WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHER
You’ve probably never been married before and never had to shop around for wedding professionals before. How do you know what to look for and how do you make your decisions? In the world of wedding videography, there are various 1) prices to choose from 2) degrees of experience and expertise 3) levels of quality and 4) creative styles.
The most common way to shop is by price. Naturally most of us just want to get the best deal possible and there are certainly wedding videographers offering cheap deals and discounts. Sounds tempting. But that does not tell you the whole story. Investing in your wedding is not like price shopping at the grocery store. There’s a lot more at stake on your one time wedding day and before committing to anything you need to do your homework. Ask to view actual longer completed samples. Know exactly what you’re getting without any surprises later on. Crystal clear communication is critical during this first stage. Exactly how long is the final product, what’s included, how is it delivered, how will the video look like? Unfortunately, we are approached from time to time to at least re-edit a couple’s disappointing wedding video they got from somebody else. It’s as true in this industry as any, you usually get what you pay for.
If it sounds too good to be true, look deeper. Do they have all the resources, gear and experience needed? Do they spend their time and energy working day jobs or do they focus on improving their craft full-time? So many are entry-level priced and inexperienced. Making mistakes is how we all learn but you should consider if you’re comfortable with amateurs and part-timers learning and practicing on your wedding day. Look out for common mistakes and eyesores: shaky wobbly footage, too dark or too bright images, bad sound or no sound at all, ugly colour or missing key moments. This one video will be what you’re stuck with for the rest of your life and should be thrilling to watch. Saving a few bucks now may cost you big later.
From a technical perspective (video/audio/lighting, etc.) challenges and glitches almost always come up. On the one day of your actual wedding, you need to have confidence your hired help is able to deal with the unexpected, possess the knowledge to diagnose the problem, know how to solve it immediately, have the experience and confidence to handle pressure calmly, have all of the backup gear needed, have the right people skills and be able to maintain a happy, positive attitude while dealing with all the numerous vendors and guests.
From a cinematography standpoint, your chosen videographer should also should have an understanding and mastery of the fundamentals: proper framing, lighting, composition, exposure, focus, camera movement, anticipate scenarios proactively, have environmental awareness (there’s different things happening in different directions at once…), look for the story beyond the obvious and be able to adapt quickly to spontaneous changes all while cleanly capturing fleeting moments, and hopefully have an artistic vision of how to capture and craft all the events into a meaningful assembly…and then have the patience and creativity to sit for 10-50 hours meticulously editing your video.
Then there’s a more creative or artistic perspective to consider. Is the footage recorded in a straight forward ‘point and shoot’ manner or is it captured more artistically? What about editing? Is it presented as a typical chronological “wedding video” or does it get more creative? Or do they offer both styles?
You may get lucky and get what you’re looking for for a low, cheap price but you need to be aware of what to look for and the risks involved. In one sense, what separates the lower budget videographers from the experienced professionals is the level of quality and degree of guarantee that they can deliver on their promise, successfully navigating through the high demands of a one time fast paced event – without missing the important shots you’re looking to treasure. Our clients are consistently over-the-moon thrilled with their experience and results with us. We even get glowing thank you notes YEARS after their wedding. Read some of their sincere reviews here: http://bit.ly/LXHNk7 They even voted us up for a prestigious Best Wedding Cinematography award in Canada.
Happy Planning!
Greg
“I’ve never seen someone work so hard in my life – and still smiling at the end of the day answering my many questions.”
Father of the bride
Wedding Tips: How to find a good wedding videographer (Photo courtesy of HRM Photography)
AV Artisan Wedding Films is a professional, full-time wedding videography /cinematography company specializing in a cinematic and breathtaking approach to filming weddings serving Toronto, Kitchener, Waterloo, London, Niagara Falls and all of Ontario.
- driven by passion
- committed to constant and never-ending improvement in all aspects: artistic, technical and customer service
- loaded with experience; shot hundreds of events since 2007
- constantly reinvesting in training and education: in shooting, editing, and business
- invested and reinvested tens of thousands of dollars into the highest quality, professional, cutting edge gear; including reliable backup equipment
- winner of Best Cinematographer award for SW Ontario (2013) and Couples’ Choice Award (2014)
For more information and inspiration, click here: www.avartisanproductions.com or call 519-860-1203 or email info@avartisanproductions.com
AV Artisan Wedding Films - Best Wedding Videography 