The Business of Video Yearbooks
By Eric Hammer
There are two ways to start a business producing video yearbooks.
The first option, which most people work with is to simply do
the work behind the scenes. This means that when a school contacts
you to tell you they want to have a video yearbook created, you
will guide them in what materials they need to collect from the
students and from their own archives. They will then scan photos
and copy videos into digital format.
You will then take all that raw material and make it into
an exciting video with background music and fades and video transitions
as needed. It's really no different from taking raw footage from
a wedding for example and crafting a video from that footage.
The other option is to actually offer a full package, including
videography services. The problem of course is that unless you
spend 8 or 12 years with a particular group of students, you
will only have material from the time when they contacted you
and then only from the days you actually were contracted to come
to the school.
How Much Can You Make?
Most video yearbooks are actually entirely produced in house
these days since the software required to do it is relatively
inexpensive. However, companies that do offer the service typically
charge around $300-$500 to gather the material together and edit
it into a video. They then charge a per DVD fee for each DVD
they manufacturer, which can be as little as $10 or as much as
$50. Typically, a minimum purchase is required as well.
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As previously noted, one of the best ways to make additional
money from video yearbooks is to offer to actually videotape
the students in school so that they can have professional video
included in their video yearbooks.
In addition, just because video yearbooks are usually done
for schools doesn't mean you can't do the same for individuals
or families. Many extended families hold large annual get togethers
and would pay good money to have a video yearbook compiled for
the annual family get together.
Similar services can also be supplied for life events such
as communion and bar/bat mitzvah celebrations where you may provide
the videography but also cut together older material from the
person's life.
Qualifications / Requirements
The only real requirement to start a business making video
yearbooks is that you own software which can edit video and you
know how to use it well. It also helps if you can handle a professional
video camera so that you can offer additional services of actually
recording material for schools.
First Steps
Start by offering to do a video yearbook for your child's
school or the school of a friend or family member's child. This
way, you'll gain the experience you need in order to make video
yearbooks for others. Then, start a web site for yourself and
advertise in teacher's union newspapers as teachers are often
the adviser for yearbook committees and may be in a position
to suggest professional services to their students.
Resources
Check out these helpful resources to find out more about the
business of video yearbooks:
VideoMakers:
Projects that Pay - This is a basic overview of the idea
of creating video yearbooks for profit. Note that you will need
to sign up for a free trial in order to see the entire article.
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