Do you REALLY Need a Videographer for Your Wedding?

Help!

There are so many expenses for the wedding day, the venue, catering, flowers, DJ or band, drinks, gifts, decorations, the list goes on and on.  The cost of all of these different aspects adds up quickly, and not everyone’s budget is endless.  Every couple who is getting married is usually making a lot of cost benefit decisions on which of these services to include, and then comparing different providers and options.  In fact, planning a wedding can be looked at as a giant exercise in cost benefit analysis.  Sure, there are many other important factors, such as aesthetics, emotions, traditions, but this an underlying component, so we might as well address it.

Sorry, Not Today!

There are some services, that do not contribute at all to the wedding day experience!  In fact, in some cases, they may actually detract from the experience.  What services would you actually pay for, that do not help make the wedding day a better experience and may actually detract from the experience you may ask?  To name two: Photography and Videography.  There, I said it!  But, why?  These are 2 services that are meant to capture the day and are almost exclusively meant to be enjoyed after the wedding is over.  I say “almost”, because some providers of these services do offer some features that can be enjoyed on the wedding day (e.g., Engagement Photos used in wedding decorations, or Same Day Video Edit displayed during the reception).  But, for the most part, these services are meant to be experienced after the wedding, not during.

These products are for the couple, family and friends and for future generations to be able to look back on the day that the couple were married and relive it through images, and in the case of video, images and sound.  But, I am getting ahead of myself.   I also did mention these services can detract from the wedding experience.  How?  Because, the photographer and videographer will to some extent, have to interject themselves into all the activities of the day in order to get “the shots”.  Now, hopefully, you select a photographer and videographer with awesome people skills, experience, and great personalities, so that they don’t make it a negative, but they actually add to the experience through advice, direction and generally being a pleasure to have around.  But, that is the subject for whole other blog! ;-)

How Many Couples Hire Videography?

According to The Wedding Report (a research product that publishes data on the services purchased in the wedding industry) 97% of weddings have photography services, and only 46% of couples hire videography services.  These numbers may vary by region, total cost of wedding, etc. but these are good to give us some perspective on the decisions that brides and grooms are making as they plan their weddings.  Now, I don’t want you to stop reading now and think: “Almost everyone hires a photographer, so I better hire one too”, or “Most people do not hire a videographer, so if I don’t hire one, it won’t be that big of a deal”.  To the contrary, I only mention these statistics to highlight it is a real option to include or exclude either of these services.  The choice is yours!  In the rest of this blog, I want to give you some information to help you make this decision.  So please, read on…

Why would you want a Wedding Film?

Wedding Videography and Photography are really the only services you can purchase for your wedding that will give you something tangible to have and enjoy once the wedding day is over.  After the band stops playing, the booze is all consumed, the food was eaten and enjoyed, the flowers have wilted and dried out, the only thing that you will have from the wedding will be the wedding films and pictures taken by the videographer and photographers.

 You can actually look at these as investments, for as memories fade, the wedding films and wedding pictures will persevere and the value you place in them will only increase overtime.  You can also assert that they will increase the value derived from all the wedding objects that you can’t keep!  How? If they are included in the wedding film, and you can continue to enjoy them after they are long gone!  The wedding films and still photos will actually be priceless and above any monetary value as they will be irreplaceable.  They will become family heirlooms, to be enjoyed over and over again, and to be passed onto future generations so that they can get to know the bride and groom and enjoy their love story!  YAY!!

You have a photographer – Isn’t that enough?

I have been discussing videography and photography in the same breath, as they are very similar in nature.  But while they are similar, they are very distinct in many ways, from how they are captured on the wedding day, to the deliverables that you get from these providers. I also stated that more people hire a photography company then a videography company.  So, let’s look at the decision a little closer.  Let’s assume you have or will hire a photographer, so why do you also need a videographer?  The photographer will capture a lot of the same moments and details, why do you need the same thing over again in the form of a video?  Will you or your family and friends, want to look at pictures of the wedding, and then look at same subject matter over again in video form?  I think you can make the case that not only will they want to watch the video in addition to looking at pictures, many people may prefer to watch the video and will get a deeper experience from the video then they will from just the pictures.  How can I make such a statement?  The point is, you need to understand what a film or video rendition of the wedding can offer that photography cannot.  Once you fully understand this distinction, you will start to understand why you would want to hire a videography company for your wedding, independent of the photography hire choice.

What does Video deliver that nothing else can?

Let’s break it down, what really makes a Wedding Film a unique offering?  The following sections describe elements that the wedding video can deliver that nothing else can!

“Pictures are nice, but nothing takes us back to the day like our wedding film!” – Drew G.

Movement - DUH?

This is the most obvious point: film is moving pictures.  Whereas photography is stills, and can only capture a split second in time, video will capture all of those split seconds and string them together into motion.  You will see the formation of smiles, the wiping of tears, the beginning, middle and end of a kiss, the power of the embrace, the turn while dancing, the jumps for joy, and on and on.  Cinematography can capture the essence of people because moving frames can capture the subtleness of the scene that a single frame may miss.  Such as the shyness of a child, the laughing of the bride, Grandpa during the jig, etc.  There are so many actions that you may not fully grasp or that would be difficult to capture with a still shot, but when movement is recorded, it becomes obvious. Simply put:  it comes to life!

The Power of the Edit

We discussed how a single shot of moving pictures can capture expression through movement, but the real power is when multiple shots are strung together into a sequence. This is where the true power of cinema is actualized.  This can be a sequence of continuation of action, a bridge between scenes, or a mood influencing sequence.  For example, an action, reaction type sequence, or a sequence of the wide shot capturing the scene, cut to a close ups, or a sequence of fast paced cuts to evoke action, or the lack of a cut where we are left focusing on a mood evoking image.  

There is also a concept of subliminal influence that can be created by the sequence of shots.  This is something that TV advertisers used in the 1950’s.  They would insert a few frames of a product advertisement in the middle of a TV show, to influence your feelings about that product.  It wouldn’t register in your conscience, but it would register in your subconscious.  Early cinematographers observed that the way an audience would feel about one shot could be influenced by the shot that preceded it.  For instance, if you take the same shot of a person, and precede it by a shot of a crying baby, people will feel different about the person then if you proceeded the shot by a smiling giggling baby.  The shot of the person was exactly the same, but the feelings about her/him would be different, based on what came before.  This is something a deft wedding film editor will utilize to evoke feelings and set a mood.  If used in the right way – the feelings the viewer gets from the film will be greater than the feelings of the individual clips, because the editor has guided those feelings with how the clips are sequenced.

For example:  If you put a shot of wedding rings on top of two classes of gently bubbling champagne, with little other than gentle background light movement and cut to the bride and groom, that imparts all kinds of information and emotions when you look at the bride and groom shot. You may or may not recognize why you are feeling that way - but you will feel it deep down inside.

Now, there is a lot more that we discuss regarding editing. This really is where the storytelling occurs - or you can say, this is where the magic happens. There is the overall pace and mood of the film - this comes from the editing. Is there a beginning, middle and end to the storyline in the film? Are there little subplots and surprises? How smooth are the transitions from one cut to another? Does the film draw you in so that you are not really thinking about the edit - but you are immersed in the story? This is what good editing can do. Please look for my upcoming blog on Video Post Production.

Sound - It’s Where the Emotion comes from

The other aspect that your wedding film can deliver is sound, and this really makes it stand apart from anything else.  The audio tracks of the wedding film can be transformative!  Audio captured from the day can be something that adds such a huge dimension and is really what helps take you back to the day.  This can be the vows of the bride and groom, the stories told during the toasts, the unscripted off the cuff things that are said or the group cheers and laughs.  With a skilled editor, these can be woven into the wedding film in a way that really adds such a powerful recreation of the feelings expressed on the day.

 In addition to sound captured on the day is the soundtrack that is added in post production by the editor.  The sound track is a very powerful tool to provide the emotional context of the shot sequences.  You may not even be aware of how this can affect your feelings while you watch the film, but when done properly, it can have such a powerful impact.

I am including the entire Highlight Film for this example, because it has so many of the sound elements throughout. The sound track is very effective to set the mood and pace, and the spoken words are just so powerful. Watch for a few minutes or stay to the end for the crowd-sourced sparkler exit! Plenty of emotional moments in this one!!

The in between and candid moments

So much of photography on the wedding day is focused on posing people to get that epic shot or to get all the shots of family and friends for the album.  These are great, but whereas the focus is posing to get that one perfect image, the videographer is usually working around these posed static shots, to capture the in between moments.  This may be the first time that all of these people have come together in a while and we can capture these brief interactions as they work around the posing.  Or they may be all close and familiar friends and partake in silly antics, that show the human and personal side of their relationship.  Beyond these in between moment during portraits, there are candid moments throughout the day that an aware and engaged videographer will be looking for and will capture.  These are moments that maybe no one else even noticed, but will be recorded and included in your film for everyone to cherish forever and ever.

Wait, I Missed that!

This last point brings up a huge bonus of the wedding film for the bride and groom.  The bride and groom are caught up in the preparation, being staged for their participation, and being involved in the celebration.  There are so many activities that will occur that they will not be able to witness on the day.  The groom can’t be in the bride’s room while she gets ready, and visa-versa.  The bride cannot see the whole bridal party walk down the aisle or see the expression of the groom when she makes her entrance at the ceremony. The couple will not see the entrance of all the bridal party onto the dance floor during the reception. The day will come and go almost in a blur for most couples.  With the wedding film they will be able to watch all the action that happened, that they were not able to see on the day.  By making sure these moments are expertly captured and preserved for eternity – the couple, and the family and friends can relax and take in and enjoy the experience of the wedding day and be confident that they can see these moments later when they watch the wedding film. 

You too are Invited!

Lastly, what about all the people that either were not able to attend your wedding, or were not intimately involved with many of the activities of the day?  For these people, the wedding film will allow them to witness they day like they were there.  They will love it – It’s like they are invited to your personal Love Story!  Now, think of the people who are not here yet, your children and grandchildren or beyond!  One day they will be able to be transported back in time and relive the special day.  They will be able see and hear their parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grand parents, great grandparents, as they were on your wedding day.  To be able see them in action, and to better know and understand them as the people they were.

Here is the Answer…

Sorry, no easy answer here.  No two couples or weddings are the same.  What you as a couple value is as unique to you as you are to the world.   So, to answer the question:  “Do you really need a videographer for your wedding?”,  you should ask yourselves the following questions: 

• Do you want something that can portray the emotion of the day, something that can take you back to the day like nothing else can, by using moving images, spoken word from the day, and an emotional soundtrack?

• Do you want to have all the moments captured that you didn’t see on your wedding day?

• Do you want these expertly crafted into a beautiful film so you can relive them over and over again?

• Do you want something that all your family and friends, near and far, including future generations, can have to take them back to that special day in your lives?

If you want any of these things then there is only one choice!  You MUST hire a videographer to expertly capture and craft the wedding films that will tell the love story of your special day.

Films referenced in Examples above: