away in the minds of our elders is the sweet essence of biographical videography, but one has to have the foresight to do it while the opportunity still exists. I hope you’ll find the motivation one day to record the life history of a beloved elder, because the day may come when you have occasion to contemplate the loss of a loved one…a whole magnificent life lived…and then gone. That’s the moment you’ll be humbled by the amazing significance of your accomplishment.

Manny and Sylvia photo from their life history video — Manny & Sylvia Gold

When I interviewed my parents, Manny and Sylvia Gold, now both deceased, I learned about my grandfather’s erratic driving that landed him in the middle of a military convoy in downtown New York City, his loss of practically everything he had during the stock market crash in the 1920’s, my father’s military service and heroism while fighting in the European theater with General Patton’s army at the Battle of the Bulge during World War Two, the armed robbery of worshipers at a Jewish temple by sing- sing escapees and my father’s own narrow escape. Watch an excerpt from Manny & Sylvia’s video.

Capturing stories like these is the focus and the reward for this very fortunate Los Angeles videographer.

More videos are available to watch at www.24ktsound.com in the video galleries.

What You Must Know Before Referring a Videographer

Whether you’re a professional in the special event industry or simply a friend referring a videographer to another friend, your vendor referrals carry a lot of weight. They also reflect back on you as the source of the referral. You want to be sure they’re solid and for the right reasons. If you’ve been involved with events at all, whether you work onsite or behind the scenes during the event you know the demands of overseeing its minute-to-minute success, and you may also know the distraction of having to babysit a vendor who isn’t able to keep up with the program. Here are a few tips to smooth out any possible bumps in the road.

Your class “A” referral is a resourceful problem solver. He’s brings with him the experience of having been through and resolved all the challenges already. Experience counts! No one wants to or has the time to be burdened by a vendor who needs to be constantly supervised. In the case of the videographer, a few simple steps taken to create a cooperative working relationship with the other onsite professionals can ensure a gratifying experience not only for the clients and guests, but especially for the coordinator who has many other responsibilities to balance.

From the videographer’s perspective, it’s as simple as taking the initiative to build a bit of rapport with the DJ and the photographer early in the event at a time when successful working relationships can be built, quickly, discretely and behind the scenes.

The insightful videographer knows from experience that he is going to have to focus on the DJ’s announcements to keep on track with the program without having to be reminded. He will have sought out the photographer to work out a choreography with him that allows both to complete their work in sync, working side by side. Positioning for the toast and cake-cutting are two good cases in point that bring both professionals in very close proximity. Smoothing out the path ahead is part of the experience and personality of the seasoned videographer that makes him/her a valuable asset on your preferred vendor list. It’s all about knowing which steps to take ahead of time to ensure that issues that could create friction are foreseen and addressed before they can become visible problems. It’s a level well above “just getting the job done.” It’s about ensuring that it gets done well.

Everyone needs to work cooperatively to accomplish their respective jobs with minimum supervision, and without interrupting the event flow.

Make certain you choose a videographer with the experience and professional approach that helps you succeed. The rewards are great in terms of a client’s gratitude, return business, social media sharing and shining reviews.

Amateur Videos Can Work Against You

There’s a time and a place for amateur video, and it’s never the right time to put one on your business website.

My actor/friend, Kevin, with whom I’ve collaborated many times as the on-camera host of several corporate video productions, went to work for a software company whose website offered some video of their product. Unfortunately the site had a very high bounce rate driving nearly everyone away from the site without doing business with the company leaving Kevin and the rest of the sales force without many prospects.

It was no mystery. Just about everything that could be technically wrong with their promotional videos was wrong: Poor audio, participants recorded in front of a very bright open window with blinds drawn halfway down and hanging crooked, poorly prepared and not very well dressed employees fumbling to speak on camera. This was the video the company put in front of their prospective customers that was supposed to capture their interest and persuade them to purchase the software. There was an obvious disconnect here: A high-end software product marketed to a technically astute audience promoted with a homemade video.

Kevin, distraught, implored me to write a proposal for a new promotional video for his company which I willingly did. The company never responded and is still floundering to this day.

What it boils down to is this: Resist the temptation to pick up your mobile device to record your latest news flash. It’s all about “image” and the impression you want to associate with your “brand”, which, in the broad sense of the word, is much more than just your logo. It’s the whole user experience associated with your business, including, and especially, your website video. Websites are compromised, reputations tarnished and customers discouraged by amateur videos on the site. The bar is high today for website video with the expectation that it should be picture and audio perfect. Vis a vis professional video, homemade video just looks very amateurish, and on an otherwise carefully developed website is enough to damage your credibility sending the whole purchasing process into a fatal tailspin. It certainly doesn’t add to a website the level of credibility that’s needed to build consumer trust.

With a credible video, one that shows professionalism in the making, you have the potential to build a strong connection with visitors that helps them feel comfortable doing business with you. Amateur videos can definitely undo that critical process.

Please check out our video series, “Why Businesses Need Video” and the article: “How Good is Video on My Website.”

“Is Your Website Content Connecting With Your Audience–Take This Self Assessment for Effective Web Content”

“Is Your Website Content Connecting With Your Audience–Take This Self Assessment for Effective Web Content”

You’ve worked hard on the content of your business website and hope that it’s going to attract people to your site, help them find whatever they’re looking for and ultimately encourage them to become happy customers. All the appropriate motivators are in place: “learn more” “click here” “contact us” “buy now” to keep visitors on track. You’ve even done some search engine optimization, and still the results aren’t what you hoped for. Your bounce rate is high and visitors are leaving before they’ve finished reading what you’ve written. You soon realize that just because your site exists and is being seen by lots of people, there’s a disconnect with your visitors. It could be the nature of your website content.

Content needs to speak to your visitor’s “purchasing comfort zone”, that hard-to-define emotional state of mind where a visitor feels comfortable in doing business with you. It’s about creating content that’s able to build rapport and overcome the anxiety and skepticism that visitors often bring with them when they come to a website they’re not familiar with. Unless yours is already a trusted name brand, your visitors may not know you well enough to want to invest any time or money with you. You have to help them over that psychological hurdle by creating an emotional connection with them, exactly as you would if they entered your place of business in person, and all the text in the world isn’t likely to do that. It’s too emotionally neutral relative to other types of content such as video.

To see how well your website is reaching your visitors’ purchasing comfort zone, take this self assessment:

Website Content Self-Assesment:

1) Does your website give visitors a chance to visualize themselves using and benefitting from what you offer?

2) Have you addressed the customer’s inherent skepticism and anxiety about buying something they may not have prior experience with from a company they’ve never done business with?

3) What do you have on your website to build credibility and trust?

4) How have you personalized your site with a face and a voice that people can relate to?

5) Are you requiring people to read too much text to find what they’re looking for?

6) Are you doing everything possible to engage and keep visitors’ attention to prevent them from leaving your site and moving on to one of your competitors?

Despite the fact that ours is a generation that is very comfortable watching a video to get information, there are many websites that still rely on text alone, or text and a few photos, hoping (and possibly failing) to get their messages across even as the evidence points to the fact that many people don’t read a lot of written content. Look into the practicality of a video about your business for your website and move ahead in strengthening your visitors’ experience and your own profitability.

Find out how we can help with video production services in the Los Angeles area for your website, contact Marc at 24KT Sound and Video at 310-547-4702 and visit www.24ktsound.com for additional articles, videos and information.

Annette and Patrick’s Wedding Video at Wayfarers Chapel

One of the very best things about HD wedding video production is that it’s sharp enough to create impressive still images from anywhere in the footage that was recorded. Here are 10 favorite images from Patrick and Annette’s recent wedding which began at Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes, California where the couple prepared for their ceremony. The time at Terranea was filled with some awsome Armenian wedding traditions and music that rocked the room and made for some excellent video.

The ceremony took place at one of my favorite venues, Wayfarers Chapel, tucked away on the Palos Verdes peninsula amid towering redwoods and pines with a breathtaking view of the Ocean.

Their reception was at popular Trump National Golf Club, again filled with colorful Armenian traditions and dancing. Here are some stills created from the video I recorded of their event. Professional photography was done by my long time friend, Joey Ikemoto of Joey Ikemoto Photography, Torrance CA.

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