It’s not only the bride and groom that make vows on their wedding day. If you want to avoid having to file for a divorce the day after your wedding, it’s important to schedule your video shoot carefully.
Like magicians, wedding videographers have an unspoken rule that we must not reveal our secrets to the public. We’re going to reveal the secrets of making high-quality wedding movies right now. We must first caution you that only fellow video buffs will recognise the value of your efforts. Second, if you’re doing the movie for a friend’s wedding, don’t just make the film; also get them a present from their registry. If you are an expert in your field, you should be compensated fairly for your services. Be careful not to put yourself in a position where you’ll be unable to deliver a favour if you’re a friend helping out a pal.
You’ll hear the terms “cinematic” and “cinematic video” thrown about a lot if you spend any amount of time in the filmmaking or cinematography industry. You can see it on a lot of wedding video websites. However, it’s a tricky concept because it can be interpreted in various ways. Movie-style video is a term for a video that simulates the look and feel of a feature-length film. To make matters more complicated, there are now so many different kinds of films shot on everything from high-end equipment to cellphone cameras that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to give a single description.
Before we get into it, though, let’s talk about how wedding movies are different from wedding photos. Wedding movies, in contrast to images, cover significantly longer stretches of the same day and provide more multidimensional portrayals of the event.
Video also has a wider range of media options, allowing for more nuanced remembrances of the happy couple’s wedding day through the use of elements like movement, shifting lighting, soundtrack, sound effects, dialogue, and more. While videographers now have more options than ever before, it’s not always easy to make a movie that truly portrays the joy of the big day.
The role of the wedding videographer, then, is crucial in telling the event’s story. However, things might get even trickier when the videographer is on their own. Of course, there are instances where he or she has the help of a small staff, and even rarer times when a large support group is available
With so many Wedding Videographers out there it can be confusing to choose the right one. Check out our top picks here.
Best Practises for Wedding Videography Filming
Utilize Your Method
Taking wedding videos can be done in many different ways; there is no one “correct” approach. But think about the day’s structure, the individuals involved, and the little nuances, and that’ll influence your approach to photography. Focus on the following four ideas:- Simplicity: Processes, communication, filming, and editing should all be kept as straightforward as feasible.
- Discretion: To achieve the best results, It’s best if no one is aware that you’re filming
- Speed: You’ll need unrestricted mobility to take interesting shots anywhere.
- Fearlessness: You should also have the self-assurance to set your own creative parameters, so that each of your movies is uniquely you.
You Shouldn’t Try to Replicate a Hollywood Film
Genuine motion pictures centre on mastery of the medium. Everything from picking out the actors and setting the scene to practising over and over again is planned out. If a shot doesn’t out out right, it’s redone. However, as a wedding videographer, you have little say over these crucial elements: actors, settings, and lighting are all selected for you. And you can turn that to your benefit. Don’t act like it’s a movie set; instead, treat it like a documentary about someone’s special day.
Get Rid of the Excess
Keeping your belongings to a minimum frees you up to go anywhere is necessary. You can spend more time arranging your photographs. In addition, you will not be a focal point.
Familiarity Is Essential
Wedding videographers frequently show up with six or even more lenses, some of which are enormous zooms.
If you use a single focus length for most of the day, you should have a very good idea of how your photos will turn out even before you set up the shot. You only need to learn a few lenses to see an improvement in your work. You’ll be able to speed things up and make more intriguing compositional decisions as a result.
Give Up Your Shame and Your Fear
The public still hasn’t gotten over the cliche from the ’90s that someone is always filming weddings with a giant camera. There’s a lot of cool tech out there, from drones to Steadicams, but it’s worth pausing to consider the implications. Don’t be that guy who’s constantly in the way, dancing in a ring around the dance floor, or the one with the loud, buzzing aircraft, or the one with the huge, fluffy microphone who records everything. You may try only using your camera. It might be the best choice you make if you take the time to learn how to utilise it properly.
Simplify Your Filmmaking Methods
You still could make it cinematic even though a documentary approach is recommended. You can try some of the suggestions here.
Perspective
Be considerate of the audience when you shoot any speeches or ceremonies. Viewers typically take on the perspective of the listener in a film’s conversation through the use of a variety of camera angles. The vast majority of wedding guests sit down throughout the event, although videographers tend to set up their tripods at a considerable distance. Try to assume the vantage point of your audience by sitting down, moving up close, and shooting from ground level.
Action That Encapsulates the Now
Check out how the camera mimics the action in movies. While a battle scene is typically shot with a lot of camera movement and shakiness, a conversation between two people in a cafe is shot with little to no motion. We can use the same strategies during a wedding to assist the guests feel like they’re part of the celebration.
Visualize what happens during an average wedding. The Moves, Speeches, and Speeches Hugs and confetti after the ceremony Dancing. It’s a method used in cinema that requires nothing more than the camera and doesn’t call attention to the actor. It’s simply a matter of settling on whether or not to use a tripod, monopod, or shoot entirely handheld.
Check out our list of wedding videographers to help you capture your special day.
Conversation
As the speakers take the stage, try to arrange your cameras such that the subjects appear to be having a dialogue from different perspectives. When two cameras are used in tandem, one will frame its subject to the left while the other will frame its subject to the right. It’s just another easy “cinematic” trick.
Give Your Sound a New Depth
Getting high-quality recordings requires nothing in the way of technical know-how. The use of a large microphone mounted on top of the camera is something that is generally discourage because it tends to make people uncomfortable and the focus of attention.
Keep things basic for speeches and other formal occasions. Have a little Sony recorder with just a lavalier microphone attached to your jacket and slip it into the pocket of the person speaking. It’s simple to implement and yields substantial benefits.
Try something new with your treatment of sound. Keep an ear out for daytime sounds like traffic, birds, or the wind. It’s better to mentally note these sounds than to try to record them; you can always fill them in using stock audio you find online afterwards. It won’t break the bank and will save you 30 minutes per day of labour. It’s more natural sounding, for one thing.
Devise a Method to Tell the Story
To advance in your field, you must develop an aptitude for compelling storytelling. You may do something ‘non-linear,’ like making a movie that doesn’t go in chronological order. In order to tell the tale of the day, many videographers will use clips from the ceremonies and remarks throughout the film. How and where you use footage is completely up to you. You might use dance in the beginning and end of your video. You might also show beforehand footage of the location being prepared or discussions with both the bride and groom. There is no hard and fast regulation.
Add some B-roll material that relates to each of the speakers. While the groom’s dad is gushing about his gorgeous grandchildren, for instance, play a clip of them enjoying themselves. This is a great technique for introducing new faces to the viewer.
To preserve things for future generations is something you may enjoy doing as well. In twenty years, your wedding film will come to life when you include elements like newspaper headlines, mobile phones, and Uncle Bob’s car, all of which may seem out of place now.
Imagine yourself and the couple are first-time visitors to a foreign country. You may refer to this phenomenon as the “picture postcard theory” because it explains why we always seem to focus on the local architecture and scenery when filming abroad. When filming domestically, though, we tend to take commonplace amenities for granted. Find the artistic potential in any situation.
Adding relevant B-roll film for each presenter is also a good idea. This is a great technique for introducing new faces to the viewer.
As You Plan Your Business’ Future
Keep in mind that there are additional ways videographers can increase their income while giving their clients peace of mind that their special day will be one they will never forget. Because of the ease with which modern video editing software allows for the creation of a highlights reel, the newlyweds and their guests can see the film while still at the celebration. You can charge extra for 4K shipping or provide a download link so that loved ones can watch it whenever they choose.
Shoot Videos for Your Own Satisfaction
Take pictures during weddings for the whole party. Looks strange? Yes, but keep in mind that you’re a creative professional whose services were sought out because of the quality of your previous work.
Using a checklist or constantly wondering to yourself, “Did I get enough of the bride’s family?” You’re headed in the direction of tedious video. A masterpiece cannot be created while restrained. Create your own collection of innovative, well-composed photos that will be a breeze to edit together.
Don’t stress out over what the competition is up to. Be a message, not an echo, as Albert Einstein once stated. Rather than imitating the work of the videographer down the street, you would be better served by watching some actual movies and incorporating some of the strategies into your own work.
Details to Consider When Filming a Wedding
To Use Two Cameras or Just One?
The challenge of shooting a wedding with just one camera is real. You may not be able to get all of the necessary images and perspectives with just one camera. A wedding day is full with activity in any particular location. It is your responsibility to keep track of everything at once. Therefore, most wedding videographers will bring more than one camera to the ceremony.
Pick Cameras That Perform Exceptionally Well in Dim Conditions
Unfortunately, weddings aren’t the most conducive events to meeting a videographer’s essential objectives and expectations. No matter where on the stage you think your subjects would look best, you are not allowed to put lights there. You can’t always control the outcome.
The lighting design process is particularly impacted by this lack of options. The prevailing reduced light shooting conditions are therefore not optimal for exposing your subjects, and you must work around them. Shooting a wedding in dim lighting? No problem, thanks to your camera’s superior low-light performance.
Low-light photography is made easier with cameras like the 5D Mark III and the Sony FS7 and A7S. These cameras function admirably even when pushed to their limits, producing smooth, cinematic footage with about as little noise as is now possible with electronic devices. Again, this is all because of how well low light is captured by their enormous imaging sensors. Definitely the best videographers around for weddings.
We’ve decided to upgrade our current camera to a Sony 6500, which is also an excellent choice. Its stability is superior to that of the Sony A7S, but its low-light performance is inferior. As a final option, the Black Magic Camera is a fantastic entry-level camera that won’t break the bank.
Use Lenses of the Highest Quality
The quality of your wedding video will depend greatly on the lenses you use, so keep that in mind when you pack up your gear for the next wedding videography shoot. Take note: glass is important!
For wedding photography, the lowest minimum aperture lens is recommended. You’d get a really cinematic wedding film that is likely to please viewers because, first, it would give greater low-light performance, and, second, it would assure that you obtain an exceptionally shallow depth of focus whenever the aperture is near-closed.
Using only a 50mm lens is insufficient, and they can be quite costly. Using multiple cameras will necessitate renting additional lenses. You should have at least a 24mm, 50mm, and 85mm lens.
Last but not least, if your funds permit it, think about purchasing the CANON 24-70mm ZOOM LENS. It may be used for a wide variety of shooting scenarios and is especially well suited for rapid fire. Work for the audience and get up close to the action with this lens while leaving the 50mm on your other camera in the corner.
How to Get a Film-Like Lighting Effect in Your Wedding Video
Lighting is another facet of wedding cinematography that can occasionally work to your advantage. If you have the ability to adjust the lighting, such as for an indoor ceremony, then by all means, do so!
Put together a portable lighting system that can adapt to different working environments. One option is to use a light that is attached to the camera itself (called a hot shoe light) and offers enough illumination to illuminate the entire scene. This works great when you only need a single main light to give a flood of light to an outside session.
When filming interviews, you can also utilise a more complicated lighting system, like the Smith-Victor Two light umbrella package, the Superb Focusing Flood, or the uLite kit. The barn-doored fixtures allow for directional lighting to help you get the desired effect.
You can’t film a wedding without using reflectors and bouncers, which are indispensable because they diffuse the light coming from the camera’s lens and provide flattering shadows on the bride and groom.
Wedding Video Stabilisation Systems
‘Motion-Picture’ derives its name from this fundamental characteristic of the medium. And it’s one of the most crucial parts of developing a movie that rarely gets any attention. If you want cinematic results from your wedding videography, you need to pay close attention to how you move the camera within the frame.
You can maintain a natural, flowing motion as you make your way through the crowd while filming steadily with the aid of a great, small, and strong handheld stabiliser. What a fantastic approach to emphasise the festivity of the occasion!
There are several different kinds of stabilisation devices on the market now, including Steadicams, Glide cams, etc. The trusty tripod can also be an indispensable tool for capturing steady cinematic shots. A monopod can do the job as well, and since it doesn’t take up as much room, it’s great for crowded events like weddings.
A slider, which operates similarly to a dolly and allows you to capture stunning, dramatic images of motion and depth, is another helpful equipment for capturing cinematic wedding film.
Check out our post on How long does it take to edit a wedding video?
Cinematic Quality Depends on the Your Vision
It’s an abstract idea that defies definition. One may argue that the creation of several cinematic videography does not appear to be dependent on the use of any one technique or piece of equipment in particular. Block’s videos are exemplary; despite his spare approach, he tells stories that are both profound and inspiring.
A cinematic wedding video, is one in which the videographer makes effective and concise use of traditional storytelling techniques to create content for the client that recounts the events of the wedding in a way that is honest to the couple’s emotions and inspires genuineness and warmth. To create a more theatrical effect, a film can use tools like sliders, gimbals, drones, and other types of camera movement. However, none of that matters if the narrative isn’t conveyed convincingly.
The most moving wedding movies are the ones in which the camera appears to be an integral part of the festivities. The quality of the audio is just as crucial as the story being spoken.
Conclusion
Don’t simply make a video for a friend’s wedding; additionally consider buying them a present from of their registry. The term “movie-like video” describes any video that attempts to imitate the style and atmosphere of a full-length motion picture. There is a wide range of film styles available today, with footage captured by everything from professional cameras to mobile phones. You can turn the fact that you don’t have much control over the day’s events to your advantage as a wedding videographer. Instead of acting like you’re on a movie set, imagine you’re filming a documentary about someone’s wedding.
It would be helpful to include some related B-roll for each of the presenters. Create a film that doesn’t follow a linear timeline; this is an example of doing something “non-linear.” Videographers can earn more money and provide greater comfort to their customers by taking use of supplementary revenue streams. You can easily make a highlight reel with today’s video editing tools. To ensure that loved ones can view it at their convenience, you may either offer expedited shipping in 4K for an additional fee or send a download link.
In order to get stable shots for a movie, a tripod is a must-have accessory. The use of a slider, which is like a dolly but with more versatility, can greatly enhance the quality of a wedding film. Some of the most heartfelt wedding films are those in which the camera feels like an organic part of the celebration.
Content Summary
- If you want to avoid having to file for a divorce the day after your wedding, it’s important to schedule your video shoot carefully.
- We’re going to reveal the secrets of making high-quality wedding movies right now.
- Second, if you’re doing the movie for a friend’s wedding, don’t just make the film; also get them a present from their registry.
- Movie-style video is a term for a video that simulates the look and feel of a feature-length film.
- The role of the wedding videographer, then, is crucial in telling the event’s story.
- But think about the day’s structure, the individuals involved, and the little nuances, and that’ll influence your approach to photography.
- You can spend more time arranging your photographs.
- If you use a single focus length for most of the day, you should have a very good idea of how your photos will turn out even before you set up the shot.
- Be considerate of the audience when you shoot any speeches or ceremonies.
- Getting high-quality recordings requires nothing in the way of technical know-how.
- Try something new with your treatment of sound.
- To advance in your field, you must develop an aptitude for compelling storytelling.
- How and where you use footage is completely up to you.
- Take pictures during weddings for the whole party.
- Create your own collection of innovative, well-composed photos that will be a breeze to edit together.
- The challenge of shooting a wedding with just one camera is real.
- Therefore, most wedding videographers will bring more than one camera to the ceremony.
- No problem, thanks to your camera’s superior low-light performance.
- The quality of your wedding video will depend greatly on the lenses you use, so keep that in mind when you pack up your gear for the next wedding videography shoot.
- Put together a portable lighting system that can adapt to different working environments.
- If you want cinematic results from your wedding videography, you need to pay close attention to how you move the camera within the frame.
- There are several different kinds of stabilisation devices on the market now, including Steadicams, Glide cams, etc.
- The trusty tripod can also be an indispensable tool for capturing steady cinematic shots.
- One may argue that the creation of several cinematic videography does not appear to be dependent on the use of any one technique or piece of equipment in particular.
- A cinematic wedding video, is one in which the videographer makes effective and concise use of traditional storytelling techniques to create content for the client that recounts the events of the wedding in a way that is honest to the couple’s emotions and inspires genuineness and warmth.
- The most moving wedding movies are the ones in which the camera appears to be an integral part of the festivities.
- The quality of the audio is just as crucial as the story being spoken.
FAQs About Wedding Videos
What Exactly Is a Feature-Length Wedding Video?
A 15, 25, or 35-minute film with musical accompaniment and rich audio from the wedding service and/or party. Cinematic, non-linear, and/or strictly chronological editing.
How Long Should a Wedding Montage Video Be?
However, the standard duration of a wedding video can range from a few minutes for a highlights version or a short film to thirty minutes or more for a documentary or cinematic approach. Both are viable options, depending on your needs and the wedding video packages that are currently on the market.
What Is a Wedding Highlight Video?
The best parts of the wedding day are captured in a short film or video that typically lasts between three and twelve minutes. You can change the order of events in a highlight film either linearly or non-linearly. An example of a highlight video is a linear highlight video, which follows time and depicts the day’s events in sequential order.
Just what is a “Concept Video” for a Wedding?
A concept wedding movie is the most creative and elaborate option for capturing your special day on film. Typically, there is a predetermined timeline that begins with a few pre-wedding shootings, then moves on to interviews with the couple and/or guests, and finally ends with the wedding video.
What Are Instagram Wedding Videos?
This trend towards shorter wedding films may be traced back to the explosion in popularity of smartphones and social media platforms like Instagram. Instagram videos tend to be between 15 and 60 seconds in length. Additionally, IGTV allows for the upload of longer-form videos.
