Birth Story Film Overview
Introduction
Congratulations on the coming of your new baby! I am so excited that you are considering me for filming your Birth Story. The moments leading up to your due date, the day of the baby’s birth, and the days that follow are so full of precious moments and memories that are so important to remember. A Birth Story Film is an excellent way to capture all of those special moments that you can look back on for years to come.
As a husband and a father of two boys, I know that there is a lot to think about when preparing for the arrival of your new baby already, and adding a videographer to the mix can be an added stress. So my goal is to do my best to ease as much of that stress as possible by explaining some details of what all comes along with filming a Birth Story.
The idea of a Birth Story is to do exactly what you would expect, to tell a story of the the anticipation and arrival of your new baby by capturing all the little moments that make up that story. I am going to give you an overview of what you can expect when we film your Birth Story. Ideally, there are three days worth of filming involved that looks something like this:
Full Birth Story Film Timeline
Segment #1
Prior to the arrival of your new baby, we want to capture moments of anticipation. This typically involves filming at the following milestones as you approach your delivery:
Ultra Sound
Baby Shower
Baby’s Nursery
Maternity Photo Shoot
Segment #2
On the day of your baby’s birth, we want to capture details and moments that happen from the time you arrive at the hospital (even if it’s 2am in the morning), the birth itself, and all of the formalities after baby arrives. Many of these shots include details of your birthing suite, guests and family in the waiting room, you and your spouse or family spending the day in the birthing suite as the nurses prep you, the birth itself, and the formalities that take place after the delivery such as skin to skin, the cutting of the umbilical cord, cleaning of the baby, footprints, etc. Segment #2 of filming typically ends around an hour after the delivery of your baby. I typically will arrive at the hospital as close to the same time as you do, and will film off and on for about an hour or so, depending on how quickly we are able to capture the “settling in” footage needed. Then I will leave the hospital and return when you are dilated to about 6 or 7 centimeters depending on how fast you are progressing and film off and on throughout the rest of your delivery process and then for about an hour after baby arrives. Of course, this is just a typical order of things and is always flexible as each delivery has it’s own unique progress. :) Also, if you are planning to have an all-natural birth, home-birth, or a scheduled c-section then the process again, is very flexible and may look different and can certainly be discussed ahead of time to make sure we are all on the same page.
Segment #3
On the day that you return home from the hospital, we want to capture all of the excitement that comes with taking your baby home with you. These shots typically include mom and dad holding the baby, buckling the baby in their car seat, exiting the hospital. (please note that due to the hospital not always being prompt, that shots of leaving the hospital are subject to the videographer’s availability and hospital’s diligence of discharging you on time.)
When you arrive home, we want to film you coming through the front door, and various shots of you and your baby settling in, interacting with your baby in their nursery such as changing your baby’s outfit, nursing, rocking them to sleep, etc. This process typically takes about 20-30 minutes total.
A Comfortable and Relaxed Atmosphere
I understand that the birth process has moments that require sensitive areas of the body to be exposed and that everyone's comfort levels are different when it comes to other people being present during these moments. It is important to me that you feel as comfortable and relaxed during your entire day, without having to worry about where the videographer is from moment to moment, and what is being captured on film. So in an effort to make you as comfortable as possible, I have created a form that will help me understand what is comfortable for you, and what is not. This will not only relieve you of the stress and mystery of the videographer's whereabouts, but it will also help all of us to know what to expect from each other throughout the day, making for a much more enjoyable and relaxed experience. When it comes time to finalize the booking of your Birth Story, you will be sent a contract to be signed, as well as the online form mentioned above.
To preview the online form that you will be asked to fill out, please click here.
Pricing
“Delivery Day Only” Birth Story Photos | $400 plus fuel for travel
Delivery Day Only Birth Story Photos include coverage starting around 6 or 7 centimeters dilated, the delivery, and up to 1hr after baby arrives.
“Delivery Day Only” Birth Story Film | $500 plus fuel for travel
The “Delivery Day Only” Birth Story Film option includes everything presented in Segment #2’s filming. You can view a “Delivery Day Only” Birth Story Film here.
Full Length Birth Story Film | $850 plus fuel for travel
The “Full Length Birth Story Film” option includes everything presented in segments #1, #2 and #3. You can view a Full Length Birth Story Film here.
$50 | Full length footage from a second camera that captures the delivery from the doctors point of view. This footage contains explicit footage of the vaginal birth for private viewing and sharing at the parent’s discretion.
DISCOUNTED RATES (currently unavailable due to Covid-19 not guaranteeing that filming the delivery at the hospital will be possible)
FREE | 1hr In-studio Maternity Photo Shoot (for mom only) when Full Length Birth Story Film is booked
$100 | 1hr In-Studio Maternity Photo Shoot (for mom only) when a “Delivery Day Only” Birth Story Film or “Delivery Day Only Birth Story Photos” are booked. (normal price starts at $200/hr)
A 25% non-refundable deposit is required at the signing of your contract, and a fuel charge may be added at .54 cents/mile depending on the amount of travel involved for shooting your Birth Story Film. The remaining balance for the Birth Story Film is requested to be paid on the day of the baby's birth, and not before.
Disclaimer: If your doctor issued, *due date* falls on a day that the videographer is unavailable to shoot due to a prior booking, or being out of town, or any fault of their own and is unable to film your delivery, Joshua M. Films + Photography will issue a full refund of your 25% deposit within 30 days of the day of your baby's birth.
Although diligent efforts are made to stay available within a week prior and a week after your official due date for flexibility, Joshua M. is not obligated to reserve any specific days other than the doctor issued due date for the delivery, and if the delivery day falls on a day other than the doctor issued due date, and the videographer is unavailable, then a refund will be at the discretion of Joshua M. Photography.
Joshua M. promises to work with scheduling for all post delivery activities such as leaving the hospital and arriving at home, but flexibility from the clients is greatly appreciated. All arriving home shots can be “staged” if videographer were to be unavailable on the actual day that you leave the hospital.
If you have any questions regarding the Birth Story process, please do not hesitate to message me any time. It is my goal to provide you with as much detail and communication up front, to make your experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible.