|
Most brides spend months, if not years, dreaming about their wedding day. They attend various bridal fairs, read bridal magazines and in general invest hours upon hours hyper-focusing on their big day. Yet when looking for a wedding videographer many brides just ask a friend who owns a video camera to record one of the most important days of their lives. The video memory ends up looking homemade and is usually watched once and then forgotten.
The Wedding and Event Videographers Association (WEVA), an international professional group founded in the 1980s, commissioned a 2005 nationwide study to look at brides’ attitudes about videography both before and after their weddings. The brides were asked to rank videography on a personal “Top 10” list of wedding priorities;
Prior to their weddings, barely 50% of the brides listed videography as a Top 10 item. However, after the weddings the emphasis changed dramatically. A whopping 79% of the brides placed videography among their Top 10 items for wedding planning. Here’s why: Your video makes up a “visual heirloom”. These images will be around to be shared long after the flowers have wilted and the wedding cake has disappeared.
FINDING A GREAT WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHER
Start by doing your homework online. Most professional videographers have web sites that feature sample clips. You will probably notice that the companies that use 2 camera operators are able to produce videos that are far more visually appealing that companies that rely on a single camera operator. As you notice how various professionals approach their craft, you will get a sense of how they handle visual composition, timing, transitions, etc. More important, you will form a clearer idea of what you like.
Look at the work of as many videographers as you can. Once you see samples that you like at a price that you can afford you should meet with the videographer and try to get a sense of their personality. Why is “personality” part of the equation? Your videographer will be working closely with you on one of the most important (and potentially one of the most stressful) days of your life. His or her people skills will be just as important as camera techniques and production skills.
OTHER SERVICES
Wedding videographers can do more than just point cameras and roll tape on your wedding day. For example, many companies offer “Love Story” videos that allow the couple to tell how they met, fell in love etc. Another popular enhancement is a photo montage. You provide your videographer with photos of yourself and your fiancé, from your baby pictures all the way through your engagement pictures, and those are scanned and edited into a custom video presentation, set to music.
Same-day Highlights, which are increasingly popular, involve having a video editor go along with the camera operators. As taping ends for each part of your wedding day, the tapes are rushed to the editor, who pulls some of the best clips and fashions them into a special presentation. By the time your reception guests are ready for dessert, the highlights are ready for screening. Obviously this requires well-coordinated efforts by skilled professionals, and the prices usually reflect that.
DON’T DELAY
It is a good idea to book your videographer as far in advance as possible. As a matter of fact it is recommended that you look for a videographer before you book your venue. An experienced videographer can provide you with all sorts of excellent insights as to where to hold (or NOT hold) your ceremony, photo shoot and reception.
FINAL QUESTIONS
After you’ve thoroughly done your homework, and trimmed your list of candidates down to two or three companies, then you can come back to these key questions:
1. Will I like having these people around me on my wedding day?
2. Am I confident they will create a one-of-a-kind video that we will treasure for the rest of our lives?
3. Are they providing at least 2 cameras with operators?
4. Do they have a good reputation?
|
|
