For the past months I have been researching the idea of starting a legitimate event videography service. Right now I do mostly smaller creative gigs like commercials, music videos, and company profiles. But then, I would be targeting weddings, seminars, conferences and the like…

While getting into creative media can be pretty difficult, events are always in abundance and usually pay pretty well considering how easy it can be to streamline a process and just rinse and repeat for each event.

That brings me to this lovely little shopping list below that should explain how to get setup for producing quality professional events for as cheaply as possible but without shooting yourself in the foot if you want to do it as an on-going business. Keep in mind that all of these gear choices are what I see as the best solution for this particular application at this particular time in history. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if in 3 months, these selections were out-dated.

  1. Cameras
    Grab two Canon XF100‘s and one Canon 60D. The two XF100′s produce wonderful 1080p images at 50mbps in MPEG-2. That’s broadcast quality in a codec you can actually edit straight away with no headache and no strain on your system. The Canon 60D is a wonderful little Video DSLR that will give you wonderful DOF and low-light performance for the pre-ceremony and reception but will require that you convert before editing.
  2. Video Accessories
    With those XF100′s, you’ll need at least two 32GB CF‘s cards for each. And then you’ll also need at least another pair of 32GB SDHC’s for the 60D. You’ll also need a battery grip and two extra batteries for that 60D, plus an LCD viewfinder.
  3. Audio
    One Rode Video Mic for your 60D and two Azden WLX-Pro wireless lav’s system will be a perfect combo for the ceremony and the running around. Also, pick up a H4n field recorder just incase your wireless goes out or there is some extra ceremony elements you need to capture from the soundboard.
  4. Lenses
    I would get a wide-angle adapter for one of your XF100′s and then a nice 24-70mm f/2.8 Zoom lens for the 60D. This gives a perfect balance of versatility.
  5. Support
    Two 717AH Tripods for the ceremony, and a lightweight JAG35 shoulder rig for the run-around 60D. You can’t shoot DSLR’s without some sort of support since they are so light and small.
  6. Cables
    Grab two black 50ft extension cables for your ceremony setups with Yellow Gaff tape in case you need to cross a walkway. You’ll also want a couple power strips just in case for battery chargers. Also grab XLR to component, 3.5mm, and 1/4th inch adapters for going out of any sound board.
After all the fun and stress, head home and immediately backup your data to an external hard drive and make sure not to erase any of the original data from your memory cards. In fact, just plan on never deleting that data until the event has been edited, archived, and delivered to the client. If you need to shoot another wedding/event before then–you need to buy more memory.
Below I have listed a rough budget for the above equipment. *Note that I have left out an editing computer since this is a whole new can of worms* Plus, if you’re already an A/V enthusiast you’ll likely already have a worthy machine that may just need some upgrades to get up to par for 1080p editing.
  1. XF100 (x2) = $6,000
    60D + Lens = $800
  2. 32GB CF Cards (4x) = $300
    32GB SDHC Cards (2x) = $100
    LCDVF = $50
    Battery Grip + Batteries = $125
  3. Rode Video Mic = $125
    Wireless Lav (x2) = $320
    H4n Recorder = $250
  4.  60D Lens = $1,400
    Wide Angle Adapter = $250
  5. Tripod (x2) = $350
    ShoulderRig = $200
  6. Extension cables + tape = $50
    Power strips + xlr adapters = $90
That all comes to a grand total of $10,410 + Computer Editing System and Hard Drive Storage. Not too bad considering that with this kind of quality setup you could easily charge $2,000 plus per wedding. Most established company’s shoot one event per weekend. If you shoot one per month and keep only half your earnings, your capital loan will be paid off in less than one year. Of course, that doesn’t including gas, taxes, advertising, legal fees, hired help, or incidentals. But i’m not going to do everything for you. ;-)
Good luck and let me know if you think I’ve missed anything!
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