A wedding video is a “visual heirloom” – something to be cherished and watched again and again. It becomes more treasured year after year. Survey research shows the importance brides put on video. After the wedding a majority of brides tend to move wedding video planning into their top ten list. This is after they learned that they should have paid more attention to it.
Couples can select either a wedding video or wedding photography, or both. Video captures audio. A good wedding videographer can include static photos in a video to capture the entire range of visual and auditory experience.
Wedding videography is not as set in tradition as other wedding practices, so it is mostly at your discretion. Here are some options and general common sense guidance that will help you make good decisions.
Professional vs. Amateur
The choice is a professional wedding videographer or your friend / family member. You walk the fine line between cost and quality. A professional wedding videographer does not have to be extravagantly expensive – most professionals have multiple wedding packages and can negotiate various deals with you, making the cost very reasonable and affordable. A professional will always provide you more photographic awareness of the nuances of weddings – they can capture things an amateur cannot. Always ask a professional for their resume, portfolio with final edited demos, references, and standard price schedule.
You should work with your videographer early in the planning process, so they are aware of lighting, sound, and logistical issues at the wedding location.
Video Options
Wedding videographers can provide options to produce interactive wedding products on the web, CDs/DVDs, and even games. Some videographers offer an option of vignette stories sometimes called a “Love Story”. This includes a personalized story about the couple including some history of how you met, dating, the engagement, and experiences leading up to the wedding. The couple may be video taped at some of your favorite locations, walking hand-in-hand or spending fun and romantic time together.
You should provide the videographer with some guidance about using trendy animated effects (zoom, panoramas, transitions) and sound effects. If you want something simple, tell the videographer to control their creative urges. If you want something extravagant, tell them you want “the works”. Here are essentially the three types of video options you will find.
Point and Shoot
This option is the least expensive and is simply pointing and shooting at the event to record it as it happens. No special effects or treatments are included unless specifically requested. This can be like a U-Tube type of video, which looks spontaneous and raw.
Documentary
This option is moderate in cost and plays like a tasteful television or movie documentary. The videographer thoughtfully records the event like a storyteller, weaving in dramas, beautiful images, and fashionable transitions and special effects. Extra time is spent editing and arranging the video into scenes and stories. A documentary-style videographer may refer to themselves as a “videojournalist”, may have a degree in visual arts, and works with elaborate editing and sound equipment to achieve their effect.
Extravagant Extraordinaire
This option is the most expensive in cost and captures your wedding on official motion picture film just like Hollywood movies. It is sometimes referred to as “cinematic”. Significantly more effort and time is necessary to setup the actual filming and in the editing phase. This is an extravagant splurge, but this product can result in a remarkably dazzling masterpiece which is almost movie-like.
May your wedding video provide an interactive, dramatic, romantic, and fun touch to your special day.