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Frequently Asked Questions
When should I book my wedding date to ensure I have the best chance a date availability? When should I book my wedding date to ensure I have the best chance a date availability?The wedding industry is a seasonal business and a typical wedding season start in April-May and lasts until October-November. The peak months tend to be in June, July, August and these dates fill up the fastest. It should be considered that most brides and grooms start planning and booking wedding professionals 12 to 24 months in advanced to ensure they have the best chance at the services, churches, halls and professionals they desire and do not have to settle for second best or a poor alternative due to last minute searching. With our services we do not book multiple dates nor do we take more than one wedding in any given weekend, so we tend to book faster due to this limitation.back to topWhat is the difference between amateur and professional video?Simply stated equipment and experience! At Digital Dreams LLC, we are committed to creating digital DVD works of art that will be cherished for a lifetime. We have been in business and serving our clients professionally since 1999 with nothing but positive results. Our artists know how to emotionally grip the audience and provide them with the highest quality DVD productions available. While anyone can shoot a video, very few people with the exception of video professionals spend tens of thousands of dollars on their movie making equipment and software. We use only professional grade Sony HD capable cameras that have better color representation, resolution, and the ability to process video in lower lighting conditions just to name a few. Professionals are familiar with making changes to their equipment that will calibrate the cameras to show accurate color temperatures (also know as "white balance"). Churches and weddings tend to be extremely difficult shooting situations, and when quality is of the utmost importance, choose a professional. Think back at wedding videos you may have seen in the past, remember those grainy, green cast images with less than spectacular visual appeal? It was most likely a video that was produced by an amateur with less than professional equipment. We have been fortunate with building a quality driven reputation that is focused on personal attention. We have served many of our families multiple times and provided services to them they are proud to recommend.back to topWhat's is the difference between 4:3, 16:9, and how does Hi-Definition fit in?Up until a few years ago video production was pretty simple. When it came to choosing a format there were not multiple aspect ratios or Hi Definition videos being produced. The easiest way to explain aspect ratios, (4:3 and 16:9) is to label 4:3 aspect as "Standard Format" video and 16:9 as "Wide screen Format" video. Many people are more familiar with wide screen 16:9 televisions due to the recent popularity of flat screen plasmas and LCD televisions. These TVs are significantly wider than the televisions of yesteryear and lead up to the second part of this question; How does Hi-Definition fit in? Hi-Definition is simply referencing the televisions resolution or the video cameras active shooting resolution. Just because a TV or camera is wide screen, or capable of shooting and displaying wide screen does not mean it is Hi-Def. People often are confused with choosing a format and we can offer you this piece of advice for selecting your videos format. Although you may not currently own a wide screen television, it is almost certain that in the next few years you will due to the fact that wide screen is the manufacturing standard on almost all new TVs. "So if I choose a 16:9 wide screen video and play it on my current 4:3 TV how will it appear? " It will appear as "letterboxed"; letterboxed is a term given to video that has a black bar across the top and bottom of the screen, or it will be compressed and or manipulated to fill you standard screen with some cropping possible depending on your TV and it's settings.What about custom labels, and DVD cases?As stated before, we have built our business on a reputation of top quality. We strongly dislike low quality video productions and the negative public opinion "Wanna Be" videographers often propagate with their services and feel your families deserve only the absolute best quality video right down to the disc. For this reason we do not print out cheap stick-on labels that bleed, fade and peel off in a month's time. We produce our creations on top quality DVD media that is custom silk-screened with our custom designs. Our DVDs are protected in cases that also reflect our quality reputation and are always personalized accordingly.back to topHow do I lock my date in? What is the required deposit?To offer a fair and non biased opportunity to all, we base our bookings on a first come, first serve basis and will never hold or "pencil in" dates without a signed contract and 10% deposit. While it is possible to make a larger payment or a payment in full at the time of your booking, date changes are granted when available and date cancellations if necessary are always handled in the following manner. Payment is refunded minus the 10% deposit to cover our administrative fees and the possibility of not being able to re-book the opening.back to topDo you accept credit cards? What types of cards are accepted?Yes. Visa, Master Card, and American Express.back to topDo you archive all of your works, and for how long?While we often retain a copy of your production for period of time after the services are provided, we do not guarantee an archive will be stored for any set period of time, so if additional copies are needed or changes need to be made they should be voiced ASAP to avoid the possibility of losing your chance at fulfilling your needs.back to topHow much are re-orders and can I get the video on VHS?The cost of re-orders varies depending on the type of video being sold, due to the fact that weddings have ultra high end cases and often contain a set of DVDs vs a photomontage that is only a single DVD with more conservative casing. The end use of the video also may determine pricing, as well as volume so ask us and we will quote you a price based on your individual needs.back to topCan I be guaranteed the finished video will arrive as stated?While we always strive for a speedy turn around it should be expected that custom videos do require extensive editing and may take several weeks to complete. One should expect 6-8 weeks for wedding videos, where a corporate video may take more or less time depending on content. Photomontages and "In Memory" Tributes can generally be processed in 24 to 36 hours and often are done so in a little as 12 hrs.back to topOn your Photomontages; Can you correct photos that are old, scratched, faded and or off color?Yes. photo enhancements are all part of the creation process and is included to make the finished video the highest quality available.back to topWhat is the justification for the high cost of video production?As stated before, professional video production equipment is extremely expensive and tends to need replacement often to conform to current standards and or to replace items that ware out due to high usage. It is not uncommon for professional cameras to cost as much as a nice car, and to keep up with the changing needs we must charge a premium to remain in business. Beware of bargain priced videographers, they are almost certainly not shooting with up date equipment and may not be putting your best interests first. I personally know of so called "professionals" that are shooting with cameras that are considered obsolete such as the old VHS cameras from 10 to 15 years ago or more. LESSON HERE, We all know you get what you pay for!!!back to topHow will I be billed for the videos?We offer flexible payment schedules to fit the needs and wants of each individual. Some of our wedding clients wish to pay a little each month to reduce the burden of the final payment. Others prefer to pay the entire amount in advance or near the day it is due to eliminate the need to write multiple checks. Our billing is also fully detailed and easy to read, showing each payment and check #. No confusion with our billing! In all of our video production jobs, a deposit is required to lock in the date and the payment must be in full before our cameras will start filming.back to topCall or email us today with all your additional questions,we will be happy to answer them. |