Videography review: A Magic Moment

[ForKeeps]

I know that I've mentioned in a couple threads that I would provide a review when I saw the final product. I thought it was just best to start a new thread now that we've received it.

We went with a A Magic Moment and bought the state of the art package (intimate) + an extra hour of videography (for a total of 4 hours). I believe the cost was $960 (deposit was $300)

We had Patrick as our videographer, and he was very nice. I felt very comfortable with him.

I just received the final product and I really like it. The edited versions start with a montage of Disney (hotels, parks, etc) and end with a re-cap. It seemed about 45 mins in length total.

The editing is very good. I am impressed with the quality of the editing and thought that went into the video. I think the price is also very good. The sound quality was excellent. Dh was wired with a mic and everything was super clear.

I did though, find it frustrating that most of my e-mails (after I sent in my deposit) were not returned, and no one got in touch with me when I called from Florida to figure out how the day would progess. Also, another downside is that we did not have input as to the music they chose on the video (although, to be honest -- I didn't ask about this either).

I'm really glad we decided to splurge and go for professional videography. At first I thought we'd just edit together footage taken by our guests. But it was really nice to have everyone in all the shots. It also brings us a different aspect of our wedding -- I love still shots (and my photos from Randy were fabulous) but I'm also really glad I had the videography too!!!!!

I'm very happy with the result.

I hope this review is helpful!

 

[DisneyFairy19]

Thanks for posting the info ... I will be checking them out.. I was thinking of Kennedy Video...

 

[dee slack]

thanks for the review and so glad it turned out better than their communication with you!
They are still one of my 3 choices.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Thanks for the awesome review! A Magic Moment is on my short list too. So far, I haven't had a problem reaching them by telephone, but I'm still at the sales stage where I haven't given them my money. I'm still surprised these vendors need two months to deliver their product.

How well did Patrick and Randy work together and were they in each other's shots? What does the videographer do when the photographer is occupying your time taking portraits and vice versa? The weddings I've attended, there are always numerous portraits taken by the photographer after the ceremony. I've only seen one videographer and I never noticed what he was doing. I'm curious because you're paying for both vendors to be there at the same time and they both need your presence and attention to do their work.

 

[ForKeeps]

Thanks for the awesome review! A Magic Moment is on my short list too. So far, I haven't had a problem reaching them by telephone, but I'm still at the sales stage where I haven't given them my money. I'm still surprised these vendors need two months to deliver their product.

How well did Patrick and Randy work together and were they in each other's shots? What does the videographer do when the photographer is occupying your time taking portraits and vice versa? The weddings I've attended, there are always numerous portraits taken by the photographer after the ceremony. I've only seen one videographer and I never noticed what he was doing. I'm curious because you're paying for both vendors to be there at the same time and they both need your presence and attention to do their work.

Patrick and Randy were fine together (although I believe I read somewhere that Randy is more used to Stan) Randy tended to run the show and Patrick did his best not to get in his way. I remember Patrick being in 1 of Randy's photos...and Randy in 2 of Patrick's shots. Not bad!

Patrick taped us while we were having our photos taken. Then they edited the shots together in a nice montage type way and set it to music. It was very well done!

I do think the opening "disney" montage....is a bit cheesy.

The wait seemed endless, but I believe it's actually pretty standard. When Dh looked at the amount of editing they did he thought they actually did it pretty quickly.

I wish I had a link to send to show you a clip, but unfortunately I don't. I'll ask DH if maybe we can convert it so that I can post it through photobucket

 

[JackieSparrow]

thanks for your review! I was really leaning toward A Magic Moment, and just wanted to wait to hear another opinion on the final product. I'm glad everything turned out well despite the customer service issues you had.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

thanks for your review! I was really leaning toward A Magic Moment, and just wanted to wait to hear another opinion on the final product. I'm glad everything turned out well despite the customer service issues you had.

My biggest concern is the stress I might feel because of the lack of customer service. ForKeeps said she called A Magic Moment when she arrived in Florida and couldn't get a hold of anyone. They never called her back nor discussed how the videography would proceed.

One big worry I have is what if someone like the photographer or videographer gets sick and can't make it to the wedding? Do they ever get sick? Do they have backup plans? I suppose if there's one good thing about Disney's services, it's that they have a team of people. If your scheduled person can't make it for any reason (and there are lots of reasons why people don't show up for work), I expect Disney is in a better position to provide an alternate than what a one-person company can do at the last minute.

The nice thing about ForKeeps' package is she gets the raw footage on DVD. Someday in the future, if A Magic Moment's music selection doesn't suit her, she can get it re-edited and use whatever music she wants. I looked into video editing software on the weekend and the stuff that's available to hobbyists is promising.

 

[woodstoforrest]

I just received my Magic Moment video yesterday and we're esctatic! It's just beautiful.

But I completely agree, their customer service was terrible. No responses to emails, dealing with one person and expecting them to be the videographer and having someone else show up, confusion about what the start time was even though it was clear on our contract... It was alarming that we had hired them for the ceremony and reception and after the ceremony were told that our time was up. Be warned that despite the wedding start time, the time on your contract, they will show up at the Wedding Pavilion up to an hour before that and that comes out of your total time. I didn't want to have to worry about the extra cost, as the package time and the time we needed them for were the same, so I just told them to keep on shooting and we would sort it out later. This ended up costing us over $100 extra that we hadn't budgeted for. Truth be told, this company was very frustrating to deal with, but we couldn't be happier with the finished product.

We went with the most inexpensive package for the shortest time, to cover just our intimate ceremony and champagne & cake reception, and had very, very low expectations. We just wanted to document the event so that we would be able to share it with those who couldn't come to the wedding.

The finished product blew us away. The editing was spectacular, the sound and picture quality stellar... I can't say enough good things.

Based on the end result, I would recommend this company in a heartbeat, but be prepared for a frustrating experience until the finished product is in your hands.

As far as photography goes, EVERYONE SHOULD HIRE RANDY CHAPMAN!!! He's just incredible - wonderful to deal with, AMAZING customer service (I think we talked 4 or 5 times on the phone leading up to the wedding; he rushed putting the album of proofs together so that he could personally deliver it to us before we came home to Canada from our honeymoon; and most importantly, his pictures are the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. He made us look like we walked straight out of a wedding magazine. He's wonderfully talented, affordable, and goes above and beyond. I promise you, the value for your money cannot be beaten.) (I could go on all day about Randy's great work!)

My two cents,
Linda

 

[ForKeeps]

One big worry I have is what if someone like the photographer or videographer gets sick and can't make it to the wedding? Do they ever get sick? Do they have backup plans? I suppose if there's one good thing about Disney's services, it's that they have a team of people. If your scheduled person can't make it for any reason (and there are lots of reasons why people don't show up for work), I expect Disney is in a better position to provide an alternate than what a one-person company can do at the last minute.

It does seem that they have at least 2 videographers (Patrick & David). I wonder how many they actually have? I suppose they'd tell you about their back up plans. I have heard that Disney videography is just awful. DH looked into it and shook his head -- he wasn't impressed at all.

The nice thing about ForKeeps' package is she gets the raw footage on DVD. Someday in the future, if A Magic Moment's music selection doesn't suit her, she can get it re-edited and use whatever music she wants. I looked into video editing software on the weekend and the stuff that's available to hobbyists is promising.

That's exactly why we went for it. WE also have video from dinner and the Grand 1 that DH wants to put together. He's excited to do his own version. He did a video for our last trip to Disney and really enjoyed working on it. Unfortunately they forgot to send the raw footage...so DH has to call to get it shipped. It's clearly in our package...just an oversight. Although, I did call to remind them it was included. And they forgot anyway.

I just received my Magic Moment video yesterday and we're esctatic! It's just beautiful.

But I completely agree, their customer service was terrible. No responses to emails, dealing with one person and expecting them to be the videographer and having someone else show upThe finished product blew us away. The editing was spectacular, the sound and picture quality stellar... I can't say enough good things.

Based on the end result, I would recommend this company in a heartbeat, but be prepared for a frustrating experience until the finished product is in your hands.

As far as photography goes, EVERYONE SHOULD HIRE RANDY CHAPMAN!!! He's just incredible - wonderful to deal with, AMAZING customer service (I think we talked 4 or 5 times on the phone leading up to the wedding; he rushed putting the album of proofs together so that he could personally deliver it to us before we came home to Canada from our honeymoon; and most importantly, his pictures are the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. He made us look like we walked straight out of a wedding magazine. He's wonderfully talented, affordable, and goes above and beyond. I promise you, the value for your money cannot be beaten.) (I could go on all day about Randy's great work!)

My two cents,
Linda

Interesting how our experiences were exactly the same. I did budget for the extra hour because I wanted him to be there at the resort and do "pre-wedding stuff". But yes -- A magic moment was very good, I'd recommend them but with the same warning you gave. And i second everything you said about Randy too!

 

[woodstoforrest]

A Magic Moment forgot to send us our raw footage as well, despite a reminder on the phone too.

It sounds like we had the exact same experiences! Too funny!

Cheers,
Linda

 

[ForKeeps]

A Magic Moment forgot to send us our raw footage as well, despite a reminder on the phone too.

It sounds like we had the exact same experiences! Too funny!

Cheers,
Linda

Looks like we have way too many similarities -- Randy, A magic moment, canadian.

hey check out our join dates

And I met DH in Ottawa. In fact, we're going this weekend to visit friends. I love ottawa and it's been far too long. I just hope the cold stays so that I can go skating on the canal.

 

[woodstoforrest]

Have fun in Ottawa this weekend. It's plenty cold and there are lots of Beavertails to be had. Mmm... Beavertails.

The canal looks good - the ice isn't nearly as rutted as it was when we went skating a few weeks ago.

Cheers,
Linda

 

[autumnbride2B]

Hi. I thought I would revive this thread since I just talked to the folks at A Magic Moment. I really appreciate the reviews by Forkeeps and Woodstoforrest. Do you both reccomend them even with the communication problems you had? Is there anyone else out their who can add to the reviews. I am interested in good or bad experiences. We are having a custom in October and I want to feel sure about the company I decide to go with since videography is so expensive.

thanks!

 

[ForKeeps]

Hi. I thought I would revive this thread since I just talked to the folks at A Magic Moment. I really appreciate the reviews by Forkeeps and Woodstoforrest. Do you both reccomend them even with the communication problems you had? Is there anyone else out their who can add to the reviews. I am interested in good or bad experiences. We are having a custom in October and I want to feel sure about the company I decide to go with since videography is so expensive.

thanks!

Hi! I would still recommend them. Knowing that their communication was lacking would have better helped me calm down when we first arrived. I was particularly nervous because there wasn't anyone on here that had used them recently -- so I was just hoping that it would all turn out ok (i.e., they'd show up, and then send the video).

But the video itself was great. They obviously put a lot of time and thought into it. I keep meaning to see if I can post a clip of it -- but I need DH for that and I've been so absent-minded lately. I'll ty to remember.

 

[dee slack]

does the $350 or $500 packages include videotape, or DVD? If it's tape, does anyone know if they do a PAL version for the UK?
There was a bride on here last year from the Uk who had them, but she's not been back since her wedding, and doesn't reply to PM's I've sent. Also, I wonder if they do a quicker service so we could take it home, rather than it being sent to the UK?

 

[autumnbride2B]

Dee
I don't know about A Magic Moment, but STVS has some intimate packages. They come on DVD unless you ask for a VHS tape and his price list says you can get a foreign conversion VHS for $35. The price list also has a rush completion (1 week) for $350 extra. I hope that is helpful for you.

 

[woodstoforrest]

Would I recommend A Magic Moment? Absolutely. All of the headaches and crappy customer service fell away when we saw what an amazing job they did on our video.

We got the intimate package (had to pay extra for longer because of the 1.5 hours in the package, 1 hour of it was used before anyone got there... see earlier review) and it was on DVD.

Hope that helps!

 

[dee slack]

Thanks, looks like we'll be going with them now, even before I get the demo's from the other 2 companies!

I'm thinking of having this package, and hope we won't need any extra time, as we don't want to exceed this price - just hope they come when I request them too and no earlier!

Intimate Deluxe
Includes 2 hours of videography coverage. Begins with a musical opening with name & title and can include up to 15 photos provided by bride & groom. Features more elaborate editing incorporating special effects such as freeze frame, color effects, & slow motion. Results in a more polished tape with smoother transitions. Ends with a romantic collage put together from footage done during wedding photography. Cost is $500