Cost of Being Taped at Competitions

[DanceMentor]

I was sort of in a hurry, but I figured since I was only dancing a total of 10 times (or 15 minutes tops) it wouldn't be much money, so I asked them to tape our 5 heats and the championships. I sure was surprised when the total bill came up to $179. Then they asked me if I wanted a DVD for another $60. I didn't complain to the person. They may not even make the rules, but I am now less likely to purchase the services of this company in the future. They even missed the beginning of one of the dances. You would figure that if you are paying $179 for 15 minutes of time, it will be 100% perfect.

What do you think about these prices?
Are they legitimate?
(for example, maybe by the time they pay the organizer and travel costs, they only make a small profit)
What can be done to improve the situation?
Do some companies charge less?

 

[goldiebox]

I assume you are talking about being taped at Heritage?? Well there are already several people here that are less than satisfied with the quality of the video they received. I believe that is Championship Video Company that has worked this event for many many years.

Do I think the price is legitimate? Well the correct market price is "whatever the market will bear".
Do You have to like it? No.
Can you tell the vendor you do not like their prices? Yes.
Must you expect them to change their prices? No.
Can you tell the vendor that the quality of their product is inferior? Yes
Can you expect them to change their attention to detail next time? Maybe
Can you tell the organizer that you have received bad quality video? Yes

Can you stand by your word and NEVER order another video from this company because you believe you will get a bad product? That is up to you.

I am sure Chel can elaborate on the expenses that go into running a video company. I am sure we might all be shocked at how very little return there is on their investment.

 

[fascination]

well...personally I think that it is a rip off regardless and that folks should be able to video their own heats....I understand restrictions on the other elements of the comp but the single entry heats are another story...I danced only the scholarships and taped all seven...when you add up the call backs and the fact that I also got the dvd...I am ashamed to tell you how much I paid(but more that 3 times what DM paid) and it was only b/c they are new routines and I wanted a certain person who can never come to see the dancing to see it...but my tape cost me more than my first car...and if the video company isn't making much money off it I would like to know who is ....at the very least there should be a cap at 500 bucks IMO...it's just ridiculous...and I love chel to pieces but I ain't a changin' my mind on that...at least with a gown I can sell the doggone thing back or comparison shop

 

[fascination]

okay...let me first say that I have never had a problem with front row...but at this moment I am livid b/c my dvd from heritage doesn't even read in the dvd player.... $600+ bucks...hopefully, I will get a pleasant return call....but last time, with this company...I never got a return call at all...frantically trying to reach pro to see if the freaking video is messed up as well...first stop tomorrow....cancelling check...don't get me started on my bank's level of competence...post comp exhaustion is not a good time to be discovering this

 

[mamboqueen]

fasci, it may just be the type of dvd and dvd player you have; some dvds don't play in certain players. I am sure someone here can explain the nuances because I don't really understand...all I can say is that the DVD I got from vegas doesn't play on every dvd player in my house. You may want to try it out on another machine.

 

[fascination]

I have put it in two differnet ones and in my computer...hyperventilating

 

[fascination]

I hope you are right...where is the wine?...my apologies to the vendor if I am wrong though

 

[mamboqueen]

Well, then I hope the tape is okay! You can always get it reproduced onto another dvd and see how it works. Sorry...I know you were probably looking forward to being able to look at it right away.

 

[fascination]

well, pro has the video and I am having a rendevouz w/ him tonight b/c I have his luggage....so I am going to take possession of the video back from him and check it out...but still, the dvd was supposed to be a surprise gift for someone and well, now its a pain...plus I don't want to give them the video back inorder to do it...so how does that work?...chel? help? advice?

 

[tunape]

I was sort of in a hurry, but I figured since I was only dancing a total of 10 times (or 15 minutes tops) it wouldn't be much money, so I asked them to tape our 5 heats and the championships. I sure was surprised when the total bill came up to $179. Then they asked me if I wanted a DVD for another $60. I didn't complain to the person. They may not even make the rules, but I am now less likely to purchase the services of this company in the future. They even missed the beginning of one of the dances. You would figure that if you are paying $179 for 15 minutes of time, it will be 100% perfect.

What do you think about these prices?
Are they legitimate?
(for example, maybe by the time they pay the organizer and travel costs, they only make a small profit)
What can be done to improve the situation?
Do some companies charge less?

I've had a few comps video taped, and all of which I have been quite dissatisified for several reasons:
1) pricing
2) quality of the camera people. they tend to miss events, or track the wrong couple!(similar dress, or just logistical mess up)
3) quality of the camera. they don't always use the best cameras with proper white balancing, color saturation, etc...
4) quality of the post-filming production. the video tape tends to be poor quality, and it tends to not be editted

all and all, these services are crap, and I've definitely been happier giving my camera to a friend. For the prices, I'd expect multiple cameras, a crane, some editing(with noise reduction at least!), and possible digital file - which is what the MIT comp used to provide for free to competitors.

 

[mamboqueen]

well, pro has the video and I am having a rendevouz w/ him tonight b/c I have his luggage....so I am going to take possession of the video back from him and check it out...but still, the dvd was supposed to be a surprise gift for someone and well, now its a pain...plus I don't want to give them the video back inorder to do it...so how does that work?...chel? help? advice?

There should be places near where you live (a video store?) that can do this (although, you'll pay again - maybe you can recoup that money from the video vendor??). And actually, if you have any tech savvy friends, maybe they can even do it.

 

[DanceMentor]

I think one part of this, but certainly not all, is the price the competition charges to the vendor. Does anyone know if the pricing for the company the serviced Heritage was pretty consistent with previous pricing? Or was is a little higher than usual? (possibly to compensate for higher fees it paid to be the vendor at Heritage).

I do know that I have worked with other companies where it costed less, and for example, the price of getting a DVD was $15 more, not $60 more.

 

[fascination]

exactly....15 bucks not another 60.....

 

[tanya_the_dancer]

My video price at Superstars for 2 scholarships was about $120 (no callbacks, just 9 dances + dvd). The prices were always about the same: $12 per heat or so, $6 for callbacks, and then extra $15 or so for dvd. The color quality is so-so, but not the worst I've seen. The best color quality I had was from Ohio (same company, btw) and the worst from Dallas (different company). The best dvd I had was from Dallas (chapters!), the other comp dvds I have do not have any chapters.

 

[tanya_the_dancer]

well, pro has the video and I am having a rendevouz w/ him tonight b/c I have his luggage....so I am going to take possession of the video back from him and check it out...but still, the dvd was supposed to be a surprise gift for someone and well, now its a pain...plus I don't want to give them the video back inorder to do it...so how does that work?...chel? help? advice?

You can get a gizmo in electronics store, which will allow you to record video to computer (or if you have a digital camera with analog pass-through, that will do it, too), then from there you can burn it on dvd. I have one of those and I posted a thread on it in videos. You shouldn't have to do it though, for that much $$$.