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wedding videography

FEATURED WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHERS
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Reduce your wedding planning stress and hire a professional wedding videographer to take all of the wonderful memories of your special day with SOUND AND MOTION!


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 HOW TO HIRE AND CHOOSE A WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHER
THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU AND YOUR SPECIAL DAY

THE BENEFITS OF HIRING a WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHER

Many brides fail to see the benefits of hiring a professional wedding videographer for their special day. A professional wedding videographer will capture the sound, motion and EMOTION of all the guests attending your wedding. We all know that wedding photography is a must have and many brides spend big money on their wedding photographer. An equal importance should be placed on the wedding videographer as well.

THE SAD FACT:

Sadly, wedding videography and the wedding videographer are often un-justly pushed to the bottom of the priority list. Often, it's the misconception of what role the videographer and wedding video will play in the overall scheme of things, that has many brides thinking of video as a low priority. Compound this with the added insult that many professional event planners actually recommend to their brides against hiring a professional wedding videographer. One SF Bay Area wedding coordinator recently went on live broadcast television and advised brides against hiring a professional wedding videographer. She tells brides to save their money and have a family friend to do the filming. This is equivalent to a wedding videographer telling a bride to not hire a wedding planning and just have your friend help you plan your wedding.

POSSIBLY RECONSIDER?

Our goal with this page is to try and get brides who are sitting on the fence with regard to videography, to reconsider. We will do this by relating stories we have received from brides who regretfully did not hire a videographer, as well as the happy brides who did! We are thankful that they changed their minds! CLICK HERE to watch a video of a couple who regret not hiring a wedding videographer.

SEE THE WORK:

When a bride is given the opportunity to view a truly professional wedding video, this is often enough for them to change their minds. More often than not, it is the amateurish, home video that they have seen and may be the reason for leading them to believe they do not want a wedding video. The reality is, a professionally produced wedding video is a beautiful thing and often reflects the day as it was. Moreover, it is an opportunity for the bride to see the things that she missed or couldn't have possibly seen..such as parents being seated, or the ceremony processional. Wedding Photography is great! But having a photographer doesn't negate having a videographer. They are two totally different artforms, telling an entirely different side of the story.

Make sure to read our wedding tips on choosing your Wedding Videographer.

wedding videographer

COMMON MIS-CONCEPTIONS:

When it comes to videography, the most common thing we hear is that it is out of the budget. This is true if we take into account our budget theory detailed on our budget page. The bottom line is, if the videography is not important to you then yes, it will be out of your budget. However, if it were at the top of your list, and you wanted a really great video, then you would find the budget within your overall wedding budget to be able to hire a videographer. It really hinges on the fact of how important it is to you!

WHAT TO AVOID:

It is important to choose a videographer who will work well within the given parameters of your wedding. First and foremost is the lighting. If you are having a gorgeous, formal candle lit dinner, the last thing you want is a videographer who uses 1000 watt lights mounted on huge stands that stick out like an eyesore. These "10' o'clock news" videographers often use bright lights in guests faces, light up the dance floor and often ask guests to speak directly into the camera offering best wishes to the couple. This style has been heavily frowned upon, but is still prevalent among lower end vendors today.

Another important factor is how well your videographer will work with you photographer. Most brides will agree that photography is paramount. Therefore, if your photographer offers a professional videography service, then it's recommended to go with that. If your photographer offers video, but not as professional as you would like, seek out a videographer who is open minded about giving your photographer as much room to work as he or she needs.

A good videographer will be your eyes and ears for the things you are not seeing and hearing.


TYPES OF WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHY FINAL PROGRAMS

The types of final programs and the terms for those differ from each wedding videographer. We surveyed one hundred wedding videographers through out the United States and came up with the following information.

These terms are used to describe a final, full length edited wedding video program:
FULL LENGTH WEDDING VIDEO, FEATURE FILM WEDDING VIDEO, LONG FORM EDIT, BASIC LONG FORM VIDEO EDIT, FULL-LENGTH FEATURE FILM EDIT, ALL DAY FINAL EDITED PROGRAM, WEDDING MOVIE, DAY LONG EDIT WEDDING VIDEO MOVIE, WEDDING FILM.

These terms are used by wedding videographers to describe a short, highlight movie.
Short Form wedding video movie, highlight film, cinematic edit, director's short cut edit, highlight version, recap film, recap movie, short video movie, family and friends edit, short form edit, highlight edit, highlight film, highlights of the day movie.

SOUND IS CRITICAL TO ANY MOTION PICTURE.

WIRELESS MICROPHONES: We recently read on a videographers website that 'for realism, we do not use wireless microphones'. To put it nicely, this is complete and utter rubbish. Wireless microphones are an absolute must if you want crystal clear audio of the vows, so be sure to choose a videographer who uses them. The reason being, audio production is a huge part of video production. If the videographer doesn't think enough of the audio to use a wireless mic, chances are they are not true professionals and they are certainly not concerned with the audio portion of the program. Cutting corners is a sure sign that you are dealing with someone that is not as professional as you want them to be.

Another great way to capture sound is by using additional digital audio recording devices, or patching directly into the sound system being used for the ceremony and/or reception. Videographers do this by using additional wireless microphones and the necessary cables to connect to the sound system being used.

F.A.Q.

Presented here are the many reasons we have heard from brides who do not want a wedding video...and the reason to reconsider.

1. I can't afford it. It's simply not in my budget!

This is the most common excuse from brides who simply do not care about, nor do not want a video. If this is the case, nobody except the bride herself, can change her mind. As our budget theory states, if something is not important to you, then you place no value on it. If a bride really wants a professional video, then the budget WILL be there as importance will be placed on this most important wedding service.

2. I have family and friends who will be taking video so I don't need to hire a videographer.

Home video is great! So are still photos taken by family and friends. But for the same reasons, you wouldn't want your family and friends doing your wedding photography, is the same reason you need to hire a professional videographer who knows what it takes to make a professional movie based on good, solid video production techniques. With family and friends taking video, often what you end up with is an incomplete program, shot handheld, very shaky with absolutely no editing. This is far from what a true professional videographer will offer you.

3. I'm spending a lot on my photos on a really good photographer so I don't need a video

Photography and videography are two totally separate art forms and industries. One does not negate the other. What the photography doesn't have is the sound and the motion. Let us give you one example. You have living grandparents that are coming to your wedding. In the future, when they pass on, would you rather stare at a picture, or see them move and hear them talk on a video?

4. I will just get a cheap videographer because I am spending so much on my photography!

You have to be really careful on this one! Many brides do not fully understand the impact a low level videographer can have on your wedding and on your wedding photography. If you get a low level videographer who interferes with your photographer with their unprofessionalism, bright lights and overall intrusiveness, then you are actually hurting yourself. If you do decide on video, make sure to get a vendor that matches the overall professionalism of all your vendors including the photographer. Don't get a videographer who will shine bright lights and stick a microphone in your guests putting them on the spot.

5. We are not video people and/or we don't want to see ourselves on video and/or we don't watch alot of television.

It really comes down to seeing all of your hard work on the big screen. A good videographer will get a great mix of shots, guests and the decorations. The video will not be a 90 minute close up of just the couple. And, with the proper pre planning with your videographer you can minimize that shots you don't want. For instance, if you are only doing one camera for the ceremony, have the videographer shoot it from the audience view to get an overall feel of the ceremony. Do not shoot it in front so that all you see in your ceremony is a close up of your faces. Instruct your videographer that your goal is to see all our family and friends on the video, not just yourselves.

Ok, so those are some of the excuses we hear! Now let's talk about some reasons to do videography! But not just do it, do it right!

The video will be your eyes and ears for things you won't see! How would you like to see your processional? How about being able to see the grooms reaction as you come down the aisle? When you are off taking photographs at the reception, the video can film the cocktails and do interviews at that time and show you what you missed there. How did the reception room look before guests entered? You see, there are many things that you will not see but would like to. This is the reason for the video.

LET'S GET EXCITED ABOUT THE VIDEO!

For those couples who want to do video right, you'll want to do your research and find out who is shooting High Definition (HD) or HD's little cousin HDV. You'll want someone to do multiple cameras and offer a DVD with a customized motion menu. You may also want a long form video as well as a short form video with highlights. Slow motion sequences are also very popular. Wireless microphones are a must, as are low light HD or HDV cameras that can shoot in available light without having to bring spot-lights that spoil the mood of your reception. If necessary, a soft-diffused on camera light can be used to fill in the flesh tones at a dark wedding venue.

WEDDING VIDEO TURN AROUND TIME.

Wedding Video turn around times vary from videographer to videographer. Another factor in the duration of the turn around time is the time of year your wedding is taking place. Weddings taking place in the summer, may have a longer turn around time than a wedding taking place in a slower season.

The average wedding video turn around time we have found was/is 2 to 4 months. Videographers that spend more time editing to create a highly stylized movie, may take anywhere from 4 to 8 months. Also, it is not uncommon for some videographers to take up to a year to produce a finished movie. In many cases, the videographer may ask you for your music choices and/or images for a montage. To decrease your turn around time, make sure to give your videographer any and all of these components as a delay in your part to submit these, may increase the turn around time.

BLU RAY HD DVD DISC

Blu ray discs are the way for the wedding videographer to deliver your wedding film in 1080i or 1080p quality. Many wedding videographers today shoot in 1080i or 1080p. During or after editing, the quality is down-sized to standard definition [often referred to as SD-DVD]. In many cases, SD-DVD versions are included in the most basic packages, with Blu Ray dvd versioned often reserved for the more high end wedding video package choices. Or, as an add on to a basic package or service. If you want the absolute best quality, ensure that your wedding videographer will shoot in 1080, edit in 1080 and deliver a 1080 resolution Blu Ray dvd disc.

MASTER FILES/TAPES.

In most cases today, you can also receive a video file of your wedding video from your videographer. This is done by providing a hard drive or other high capacity media to the videographer for copying the material. In some cases, the videographer might make the full resolution files available to you. In many cases though, the videographer is making a low rez, WEB VERSION available for you, so that you can share your wedding video on FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE and other social networking sites.


EXAMPLES OF WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHY:

Wedding videography can give you two things that a photograph can't, sound and motion. The below video is a perfect example of how video can capture your day and enable you to relive it with the sound, motion and EMOTION that you felt at that moment.


A brief history lesson about wedding videography

There's some great information about wedding photographer over on Wikipedia. Here's an excerpt from the page. You can see the page directly by clicking here.


Popular United States Wedding Videographers

James Burkart - San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Bridal Videography - Los Angeles, CA
Keepsake Videography -Tampa, FL
Axiom Videography - San Francisco, CA
Lorimer Works- San Francisco, CA


DO WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHERS AND WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS GET ALONG?

It is a common misconception that wedding videographers and wedding photogrpahers do not get along. They jockey for position during the main wedding sequences and often get in one anothers shots. So we wanted to get to the bottom of this. To get the straight skinny, we put this age old question to the test by surveying hundreds of the talented shooters that advertise with us. We surveyed hundreds of photographers and videographers across the nation to get the answer! The answer was a resounding YES! The truest, professionals will always get along, each giving consideration to the other. In many cases, it is understood that the wedding photography takes precedence, and is most critical in many cases. We did, however get some answers we didn't expect. For instance the wedding photographer that has absolutely no consideration for a wedding videographer. Often standing right in front of the video camera. Their only concern is for the work they [the wedding photographer] are doing. We also spoke to some wedding photographeres who complained about videographers that are intrusive, shine bright lights and get into peoples faces. Bright lights especially on the dance floor was very obtrusive and in some cases hindered the style of the wedding photographer. Our final conclusion is this...please hire wedding professionals that you trust! If they truly are professional, the photographer and videographer will work with one another to acheive the best result possible for the benefit of the bride.

QUICK TIP: If your wedding photographer offers videography, check into this as an option. It could save the bride many headaches.


VIDEO: What happens when a photographer doesn't know [or care] that he/she is in the background of the video?

It is assumed that a great photographer has total aware of their surroundings and going-on. After all, how can they capture a moment if they aren't instinctual enough to have eyes in the back of their head? We are interested in knowing how other photographers and videographers deal with a situation like this. We're curious if other photographers ever find themselves in the background of the video without knowing, and what they did. We're also curious if the videographer should move in a case like this. 


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