Hi everyone
I know it's not pure cinematography, but I'm looking into starting up a wedding video business- any suggestions or input would be helpful. I live on the East End of Long Island and my roommate already has a successful wedding photo biz -- a lot of her clients have been asking her about video, and she wants to expand.
I graduated in 2003, and concentrated on film and video at Sarah Lawrence College -- not exactly a film school, but I do have some experience. I've been working as a print journalist for the past few years, and haven't picked up a camera since college.
After doing some research online, it seems that there's a lot of crap out there -- wedding videos that look not-so-professional are selling for thousands of dollars under the guise of a "documentary edge." There is certainly a market for this in "the hamptons" -- my roommate has about 10 weddings booked so far for the upcoming season and most of them are still looking for someone to shoot video.
My question is, what are people in this line of work shooting on these days? Can I get by with a Canon XL1 or 2, or do I have to go hi-def? We were thinking of purchasing one camera, probably a package of some sort with a mounted light and a shotgun microphone, and spending maybe around $3K on a new mac with final cut. Until we raise a bit more money, we could probably rent a second camera for shoots. I'm sure there'll be a learning curve, but I've used this equipment before and could probably pick it up again with some practice.
My boss at the newspaper also donated a Bolex to my cause, with three of the standard kern/switar lenses. I have no idea what type of condition they're in. Where's a good place in NY to get them cleaned and checked out?
Basically, I'm asking if my business plan thus far seems feasible, and if anyone has any advice on what kind of equipment we should purchase. Top of the line would be nice, but our budget calls for bare essentials for now. Any suggestions?
Thanks!