|
Your wedding day will be a blur to you and your parents. You plan the many
details for months, if not years, but your wedding day goes by so fast that you
will miss a large part of it.
A wedding video is like a "time machine". It lets you relive your wedding day
as often as you like, anytime you like. As a fellow videographer put it, "It
let's you attend your own wedding at your leisure without the stresses and
distractions of the day." It is also a significant and important "living"
document for your families, your children, and grandchildren. Some couples don't
realize just how important their wedding video will become until they experience
the loss of a loved one that attended their wedding.
I Want a Wedding Video but I Have a Friend With a Camcorder
Some couples use a friend or family member to videotape their wedding day.
Would you have a friend or family member take all of your wedding photographs?
Probably not.
There are numerous stories of people running out of tape or batteries, not
shooting important activities, and taking shaky or bad footage. Using a friend
or relative can cause hard feelings and ruin relationships if your video is
poorly done or not done at all. Also, that person can't enjoy themselves at your
wedding while they are videotaping it.
A wedding video is a movie of your wedding day, a lasting memory that
contains 30 pictures every second and includes the timeless sites and sounds of
every important event that took place on your special day. A professional
wedding video should tell the story of your wedding day. Using creative camera
work, a keen attention to detail, and artistic editing using music, the right
blend of effects and transitions, the professional wedding videographer should
produce a video you will watch often and be proud to show others.
I'm Having a Photographer So I Don't Need a Video
Both your photographs and your wedding video are of equal importance. You
can't frame your wedding video or carry it with you in your purse or wallet to
show a friend.
But, you can't hear your marriage vows, see a tear as it rolls down your cheek,
or relive the sights, sounds, and emotions of your dad walking you down the
aisle or your first dance as husband and wife by looking at a photograph.
Photography and videography are both artistic expressions and vary from
artist to artist. It is important to view the work of each and meet one-on-one
with the person(s) that will be producing your photographs and your wedding
video. Make sure that their style and personalities match your expectations.
How Much Will It Cost?
There is a misconception that your wedding video should be less expensive
than your photographs. The training and experience are equally extensive, the
equipment used by both is costly, the time spent producing a professional
wedding video takes longer than producing your photographs, and your video is a
movie of your wedding day with sound.
A professional videographer should attend your rehearsal to meet the
Officiant, become familiar with the order of activities, and offer ideas and
assistance to improve the video. A professional videographer will invest around
$20,000 or more in equipment plus training and experience. Typical wedding day
coverage includes two cameras with operators that shoot almost continuously for
five hours or more. Your wedding video will take 20 to 50 hours or more to edit
so that the raw footage is transformed into a smoothly flowing story of your
wedding day. And, unlike Steven Spielberg or even your photographer, your
videographer has only one take to capture your wedding day activities. The
ceremony or special events can't be stopped and done over if something isn't
perfect.
Your wedding videographer must be the:
-producer
-director
-lighting technician
-sound person
-cinematographer
-editor
and they must perform all of these jobs well to produce the wedding video that
you hope for and deserve.
Pricing varies depending on experience, services offered, time spent, etc.
Choose a videographer based on how their work makes your feel when you see it
then discuss pricing based on what it will take to produce your personal video
memory.
(Couples tell us that the best money they spent was on their wedding video
and are so happy they made the decision to have one.)
When Should I Book a Videographer?
As with your first choice for your ceremony, reception, and other vendors the
best wedding videographers will be booked first. You should meet with
videographers as you would photographers, if not earlier in your planning
process. There are fewer videographers than there are photographers. Eight
months to one year prior to your day is not too early.
Do I Really Need a Wedding Video?
It's up to you. Your wedding day will only happen once in your life. Don't
regret not having your precious memories preserved in a video that you can see
and relive over and over.
|
