How We Got Started in the Wedding Film Industry?
Lindsey and Taylor, Owners of Elliott Films
Our business started in 2016 with 2 brothers, Taylor and Eli. Taylor grew up fascinated with video and films. His brother, Eli, had always been interested in entrepreneurship. So naturally, they looked into starting a videographry company. They had already filmed a few events and weddings in high school (thanks to their school community connections) before they made things official in college. They named the business Rhyolite Studios. After creating a “real” business and website, they started to promote themselves and before they knew it, they had couples reaching out to them for their wedding dates.
Rhyolite Studios eventually became Elliott Films and is now owned by me (Lindsey) and my husband Taylor. We both work full time for our videography business and our primary market is the wedding industry.
We both have worked very hard to rebrand our company and continue educating ourselves so we can better serve our clients in this industry.
But everyone has to start somewhere. So let’s take a look at how we started in the wedding industry.
Education
Everyone starts at a different level. Some start learning about videography in high school or pursue a related degree in college.
If that is not you, no worries! Start by educating yourself. Youtube is a great resource. There are mentors and leaders in the industry that post helpful content in regards to editing, equipment reviews and filming tutorials for FREE on their channels.
Taylor did go to college for Digital Media and was able to learn a lot about videography and production but they do not teach you specifically about the wedding industry in school. We both have learned a lot over the years from free online resources. Especially other wedding videographers that share information and tips.
Join wedding or business video Facebook pages. Other videographers post tips or questions in there that you may also need the answer to. And typically the page has admins and group experts that offer advice!
Get Legit
After you educate yourself and you are ready to pull the trigger, start planning your business goals. Figure out your state requirements to start operating as a legit business if wedding videography is your goal.
Register your business name with your state, familiarize yourself with your tax requirements for operation, open a business bank account, decide if you need business insurance, create social media accounts and a free website. Do not feel like you have to spend a lot of money in order to get your business started.
Now, there will be some people who say “just start taking jobs and do all that admin stuff later”. But we have found that having a registered LLC and business insurance at the very beginning was helpful when booking clients. Wedding planners, venues, and even couples will ask about these items to make sure they are protected. It also makes you look more official and a reminder of your worth when you start working on pricing (hello, it costs money to run a business).
Get Experience
Once you have learned more about videography overall and familiarized yourself with the wedding video industry, get some experience.
If you do not have any past experience in videography, you may have to take some internships or low paying jobs to get started as an assistant or 3rd shooter. Taylor took several low paying wedding jobs using online hiring platforms that larger companies utilize. They were great opportunities for him to build his experience but they do not always offer you or your brand exposure so keep that in mind.
We have a system for all of our weddings for 2 shooters. We would never risk adding a 2nd shooter with no experience but we have had 3rd shooters and assistants come along for the day. They get to see how an entire wedding day plays out, how to coordinate with other wedding vendors, how to serve you client, and how to film all the big moments of the day so you can tell their story in film.
Wedding days are VERY different than other shoots. You cannot reschedule and video is not the main focus of the day. You must serve your client and work with other vendors (venue, DJ, photographer, planner, etc.) to get the time you need with your client.
When you start booking weddings on your own, do not be afraid to reach out to fellow wedding videographers to ask for advice on timeline planning before the big day. Remember, community over competition.
Network
Network, network network! Like any other industry, it is important to mingle with other vendors so you can build relationships. Once you have authentic established relationships, these vendors will be more likely to recommend you to couples. You will also do the same for them.
It is all about community. Attending networking events or joining networking groups online give you the opportunity to chat about industry issues you might need advice on or the opportunity to get general tips and tricks for your wedding services.
Staying close with the wedding industry in your community also means you will be able to pull from your contacts when you need additional shooters or if you have an emergency.
Grow
Once you start educating yourself, creating your business, getting experience and networking, DON’T STOP. Keep growing in your industry.
Technology is always changing. Wedding trends are always changing. New videographers will always be joining the industry.
During our 7th year in business we still invested in our education. We attended the How To Film Weddings Calibrate Workshop and joined the Le Reve Films monthly mentorship program. We cannot say enough good things about this mentorship program. Is it something we could have afforded in our early years? No! But now that we can, we chose to invest with our education instead of using that money somewhere else because growing is important to us.
If you stay focused and determined to grow in your business each year, you will continue to be successful.
