Wedding Videography 9050 views

It should make you laugh and cry at exactly the right moments, and is something to be treasured for a lifetime. No medium can bring the emotions of your wedding to life in quite the same way as a well-crafted video. Sylvia of Ever After Videos shares her no-nonsense advice on choosing a videographer.

Firstly, it’s essential that you and the videographer have the same idea about what your video or DVD should look like. If the videographer has their own fixed style, make sure you like it. If they are more adaptable, share your ideas with them. It’s important that you feel comfortable with them – they’ll be at your wedding all day, after all.

Questioning a videographer about insurance and licences will often help you separate the professionals from the amateurs. Also ask them what training or experience they have, and whether they do this as a full-time job or just a sideline. Make sure you know exactly who will be filming your wedding – some companies sub-contract the camera work and only do the edit themselves.

Of course, there’s no substitute for seeing a videographer’s work. Request a demo DVD, but also be aware that these will often include selected highlights from a number of different weddings; you will get a better feel for their work if you also ask for a demo that shows coverage of one full wedding, or at least a shortened version of one. It’s particularly important to see at least part of a service and/or speeches, which will enable you to judge the audio quality – you’d be amazed at the number of videos on which the vows are barely audible.

Here’s a list of warning signs that might indicate an unprofessional videographer:

• They make excuses not to send you a sample
• They give you the ‘hard sell’, either in person or by phone
• You feel forced to book them because they have visited you at home
• They lack insurance and/or copyright licences
• They use ‘domestic’ rather than professional cameras (although this can be hard to spot, because some pro cameras are as small as amateur models)
• Their demo looks more like a slideshow than a film
• Their pricing seems too good to be true. In my opinion, someone who charges £400 or less can’t possibly spend enough time working on your wedding video to recoup the costs of a high-quality production.

People might not realise how many different styles of wedding video there are, and the ways in which these effects can be achieved. For example, if we’re creating a wedding film that’s romantic, grand and traditional – comparable in style to something like ‘Pride and Prejudice’ or ‘Sense and Sensibility’ – we keep to a slower pace, with more wide shots, longer sequences and limited camera movement, and perhaps a classical soundtrack. At the other end of the spectrum, we can also create very modern features that incorporate ‘MTV-style’ sequences. Quirky camera angles, special filters and fast cuts are key. Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to one style; many couples like to have the formal part of the day in a more traditional style and the party bit more wacky and wild. Creating a smooth transition between these two parts of the film is a wonderful challenge.

As with all movies, the music you choose as the soundtrack to your wedding DVD will set the style and tone of the film. As an extreme example, try to imagine ‘Jaws’ with some nice feelgood music – it just wouldn’t have the same terrifying effect! Choosing a mixture of fast and slow tracks will ensure the editor has suitable music for use at every stage of the film. It’s always a good idea to have a longer list than you think you need, not least because some of your chosen tracks might have inappropriate lyrics you weren’t aware of! The most important thing to keep in mind when choosing music is timelessness – ask yourself whether you’ll still like that track in a few years’ time.

A good videographer will try to accommodate as many of the bride and groom’s requests as possible, so it’s always worth asking. Some of the more interesting requests we’ve had include the use of Guns ’n Roses songs as a soundtrack, and creating opening titles in the style of ‘Star Wars’! At a recent wedding, we interviewed some of the guests in front of a special blue screen, which means we can insert fragments of other films into the background during editing! Another example is what’s called a wedding-day edit. The idea is that the videographer edits ceremony footage on the day itself, to be screened a few hours later at the evening reception. When it’s done well, it can be the ultimate spine-tingling moment of the day. Here is a wedding-day edit we did recently.

Of course, not everyone will be able to afford a professional videographer. If you are hoping to ask a friend or relative to record some amateur footage, here are some tips on doing the best job possible.

Sylvia’s tips for amateur wedding videographers:

• Try to use a tripod as much as possible, especially during ceremonies or speeches.
• Read your camera’s manual thoroughly and make sure you know how to change the ‘white balance’.
• Just setting a camera for indoor or outdoor use can make a lot of difference to the quality of footage.
• If you are going to film the speeches or ceremony, consider buying a better microphone for your camera. This does not have to be expensive and can make an enormous difference.
• When editing, remember that less is more.
• Keep the edited footage flowing and interesting.
• Remember that you don’t have to use everything you filmed.
• Try to limit the use of filters and fancy transitions (exploding pages, wipes, turning page effects etc.). You’ll notice that these things are used sparingly in movies and on TV.
• Check out faqvideo.com, a good website for budding filmmakers.

• Vows that no-one can understand.
• Cameras that aren’t in focus
• Cheesy music
• A film that looks like a slideshow because the videographer just shadowed the photographer
• Over-the-top use of inappropriate effects
• Long and boring sequences in which nothing happens
• Shots where you can see only the backs of random people

Equipment is important up to a point. A broadcast-quality system (cameras and sound) is essential for a good film, but there’s a fine balance. From a technical point of view, a shoulder-mounted camera with a boom microphone and a good light creates the best picture, but this is not the most unobtrusive way to film a wedding. The slightly better technical quality is outweighed by the attention you’ll draw to yourself and the nuisance you’ll be!

Wedding films have had a reputation for being intrusive because you either had a massive camera with a blinding light or a shaky and cheesy film. Nowadays, there’s no excuse for this sort of cowboy film! Bear in mind that a good film-maker can make a great film with bad equipment, while a bad one can’t make a good film with even the best equipment. As with a lot of things, the equipment is just the start. It’s how you use it that makes the difference.

Another question we get asked as videographers is whether we will edit footage filmed by someone else. The answer is that, although there are companies that specialise in this, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a professional film-maker to do it. The problem is that, however skilled you are at editing, it’s impossible to rectify certain filming ‘mistakes’ made by others – it’s likely to be a lot of hard work for an end result of limited quality. Personally, I think it’s worth asking if one of your family or friends is willing to edit it – don’t forget that most recent PCs come with a (very basic) consumer edit program.

Photos by kind permission of GT Photography.