It’s 6 months away from your big day and you and your partner have just decided on a professional wedding videographer.

How do you choose the perfect one? How much have you assigned to a wedding videographer in your budget and how much should you spend?

Hiring a professional wedding video company to film your wedding should not be about getting one for a cheap price, it should be about what you want from your own wedding film.

Why should I use a wedding videographer?

While 90% of couples hire a professional photographer for their ceremony and reception, only 1 in 3 also hire a professional videographer. With the rise of the video format in our daily lives - you just need to take a look at social media to see the influence video is making in our lives. This figure is changing as more and more couples are choosing to grab their perfect day in video.

Photographs are incredibly important, they will be admired for years to come. Looking through albums or seeing your favourite image hanging on the wall, they can capture those spontaneous moments throughout the day. A wedding video can let you see and hear the emotion. Being able to watch your first dance, to watch it like everyone else watched, is, well, priceless. Being able to watch family sharing your day, then to share the day again with future generations is something I believe to be one of the greatest things a wedding film can offer.

You have spent at least 2 years planning and saving for your big day, why would you not have it filmed as well?

How do I choose a wedding videographer?

There are so many different wedding video companies around who offer different styles;

Point and Shoot Style (wedding videos)
Documentary Style (Wedding films)
Cinematic style (Cinematic wedding films)

They all do the same thing, capture your day and tell a story. The best way to get an idea of what wedding film you would like is to look around on the internet at different vendors, watch different wedding films and speak to family members and friends for recommendations. This is how you are going to choose the right wedding videographer for you.

Every company film a full wedding day, usually from the Bridal preparations until the first dance, They use different camera equipment, drones, stabilisers and more. Some will get creative shots, use professional audio equipment and have a multitude of camera operators on the day. But when it comes to different styles of wedding videos, these are all made in the editing suite - when the editor sits down in front of their computer and puts together the story of your day.

A Point and Shoot Wedding Video - usually around 1 hour +

Most point and shoot wedding films are put together in the chronicle order of how the day went. Starting with the opening shot of the Bride’s house, then showing the day in order as it went along with music overlaying the footage and maybe some slow motion for effect. Point and Shoot films normally consist of the full wedding service and speeches, usually ending in a long wedding film. This it’s commonly produced to DVD

Documentary Wedding Video - usually around 45-60 mins

Couples will sometimes pay their wedding videographer to do an interview on how they met and what each other means to one another. Family members will be involved with the interview stage. A documentary-style still captures the day as it goes along. Very little camera angles or dramatic shots are used. The service and speeches are usually in full. Music is added and final production is onto DVD.

Cinematic - usually around 15-25 mins

This style is becoming the most popular with couples but is one of the hardest to edit. The film becomes more of an art film using creative shots, audio soundtracks, dramatic shots (provided by drones), Music is very minimal in a Cinematic film, but still gives a dramatic feel. The vows and the speeches play a big part of the story telling. The full service and speeches are not usually included in the main feature but added as an extra element. Editors will usually play around with the colour to create a certain style or look. Most wedding film companies who produce cinematic films deliver their final production online. Letting couples download the high resolution films anywhere as delivering them on DVD compromises the quality of the overall film.

What exactly am I paying for with a wedding videographer?

I know many couples who have spent £2000 – £2500 on a wedding photographer. It’s important to remember that 30% of a wedding videographers time is actually only spent filming the wedding day, the rest is back in the studio creating the ‘story’. From importing the days footage, sorting only the best shots, creatively editing the sequences together, fine tuning the edit, adding audio and sound tracks to make a beautiful story. Creating a film that shows the emotion and joy that you felt on the day. That’s not to mention the music licences, public liability, drone licences and investing in top of the range equipment. Not to mention the one thing you cannot put a price on, their experience!

Wedding Videos have come a long way since shoulder mounted cameras and big lights. Today’s prices will reflect this. So when you’re looking for a wedding videographer please don’t start with ‘how much?’ in mind, think about what you want your wedding film to be about and what you want it to look like. Then find the best wedding video company that is going to make that for you.

Kind Regards

Liverpool Film Company www.liverpoolfilmcompany.com