Illinois-Chicago
Robert Cawthorne videography?
Hi Chicago ladies!
I'm wondering if anyone has heard of or worked with him.
We're trying to keep the videography budget around $1000 or less. I read GREAT reviews of Shiloh Studios and Michael Hendzel, but unfortunately both are unavailable that day. (Michael's actually getting married that day too.)
I've read some of the recent videography posts, I just can't find anything about Robert Cawthorne specifically. Any reviews or other options would be great, thank you so much!
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Re: Robert Cawthorne videography?
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Yes, we met him at IKEA. Most of the vendors we've met with are independent and don't have a studio. We've met most people in a Starbucks so this wasn't that weird to us.
I liked him a lot. He was professional and very on top of things. He gave us his speech about his work and most of the questions I had prepared were already answered. I'm not sure what you've already talked about with him, so I'll just put whatever I can remember from our meeting.
If the location isn't too far, he tries to attend the wedding rehearsal so that he can get a feel for where he needs to be at what times.
He uses a small video camera so he's fairly unobtrusive. He won't use light if he doesn't have to because he says sometimes people are shy in front of the light. However, he does have a small light that attaches to his video camera. For the ceremony, he gives a small wireless microphone to the groom. For speeches during the reception, if you have a DJ, he asks to patch into the feed from the microphone.
You get one DVD with a Featurette (4-6 minute film) and a longer edited film (1-2 hours). The "label" for the DVD is not actually a label; it's printed directly onto the DVD's surface. He says he usually asks the photographer for a photo from the wedding and will use that for the label. The case is done in your wedding colors and is pretty cute. It's wrapped in fabric and ties shut with a ribbon. The size of the case is not the typical DVD case. It's more like a CD case. You can get what he calls "Friends and Family" copies at 5 for $50. With these, he prints basic labels and puts them in a plain plastic case.
He said he usually finishes the Featurette within a week of the wedding. He puts it up on Vimeo and sends you the link so you can share it with friends and family. The longer edited film is usually ready a week or two after that.
I asked what happens in the event he's unable to make it to the wedding and he said he has a couple of people he can send as a backup. He said he would still do the editing, just with the footage provided by the other person.
The only thing that makes us hesitant is that it's just him and one video camera. He doesn't have backup equipment. He did say he's working on possibly getting a second camera for another angle.
Anyway, sorry that was so long! Hopefully it helps you out!
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-When I first emailed him he was at a $799 or $899 price then when I contacted him again he was at $1000. Even when confirming this off the the last email he wouldnt honor it.
-He doesnt record the ENTIRE ceremony and the below I will quote from his email to me "I don't ever get the entire ceremony on film. I come by myself and In order to get the shots that I need I'm constantly starting and stopping the recording and moving around the church. I do put a wireless microphone on the groom in order to record the vows. I realize this isn't what the more traditional wedding video services are offering, and that it's not for everyone. "
There are a lot of other companies in my opinion that give you more for almost the same amount of money.....it is all in what you want
[QUOTE]Our friends used him on 9.30 for their wedding, I had contacted him and wasnt going to go with him for 2 reasons: -When I first emailed him he was at a $799 or $899 price then when I contacted him again he was at $1000. Even when confirming this off the the last email he wouldnt honor it. -<strong>He doesnt record the ENTIRE ceremony</strong> and the below I will quote from his email to me "I don't ever get the entire ceremony on film. I come by myself and In order to get the shots that I need I'm constantly starting and stopping the recording and moving around the church. I do put a wireless microphone on the groom in order to record the vows. I realize this isn't what the more traditional wedding video services are offering, and that it's not for everyone. "
There are a lot of other companies in my opinion that give you more for almost the same amount of money.....it is all in what you want
Posted by divadancer11[/QUOTE]
Yes, this is another reason I'm a little hesitant to book with him. I'm not sure if I want the whole ceremony on video. Though I think that what Robert offers (a featurette and longer edited film) as well as the quality and creativity of his videos might be more important to me. My FI definitely prefers Roberts videos over more traditional videos. I might just see if a family member has a camcorder I can set up on a tripod to capture the ceremony.
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[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Robert Cawthorne videography? : Yes, this is another reason I'm a little hesitant to book with him. I'm not sure if I want the whole ceremony on video. Though I think that what Robert offers (a featurette and longer edited film) as well as the quality and creativity of his videos might be more important to me. My FI definitely prefers Roberts videos over more traditional videos. <strong>I might just see if a family member has a camcorder I can set up on a tripod to capture the ceremony.</strong>
Posted by Cony&Ben[/QUOTE]
<div>Will he let you do that? </div><div>
</div><div>I never thought about him not taping the entire ceremony. Yeah I guess he's going to miss some little things here and there, but I like the overall feel of the moments he does capture and how he puts them together to give the vibe of the day. So I don't know if I really care about that or not. If we get the featurette plus 2 hours, I can't imagine I would also ever want to sit and watch the entire ceremony? IDK.</div><div>
</div><div>Thank you for all of the details Cony! That's all really great to know! </div>
This guy makes me nervous. What if something really endearing happens and he misses it? What if his camera breaks and he doesn't have a back up? Do you really want to throw away all that money?
If video is important to you I would think twice about this guy. Use professional vendors and you will get a professional product.
Independent vendors are great but you must beware! There are lots of people who jump into the wedding business without much experience.
Did you check references from him? You need to speak to other brides that used him to see if he delivered on time etc..
I would proceed with much caution with this vendor. Good Luck Ladies!
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