Videography: Top 5 Things to Consider

Top 5 Things to Consider When Booking a Videographer

So you’ve begun the exciting quest of planning your wedding and now you are starting to think about hiring a videographer for your big day? Cool, let’s get into it!

Once upon a time, planning your wedding day was a relatively simple task. From venue and photographer to your wedding dress, there was maybe a small handful of options to pick from and you likely had to ‘make do’ with whatever was closest to you. However, we now live in a time where the internet has made it easier than ever for anyone to jump in the game and we are now flooded with TOO MANY options! Don’t get me wrong, ‘too many’ are of course better than ‘too few’, but with many options also comes a few obstacles. But FEAR NOT! We have come up with the Top 5 Things to Consider when booking a videographer for your special day!

 

1. Understand pricing

Of course when booking anything for your wedding, the price is a massive factor. You may have allocated a certain budget overall or perhaps have decided to book a certain venue regardless of the cost! Either way, one of the most common questions one can ask is “why are some prices higher than others?”. An extremely valid and common question it may be, however it amazes me how little information there is surrounding the answer to this question – and especially regarding wedding videography. So here are our thoughts, sparing no detail..

Firstly, there may be some obvious reasons to why two prices from various videographers are so different. Perhaps one is offering a 5 hour package and the other is offering 10 hours.. or maybe one includes 2 videographers on the day and the other only includes 1 (we will talk more about this in detail later on). But these are obvious details, so lets talk about the  ‘less obvious’ factors that may come into play.

  • Quality. Yes I know, quality is very subjective. And this point will likely be an underlying theme throughout this article, but only because its an important one. The first question you are probably asking is “how do I know which videographer is better quality!?”. The short answer is “you don’t”, because quality isn’t really a measurable thing! Similar to catering, one person may prefer the taste of one menu, someone else might prefer another menu. We recommend to watch LOTS of videos from LOTS of videographers, and then trust your gut on which one feels the most polished, professional and overall tells a great story.  However there are a few factors that may determine a videographer’s price:
    • Picture quality – how clean and sharp the resolution of the film is
    • Audio – do they include audio from your speeches and vows? And if they do, pay attention to how clean/well balanced the audio is (we will discuss this further later on)
    • Music – take note of the soundtrack they are using. Many videographers spend hours searching for your own unique music while others use mainstream songs.
  • Experience. Nowadays, we see new videographers emerging almost everyday! A huge reason we may see a pricing disparity between videographers is due to the amount of experience they may (or may not) have in the industry. Now let me be very clear, experience does NOT equal “better”. What I mean by this is that just because a videographer may have 30 years of weddings under his belt, does not necessarily mean they will create an amazing film. What it does mean though is that they have learned from past mistakes, become extremely efficient, know how to communicate and know all the little tricks to ensure they get beautiful shots. However on that same note, just a word of caution when looking for the “most experienced” out there, it becomes very common to see videographers using the same old habits/skills they were using decades ago. A safe bet is to find someone right in the middle from 3 – 15 years.
  • Gear. This kind of ties back into quality a little, however there are a few extra points to be made here. A likely reason you may see a significant difference in pricing can have a lot to do with the gear they use. Many videographers invest up to $30,000 – $40,000 on gear alone to reach a point where they can call themselves a “professional” – yeah it’s an expensive gig to get into! Of these videographers, most will shoot anywhere from 15 – 40 weddings per year (sometimes more) – so their prices often help cover the wear and tear, insurances, and any upgrades/replacements needed throughout the year. If you notice a big difference in pricing, it may be due to the big difference in gear.

 

2. How many videographers?

It may be surprising to some people that this even gets a mention, but it’s something commonly overlooked and can make a HUGE difference in the end product. So you might have been looking at some quotes and noticed that there are a bunch of videographers that offer a ‘1 person team’ and there are some who offer ‘2 person teams’. It begs the commonly asked question, “do I need 2 or can I get away with 1?”. As always having a 2 person team myself, I will always recommend anyone to pick the 2 person option. But here are some factors to consider to help you decide:

  • Multiple angles. Probably the most obvious thing that comes to mind – but will discuss it anyway. The main difference between having 1 or 2 videographers on your wedding day is capturing multiple angles. Unlike photographers who can rapidly change angles on the spot, videographers are only capable of safely capturing 1 main angle/shot at a time. An example of this may be trying to capture the bride walking down the aisle whilst getting the groom’s reaction. Now, technically you could always setup an ‘unmanned’ camera to capture (for example) the groom’s reaction – but is always at risk of being obstructed by a guest, the groom stepping out of focus/view, changes in lighting etc.. Having 2 videographers there on the day means you can re-live your wedding day to its fullest!
  • Extra hands. It may be surprising to know all the little things a videographer does in the background of your wedding day. From setting up audio at the ceremony and reception to preparing the lighting for the evening speeches… having a 2nd videographer on the day can be an absolute life-saver! Your wedding day can be quite fast-paced (even for us!) so having an extra set of hands to organise, setup and prep can make the difference between a good film and an amazing film.

An additional note I might add is that “more” doesn’t always mean “better”. Some videographers by default may include up to 6 person teams which in most cases is far too many people on the day. Our advice is to always try and find 2 (or even 3) person teams for a smooth day and an awesome film.

 

3. Know who you’re booking

The internet and social media has allowed so many small businesses to thrive and create a successful career in the wedding industry. It is so easy these days to simply jump onto Facebook, Instagram or just your email to contact others and potential businesses. However while we love the convenience, it can become easy to overlook some crucial points:

  • Meeting. It is always a great idea, if not essential, to meet up or at the very least have a video call with your videographer at some point before the wedding. It is a great chance to really get to know who they are as a person, their style, and just to see how well you get along! Your videographer (and photographer) work very closely with you on the day so it’s important to find someone you enjoy hanging out with!
  • Do they outsource? Something that is commonly overlooked by couples is whether the videographer outsources their work. Always check whether they film and edit their own films, or do they hire freelancers. Some businesses will hire freelance videographers to film on the day and then send the video to someone else to edit – taking the entire creativity out of their hands. I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a bad thing, it’s just important for that communication to start as early as possible. Which leads me to my third point…
  • Communication. Having an open communication with your videographer is essential. When enquiring with various videographers, pay attention to their response times. If someone is getting back to you 4-5 days later – move onto the next videographer. At the same time, don’t expect to hear back from them at 9:30pm on a weeknight – videographers like to have some down-time too! Look for a videographer who responds to your emails in a timely manner, always is happy to answer your questions, and just sounds genuinely excited to work with you!

 

4. Audio

The job of a videographer is to try and tell a story, and capturing audio is a crucial element within that process. If you have been looking around and watching various films by this point you may have noticed that some videographers include the audio from speeches and the vows, and some do not. So why is this? Well, be it the answer you may not want to hear, the main reasons are time and money… let me explain.

Capturing high quality, consistent audio at a wedding can be a stressful and timely process. A lot of the time a videographer will have to speak with the celebrant and receive audio from their speaker system as well as doing the same with the musician/DJ during reception. Each wedding is totally different, and knowing how to improvise and navigate the process of capturing audio is a vital skill. However as mentioned before, some videographers do not include any audio – which saves time for them both at the wedding and in post-production. This ties back into the first point about pricing, videographers may have different prices due to whether they capture audio on the day or not.

Personally, I will always be a strong advocate for capturing audio. As filmmakers we have so much potential to bring all aspects of the day together into the most cinematic, emotional and beautiful story possible, and audio plays a huge role in this. Without it, the film almost becomes a moving slideshow of your wedding photos with music, but it can be so much more than that.

 

5. Style

This links back to everything already mentioned but its reiterating it once more. Understanding your videographer’s style is probably one of the most important things you can do. A good videographer (and photographer) will always describe their style in the ‘About‘ section of their website so this is always a great place to start! Style can be separated into two categories:

  • Filming style. This refers to the videographer’s style on the day of your wedding. This includes things like do they prefer candid or staged shots, how much gear do they use, do they like to direct a lot or do they prefer to blend in etc. It is important to gain an understanding of your videographer’s filming style before making a decision – each couple is different and you should choose someone who fits the kind of style you like. If you’re unsure what you like, going for someone who has a natural, candid filming style and prefers to blend into the crowd is probably your safest bet.
  • Editing style. This refers to the videographer’s style when editing your film. Every single film maker has their own unique editing style and is where most of the creativity comes into play. Different styles may include a slow-paced, dreamy vibe or an upbeat, quick-cut, fast-paced feel – there is not really a right or wrong here. It is up to you to decide what kind of style you’re into and what suits you and your partner the most. We at Two Folk Films like to create a simple, cinematic and timeless feeling in our films that try to bring out as much emotion as possible.

 

Final thoughts

It can be quite intimidating taking your first steps into planning your big day – don’t worry you’re not the only one! But it can also be an incredibly fun and exciting experience! Always just take your time, don’t overthink it too much and just have some fun with it! When searching for a videographer (or any supplier for that matter) always trust your gut and pick someone who is right for YOU. Don’t worry too much about the cost of things, this is a once in a lifetime event and you will thank yourself later!

If you would like to check out our own films, feel free to CLICK HERE. If you have any questions about your wedding, something mentioned in this article, or just want to chat, you can contact us HERE.

 

Published by Two Folk Films 

6th November 2019