Capturing the Moments: How To Get the Best Wedding Video
While most people have a friend of family member taping the wedding ceremony and reception, a professional videographer can give your ceremony the additional features it needs to look like an actual production. A video professional will most likely tape the whole celebration, from the actual ceremony, until the bride and groom depart at the reception. You could request that the videographer tape conversations or scenes right before the ceremony, such as the bride and groom getting ready, or having friends or family members, like the bride or groom’s parents, say something nice about the couple before the ceremony begins. Wedding videos can also include a picture of the wedding invitation, old family photographs or pictures of the bride and groom as children, or messages by the bride and groom to one another. Usually, the video will have about 4 or 5 hours of raw footage to edit from ceremony to reception, and the actual video is usually about 2 hours.
When you’re looking for a videographer to hire for your wedding, make sure that the videographer has the quality equipment that will make your video look its best. Video equipment that requires less lighting is best (usually commercial-grade), so that there won’t be a glare on the images in the video. When you’re looking at the videographer’s work, make sure that you not only look for the focus and tracking quality of the video, but check for artistic quality as well. Is the videographer good at capturing timeless moments on film? Is he/she good at making transitions throughout the video? Make sure that the editing is not choppy, and that the sound in the videos is clear and does not fade in and out. Make sure to talk to more than one videographer before making a final decision, unless you already have a friend or family member who is a professional.
When you’re interviewing a video professional to tape your wedding, you’ll want to ask a couple of questions, to make sure that you’re getting the best person for the job and can stay within your wedding budget by hiring the videographer. For instance, ask how much additional tapes will cost, or if you can purchase the master tape. Make sure you know how soon you’ll be able to view the original footage, so that you can choose the parts you may want edited out. Also, be sure to ask if extra features, such as special lighting or background music will be included in the wedding video, and whether or not this will cost you extra. If you know the type of music you want, or if you want certain parts of the ceremony to be lighted differently, be sure to share your requests with your videographer. You my also opt to have your wedding and reception recorded in black and white, which adds a very classy and timeless touch to the wedding video. If you think this may be an option, check the videographer’s previous work to make sure this can be done.
