When couples sit down with us or are in the research stages of choosing who they should hire as their wedding videographer, for some reason the length of their wedding video seems to be a major deciding factor on who they chose, or how they perceive if they are getting a great deal or not. If you are one of these people, please keep reading…
Wedding Videographers are becoming more and more popular as a few of the early adopters are starting to get very busy with bookings. In Atlantic Canada its still relatively new and very exciting for couples as they’ve either rarely or never seen a modern and creative wedding video before. This new and fresh feeling is great, but it comes with unknown territory for most couples. They don’t really understand the differences between wedding videographers and most do not notice the most important factors.
Below I am going to list what I would consider to be the most important factors in deciding a wedding videographer, and this is coming from a professional who is beyond a perfectionist. I’m down right demanding when it comes to performance and professionalism.
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Telling the Story with Creative Ability
There’s nothing even close to this when it comes to determining your wedding videographer. I watch so many videos everyday that simply have bits and pieces to the wedding day mashed together. The music is not carefully chosen, the colour grading does not fit the mood, the timing does not make sense. I often get motion sickness from too much movement. The best wedding videographers can suck you in, and if they are telling the story well, then you’re going to watch the entire video completely engaged. By the end of the video you’re going to feel like you know that couple a bit more. This is rare and is something Memorywalk is focusing on a lot when filming and editing.
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Professional
If you have #1 above covered, chances are they are a well oiled machine in professionalism, but it’s not guaranteed. If you want to enjoy your day while having it filmed it’s a major bonus to have someone who can work with other vendors really well, be respectful and polite to guests and the wedding party, and simply make the bride and groom feel super comfortable. Not everyday do you have 1-2 camera’s pointed at you for an entire day. If you hire someone that has a friendly and professional demeanour then it’s just going to make your day more enjoyable and the results of your video will be greatly effected in a good way.
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Equipment and knowledge of how to use it
Yes, having the latest mobile DSLR equipment helps us wedding videographers move around and get creative shots, especially when you have these fast shallow depth of field lenses that can make your jaw drop at times. The more mobile and inconspicuous the equipment is, the more comfortable the bride and groom usually are, and in today’s day in age, the quality of the video in high end DSLR’s is truly amazing. Memorywalk uses only the best DSLR equipment out there that we can carry around easily and ensure we get the highest quality footage possible for your big day. The catch 22 on this is, you need to know how to use it. We are no longer in the days where we sit in one spot and simply film. We need to get angles, move around, look for that special moment, and swap lenses continuously to fit the situation.
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If your wedding videographer has the above 3 nailed down then you’re going to end up with an amazing wedding video that you will cherish. A professional videographer with the right equipment that tells the story so well that a stranger can stay engaged is considered A+ in our industry. With that said, none of this has anything to do with the length of the wedding video. If anything, the videographers offering longer versions typically provide less interesting products. Yes, we are filming all day, but the story is not meant to be drawn out or “over told”. It needs to stay engaging and only the absolute best and most interesting footage should be used. When a videographer goes to edit and is searching for not so interesting footage to fill in time to meet requirements for their promised 25 minute video, it becomes less and less interesting. This is why Memorywalk videos traditionally line up with all the top wedding videography companies in North America. We emulate the best of the best, so if you want an engaging video that you will be truly proud of, chose the best videographer you can, not the one offering the longest video.