My top 4 most asked questions as a wedding videographer
By numerous highly successful people, I've heard that it's probably worth making a resource with that information at the ready if you get asked the same question multiple times. I'm hoping I can help prospective couples get their questions answered before they even ask them. These are in no particular order of importance, just the order that they came to me.
These answers are as of June 2021; if anything changes, I will do my best to update the answers.
1. How do you partner with photographers to make the day go smoothly?
For me, making this a good experience for everyone involved starts way before the wedding day. I usually try to connect with a new photographer to get a feeling for their vibe and style and eventually discuss specifics of the day. More than anything, I want them to know that it’s not like there is a photographer team and videographer team. We are somehow pitted against each other to get the best shots or coverage, but we are actually on the same team with the shared goal of making the day as fun and effortless as possible for the bride & groom. Even if we don’t see perfectly eye to eye stylistically or aesthetically, I try to find where our styles and artistic desires overlap and focus on those things during shooting to make sure we use the couple’s time wisely throughout the day. At the end of many weddings, I’ve often heard one of the best compliments I could get, which is a Bride asking, “So how long have you and the photographer been shooting together?” to which I usually sheepishly respond, “Well, technically, just today.”
2. What will I receive once all is said and done?
Whether you book me for one hour or twelve, every wedding I film will at the very least receive two separate online deliverables. The first being the short cinematic wedding film that varies in length depending on the coverage and events of the day. Our home page shows some great examples of this ranging from two-person elopements to larger wedding celebrations. The second deliverable is a longer format raw footage edit that includes all the watchable footage from the day with natural audio and minimal color correction. This also includes the full real-time ceremony with audio and full speeches and toasts if they happen. Of course, I also have add-ons such as an Instagram film or a rehearsal dinner film, but at the very least, every wedding day package will include the cinematic wedding film and the raw footage edit.
3. What audio do you capture throughout the day, and how will it be incorporated Into the film?
With the advent of shorter highlight films and even some that don’t feature any audio from the day, people often wonder what they will actually hear in the final products. I almost always capture the entirety of the ceremony audio and toasts with a combination of lapel mics and audio recorders. If there is some particular audio byte that fits perfectly into the film or supports the story and vibe of the film, I will often utilize it in the short film, but I have even had a handful of purely music-driven films. I try not to force audio from the day if it doesn’t seem to fit. At the very least, the entirety of the audio ceremony and toast audio is usually featured in the footage edit so that you can hear all those moments in their entirety.
4. How does the music selection process usually go?
This may be my most asked question, so I almost have a memorized answer for it. I always say you can be as involved or uninvolved as you like. I pride myself on being very skilled at choosing the right music to accompany the film, but if a bride or groom wants to have a say, I am more than happy to oblige. Although I can’t use popular music, I am always more than happy to have some songs to reference, or even some descriptive words such as moody and ethereal, possibly for Big Sur elopement or bright and airy for a Napa wine country wedding. My big thing is that I receive this input before the wedding day so I can best serve the couple, keeping these notes in mind if they do want to be involved in that process.