Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.
A. We mainly do weddings, school musical productions and high school graduations. We also film and produce DVD's of live concerts. The audio quality is the strong point with each category of work we do. I have extensive experience as a soundman and audio recording technician. This has helped me tremendously in recording audio for weddings. Mic placement is critical for getting that cenematic feel.
Q. Describe three recent jobs you've completed.
A. We've done three weddings in the past two months in and around the Fayetteville area. In December we filmed two different school musical productions and one orchestra concert. Just yesterday I finished a 6 minute countdown DVD for a children's ministry. To do that, I attached an HD video camera to the hood of my car and drove to the church, detached the camera and went right into the door where they meet. In the editing process I sped up the playback to make it look like I was driving through the streets of Fayetteville at 100 mph. They said the kids loved it. After all, shouldn't everyone do 100 to get to church on Sunday?
Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?
A. They need what parts of the day they want covered:
1. Bride and groom getting ready
2. Ceremony
3. Pictures
4. Reception
Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?
A. I enjoy learning the "story" of a couple getting married. I like to incorporate that "story" into the wedding video by weaving footage of the couple doing the things that show who they really are. This means meeting with the couple to have dinner and then filming them on a Saturday doing something they love. It might also mean following them to work if that is their passion.
Q. What do you like most about your job?
A. I get to share the most important day of a couple's life. I have the opportunity to capture moments, words spoken, facial expressions, all types of little things that many people soon forget or didn't notice because so much takes place in such a short time. I have the ability to catch it all in a little bottle and give it to them as a treasure of memories to hold the rest of their days. It's my hope that their children will one day be able to see "what mom and dad were like when they got married." The first wedding video that I edited was in 1988. It was my own wedding. My son is always blown away to see his dad with hair.
Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A. How much is it going to cost?
I work with the client to find a price that is suitable for them. Everyone always feels they've gotten their money's worth.
Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?
A. A wedding video takes about 3 full days to edit, duplicate and design the packaging. Filming a wedding is the most stressful thing any videographer can do because there's no redoing anything on the most important day of a couple's life. The whole experience is tough trying to capture every important moment, but it is very rewarding when you see the bride and groom's reaction to your work.
Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?
A. I've been the band director and sometimes drama teacher at Northwood Temple Academy for 20 years. We have used video cameras to acheive our greatest moments. I quickly recognized that video with music has a tremendous amount of influencial power. Power for good or power for bad. I want to use it for good. God's kingdom in particular.