Featured Vendor: Lawson’s Video Production
If creativity is energy, then Jason Lawson radiates gigawatts of creativity. Detroit Wedding Day was fortunate to sit down with wedding videographer, Jason Lawson, the owner of Lawson Video Production, as he shared his humble beginnings to what is now a passion-filled 20-year-old career.
The Beginning
Years before he bought his first video mixer, Lawson was fascinated with cords. Music cords, that is. He was the bass guitar player for several well-known local reggae bands that included the groups, Makah Rhythm Tribe and JoNab.
When Lawson was asked, what was the appeal of the reggae music, he stated, “I had a friend who was playing with the band Black Uhuru. It was crazy man. The music. The beat. The crowd. It just grabbed me. I loved it!”
As his band’ s fan base grew throughout Michigan, neighboring states, and in parts of Canada, Lawson decided to step away from the life of a traveling musician which sometimes resulted in him touring on the road for upwards of seven days a week. Not to be outdone, he transformed his music creativity in pursuit of a new creative outlet.
Video production sparked an interest in Lawson, and being an artist who enjoyed creating and producing new things, this was a good fit.
“As a child with film and older cameras, I knew people who were doing some video production at Barton Cable. So, I joined them in video production as well as joining Barton Cable in television production.”
Lawson cut his teeth in the business working as a freelance artist with Barton Cable. He performed the functions of a camera operator and production assistant for nearly five years. Many of his assignments at that time were covering school and sporting events. One show that he worked on was a local favorite called Sports Vibe. Working with the cable company provided the hands-on experience that he needed before launching his own business.
Surprisingly, his former career as a musician actually helped prepare him for his new video production business. He reflected back during the time when he was still with the band writing original music for an upcoming album.
“We had one album and we were working on the second album. We wrote our own music. Because of that process, I was creative with music and I was able to be equally creative in video production. I understood the concept of how to start and finish a project. I had a good insight of production from the music standpoint, so I just transferred all of that. Audio-video is video production,” said Lawson.
Lawson also said that he feels music is very important in a video piece. “It creates the mood and emotion”, said Lawson. He attributed part of his success with his skillful ability to masterfully combine the visual elements of video with the audio elements of music.
In fact, he shared how admirers of his work prompted him to launch a new project.
“I would have potential brides come over and watch my video production. They would want to watch the whole video which was 1 ½ hour long.”
Lawson knew he was onto something special and being the creative thinker that he was, instead of investing more time with brides who were interested in watching him actually produce a video, he created a show that showcased his talents while providing value to soon-to-be brides. This resulted in a television show called the I Do Wedding Show. The show was broadcast online on lawsonsvideoproductions.com and on Comcast Cable for three years. The I Do Wedding Show, now 10 years old, will be relaunched in upcoming months according to Lawson.
Being a small video production company allows the team to produce videos with more customization and avoid the simple cookie-cutter template approach.
“The number of wedding videos that I produce are more custom. I’m not trying to do 100 videos a year.”
Having a television background has served Lawson well in his business, resulting in added benefits for his clients.
“Because of my television background, I have always mixed my productions live. I am able to mix a wedding, right then and there. I’m able to mix a reception so that at the end of a night I’m eighty percent finished. So, when I get back from the wedding, I only have twenty percent left to do. I should be able to give people their finished video within 30 days or less.”
In addition to this, he also offers live streaming to his customers. He said most people in this area don’t do live television, so the live streaming technique that he brings to the table is unique.
“This area of television of live switching, live recording, live streaming is different. People know how to stream using their cell phone, but that’s not what I do. It’s at an entirely different level. It’s a sacrifice of love”.
He admits that he is not the only business offering live streaming services but there are not many who do offer this new use of technology.
“I’m excited about the live streaming because brides can stream their reception. When people get married they sit down and talk about all the people that they want to invite to the wedding. But when it gets to the reception, they quickly realize that they can’t invite all those people to the reception. So, by streaming the reception they can just invite, for instance, 200 people to the reception. The 200 other people that they had to take off of the list, can still join in and be a part of the wedding day by watching it.”
Lawson said the idea of streaming your wedding and reception is still cutting-edge right now but he expects more brides to take advantage of this new technology. He said live streaming is a good alternative for friends and family members who are out of town or are unable to attend due to health restrictions. The streaming option is also a great alternative for those friends and family members who just can’t afford to attend the wedding or reception due to travel expenses.
Lawson has a supportive team working with him and he credits part of the business’ success to them. His wife, Donna, handles the office administrative work and desktop publishing projects. Additionally, a crew of camera operators handles much of the on-site filming. On a typical shoot, it is not uncommon for Lawson to be on-site with a crew of three to six people.
Lawson said that he takes time with his clients to educate them on the importance and benefits of having a videographer capture their special day.
“Most people will have a photographer but the bride will miss a lot of the wedding due to excitement or being hidden away. A wedding is similar to a family reunion. You’ll see grandmothers, mothers, uncles, aunts, cousins. It becomes a historical piece of something that you can look back on for years and years. And once they have children, the children can see what mom and dad were like before them.”
He recalled a cousin for whom he recorded a video 15 years ago. He says that even years after the marriage ended, his cousin still pulls out her wedding video to fondly remember family members who have since passed on. This is her opportunity to see them full of life, talking and having a good time forever captured on film.
Some features added to the videos, in addition to including intros and outros, are interviews of the bridal party, guests, special effects, and more. During the first client consultation, Lawson takes the time to understand what the client’s expectations; but he also uses that time to make recommendations. He collaborates with the events planners and wedding coordinators to make sure that everyone is on the same page. All-in-all, his creative influence and years of experience result in a treasured piece.
“You don’t want to miss anything. You can’t miss anything. Because I’ve done over three hundred weddings I don’t miss things. I’m totally prepared for that wedding day to capture everything that is important to the client”.
Lawson usually shoots events in the metro Detroit area, however, he will travel for a limited number of projects.
In addition to wedding video coverage, many customers also employ his service to cover other types of events such as church events, conventions, plays, concerts, and sporting events. In many of these types of projects, he uses multiple camera set-ups and performs on-location video mixing.
“That’s what I really enjoy. Working with a team of people and creating more than just basic video production. I put in an extra effort in hopes that my work is a lot different than your basic videographer.”
When asked the question of how he differs from his competitors, he responded, “I naturally do more than what the client expects. It’s not always about the cost of the job. I do a lot of extra because I want to make sure that I get everything that I want in it. It doesn’t matter if they pay for it or not. I do whatever it takes to ensure that their project is probably something they’re not going to expect. I want to make sure that they have a good experience and not expect what I give them. They get more.”
Words of Advice
He suggested that couples shop around and be cognitive of how they feel about the vendor before hiring them. He also suggested that customers be careful not to ignore what their eyes are telling them about the vendor and the product.
“It’s not always about the price. Shop around. You don’t have to hire the most expensive or the cheapest person. You don’t have to pay $10,000 for a wedding video. It can be affordable. It can fit in your budget”.
The second word of advice offered by Lawson is to hire a professional videographer.
“You want to stay away from hiring your relatives or other people that say they can do it if they are not actually in that business”.
What’s Next for Lawson Video Production?
Lawson says that he plans to increase the video streaming part of his business. He shared that he will also be producing unique programming in the wedding niche.
“My next direction is to really revolutionize the wedding industry as well as the bridal show industry. I’m going to make that electronically”.
When Lawson is not editing video or producing shows, he is working as a research technician for a local paint company, spending time developing himself, or attending Word of Faith International Christian Center.
“I’m a spiritual person, so I focus on the word and helping people. I try to understand life and live it being the best that I can be so that I can help some people who are going through somethings. Spiritually, I can give a word and speak into their lives”.
In closing, Lawson says that he is excited about the anticipated new changes in store for the company. With the new product offering enhancements on the horizon, Lawson Video Production is definitely a company to keep your eyes on.
