The good news is you have delirium

It’s not like me to go a week without a new post, but I have been one busy bee lately.

First off, I shot four weddings this month. That’s four weddings that all need to be edited pronto so I can get them back to my clients ASAP.

I also moved, as in, a change of residential address. Not exactly something you do in one afternoon.

And I’ve been running around the city in search of the right shirts and hats to be deemed “Delirium Media-worthy.” See, I’m going to have some shirts and hats made up that have the Delirium Media logo on them, so it’s important I get the good stuff. You’d be surprised how hard it is to find a plain white, fitted hat in this city. A shout out to “Lids” at the Devonshire Mall for coming through in the clutch for me.

Silver Stitch has these great lightweight shirts that absorb moisture and keep you cool when you are sweating. This is perfect for shooting those July and August weddings when the temperature can hit north of 90 degrees. The shirts are also made out of recycled water bottles, so I’m doing my part to be green as well. Silver Stitch will also be doing all my embroidery.

I’ve always thought branding was so important, and I think a lot of people underestimate the power of a unique name and memorable logo. In video production, no matter how great your work is, unless a lot of people see it, you will struggle to reap the rewards of your labour. It’s the same with a company name and logo, you need to get your message out to the world.

Wearing apparel like shirts and hats is one great way to do that.

Delirium Media now has a dedicated page on the popular social networking site, Facebook.

This year’s WEVA Expo is being held at the Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, Florida. I am very excited to get down there and learn some new tricks.

Not being from around Florida, I’ll need to hop on a plane and fly there. Ah, but where to book a flight, and when?

For last year’s expo in Las Vegas, I used Travelocity. It was a rather simple and painless process, and at a great price.

But…

Then my friend told me about kayak.com. It searches around 140 different sites for the best prices.

Beautiful!

So I found a place to book a flight, but pricing changes all the time, so which day of the week is best to book? From my research, I would say Tuesday.

Depending on the day, the best price could be as high as $269, but I’m happy to say that my Tuesday booking set me up with round trip airfare from Detroit to Orlando for $214.

So, the other day I installed some extra RAM into my Mac Pro computer (two sticks of 2GB RAM). Originally, I put one in each riser. After rebooting a couple times only to see that the new RAM still didn’t register, I googled some instructions and discovered something.

Anyone who owns a Mac Pro should know that RAM must be installed in pairs, but what you may not know is that the new RAM must also be installed on the same riser.

There are two platforms of RAM in the Mac Pro called risers. They are generally referred to as the upper and lower risers.

If you install one stick of new RAM on the upper riser, and one on the lower, the computer will not recognize it. They must be next to each other on the same riser.

If you look at other wedding videographer’s web sites, you’ll notice they tend to generally have the same content. Usually there is a blurb about the company (perhaps mentioning how they’re unique), there will be some video clip samples, and some contact information in case you want to learn more or book an appointment.

But there is one thing not everyone lists.

Pricing.

The ratio of sites with pricing compared to those that do not list pricing is probably split around 50/50. If you have some time on your hands, try browsing the videographer links listed on WEVA’s site. They are listed by US State. Canadian listings are in the International section.

There are a couple schools of thought here, each with their own pros and cons.

Those who choose not to show their prices are hoping that the customer has enough interest in the service that they will take the initiative to call and (hopefully) book an appointment. The upside to this method is that once the videographer reveals his/her pricing, he/she gets a chance to talk to the client, and explain why they are unique and why their pricing is fair. On the down side, some customers may think that if the pricing is not listed, it must be very expensive, and therefore, they never call.

Those who choose to show their prices are generally doing so to save both the customer and themselves a lot of time by not having to take that all-too-familiar “what are your prices?” phone call. By displaying his/her prices, the videographer is saying “these are my prices, I’m worth it, and I have nothing to hide.” This can also save the videographer some cash, as there is not really any need to print expensive brochures. Instead, customers can just be directed to a web site with all the info. Another pro is that if a customer does call, chances are they are more likely to book an appointment, because obviously your pricing did not scare them away, so you are talking to more serious customers. One con is that if a customer thinks the prices are too high, they won’t call, and the videographer won’t get the chance to explain their value.

Which method is best?

There is no right or wrong answer here. I personally did not show my prices for the first couple years, but I’ve just had too many calls from “shoppers,” so now my pricing is online. I always tried to explain my value to customers, but often, they were in a rush because they wanted to call a dozen other videographers, so I didn’t get to sell myself. I also was tired of throwing out hundreds of expensive brochures every year (packages and pricing changes every year). And lastly, having already tried the “no show” method, I thought I’d mix things up and see if displaying my prices would improve sales. Having only posted the prices a couple weeks ago, it’s too soon to say that there has been a difference, but I certainly seem to be taking less calls from shoppers, so that’s a plus.

To the videographers out there, I say do whatever works for you. And experiment, try it both ways, see how your market reacts.

To the customer, give every videographer a chance to explain their style and their unique service. And remember, there is much more than price to consider. What good is saving $200 on a video if you don’t receive it for 8 months after the wedding?! Ask about turnaround times, equipment, style, and training.

No two videographers are the same, so it’s up to YOU to do the research and find the right one. To view my current packages and pricing, click here.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed unrestricted free agent forward Marian Hossa to a one-year deal worth $7.45 million.

I don’t think anyone saw this coming. Speculation hinted that Hossa was heading to Edmonton, Montreal, or remaining with Pittsburgh.

Personally, I was just thrilled that the Wings were able to sign Brad Stuart, as many insiders thought he would bolt for bigger bucks. But obviously he felt that remaining with a winning team was more important.

Hossa also could have made more money elsewhere, but chose to sign with the team that defeated his Penguins in the recent Stanley Cup final.

It’s almost embarrassing to have so much talent on one team, especially in the new salary cap era of the NHL. With these two signings, the Red Wings have to be the early Stanley Cup favourite for the 2008-09 season.

The best just got better.