The MPV Award As It Relates to Wedding Videos and Events

The MPV designation known as Merited Professional Videographer, is a designation that you receive through an organization know as WEVA, also known as the Wedding and Event Videographers Association International. What captured our attention was this MPV award, so I had my staff investigate what this MPV is all about.

Does the MPV awarded videographer ensure that you, as a bride, will enjoy your wedding video? The answer is a resounding No! I am certain at this point you as a bride and groom are wondering why I would make an assertion like this. The reason is, at one point as a wedding video production company, we were actually considering having our entire staff attain this award. When we looked into the details of what is required to attain this coveted MPV status, we were astounded by what we found out. We also noted that there are only a handful of video production companies worldwide that have this designation. This made me wonder why, out of all the thousands of top rated video production companies so few have received this award.

This peaked our curiosity. Do not misunderstand what we are saying here. We, as a wedding video production company are all in favor of furthering our education, training and knowledge. WEVA is known as the Wedding Event Videographers Association International. This is an organization of professional and even some amateur videographers that have joined together to promote, educate and inform the videography production community.

In order to obtain the MPV award, since it is a WEVA creation, you must be a member of the organization to be eligible. The requirement to obtain the MPV designation, taken right from the WEVA website are as follows:

Any person making application for the WEVA International MPV program must be a current active member of WEVA International at the time of filing this application.
The applicant must be employed in the business of videography, or related fields, for the two years immediately preceding application.
To earn WEVA International MPV status, each applicant must successfully complete two phases of the testing process:
Pass the written examination on technical and practical knowledge.
Event Video submissions must pass the Image Review Panel. Videos may be submitted only after the written exam has been passed.
NOTE: WEVA International MPV status will be awarded once ALL PHASES of the application process have been successfully completed.

The Image Review Panel requirements are and again taken right from the WEVA website are as follows:

Two video submissions of a social event (i.e. wedding, bar or bat mitzvah, sweet 16) in its entirety, as was given to the client, will be required. No submission that has been made under the supervision of an instructor or as a class assignment with the assistance of another videographer will be eligible. The submission must be on DVD-R.

All video submissions sent to the Continuing Education office must have no author/ creator identification on the tape, except for the assigned applicant ID number, which is the last 4 digits of the applicants SS#. If these rules are not met in any one of the submitted pieces, ALL the applicants submissions will be rejected.

As you can see, this is a lot of work. We added up the costs involved in obtaining the MPV designation. The cost comes out to appoximately $800.00, which includes WEVA membership, self study guides, work book, lab costs and the application fee to take the written exam. Again, let me stress that we have no problem with people trying to better themselves through education. We actually encourage it. Once we figured everything involved, including the 20-30 hours for the study guide and the 35 credits of continuing education, we felt as an organization that this time and money could be used in a much more productive and efficient way. In my personal opinion, the reason there are only a handful of these MPV designations awarded, is because it is extremely time consuming and expensive to get an award that means nothing to anyone other than the person or company that receives it. I think the number of MPV awards out there speaks of itself. I would be willing to bet that 90% of the WEVA membership could attain this award if they chose to.

I have never yet seen a bride and groom's eyes welled up with tears while watching their wedding video, because you are an MPV award holder. As far as the video review panel, this opens up a whole new can of worms. It brings up one of the dirtiest words in the English language, and that is politics. Even though, the image review panel has the videos numbered based on the last digits of your Social Security number, there is no mistaking style. Over the years, I have viewed thousands of wedding video productions of many companies. It is funny how after a period of time you see certain things by the same production companies put in different fashions. Eventually, you can determine almost immediately who the producer is.

For example, if a producer uses the music of the band KORN, in one video and the next they use Marilyn Manson, and the following video they use another head banging band, I guarantee you will know by the style who the video production artist is.

Another thing I became aware of, is that two video producers that I know personally were judges on the image review panel. I am not questioning the integrity of these people, but it does open the door for politics to sneak in the door as it does in almost everything we encounter in life. I do bring into question their qualifications since I know them and have seen their work. My Company, nor are any of my employees members of WEVA or has any one filed an application for the MPV designation.

As a Professional Video Company, I would rather spend the money and time perfecting my work. Another thing that popped in to my mind is why would you spend this money on something like the MPV award when you could put that money towards a College Degree in Television & Communications. I guarantee you the College Degree carries a ton more weight that the MPV award does.

The proof is in the brides reaction to the video you produce, not some intangible designation. In our opinion the MPV is useless to us as a business.

This artticle has been was written by myeslf for my newsletter and since the autor is the same person, permission for use is granted.

Joe Sabol is an Internationally known videographer with almost 28yrs experience in the video industry. Please visit us at http://jandjvideoproductions.com for more information.

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