Top tips when choosing a wedding videographer
First of all congratulations! You’re engaged and about to embark on a wonderful time, preparing your wedding and getting excited about the big day. As you may have already seen, there is lots to think about when planning a wedding: venues, photographers, dresses, flowers and the all important guest-list! It can be a truly mind-boggling experience with so many choices and decisions.
Wedding videography has become more and more sought after by couples as technology advances and the experience of videographers grows. As with all wedding suppliers, there are many different types of videographer to choose from and we would like to give you some tips on what to look out for when selecting the supplier that’s perfect for you.
Style
It’s very important for couples’ to view a videographers work. Often there will be examples of wedding films on their websites and it’s always a good idea to check a few and make sure you like what you see. As a family run company W4 Wedding Films always personally film and edit each film, but It’s worth bearing in mind to check that the wedding films seen online have actually been filmed by the person who will film your wedding rather than another employer or contractor.
Cinematic v Traditional films
Many videographers, ourselves included, film in the cinematic style. This is where story-telling, shot composition and the look the image are given high importance. The films are usually shorter and often use audio from the speeches and ceremony throughout to tell the story and bring out the emotion of the day. These types of films are keepsakes, highly re-watchable and edited to look ‘film-like’.
Traditional wedding films are usually longer, often running over two hours and include more footage. However, the aim to to record as much of the day as possible, without as much emphasis placed on the look of the image or the composition of the shot. It’s this type of film that people often think about when people mention wedding videos and it’s important that you are happy with the type of film you will receive.
Short-form edits v Long-form edits
After the wedding has finished the work of the editor begins. Short-form edits are highly edited montage based films that don’t have to adhere to the chronology of the day, they are designed to maximise the emotion and feeling from the day. For example the film may start with audio of the Grooms speech with images of the couple showing and then continue with the bridal preparations and the arrivals at the ceremony. These films are very similar to the many ‘highlights’ films that you can see online on videographers websites. These films do not include the full ceremony and speeches within them and couples’ should check with their videographer if these are included as special features or if there is an extra fee.
Long-form edits include the full ceremony and speeches and tell the story in a chronological fashion without cutting to various parts of the day.
How is the sound captured?
The director George Lucas says that “sound is 50% of the film” and we certainly agree. It’s very important for couples’ to ask their videographer how they record the sound during their wedding. We at W4 Wedding Films, use different methods depending on the venue. Often we will use small discreet lapel microphones on the groom during the ceremony and then take a feed from the sound board during the speeches later in the day. Of course we and many videographers employ back-ups and different devices as no two weddings are the same. We believe that it’s important that couples’ can hear back clearly their vows and speeches and videographers should have the equipment to capture them well.
How is your wedding film sent to you?
Long gone are they days when wedding videos were sent to couples on several VHSs and now videographers will often send their films on DVD or Bluray. Couples’ should always check how many copies they will receive and also on what format. We also like to send our couples’ their films as a digital copy on a USB, this way they can be sure that they have a safe copy of the film and it’s future proofed for years to come.
Location, location location
Where is your wedding videographer based? We offer our videography in Berkshire, Surrey, London, Hampshire and UK wide. It's good for couples to check if their videographer will charge any extra for travel etc.
If in doubt, get in contact.
There are no retakes with a wedding film, so it’s important that you are happy with who you choose before your wedding. If after looking through a videographers films and website, you are still not sure, ask to speak with them. Most videographers will be very happy to arrange a chat either in person or over the phone. You may like to ask them if they have worked at your venue before? How many videographers will film you day and how long for? Will they want to arrange shots or do they film naturally?
Getting a wedding videographer for your wedding is a really lovely way to capture not only the sights but the sounds of your weddings. As will all suppliers there are different videographer who specialise and offer various styles and services. There will be a wedding videographer that’s perfect for you and your wedding. If you are still struggling to find one, then ask your venue if they can recommend a company or even try to Google your venues name and see if there are any videos that can be found in the results.
Congratulations again on your engagement and forthcoming wedding and we wish you all the best for your planning and big day.
W4 Wedding Films are award winning videographers based in London, Surrey, Berkshire and the South East. To view some of their work and to read more about their services, please visit www.w4weddingfilms.com or call 07913898964
