Small Run Duplication?

[TimStannard]

I'm far from a pro but I have had my arm twisted into filming the school nativity play (yawn) by a number of the mums who've seen my work. I've had the OK from the school, sorted out the LM licences (and had the OK from the publishers) and will be filming two performances with two cameras and so should just about be able to scrape together reasonable coverage. I accept lighting and sound will be an issue, but it'll be a step up from what they're used to.

My question is what to do with the finished product.

Basically I'd like to hand ove the DVD and artwork (what format?) for the DVD and the case to ahouse who will print the whole caboodle - burn the DVDs, print on them (preferably TY Watershield), print the covers and supply the cases.
Wuantities may be 25, 50 or 100 - it's an untested market at this school (180 pupils in the production)

Any recommendations? What sort of prices should I be looking at?

Or should I not go for an all in one solution and get covers printed in one place, DVDs burned elsewhere?

Or do it all myself?

[Midnight Blue]

If you have a look on HERE Tim it will give you a guide price for the full package. They seem reasonable price wise and give a good product but you might want to shop around as I'm sure you can find cheaper. For 50 disks they do the whole thing printed disk, printed cover, delivered for £166.26 inc VAT. You will see they have a range of options for you to play with.

[TimStannard]

Thanks Midnight. Is this a personal recommendation (ie have you used them?)

[Z Cheema]

Have done my first one already, so here's what I do
Get the orders in first (ask the school to do slips or put them out) and they must reach a threshold to make the film & edit worthwhile
This may be 30 say.You can then either do a single cost with some copies and then additional copies at £x, with the school then marking up for their funds
Or you take the lost and charge say £12 - =£19.99, what ever you think your costs and are worth

Get a program about a week before the event so you can do the artwork and get the credits ready (also get logos)
I keep artwork simple and black and the same with the DVD to keep costs down
I have just done a run of 50 at home, about a days work I have a 3 copier bay & a Canon MP980 printer

You could also ask the school if they can make the programme the same size as the DVD case and use them to save on costs.

[Bpotter908]

With these items I'd say have 25 copies out-right printed and duped ready to be picked up on the day and if the demand is higher, They can fill in an order form and collect from the school.

That is the "safest" option, As you will be keeping your immediate cost down and as you don't know what the uptake will be, I'd say it's better that then buying 100-200 copies which may sit in a box un-used.

EDIT: Just read Zs post above mine and that is by far the most frugal way of handling the situation!

[Midnight Blue]

Thanks Midnight. Is this a personal recommendation (ie have you used them?)

I haven't used them but I did look into this a while ago. You can get it done cheaper but not by much. They seem to be a very professional, reliable company who are totally setup to do exactly what you want.

You could have a go at buying blank cases and blank discs and doing everything your self at home but it won't be much cheaper. The only drawback, as I see it, is the minimum order of 50 at a time. So if you need 75 your a bit buggered. You could impose this restriction on the school if they want to make money on it. ie They buy the DVDs and then sell them onto parents at what ever price they want. You sell them the disks "at a discount" which covers your cost and a bit of pocket money. You get paid up front, they are happy to make the money.


If they come to you asking for half a dozen more you could explain that you can do it but they won't be as posh as the others ie not printed or go to your local OIV member who is usually set up to produce these short runs.

[Zero]

We now cover about 30 shows a year and have refined the process as we've gone along so cherry pick where you wish Tim.
I've always duplicated our own with a 1-7 duplicator, I have 2 but got one for £100. Cheap as chips.
As time went on we noticed sales drop due to pirate copiers, everyone can now do it, and it eats into sales, so we now send a master off for copy protection.(about £150 for 100 DVDs) so every job now realises they can't be copied and extra sales pay for the protection racket.

We always print the sleeves on a colour laser (about £150) 100 come out in 10 minutes.
For printing the DVDs we used to use 3 Epson CD printers and though laborious 100 can be printed in half a day.
We now use a copytrax 100 DVD caddy that works unattended.
WE cost DVDs at £15 each, with 100 + orders they're £14, so the school gets £100 for their kitty + whatever their mark up is.
Hope this helps. If you need more info PM me.

p.s Production - Learnt the hard way this one. Don't, whatever you do add cast list credits to the DVD. Sometimes the programme has spelling mistakes and duplicating this can lead to serious whingeing and a remastering job. + It's time consuming adding all those names.
The only credits I give are to choregraphers/lighting/director and these are on the DVD sleeve.

[TimStannard]

Ask a simple question about duplication and I get a whole load of real-life experience thrown back at me.

This is what the internet is all about. You guys are great. I can't thank you enough.

Great tip about names etc, Zero

[TimStannard]

Just closing this of, I wanted to say that in the end, I used the Duplication Centre - the firm Midnight linked to. In particular their 48hour turn around and the fact they work 7 days a week appealed as it was obviously beneficial to get these nativity DVDs out before Christmas.

Having emailed them pdfs of the artwork to check they were happy, I shipped a mater DVD via special delivery in the last post on Friday. I went for the standard £5.45 special delivery, rather than the £20+ guaranteed Saturday special delivery - because (a) actually it doesn't guarantee anything, it just means you'll get reimbursed if it doesn't arrive (b) it wouldn't be the end of teh world if it didn't arrive until Monday and (c) I figured once it was in the system it was just as ikely to arrive on Saturday anyway.

I was right. Tracking it on-line I could see it got delivered Saturday am.

My order of 90 DVDs were despatched on Monday and arrived Tuesday am. My wife was then able to deliver the 67 which had been pre ordered to the school to the relevant classrooms for distribution on this, the last day of term. She returned at the end of school, collected the two which had not been destributed (early holidays for those kids) and sold the remainder there and then.

90 DVDs - colour printed & laquered in 90 standard black boxes with colour laser printed DVD covers, turned round and delivered for £185.94 including delivery and VAT. I'd have had to work on them for most of the weekend to produce them myself, so I think that's excellent value.

[Z Cheema]

Pleased to hear it Tim.