Videotaping Karate

[amd250]

Hello,

I have my own video business and currently do Dance recitals. Do any Karate Schools have like recital for thier students? Does anyone have it videotaped. We sell the DVD's for $30 each. We charge the school nothing for videotaping it and usually will give a few for free. Just wondering if this an untapped market we can work with.

Thanks

Tony

[ps1]

Honestly, the market for that kind of thing is likely pretty small. The closest thing that many schools have to a "recital" is usually a rank testing. This is when the students get to demonstrate their skills and are promoted to the next rank. However, they are often closed to anyone other than family.

In addition, most of today's youth is so tech savvy that they simply video it themselves and do all the editing on their home PC.

Good luck with your project.

[JohnASE]

I think that's a great idea! ps1 might be right about the market being small, but it might be large enough to be worth doing, especially if that's what you found with dance. I know that if I'm shooting something, I'm not paying as much attention to the event as I'd like. I might pay someone to do it for me.

I also agree that rank testing is probably your best event. It's usually pretty crowded, but I can think of many instructors that would allow it, especially if it minimizes parents stepping all over each other trying to set up a shot of their kids. Of course, rank testing at the lower ranks might occur too frequently to pay for each one.

Another event you might look into are small karate tournaments. Some people run small competitions in their karate school, usually with one to three schools participating. I'd imagine they usually only use one ring, so covering the event might be easier than a big event with multiple rings. The upside is that more people will be involved. The downside is that they often run all day long, so it'll take a lot more time to shoot and edit.

The Ozawa Cup karate tournament in Las Vegas sells a DVD of their finals competitions and demonstrations. The event usually runs from about 10am to 5pm on one stage. They produce something like 4.5 to 5 hours of content which they sell for $25-$35, mostly to participants and their families. I don't know how many units they sell, but they've continued doing them for maybe 9 years now, so I guess they're moving enough to make it worthwhile.