Recently, my cousin got engaged, and I will be his best man. Naturally, the topic of who would be his wedding videographer came up. His answer was simple: What should I look for in a wedding videographer? Being in the business myself, I would like to shed some light on the subject.
Experience
If you’re looking for a wedding videographer, look for someone who shoots weddings all the time. A busy wedding cinematographer will shoot an average of 20–35 weddings per year. More than 35 weddings can be considered excessive.
First of all, make sure your videographer has done more than thirty weddings. If he or she has done more than fifty weddings, he can easily be considered a skilled videographer.
I wouldn’t really put much weight on it if the videographer says he or she has two, three, or five years of experience. It doesn’t matter much. It’s about how many weddings he or she has done. The more, the merrier.
Why is experience so important to me? Because in DSLR video, focusing is extremely important and difficult, and practise makes perfect. Unless you prefer video that goes in and out of focus, you should look for a videographer who will keep your video sharp.
One versus multiple videographers
Ask if the videographer can show you videos that he or she shot alone at a wedding. And then they’ve done work with two or three videographers. This is really important.
Depending on your budget, you may want to go with just one wedding videographer instead of several. See samples of his or her work while shooting a wedding video on your own. Ask what the best position is for him or her to take during the ceremony and reception.
Ask to see work while also working with different videographers. how they position each camera during the ceremony and reception.
Ask to watch clips of a wedding video more than one time. Many wedding videographers emphasise the climax more than the wedding video itself. I’ve seen videographers miss important parts of the ceremony because they were trying to get an exotic angle from the aisle floor or slider. They do this just to create more production value for their highlights to show future customers.
DSLR
Another important point to discuss is their equipment. If you’re paying a wedding videographer, let’s say over $2000, make sure they use DSLR cameras, preferably Canon cameras.
There are many videographers who still use regular HD cameras, which will give you an acceptable image but not the cinematic look that DSLR cameras would give you.
Lights
Ask about lighting. Discuss the lighting during the ceremony. Churches usually have good lighting, but if the church isn’t lighting it well, ask the wedding videographer how they handle low-light situations.
It is very important to ask about lighting for the reception. How do they plan to use them, and what kind of lighting equipment do they use?
Reception rooms are usually very dark, which makes shooting wedding videos very challenging as you need to ensure good lighting without ruining the mood. Make sure your wedding videographer has adequate lighting for introductions, the first dance, the dance with parents, speeches, and cake cutting—all important moments of the reception.
Ask about lighting while dancing. Check that they don’t use too much lighting that could ruin the atmosphere of the reception or the lighting that the DJ or lighting specialist is using for your wedding. But make sure they use a good light source to illuminate your dancing guests.
Sound
Picture quality is only half of your wedding video; sound is the other half.
A wedding video with poor sound can affect the quality of the video.
Ask the wedding cinematographer how they capture sound during the ceremony and reception, especially if you’re getting married in a church that has a lot of reverberation. Just make sure they mimic the officiant or officiants, the groom, and the podium. They should be able to capture good sound from anywhere people are talking or singing.
Make sure they put a microphone on the singer, or at least have recording equipment nearby if they don’t have more lavaliere microphones or if there is more than one singer.
Sound in the reception hall:
The reception is very noisy. People are cheering, talking, etc. Talk to your videographer and make sure they get the sound from different sources, for example, by connecting their recording device directly to the DJ or band. Wedding videographers also need to capture atmospheric sound (ambient sound is important to get reactions from your guests).
Being inconspicuous
An important point to discuss is how they work. I’ve seen videographers who are so pushy that they have 2 or 3 videographers very close to the bride and groom during the first dance or when dancing with their parents. They are so pushy that it is impossible for the wedding photographers to get a decent picture of the couple. Many videographers, trying to capture exotic angles or images for their highlights, get loud and noticeable during the wedding ceremony and reception. Make sure they are respectful, unobtrusive, and have a good working relationship with the photographers or other suppliers.
Video length
Ask how long your wedding video will be. I’ve heard of wedding cinematographers charging a lot of money for their service but only providing a 5-minute highlight reel and raw footage. Paying a few thousand more will get you 20 to 30 minutes of wedding video. They reason that a video longer than 30 minutes could be boring, and people wouldn’t enjoy it. I’m one of those wedding videographers who doesn’t believe that. I think the client could get a nicely edited wedding video of the entire wedding without it getting boring. If you want to jump to a particular part of the video, there are always the chapters. Just go to the scene selection on your DVD or Blu-ray and select what you want to watch. Don’t get me wrong; a shorter version of your wedding video is great, and we offer it too. In reality,
Turn around
Ask about the lead time for the work. There are many studios that promise a first draught of your wedding video within five or six months. I think that’s too long. I provide a first draught of a wedding video within two months of the wedding day, so I can’t really comprehend six months.
Check how the final product is delivered. Many companies still only supply their customers with DVDs, and what good is it to record something in HD if it comes in standard definition? Other wedding videographers will charge extra for Blu-rays. So make sure you know the final format. Even if you don’t have Blu-ray, make sure you get Blu-ray.
Inquire if they provide unlimited online access to the video or digital copies for your mobile device.
Check if they allow changes to your wedding video and what the terms are for those changes.
A wedding video is one of the best memories you will have of your wedding day. You need to make sure you get the best wedding video possible.
Have a happy marriage!