All Things Wedding Videography
Weddings have a way of passing by in a blur. The pictures and video are the only concrete things you will have left to remember all of the special little moments that flew by. Video has the ability to capture the emotion and actual audio from your wedding, which is a huge asset when you want to relive your day. A professional wedding video is an investment in your memories! When it comes to booking a videographer there is a lot to consider in order to feel confident in your selection. Follow this guide to have a positive experience from start to finish with your wedding videographer!
This article is divided into 3 sections:
Things to consider about wedding videographers
Questions to ask a videographer prior to booking
What to do after booking to maximize the videographers services
Things to consider about wedding videos & videographers
There are five main styles of wedding videography- There are 5 major styles of wedding videography, but they rarely exist on their own. They are often blended together at the discretion of the videographer.
Cinematic: A cinematic wedding video has a very Hollywood romance film feel. The videographer utilizes similar angles, transitions, colors, filters, and editing techniques used in the movies. These videos usually feature romantic or meaningful music that fades in and out as voice overs from the wedding vows and speeches are mixed in. This editing style doesn’t necessarily display events in chronological order, but instead tells your story from a more artistic point of view. This style focuses on playing up the significance and romance of the day!
Short form: Short form is a quick highlight reel summarizing your day. The video will follow you from getting ready, to the ceremony, all the way through to dancing (usually; depending on how many hours are included in your package either the beginning or the end may be missed). Short form films are typically 3-5 minutes in length and can be done in cinematic, storytelling, or documentary style.
Storytelling: Storytelling is very similar to cinematic, it's just a little less dramatic. Videographers who identify with this style tend to include all of those great angles, transitions, and creative techniques used in cinematic style. A true storytelling film will leave out the dramatic slow motion kisses and the video is usually in chronological order of events. The goal with this style is to capture your true essence as a couple vs. painting a picture of you as the lead in a blockbuster love story. Much like cinematic style, the videographer will often utilize voice overs or text at certain points to better define the moment. Storytelling is so similar to cinematic that the two are often used together. When blended, cinematic tends to be the choice for the ceremony and other key moments, while the rest of the day is done in a storytelling format.
Documentary: Documentary style is the most unique compared to the other styles and by far the easiest to identify when you come across it. This style of wedding videography can often come off as “unpolished” compared to the other styles, but for the couples who are into it, it's perfect. Documentary style is less focused on making your day seem like a fairytale and more focused on making it feel genuine (not to say that the other styles aren’t genuine!). While watching a documentary style wedding film you feel like you are getting a “behind the scenes” look at the wedding, with funny little moments peppered amongst all of the beautiful ones. In contrast to the other styles, documentary style will often include audio snippets picked up throughout the day instead of just the ceremony, speeches, or any other planned speaking time.
Traditional: Traditional wedding videography isn’t exactly your mother’s wedding video anymore, though it does focus on the same elements. This style of videography usually focuses on the “traditional” elements of a wedding like the ceremony, special dances, cake cutting, etc. These films usually document the day in chronological order and include more of the ceremony instead of just a few highlights from the vows. Videographers who work in this style stick to a more… well, traditional approach to creating a wedding video. This means the editing is more straightforward and the videographer will use hand held cameras and tripods instead of new age tools like stabilizers and drones. However, since the market is always evolving and couples are becoming more and more interested in the other styles of wedding videography, often traditional videographers will incorporate a lot of the characteristics of the other styles into their classic approach to capturing a wedding.
Videographers are storytellers, but everybody will tell the same story a little differently. While there is a specific videography style called “storytelling,” all videographers are, in fact, storytellers. Like any narrative, the story is told through the lense (literally of this case) of the storyteller. When searching for a videographer there are a few important storytelling aspects to consider that will help guide you to a decision on how you’d like your story told.
Film length and what is included- Film length (and cost) will vary between videographers. A lot of videographers offer a range of packages and film lengths for you to choose from. The first big choice you will need to make is if you want a short edit that serves as a highlight reel of your day, a much longer video that includes your full ceremony, special dances, and toasts, or something in between.
Directing style- After deciding on what length of film you’d like, you will need to consider what directing style you like. Do you want it to be documentary style, cinematic, traditional. etc.? Do they include a lot of wide sweeping shots or more close ups of their subjects? Videography is an art, and each artist is going to bring a slightly different approach to telling your story.
Use of color and tone- After narrowing your search by video length and directing style, you will need to consider use of color and tones. While videographers typically don’t alter the colors as much as photographers, there is still variation between professionals. While editing your wedding video together, the videographer will be color correcting as you move from your getting ready space, to ceremony, to outdoors, to the reception, in order to create a cohesive video. This isn’t to say they create a monochromatic video, but it does give them an option to play up the lighter tones, darker tones, brighter colors, etc.
Before diving into your videographer search, it is very useful to at least get a baseline of what video styles you are drawn to. With so many options out there, knowing your budget and building a general idea of what you like will help focus the search.
Watch example videos and think about what you personally are taking away from them. After watching a sample video consider what you now know about the newly weds in the film. Your videographer should be able to capture your personalities and tell your love story over the course of even just a quick five minute wedding video. If at the end of the sample film you still feel like you don’t know anything about the couple, the videographer didn’t really tell their story. That being said, watch a few of their example videos to get a good idea of their abilities. Not every couple is comfortable in front of the camera which makes telling their story a little difficult.
Make sure your contract protects you. This is true for all vendors, but it is especially common to find vague or ambiguous wording in videography contracts. Time frames for video return, a length range of the video (i.e 3-5 minutes, 60-90 minutes, etc.), and additional costs of other services offered (in case you want to add or upgrade a service later) should be specifically outlined in your contract. If you love a videographer and find that this information is missing from their contract, ask for it to be added! If they refuse to add in concrete deliverable information, this is a pretty big warning sign that they aren’t confident in the promises they are making!
Be mindful when negotiating pricing. Providing and valuing a service is a daunting task for an artistic professional. These professionals spend years perfecting their craft and adjust their pricing based on their ever evolving skill level and demand for service. If you fall in love with a vendor who is out of your price range, it never hurts to ask if they can accommodate your budget. The key here though is asking and understanding if they aren’t able to make this accommodation.
Talk to the professional either in person or on the phone prior to booking. This is true for all vendors, but especially important with your videographer (and photographer!). Your videographer will be spending the entire day with you, so it is very important to find someone whose personality meshes with yours.
The price you pay is not just for your wedding day. Videographers spend a lot of time on their clients. They dedicate time prior to the wedding to study your personalities, timeline, and shot list in order to be fully prepared to capture your day. After the wedding, they pour hours of time and energy into sifting through thousands of videos, finding the very best shots, and editing accordingly. They also invest a lot of money back into maintaining and upgrading their equipment to ensure they are providing the best service possible. Take all of this into consideration when discussing price! Depending on the professional, the length of time they spend at your wedding, and the film length you have commissioned they will have often spent upwards of 30 hours working on your wedding! Above all else, you are paying for an accurate representation of how the day unfolded so you can reminisce for years to come!
A second videographer is very useful. Hiring one single videographer to capture your day will work out, but there are some limiting factors that this will inherently bring. First, while getting ready the bride and groom are typically not in the same room, and often not even at the same location. The videographer will have to choose which person to film getting ready, or quickly move locations in order to capture a little of both. For many situations, time will not allow for this transition. Additionally, with two videographers, one will be able to focus their attention to the important events (i.e. you at the altar during the ceremony, you during speeches, you during your dances, etc.), and the other videographer will be able to capture guest reactions. One videographer will have to pick and choose what subjects to film for any given moment and may miss out on some of those reactions.
Questions to ask prior to booking a videographer
Pro-tip: Not all of these questions will be necessary in every situation. Some may not be applicable to you and a lot of this may be answered on your videographer’s website or pricing menu. Be sure to carefully select the questions that are relevant to your unique situation to avoid overwhelming yourself and the videographer with too much information!
Package Insight-
Are you available on my date?
Does your package include a second videographer? If I’d like to add a second (or third!) shooter, what is the cost?
How many cameras do you use to capture our day? (Hint: typically there will be between 2-3 cameras for a single videographer, and another 1 camera per additional videographer. The video team members will each hold a camera and place the others on tripods or another stationary device to capture your wedding from several angles.)
Is a drone included in your package? If not, what is the cost of adding one?
How many hours are included in your package?
What do you charge for additional hours?
Can I add additional hours on my wedding day if we decide we want you longer?
What length video can I expect back from my wedding?
What is the turnaround time for my wedding video?
Will I have access to the raw footage?
How do you deliver the video?
Will the video be available online so I can share with my friends and family?
Do you retain any of the rights to the videos?
What do the rights you retain mean for me?
Will you be posting our video on your website and/or social media?
Will you need our separate permission to submit the video to any third party publication or will you already have those rights per the contract?
Do you charge a travel fee? If so, how much and for what distance?
How do you record our audio? (Hint: save yourself the headache of researching all of the recording devices available. Instead, confirm that they have two methods of capturing sound, and know that the best sound quality will come from plugging directly into the sound board that the microphones are powered by.)
Experience-
How long have you been a professional videographer?
How long have you been a wedding videographer?
How many weddings have you captured?
How many weddings do you typically have in a single weekend?
Have you worked at my venue before? If not, will you attend a venue walk through to scout out ideal video locations?
Can we see additional videos that you have created aside from the ones on your website?
Style-
How would you describe your videography style?
How do you describe your working style? Are you in the background capturing the events unfolding around you? Are you more active in posing people?
What kind of camera do you use?
How will you and your team dress? (Hint: keep in mind that your videographer will be doing a lot of moving around, so while they should still dress appropriately for a wedding they typically don't dress as formally as the guests.)
Do you bring additional lighting to adjust for indoor/outdoor/day/night transitions?
Editing the video-
Can we request specific moments to be included in the video? (Hint: the videographer sifts through hours of footage and will have a very clear perspective on what footage is the best both in quality and cohesiveness with the rest of the film. However, you may have a particular moment in mind you’d like included, and knowing if you can make this suggestion up front will help manage your expectations.)
Can I pick the music used in my video? If not, how do you select the songs you use?
Are we able to use any song we’d like or will you provide a list for us to choose from?
After I receive my video, can I request changes? Is there a limit to the amount or types of changes that can be made?
Logistics-
When will we receive the contract?
How much do you require for a deposit? When is it due?
What is your payment schedule like? (Hint: most videographers take payments in 2-3 installments: 1st payment is the deposit, the remainder is due at varying times before the wedding. The exact payment schedule varies amongst professionals.)
What is your refund or cancellation policy if I cancel?
What is your refund or cancellation policy if you cancel?
Do you have liability insurance? Does it cover your second shooter and assistant(s), as well?
Do you carry backup equipment?
What is the backup plan if you are unable to personally work my wedding for any reason? Is this written into the contract?
How long do you keep our raw footage after we receive our video?
Do you have experience working with my photographer? If so, how do you work with and around each other to ensure everyone is able to capture the important moments in full?
Bonuses-
Do you offer any additional services, like a photo booth or photography?
If you don’t personally offer photography, do you have a photographer you recommend?
Are you available to video any pre-wedding events (i.e. bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, engagement party, etc.)? If so, what are the rates for these?
Maximizing your videographer’s services
Consider what songs you’d like in the video. Spend some time thinking about what song you’d like to use. The videographer can’t edit your video until they have your song selection, so having this picked out prior to your wedding will streamline the editing process and ensure a timely return!
Think about lighting in your getting ready space. Natural light always looks best in videos, so take this into consideration when selecting a location for getting ready. If you are getting ready in a hotel, request a room with a lot of windows! If you are getting ready at a private property, be sure to pick a room with a lot of natural light!
Provide examples of videos you like and mention specifics about what stands out to you. By giving specifics about what you want beforehand your videographer will be able to fully understand what you are looking for and produce a film that you will ultimately be thrilled with!
Check in with your videographer beforehand to build rapport. Your video will look the absolute best if you are natural and comfortable. This is best achieved by feeling comfortable with the person holding the camera!
Prepare something written to read for your voiceovers. Write out your vows on notecards or write each other a card, and then find a quiet space to read them aloud while you are getting ready. This is a great way to either practice your vows or connect with your fiance prior to the ceremony. Either way, reading these with just you and the camera is the perfect chance to capture those beautiful emotions that will have you tearing up every time you rewatch your video (with optimum audio quality)!