A couple months ago, I got hired to film a wedding.
Now here’s the funny thing. I don’t really market myself as a wedding videographer. In video production, there are different lanes. You have wedding videographers, corporate videographers, documentary filmmakers, live event people, and so on. Most folks stay in their lane. If you’re hiring someone for a corporate conference, you’re usually not calling a wedding guy. If you’re getting married, you’re usually not looking for a corporate videographer. I’ve done all of it over the years, but these days most of my work is conferences, interviews, training videos, and live events. So when the phone rang and the client said he wanted to hire me for a wedding, I honestly gave him a funny look.
“Okay… why me?”
He told me he had spent time looking me up online. He read reviews. Looked at my work. Checked out my background. Then he said, “I want you.” I gave him a quote, sent an invoice, and before the day was over, he had paid in full. Over the next couple months, he only called me a few times. One time he asked me to talk to his photographer. No problem. I spent about an hour on the phone with her going over logistics and making sure we were on the same page. When I called him back, he was so appreciative that he joked he was reducing my filming time because I had already put in an extra hour. Another call was about audio. He wanted to know how I planned to capture his daughter’s vows and the ceremony. I walked him through the process, my backups, my backup backups, and what I’d do if something failed. He was happy and we moved on. A few days before the wedding, I called him just to let him know I’d be arriving early. That’s just how I work. I don’t like stress. I like walking the venue, checking the light, testing the sound, and knowing exactly what I’m walking into before guests arrive. The day of the wedding, I got there about two hours early and was the first person on site. I walked the venue, checked everything, planned camera positions, tested audio, and got comfortable. By the time everyone arrived, there was nothing left to worry about. The client originally hired me for four hours. At one point he even reduced it to three. I ended up staying for five. Why? Because once I’m there, I’m there. I’m not watching the clock. I’m focused on getting the best final product possible. After the wedding, I reviewed the footage. Three cameras. Clean audio. No surprises. No problems. Everything worked exactly the way it was supposed to. As videographers, we’re our own worst critics. We always find something we’d do differently. This one? I was genuinely happy with it. Then today, this review came in:
“WOW! All I can say is if you don’t use MJR Visuals for your videography event that you are depriving yourself of a top-tier recording service. Professionalism off the chart. And Malcolm, beyond professionalism, is extremely courteous and respectful. For my daughter’s wedding event, Malcolm arrived early, had a plan, and worked seamlessly to video that special occasion. And it should go without saying that the final editing video will be treasured by all as the greatest gift of recollection that could possibly be had. So finally, I highly, highly recommend MJR Visuals for your next videography need.”
Sometimes clients don’t hire you because you’re a wedding videographer. Sometimes they hire you because they trust you’ll show up, have a plan, and care about the outcome as much as they do.