Introducing Digital Delivery for Bar None Wedding Films

The other day I was packing up my stuff to move into my new place, and it became clear to me that I had accumulated a lot of junk.  And that I would have to throw out a great deal of it before it was all said and done. When it came to my box of DVDs, the decision was fairly easy. Though I had been putting it off for some time now, it was clear that I was never going to watch any of them ever again. Part of it was that they were just the types of movies that you watch once, but for the others- my favorites – I had long ago repurchased them through iTunes so that they would be available in “the cloud” anywhere I went. Heck I didn’t even own a DVD player until I started making DVDs for wedding films.

And then it hit me. I was spending a lot of time and effort making something on a dying format. As the Blockbusters around me seem to be closing almost monthly, I feel like I am making VHS tapes in 1999. No one will have anything to play the things on in 5 years! But I am really proud of our DVD product, from the packaging all the way to the professional menus and animations. These things could pass for professional hollywood DVD’s at the local movie store. Surely its not worth it to stop making DVDs yet, is it?

No, it’s not. They are going to remain a great option in the products we offer to our customers. However, when I started to think out the many, many advantages of Digital Delivery over DVD (or for that matter, Blu-Ray) it became clear. Everybody is going to get Digital Delivery as the default, and we will now make DVDs an affordable option for those who see the added value.

What are the advantages of Digital Delivery? Well the really tough part is what is the MOST valuable advantage, because there are so many and I really think everybody will have their own individual most important. For me, it’s portability. The cloud, if you will. In todays world, a film we place online can be played on your computer at work, your smartphone while waiting for your oil to get changed, your iPad when you get home from work and are vegging on the couch, and on your HDTV with your favorite gaming console, Apple TV, or smart TV. It is literally available almost everywhere, almost whenever you want it. You can send the link to your grandparents across the country, or to your friends in Europe! That’s huge, and that’s the way everything is going in the future. Your DVD is stuck wherever it physically is, and won’t play on your tablet, smartphone, or the newest computers.

(Bar None Films are delivered Online and additionally on a Photography USB Drive)

To others, quality might be the most important aspect. We shoot, edit, and finish your film in Full HD 1080p. Images are crisp and details are clean. And then, at the very last moment, we squish it down into a standard definition DVD format almost 20 years old! Younger people might squirm at that thought! Now, to be fair, it doesn’t look bad on DVD. In fact, it looks pretty good, as the quality of the production (lenses, lighting, audio) is actually much more important to the feel then the digital resolution. This is why standard definition DVDs still look better than the 1080p footage you shoot with your phone.  But it does matter, try switching from HD to the non-HD channel during an NFL game. Trust me you want it in HD, especially in 10, 20, 50 years. Now you could go with Blu-Ray, but the portability then is severely limited.

Then we get into the death by a thousand cuts territory of advantages. If those two big ones don’t put the nail in the coffin, the rest of these, as a whole, definitely do. First of all, digital is VERY easy to copy and back up. Once we upload it online, it is pretty much there for the foreseeable future. Your digital copy can be multiplied as many times as you would like in as many places as you can find. With the USB stick that we deliver the files on, we have enough room to put the slightly lower resolution raw files on as a backup. What does that mean? Those that do not choose to purchase the full quality raw footage product will have a lower cost, easier to purchase option already in their home. All they have to do is purchase the password to unlock it. And in ten years, when our hard drives have long been wiped to make room for the 3D Super Ultra High Resolution film that we will be shooting on then, you will still have the option to unlock those memories if you choose to do so!

Honestly, the real reason it took me so long to make this switch is because it takes a very long time to make the DVDs. Much more time then anyone would ever think it would take. After the film is done, then we make the 3d dvd menus with specially made video clips, wait for them to process for hours, then we make the DVD covers, print them out, cut them down and fit them into the case. Then we have to convert the film into DVD format, burn the DVD, print the DVD title and then coat it several times so it won’t smudge and let it dry for a few hours. Then we watch the DVD, find one little mistake, and its back to step one! So why would this process STOP me from making the switch? Because I don’t like it! And I thought that that was the only reason why I wanted to deliver Digitally. But when I thought it all out, added up the benefits I already mentions PLUS the fact that if I make any enhancements or revisions after the film is delivered I can send it to you online and upload it, it became clear that it was not my annoyances with the process that was making me lean in this direction.

Ok, ok I promise, this is the last benefit I will mention: That process of DVD making, that I just mentioned takes roughly two days of finicking. That means that this new process will get your films to you faster! I think everyone can appreciate that!

As a wedding film company, we think we have done a pretty job of “skating to where the puck is going to be” rather then accepting things the way they have always been. Heck, thats why we got started in the first place because we saw an opportunity to help put an end to the style of “long and boring” wedding videos. We always try to do whats the very best for our customers for not just today, but also the long run. We feel that this is the right step in the next direction.