Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Burleson.
Rachael, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
VirtuReel started on a cramped flight at the end of a long journey. At the time, traveling and exploring the world was what I looked forward to most in life. I would save and spend thousands of dollars just to hop on a plane and go on an elaborate trek somewhere around the world. My partner Michael had made a few short films and was his happiest behind the camera. We combined our loves of travel and film and decided to create a virtual reality travel series (think Anthony Bourdain but in 360°). We wanted to create travel documentaries that viewers could experience as if they were there. We spent our savings on a VR camera and traveled to exotic destinations like Iceland, Japan, Amsterdam, and road tripped around the US. When we returned home, we struggled to find a market to profit off of our documentaries. We didn’t have the resources to compete with larger VR companies such as Google and others.
With bills and life piling up we were hemorrhaging cash and needed to make some aggressive moves. At the time, I was finishing my Global Business degree at The University of Texas at Dallas. My Entrepreneurship & Innovation curriculum focused on the inevitable process of failure and pivoting. Failure was always a powerful fear for us since we had spent so much time and capital on VR. While searching for our next move, a friend asked us if we would film her wedding. At first we were unsure if this was a direction we wanted VirtuReel to go. We ultimately decided to accept the offer and pivoted to a market with more opportunity and room for fiscal growth. Three years and over 100 weddings later, we established VirtuReel Weddings- a Wedding Film company that provides custom and artistic films for couples wanting to save the memory of their wedding day.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Like most adventures, it has been anything but a smooth road. Video production is an expensive business to be apart of. The cost and amount of gear you need can be devastating if you are self-funding your business. You can expect to spend thousands of dollars on cameras, lenses, audio gear, and a computer that will handle your editing workload. For our first two years, we were renting gear for every wedding, sometimes not making a penny of profit after factoring in rental equipment, a rental car and gas. We were exhausted and broke and I sensed criticism from other wedding pros for charging so little. But by doing so, we created a strong business relationship with budget brides and were able to learn so much about the wedding market. We provided a quality and affordable service to couples who didn’t have the means to afford top tier videographers. Our clients were so happy with their product they consistently recommended us to other potential clients. As our films increased in quality and our inquiries grew, we steadily began to increase our prices.
Firstly, my advice would be to not let the start up cost immediately discourage you. You can buy used and rent gear until you have enough capital to upgrade your equipment. Cut expenses where you can, like working from home instead renting office space. I found a quote that has stuck with me since day one, “Start small, think big, scale fast”. Secondly, the wedding videography business tends to be male-dominated. There are many times when clients and vendors would overlook me and direct their questions directly to my partner. At first, this really bugged me and I would take it personally. Since then, I have found that confidence and eye contact go a long way. Don’t be afraid to speak up and let people know that this is your rodeo.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with VirtuReel Productions – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Our wedding films tell the story of the couple’s unique wedding day. We focus on emotionally captivating scenes like first looks, vows, toasts, and special dances/tributes. We take a laid back approach with our clients and fade into the background in order to capture the most candid scenes. This allows us to record moments that the bride and groom don’t always get to see. Our personalities aren’t a large part of our brand and really only come out when we are trying to make our clients feel comfortable so we can pull more emotion from them.
What sets us apart from other wedding videographer’s style is our ambition to tailor each film for that specific client. Our style changes based upon the couple’s personality, vision and interests. We try to deliver a product that is uniquely different each time.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
I enjoy reading books that follow the lives of self-made people and entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, Mark Cuban and Sophia Amoruso. I am also inspired by fellow wedding videographers like Ocular Pop and White In Revery. I watch their work and follow their social media to learn more about our industry and to be inspired by new techniques.
Michael will spend countless hours on YouTube watching tutorials from industry professionals like Matt Johnson and learn how to use new production gear or how to build an editing computer.
We find inspiration everywhere! We are incredibly motivated by movies, documentaries and TV series. When we watch movies or TV together, we concentrate on the cinematography and tie it into our own work-from color grading, to camera angles, to sound design. I am a firm believer in speaking the things I want into existence, vision boards and self-fulfilling my own prophecies. So with that being said, one day you will see VirtuReel premiering our own original film on the big screen!
Pricing:
- Bronze Highlight Package (4 Hours)- $1,500
- Silver Highlight Package (6 Hours)- $2,000
- Gold Highlight Package (8 Hours)- $2,500
- Platinum Documentary Package (10 Hours)- $3,500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.virtureelproductions.com
- Phone: 940-765-7866
- Email: virtureelproductions@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtureel_weddings/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VirtuReelWeddings/
Image Credit:
Becky Burleson, Courtney Morgan.
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