Wedding Videography

Wedding videography has long been an important part of documenting your special day. However with improvements in technology, wedding videos can now be produced with special effects, advanced editing and even soundtracks far more easily, and these tools have become part of any good videographers style.

Some might argue that professional wedding videography as an art is a bit less advanced than wedding photography. This idea might be perpetrated by the 'mum and dad' teams with a handycam who are working part time, however there are many top quality professionals who will be able to deliver you amazing results. Of course that's nto to say there is no place for the mum and dad teams! You will need to make a decision who to go with based on your budget, the style you are looking for, and most importantly you will need to meet your videographer, talk to them about how they will make your day special, and look at samples of their work in the style you want.

It's important to choose the right style for your tastes. There are many different styles of videography.

Any wedding professional you deal with should ask you to sign a contract. This protects both the videographer and you as it specifies exactly what you will and wont get in your package, how much you will pay, and the level of service that will be delivered. Most wedding services like videography or photography must be paid in full prior to or on the day of the wedding. A common model is for a percentage to be paid up front as a retainer, with the balance due on the day. You may want to delegate this task to the best man or a reliable family member.

Wedding videography prices can vary drastically depending on the skill of the photographer, but they can be quite high if you choose a top end studio. Have a budget in mind when you are shopping around but don't be afraid to modify it if necessary to get the level of service you want.

Probably the most common style that comes to mind is the home footage type style called Traditional. This is a documentary style often with minimal editing. The wedding continues from start to finish. Of course, you would want to talk to the videographer to make sure he captures any special moments before the wedding.

Similar to the Traditional style but with further editing is the Short Form style. This takes a condensed view of your wedding, focusing on the highlights and special moments. Usually this type of video is less than 50 minutes and is often edited quite a bit to cut down on time. Traditionally this style continues from the beginning to the end of the wedding in a linear timeline. This is a much more realistic option than sitting through the whole days woth of footage!

If you would like a more modern take on your special day there is the Cinematic approach. Just like the name of the style infers the cinematic approach adds spice. This usually involves a higher rate of editing, special effects and multiple angles  and takes a more advanced videographer.

Some choose to take a Story telling style. This style requires more work both from you, the bride and groom, and the videographer. To accomplish a real story-like video of your wedding the videographer will probably want to have several meetings with you in advance in these meetings he might interview you on film about how you want your wedding to play out, any problems you have encountered, why did you choose your fiancè, and so forth. Basically this is the style most television networks use in their wedding shows.

It's safe to assume that the price will increase as you go down this list. Remember, you are paying for the skill and experience of your wedding videographer as well as their cameras, equipment, overheads and often assistants as well. Finally if you make the (risky) choice to just use a family member, make sure that they have a backup of everything and plenty of spare batteries!