Frequently Asked Questions

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Q: As a videographer, What is your philosophy for shooting weddings and other events?

A: As a videographer, Our
main philosophies for shooting any event are to try and stay out of the way while still capturing the true emotions and importance of the day.  Our videographers  shoot Philadelphia area  weddings and events in a documentary style creating a final product that you, your friends, and family will enjoy watching for years to come.  During our consultation one of our main goals is to find out what about your special day is most imporant.  Everyone has  different accessories or parts of their event or wedding  that are special to them.  As your videographer we want to find out what those areas are and make sure they are fully captured to create a DVD you will love.

For those looking at our wedding services one very important thing to keep in mind is that  the wedding DVD is the one thing you purchase for your wedding that actually gets more valuable as time goes on.  Long after the food has been eaten and the dress put away your wedding DVD  will still be a fresh reminder of the day. Imagine the joy you will have when you show the wedding DVD to your kids in 10 years or to your grand kids in 30 years.  While your still photographs will capture single snap shots of the day your wedding DVD will bring you right back to the moment. Afterall, a wedding is a live event and just like a football game it's much more exciting to watch on DVD than looking at photos.

Q: Why do I need a second videographer ?

A: Having that second videographer adds a great deal of value. We highly recommend having a second videographer for weddings and other large events.  Having the second wedding or event videographer adds more shots and angles throughout the day making the final wedding or event DVD more interesting to look at.  We like to think of this as adding a 3rd dimension to the DVD. When you watch a live event on TV, take notice of how long you are watching the same shot before the director changes to another angle. Each of those different angles are different cameras. Those different angles help to make the viewer feel like they are there with you and not stuck on the sidelines. 

Another  important benefits of having more than one videographer is we won't have to move around as often to get the shots we need making our wedding or event coverage less obtrusive.. 

Finally,  having a second videographer ensures we are capturing key portions of the day from more than one location. With a single camera shoot we are in the back for the wedding ceremony or event and even though we get great coverage of the those on stage its not possible to get as as many close-ups or reaction from your guests.  During the wedding or event reception it allows for more angles during your dances, toasts, and other events.

Q: How experienced are your videographers?

A:
Justin Chan, the business owner and videographer has a BA from Temple University in Philadelphia specializing in video production. Since forming West Chester based Valley Creek Productions in 2005 he has shot over 50 weddings and other events giving him a great deal of  experience working with different people and Philadelphia area venues.   

Our team of videographers has a great deal of video production experience. We only allow qualified video professionals to capture events for us. The owner supervises training of any new videographers and only when they have proven that they can produce the same quality of work that Valley Creek Producitons is known for are they allowed to shoot.

Q: Will I know which videographer will shoot my event when I book your services?

A: Justin Chan will be the lead videographer for any wedding or event requiring two or more videographers. For single videographer shoots the videographer will be Justin or our lead videographer Tony Alessi.

For the two videographer shoots it's difficult for us to lock a specific second videographer in close to a year in advance when a wedding is booked. While you can guarantee Justin will present, we can give you a better idea of who your second videographer will be when the date gets closer.

Q: Will your videographers work well with other vendors like photographers and DJ's?

A: All of the vendors that you have carefully choosen for your wedding or event are there to make things go as smoothly as they possibly can. As your videographer it's our job to work well with all of your vendors and to that end we like to talk to photographers, DJ's, and planners ahead of time to discuss our needs and their needs to avoid any surprises on the big day. If you are still in the planning stages for your event or wedding, let us know. We have worked with many fine professionals in the Philadelphia area over the years and would be happy to recommend other wedding or event vendors to meet your needs.

Q: How about churches, my officient wants to make sure my videographer won't interfere with the event.

A: When possible we prefer to have the lead videographer attend the wedding or event rehersal to meet with the officient and to make sure they are comfortable with where we plan to position ourselves during the event.  Many churchs limit the  photographer and videographer to certain areas and its important that we know where those are. If you think your officient is being very restrictive make sure we meet with them before hand and then we can let you know what to expect for the ceremony portion of your DVD.


Q: What kind of cameras do your videographers use?

A: Our videographers
currently use a pair of  Sony DSR-PD170 MiniDV cameras. The PD170 is a 3CCD camera that offers very rich colors and details compared to the single CCD consumer video cameras sold at consumer electronic stores.  It also is rated as 1 lux for low light meaning the camera can handle low light conditions in churches and reception halls very well compared to the 8 or 9 lux rated consumer cameras. In addtion to the Sony 170's we will be offering professional HD Cameras starting in the spring.

 Q: Why should I upgrade to High Definition?

A: The United States government ended all standard definition broadcasts in early 2009 paving the way for new digital high definition television. The main benefit of HDTV is the increased picture quality. It's almost double that of standard definition broadcasts. HDTV's are getting cheaper every day and the only way to take full advantage of your new HDTV is by having us shoot your big day with our new HD cameras. 

Unlike some other videographers, we provide your video on the only media that can give you a true HD picture...a Blu-Ray DVD. Standard DVD cannot give you an HD picture and that is how many videographers provide their content. If you don't own a Blu-Ray DVD player that's ok because we also provide the video on Standard DVD. Blu-ray DVD players are dropping in price everyday and are now very affordable at most consumer electronic stores.


Q: What about the sound, I've watched some wedding and event DVD's and the audio was so low you could hardly hear the people talking. Do your videographers just use the camera microphone?


A:
No, our videographers don’t rely on the camera microphone.  We use Sennheiser wireless microphones to capture most of the audio and we also have a small portable recorder that we can place somewhere for even more ambient sound. For weddings, we prefer to place a wireless clip-on microphone on the groom to capture most of the audio at the ceremony. We use the same microphone to capture the best man’s speech at the reception if we are not able to get a feed directly from the DJ or band.

Q: Your site says that I can choose my own music. How does that work?

A: 
It’s very easy actually. For copyright reasons you need to own the music that we include in your wedding DVD. All you need to do is choose the songs you would like in your DVD and let us borrow the CD’s or burn them onto a single CD.  You will need to pick around 15 songs, some fast, some slow and you are welcome to let us know where you would want each song (getting ready, ceremony, photo taking, reception, dancing). This music needs to be provided on or before your event date to ensure no delay in editing.

Q: How long before I get my edited DVD?

A: 
Editing your DVD  is a very time consuming process, and of course we want to take the time to ensure your final product is as good as we can possible make it. We edit jobs in the order they were shot and we will be able to give you a good turnaround estimate when your big day gets closer.  For clients wishing to view something quickly, we recommend purchasing a copy of the raw unedited footage which we can typically get to you about the time you return from your honeymoon.

We are in constant communication with our clients during the editing process to keep them informed of our progress.   


Q: What if I want more copies of the edited DVD, how long will you keep a copy of my event?

A: 
We always recommend purchasing additional copies of your wedding or event DVD right at the time of the event however we will have your event video available for additional copies for at least one year after the event.

Q: Are your videographers insured?

A:  Valley Creek Productions has liability insurance through Erie Insurance. If your event venue requires vendors to be insured let us know and we can provide proof of insurance to them.

Q: How do I find out about pricing?

A: All of our videography package prices for weddings and events are listed in the services section of our site. Please  
Contact us for a more detailed list and for pricing information for our business videography services.

Q: I want to schedule a consultation. When can you meet?

A: Please
Contact us and we will find a time that works for you.  Justin does all consultations at his  home office located in Coatesville, PA.

Q: What is required to book the date and lock in my videographer?

A: To book the date a
ll we need to do is go through and sign the off on the contract to protect both parties and then you need to provide 1/3 of the balance due as a non-refundable deposit to lock the date in. We can take both the contract and the check at your consultation, or you can mail it to the address on the contract. 

Q: How early should I book my videographer?

A: When you first contact us we will be able to let you know if your date is available. We would recommend booking at least six months in advance. During peak wedding/event periods we would recommend booking even earlier.

Q: Do you accept credit cards?

A: Our
preferred methods of payment are personal check or money-order; however we are set up to take all major credit cards through PayPal. Clients wishing to make final payments via PayPal need to do so prior to the event date.

What is PayPal?

 

If we didn’t answer your question, please contact us and we will get back to you as quickly as we can.


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