videographer

What makes a good wedding video?

Wedding photography can be stressful despite its financial rewards, frantic pace, and emotional impact. Please find below some suggestions for your wedding video.

They will expect you to capture all the memorable moments, such as their vows, first dance, and the kiss, and you will likely only have one shot at each (and these days will probably have to contend with an iPhone-wielding aunt popping into the frame).

If this sounds like a lot of work, don't worry; we've put together a short video that will walk you through the fundamentals of filming a wedding that the happy couple will be proud to share.

Although it's true that practice makes perfect when it comes to honing your wedding videography abilities, you don't need to put in countless hours before seeing results. Making even minor adjustments when filming and editing can dramatically improve the final product.

Sometimes it just takes a new piece of equipment. Sometimes, all it takes is a minor shift in how you hold or move the camera. These low-cost, simple changes will set you apart from the competition and attract more customers.

In this article, I will show you how to fast improve your wedding videography abilities so that you may apply them on your next assignment.

Need a Wedding Video Company for your special day? Look no further, Vogue Ballroom have you covered. 

It's all about your story!

You may have noticed from watching our wedding video teasers that we place a premium on telling a tale. Simply put, the story is what elevates an average Hollywood film to the level of an excellent one. It's great to have a ton of gorgeous images from the day (and we really enjoy recording these!) We like to construct a story with the footage we have, so that when the film is viewed years from now, it will feel more like a movie than a music video.

Your Story Through Speeches

We really appreciate it when our couples take part in the tale creation process, as this day is all about you two and your bond. The best method for us to achieve this is to use excerpts from the groom's and/or bride's after-dinner speeches as a narration track, so it would be great if one of you would share the story of how you met and how it led up to the wedding day. The more descriptive and sentimental, the better, so that we have enough of material to work with! Instead of just listing off a bunch of great things about the other person, it's more interesting if you can let your creative side out and paint a picture of the first time you saw each other, what you were wearing, what was on the radio, what you were thinking, etc. All these specifics help us paint a picture of your connection for the screen. Watch this video to get ideas from one of the best weddings we covered last year. Look at this useful wedding site that provides excellent advice for writing a speech if you're at a loss as to how to begin putting together a speech.

Your Story Through The Vows

You can express your love for one another during this special time by exchanging vows that you have written and shared with one another. You're not only showing your loved ones and guests how much they mean to you, but you're also making the event more special for them. To help us convey your story, please let us know in advance if you plan to write your vows. The words you say to each other on your wedding day may be the most meaningful you ever say, so it's vital to us that they be included in your film.

Your Story Through The Readings

While we encourage you to share your personal experiences wherever possible, we recognize that public speaking is not for everyone. Poems, lovely pieces of writing, and anything written particularly for the event by a dear friend or family member are all excellent options. We highly encourage having readings throughout your ceremony and letting us know in advance so we can properly document these, as these can be quite emotional moments for the reader and you both. Check out this resource for wedding readings if you need some motivation.

Your Story Through Cards And Letters

Writing each other a letter or card to be opened in the morning is another fantastic approach to show your affection without drawing attention to yourselves in front of others. If you do this, we'd like to be there when you open it to see your reaction on camera. You can add your own voices to the story of your day by reading each other's letters aloud.

A great video is made up of great moments!

We appreciate the unique and creative methods in which couples choose to honour their love on their wedding day. We prefer an organic, unforced approach to our work and, as such, don't try to control or manipulate any of the day's events. Nonetheless, there are a variety of ways in which you can assist us in guaranteeing that we record every one of those priceless occurrences.

Planning

Whether you are handling the details of the big day on your own or working with a wedding planner, we need to know every last thing about the day(s) you have planned so that we can be there when we need to be, armed with everything we need to get the job done. Whether it's live music, a wedding car, or a surprise for the bride or groom, we need to know the specifics of your big day. For this reason, we recommend scheduling a pre-wedding meeting with all of our customers approximately a month before the big day. Whether we're chatting over coffee (or wine!) in person or on the phone, it's always helpful to discuss your plans well in advance of the ceremony.

Preparations

Waiting for us to arrive before opening gifts or reading cards/letters from each other is always a wonderful idea, since this is usually the calmest time of day when we can take a bit more time to shoot some cinematic pictures. We can record not just video but also sound if you need it for your movie.

COUPLE SHOOTS

We recommend scheduling your afternoon reception so that we have time to whisk you away for some romantic portraits with the photographer. It's not just the only time of day you two actually have to yourselves, but it also gives us some fantastic material for the editing process. After all, our wedding videos will be all about you and your narrative, so we'll need to grab some photos of the two of you together.

Speeches

If you haven't decided whether to hold the speeches before or after the wedding breakfast, we strongly suggest holding them afterward so that we can save time during the reception's afternoon meal setting up the necessary equipment. We need extra time to shoot in the afternoon so that we have more material for editing.

First Dance

Not being natural dancers, we can certainly empathize with the fact that the first dance is more of a chore than a pleasure for many couples. The longer you can spend dancing together, the better from our perspective, and who knows? You might even enjoy it! However, while it may be tempting to ask your DJ/Band to invite your family and friends on to the dance floor after 30 seconds, this really doesn't leave us much time to get the shots of the dance we need for your film. If you'd want additional information about the kinds of things that work in the film, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. Alternatively, you may share this post with your friends via the social share icons below, or leave a comment if you have any other suggestions to offer!

A picture tells a thousand words, but sound tells a thousand more!

We wedding videographers have to lug around more gear than photographers do because we're trying to record both the pictures and the sound of the event simultaneously, an essential part of any film.

Recordings

On the actual wedding day, we are planning for both visual and audio capture. With speech being one of the most crucial parts of the wedding day's soundtrack, we prefer to switch up the speakers during your wedding breakfast by using professional lapel mics (like those worn by tv presenters). This ensures that we can capture the remarks in their entirety, even if we have to do so from a distance. Even though we can't always guarantee to capture all the sounds of the day, like bands/string quartets etc., because capturing this type of audio on the fly can be tricky, we always try to capture a flavour of it to help build up a picture of your day, so let us know if you plan on having any live music at your wedding.

Music

You may have noticed from our portfolio that the instrumental music we chose goes very well with our elegant and traditional filmmaking style, and that we use it throughout the editing process in addition to whatever audio we have captured on the day. This is why we don't want to leave it up to you to decide what kind of music should be used in our films; rather, we'd like to make that decision ourselves. Keep in mind that while we want your film to be enjoyed for years to come, we also want it to stand the test of time, so stay away from songs that are currently trendy but may sound dated in a decade or two. Finally, there's the problem of licensing; using commercial music in web videos requires a significant license charge, which is why we invest in high-quality royalty-free music libraries for all of our films. Rather than relying on the same few songs that everyone knows and can instantly conjure up a memory to, you may make this lesser-known music the soundtrack to your day.

Find the perfect wedding video company to help capture those special moments here. 

Tips for Improving Your Wedding Video

Lighting

Inform your videographer of any lighting concerns at the venue. Your videographer can then capture the most crystal-clear footage imaginable.

Indoors

The video will look better in general if the lights aren't dimmed too much throughout the ceremony and reception. Your videographer can do the most discreet job possible by using an on-camera light with a low wattage if the area is dark. Have him do a light diffusion. Squinting doesn't look great on camera, and this will fix that. Make sure the emcee knows ahead of time to turn up the lights for the toasts, cake cutting, bouquet toss, and garter removal. Images captured without the aid of illumination in a dark room may be blurry or otherwise unusable.

Outdoors

If the bride and groom and their guests can avoid standing in the bright sunshine during an outdoor ceremony, the photos will turn out much better. Colors lose their vibrancy when exposed directly to sunlight. Canopies or other forms of partial shade are ideal.

Positioning

Even the most well-rehearsed nuptials might present challenges for the videographer if you are not conscious of your positioning. Rehearsal that incorporates camera positioning strategies might help you capture intimate moments without compromising on quality.

Wedding party

Don't forget to remind the bridesmaids and groomsmen to keep an eye out for the photographer, especially if the wedding location is small. This is particularly important when the chuppah is being held by attendants in a confined space.

Vow exchange

You may get the most natural photographs of the ceremony by facing your guests or each other (instead of the officiant). If neither is possible, have your videographer strategically install small hidden cameras around the ceremony site to capture it from different perspectives.

Key moments

When conducting a ceremony using a unity candle or sand, make sure no one stands in front of the candle or the vase holding the sand. The best viewpoint for the videographer to capture the bride and groom lighting their candle is off to the side. The giving and receiving of rings follows the same pattern.

Guest management

The videographer should never get in the way of the guests, but the guests also shouldn't go in the way of the camera. When it comes time for the ring exchange, the kiss, the bouquet throw, and the cutting of the cake, you may want to ask your guests to stand behind the official cameraman and photographer. Even young children can easily obstruct these crucial shots if they get too excited. The ushers can subtly remind visitors of the request as they take their seats, and you can also make a note of it in the printed program.

Little Things Mean A Lot

Sometimes the smallest details are the most important when trying to capture a precious moment on film. In order to make sure your movie leaves a positive impression, it's important to know what kinds of things could go wrong.

What not to do

Gum chewing, smoking, and eating all look bad on camera. You may choose to present your wedding party with mints instead of gum if you'd rather they not chew throughout the ceremony. Feel free to note that most professional videographers already know not to record people when they are eating or smoking.

Sound bites

The groom should not turn off or tinker with the little wireless lavaliere microphone he will be wearing. Relax knowing that his thoughts won't be overheard by the company. Video editors are generally aware of the need for discretion. You may rest assured that no humiliating audio or video recordings will be made public.

Check out our post on Is a wedding video worth it?

Acting natural

Do your best to ignore the camera. After the first hour of the bride's preparations, the wedding party is usually comfortable in front of the camera. You should never avert your gaze from the camera, as this frequently results in unsatisfactory film. When in doubt about who to gaze at during a typical shot, look at the photographer until the videographer tells you otherwise.

These suggestions may not always be applicable, as every wedding is unique. The best decisions for your wedding day will be the ones you make in advance.

That wraps it up, then. There are four easy and inexpensive ways to improve your wedding videography, even if you don't have years of experience under your belt already. Of course, like anything else, the more you practice, the better your films will be. However, if you combine practice with these strategies, you'll be well on your way to becoming a successful wedding videographer.

Conclusion

In this article, I will show you how to fast improve your wedding videography abilities so that you may apply them on your next assignment. We like to construct a story with the footage we have, so that when the film is viewed years from now, it will feel more like a movie than a music video. You can express your love for one another by exchanging vows that you have written and shared with one another. The words you say to each other on your wedding day may be the most meaningful you ever say, so it's vital to us that they be included in your film. You can add your own voices to the story of your day by reading each other's letters aloud.

We prefer an organic, unforced approach to our work and don't try to control or manipulate any of the day's events. For this reason, we recommend scheduling a pre-wedding meeting with all of our customers approximately a month before the big day. There are a variety of ways in which you can assist us in guaranteeing that we record every one of those priceless occurrences. The longer you spend dancing together, the better from our perspective, and who knows? You might even enjoy it!

With speech being one of the most crucial parts of the wedding day's soundtrack, we prefer to switch up the speakers during your wedding breakfast by using professional lapel mics (like those worn by tv presenters) This ensures that we can capture the remarks in their entirety, even if we have to do so from a distance. Inform your videographer of any lighting concerns at the venue, and he can then capture crystal-clear footage. Images captured without the aid of illumination in a dark room may be blurry or otherwise unusable. Don't forget to remind the bridesmaids and groomsmen to keep an eye out for the photographer, especially if the wedding location is small. This is particularly important when the chuppah is being held by attendants in a confined space.

When conducting a ceremony using a unity candle or sand, make sure no one stands in front of the candle or the vase holding the sand. Even young children can easily obstruct these crucial shots if they get too excited. You may choose to present your wedding party with mints instead of gum if you'd rather they not chew throughout the ceremony. There are four easy and inexpensive ways to improve your wedding videography, even if you don't have years of experience already. The more you practice, the better your films will be. If you combine practice with these strategies, you'll be well on your way to becoming a successful wedding videographer.

Content Summary: 

  • Please find below some suggestions for your wedding video.
  • If this sounds like a lot of work, don't worry; we've put together a short video that will walk you through the fundamentals of filming a wedding that the happy couple will be proud to share.
  • Although it's true that practice makes perfect when it comes to honing your wedding videography abilities, you don't need to put in countless hours before seeing results.
  • Making even minor adjustments when filming and editing can dramatically improve the final product.
  • In this article, I will show you how to fast improve your wedding videography abilities so that you may apply them on your next assignment.
  • Need a Wedding Video Company for your special day?
  •  It's all about your story!
  • All these specifics help us paint a picture of your connection for the screen.
  • Look at this useful wedding site that provides excellent advice for writing a speech if you're at a loss as to how to begin putting together a speech.
  • You can express your love for one another during this special time by exchanging vows that you have written and shared with one another.
  • To help us convey your story, please let us know in advance if you plan to write your vows.
  • The words you say to each other on your wedding day may be the most meaningful you ever say, so it's vital to us that they be included in your film.
  • Check out this resource for wedding readings if you need some motivation.
  • You can add your own voices to the story of your day by reading each other's letters aloud.
  • A great video is made up of great moments!
  • Whether you are handling the details of the big day on your own or working with a wedding planner, we need to know every last thing about the day(s) you have planned so that we can be there when we need to be, armed with everything we need to get the job done.
  • Whether it's live music, a wedding car, or a surprise for the bride or groom, we need to know the specifics of your big day.
  • For this reason, we recommend scheduling a pre-wedding meeting with all of our customers approximately a month before the big day.
  • in person or on the phone, it's always helpful to discuss your plans well in advance of the ceremony.
  • We recommend scheduling your afternoon reception so that we have time to whisk you away for some romantic portraits with the photographer.
  • After all, our wedding videos will be all about you and your narrative, so we'll need to grab some photos of the two of you together.
  • We need extra time to shoot in the afternoon so that we have more material for editing.
  • The longer you can spend dancing together, the better from our perspective, and who knows?
  • However, while it may be tempting to ask your DJ/Band to invite your family and friends on to the dance floor after 30 seconds, this really doesn't leave us much time to get the shots of the dance we need for your film.
  • If you'd want additional information about the kinds of things that work in the film, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.
  • Alternatively, you may share this post with your friends via the social share icons below, or leave a comment if you have any other suggestions to offer!
  • A picture tells a thousand words, but sound tells a thousand more!
  • We wedding videographers have to lug around more gear than photographers do because we're trying to record both the pictures and the sound of the event simultaneously, an essential part of any film.
  • On the actual wedding day, we are planning for both visual and audio capture.
  • With speech being one of the most crucial parts of the wedding day's soundtrack, we prefer to switch up the speakers during your wedding breakfast by using professional lapel mics (like those worn by tv presenters).
  • Even though we can't always guarantee to capture all the sounds of the day, like bands/string quartets etc.,
  • because capturing this type of audio on the fly can be tricky, we always try to capture a flavour of it to help build up a picture of your day, so let us know if you plan on having any live music at your wedding.
  • You may have noticed from our portfolio that the instrumental music we chose goes very well with our elegant and traditional filmmaking style, and that we use it throughout the editing process in addition to whatever audio we have captured on the day.
  • This is why we don't want to leave it up to you to decide what kind of music should be used in our films; rather, we'd like to make that decision ourselves.
  • Finally, there's the problem of licensing; using commercial music in web videos requires a significant license charge, which is why we invest in high-quality royalty-free music libraries for all of our films.
  • Find the perfect wedding video company to help capture those special moments here.
  • Inform your videographer of any lighting concerns at the venue.
  • The video will look better in general if the lights aren't dimmed too much throughout the ceremony and reception.
  • Your videographer can do the most discreet job possible by using an on-camera light with a low wattage if the area is dark.
  • Make sure the emcee knows ahead of time to turn up the lights for the toasts, cake cutting, bouquet toss, and garter removal.
  • If the bride and groom and their guests can avoid standing in the bright sunshine during an outdoor ceremony, the photos will turn out much better.
  • Even the most well-rehearsed nuptials might present challenges for the videographer if you are not conscious of your positioning.
  • Rehearsal that incorporates camera positioning strategies might help you capture intimate moments without compromising on quality.
  • Don't forget to remind the bridesmaids and groomsmen to keep an eye out for the photographer, especially if the wedding location is small.
  • This is particularly important when the chuppah is being held by attendants in a confined space.
  • When conducting a ceremony using a unity candle or sand, make sure no one stands in front of the candle or the vase holding the sand.
  • The best viewpoint for the videographer to capture the bride and groom lighting their candle is off to the side.
  • The giving and receiving of rings follows the same pattern.
  • The videographer should never get in the way of the guests, but the guests also shouldn't go in the way of the camera.
  • When it comes time for the ring exchange, the kiss, the bouquet throw, and the cutting of the cake, you may want to ask your guests to stand behind the official cameraman and photographer.
  • Sometimes the smallest details are the most important when trying to capture a precious moment on film.
  • In order to make sure your movie leaves a positive impression, it's important to know what kinds of things could go wrong.
  • Gum chewing, smoking, and eating all look bad on camera.
  • You may choose to present your wedding party with mints instead of gum if you'd rather they not chew throughout the ceremony.
  • Feel free to note that most professional videographers already know not to record people when they are eating or smoking.
  • Video editors are generally aware of the need for discretion.
  • Check out our post on Is a wedding video worth it?
  • Do your best to ignore the camera.
  • After the first hour of the bride's preparations, the wedding party is usually comfortable in front of the camera.
  • You should never avert your gaze from the camera, as this frequently results in unsatisfactory film.
  • When in doubt about who to gaze at during a typical shot, look at the photographer until the videographer tells you otherwise.
  • The best decisions for your wedding day will be the ones you make in advance.
  • There are four easy and inexpensive ways to improve your wedding videography, even if you don't have years of experience under your belt already.
  • However, if you combine practice with these strategies, you'll be well on your way to becoming a successful wedding videographer.
wedding video

FAQs About Wedding Video

However, the average wedding video length is somewhere between three to five minutes for a highlights version or short film, or up to 30 minutes or longer for a documentary or cinematic style. You can always opt for both, depending on what you'd like to use it for and what kind of wedding video packages are offered.

Because, while cost is a factor for some, sure, the real importance of wedding videos come from their ability to let you relive your big day. Unlike photographs, videos give you the voices, the noises, the sounds, the action of one of the most memorable days of your life and keeps it saved forever.

The typical turnaround time for a couple to receive their completed wedding video is between 11 to 12 weeks. This might be shorter during off-peak periods but it can take longer during the busy Summer season. Editing a wedding video takes time.

Most wedding videographers work with at least two cameras: one stationary, placed on a tripod to get a full recording of your ceremony, and one in hand so they can record different angles of specific shots and moments. If they have an assistant, there may be even more.

That's why highlight reels—5- to 10-minute movies that include the highlights of the day—have become the standard in wedding videos.

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