WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHY
I think it’s safe to say we’ve all seen our parents’ wedding videos, and as beautiful as they are, they can be painful to watch at times.
Wedding videography now, for lack of better terms, is absolutely unreal. What wedding videographers are doing now is pure artistry, so creative and super cool. We spend so much time and money hosting all our friends and family in celebrating our love, our wedding... Getting a great videographer is AN ABSOLUTE MUST!
The great news is, there is a videographer suited to everyone’s style and taste. However, you may not know what your style is or really what your taste is. The only way to find out what is really suited to you is, to watch wedding videos, have a call with the proposed videographer and ask them questions. Get to know them, ask them about their approach, feel their energy, look through their portfolio and, very soon you know if you like them. If their energy is great and their work is great - go for it and don’t delay booking - these talented folk get snapped up quickly!
Energy is a big one for us, we pretty much point a camera in your direction for the most part of the day. It’s essential that we are connected in some way, that we enjoy being in the company of one another. That there is some level of trust built between us. This allows room for creative expression on our end and you being at total ease in the process, resulting in a very personalized and unique wedding film made just for you.
So let’s breakdown all the “buzz” words:
DOCUMENTARY / JOURNALISTIC FILMS
CINEMATIC FILMS
FEATURE / SHORT FILMS
TRADITIONAL FILMS
Documentary - also known as “journalistic”, typically this will be a very raw and natural style of shooting, less posing, less creativity and more “real” moments being documented throughout the day. This can also carry through to the final product, usually resulting in a 60-90 minute documentary style film that can include full ceremony and speeches.
Cinematic - a word being used a lot in recent years. Typically this shooting style is “cinematic”, meaning; super wide, slow motion, emotive and pulling drama from various elements of the day. A lot of the camera work is usually shots on gimbals or steadicams(tools to make the shots super smooth). The shooting style can be more “hands on” throughout the day, posing or setting up shots etc. There is usually a lot of colour grading involved to enhance the “film” feel. The final product can vary in length, anything from 5-60 minutes.
Feature films - also known are shorts, these are highly edited and creative films. Typically a lot of work goes into these films in post production. The shooting style can be both documentary and cinematic. These films are “cinematic”, in that they have great visuals, great sound production, detail-oriented and hand crafted. They can include some aspects of the ceremony and speeches, every film is usually very different from the next as they are far more custom made for each couple. The final product is usually a 10-20 minute film.
Traditional - this genre is becoming a thing of the past. This is the original style of wedding video, where the shooter films all day long, usually shoulder mounted and results in a very long video anywhere from 2-3 hours with very little editing. These films are becoming less popular with all the new cool kids on the block.
But I’m seeing all of these “buzz’ words, styles and approaches from one videographer?
That’s the thing. There can be a lot of overlapping between all of the styles. The easiest way to determine the final product is by watching the films in their portfolio. Ask to see the final products, see what “add on” options there are, ask them to explain the final product to you. This is really where you have to do your due diligence in reviewing their work and asking questions. I think I can speak for all of us videographers when I say give us a call, we’re more than happy to walk you through our approach, shooting style and deliverables.
Can we talk about the cost for a minute, I wasn’t expecting such high rates for a video?!
All good things don’t come cheap! (I want to leave that as a powerful one-liner but I won’t).
The fact is, so much experience, skill, time and equipment goes into making wedding films. Thousands of $$$’s in; cameras, drones, microphones, batteries, memory cards, hard drives, online delivery platforms, websites, USB’s, music licensing fees, editors, shooters… and the list goes on.
The cost is nearly always reflected in the final product and professional experience. Sometimes it’s easy to build up expectations on what things cost, it’s better to leave those expectations at the door and just go with what feels right.
Enjoy your wedding, every bit of it, and get a great creative team to tell that story!
As always, get in touch if you want to know more.
Lots of love,
Aoife & Emilly
xo