10 Steps to find a Great Wedding Videographer
by Pedro Reyes
Unlike the work of other wedding vendors (music, flower arrangements, cake), wedding videography is very unique for every couple. You don’t really know what you’re getting until after the fact. That means careful research and selectiveness regarding professional skills, artistic style and personal demeanor are extra-important when choosing your wedding videographer.
So, here are the ten steps to help you on your search to -
Step 1: Settle on a Style
Before you begin, you’ll first need to decide what style type you prefer, as that will help determine which kind of videographer you’ll want shooting your wedding. Below are some of the styles common in the industry -
Documentary: Instead of a series of posed shots, these are candid or spontaneous shots of people, decorations, and the action. Typical shots might include the lavish raw bar before guests start digging in, your motley crew of cousins dancing, or you and your bridesmaids laughing, champagne in hand. With a purely journalistic videographer, you’ll very rarely see people staring at the camera — the videos capture the moments exactly as they happened, and together they tell a story.
Classical: If you prefer classical shots, go with a traditional videographer who specializes in standard, tried and tested wedding techniques. These are posed shots primarily of the two of you, your friends and family in front of various backdrops. That’s not to say there isn’t room for creativity in this category. While some will pose subjects in more traditional spots (like at the ceremony altar or out on the lawn of the country club) and in more formal poses (standing as a group together), others shoot portraiture further into the creative realm with a more dramatic composition (the couple staring at each other with a sunset background, or the couple holding hands in the middle of a crowd at their weddding).
Fine Art: Though it’s similar to documentary style, this style gives the shooter greater artistic license to infuse their particular point of view and style into the video. So while the shots reflect reality, it’s the photographer’s reality. The videos are dramatic and gorgeous, but are — or look as though they were — shot on film with a grainier, dreamier, more muted appearance. Usually the object (or couple) is in focus and the background appears to blur. Motion also looks very natural in this style of cinematography. The few wedding videographers in the world who shoot only on film tend to fall into this category, and typically they shoot in such amazing angles (aerial shots), though some will do a mix of both. Not all videographers who take a fine-art approach shoot portraits though, so if it’s really important to your mom to have posed set shots, look for someone who does both.
Edgy-Bold: This style is an offshoot of fine art and is marked by outside-the-box, tilted angles (called “Dutch angles”) and unconventional framing. So instead of a straight-on shot of the couple exchanging vows at the altar, the photo might look tilted, with an object like an altar arrangement or a candle in the foreground. Or the video of the bride having her makeup done might be shot from above, with an emphasis on the eye shadow brush rather than on her face. Even a single shot of a bridesmaid might be shot so that her face takes over only the bottom right of the photo and the rest of the space is filled with the wall or whatever’s behind her.
Many videographers can do a mixture of various styles but if there’s a special style you love, make sure to focus on videographers who specialize in it.
Step 2: Do Your Homework
Start your search by reading reviews from recent brides and browsing hundreds of wedding videographer listings. Carefully review their websites and blogs to check out photos of other weddings they’ve shot, which will give you an idea of their style. The videographer’s portfolio may also give you clues about their personality and sensibility. Check out their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages too, if possible. Is the feedback from clients positive? How does the videographer respond?
Step 3: Set Up Interviews
This is not a decision that can be made on looks alone — you must meet your potential videographer. If you like what you see on their sites — and their fees are in your ballpark range — email or call to see if they’re available for your wedding date. If the videographer is already booked on your date, you may want to see if they have an associate or can recommend another shooter with a similar style. Set up in-person meetings with three to five potential videographers who are available on your wedding date to look at more of their work and assess whether your personalities mesh. Be prepared to talk about your venue, your wedding style and what you envision for your photos.
Step 4: See a Few Full Wedding Videos
Don’t base your decision solely on a few in a videographers’s gallery or album. For good reason, the best videographers upload for prospective clients their entire portfolio, all from different weddings, so you’re able to canvass the best of the best of their work. This allows you to get a well-rounded idea of their work. If you see that the full gallery videos are just about as good as everything is the gallery (that is, they’re all so good it’s impossible to choose!), you’re on the right track. And ask to see at least one or two full wedding videos according to your style of choice. For example, if you’re planning an indoor affair with dark lighting, don’t just look at weddings shot outdoors in natural sunlight. And if you’re planning to say “I do” on a beach at sunset, you’ll want to see examples of that.
Step 5: Review Albums With a Critical Eye
When reviewing a videographer’s portfolio, look for the key moments you want captured: Did they get videos of both the bride and the groom when they locked eyes for the first time? Also, look for crispness of shots, thoughtful compositions (does a shot look good the way it was framed, or is there too much clutter in the frame?) and good lighting (beware of washed-out videos where small details are blurred — unless that’s the style you’re after). It’s also very important that you detect sensitivity in capturing people’s emotions; make sure the videographer’s subjects look relaxed, not like deer caught in headlights. While you two are, of course, important, you want to see smiling shots of your friends too.
Step 6: Make Sure Your Personalities Mesh
Don’t underestimate the importance of liking and bonding with your videographer. Is the videographer excited by your vision when you describe it? When they make suggestions, do they present them in a clear and respectful way, or are they timid? Are you comfortable during shots? Are their mannerisms off-putting? In order to get the best videos, go with a pro who has a firm grasp of social graces but is bold enough to go out hunting for great moments and who, above all, puts you at ease and doesn’t irritate you in any way. Remember: They’ll be shadowing your every move, and the more comfortable both of you are, the better the video will turn out. Likewise, you don’t want the videographer to offend or annoy any guests, but to shoot them in their best light in an unobtrusive way. To get the best videos, your videographer needs to be assertive enough to seek out great moments, cajoling enough to coax relaxed smiles and natural stances from guests, and calm enough to be a positive force. They should ask lots of questions and be a very good listener.
Step 7: Confirm Your Shooter(s)
All videography studios have multiple videographers on staff, and unless you specify it, the lead videographer may not be the one shooting your day. Since every professional has a different style, technique and personality, you need to make sure that the one you interview and “click” with will be the same one who works your wedding. Also, specify who will cover the video should something happen on the actual day. Check the number of support staff covering your wedding. Many top-notch videographers include a full staff of at least three. The obvious benefit to having multiple shooters is that you, of course, get much more coverage. For example, during preparations, one videographer can be with the groom and bride each, while a third can get behind-the-scenes for photojournalistic shoots of the location including dramatic aerial shots and your guests mingling. If you’re having a larger wedding (250 guests or more), you might even want to ask about having more than three so your videography team can be sure to capture the event from all angles.
Step 8: Compare Packages
You won’t be able to nail down an exact cost until you’re sure of what you want. Other factors like where your photographer is based lead to packages that range across the board from more established wedding videographers to ones who are up and coming. When interviewing candidates, ask for a general range based on the standard “shooting fee” and package, plus their standard rates for what you think you’ll want and the amount of coverage you’re hoping for based on your wedding’s size. Also, it’s important to find out what’s included in the standard package, plus the basic range for any add-ons you may want, like any save the day videos, same day edits, out of town fee, pre-wedding events, and aerial coverage, so you can compare rates. Ideally, you want to plan against your videographer being there for your full wedding day — from when you start getting ready until after you make your grand exit from the reception. While it may vary, most shoots cover about 6 to 10 hours from pre-ceremony events (getting ready with your bridesmaids or first-look photos) to the end of the reception.
Step 9: Wedding Day Preparations
The good videographers are familiar with the full symantics of a wedding. Typically, they’re already in contact with your planner and have done the full research in preparation for the shoot before you even know it. In other words, if you chose right, you don’t need to worry about anything as they’ll come prepared and have things lined up. This is more reason to thoroughly vet your selection of wedding videographer.
Step 10: Post Wedding Details
Typically, videographers upload their same day edit videos within 2–3 days of the wedding and upon permission from the couple for public viewing. And it usually takes at least a month to get the final full wedding video. This is from all the raw files collected that your videographer needs to perfect for a much longer (than the same day edit version) wedding video. Also, it generally just takes a longer time to process and edit all those files. It varies, but many videographers say that they spend an additional 20–40 hours editing videos from a single wedding, so it can take up to six to eight weeks (or longer, depending on how busy they are) to get final video back. This isn’t really an issue in most cases as the same day edit version is typically enough to share while still reminiscing from some wedding hangover.
Finally, remember that weddings are once in a lifetime and finding the right videographer to capture this once in a lifetime is just as important so we hope these steps help.
This piece is from Pedro Reyes, a contributer to the wedding plans publication. To find your dream wedding videographer please check out our website and for questions or recommendations for future articles — please email us at info@trippix.netor visit us at our social channels Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
