IS A WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHER WORTH IT?
Your wedding film brings your special day back to life with just a press of a button. Hit play and you get to relive all those sweet memories over and over again. Sure, wedding photography has a similar ring to it, but having a video to accompany your photos will give you the full experience to look back on. Photos, you see a moment with tears. With video, you hear and feel the moment that caused the tears. Its a very different feeling and a huge difference when you are looking back at your wedding in the years to come.
Wedding Photography has been around for centuries, whereas wedding videography is a relatively new-comer to the wedding industry. So before you make any rash decisions, lets carefully explain what a wedding videographer usually delivers to their couples
Wedding Videography Package Options
Trailer/Teaser Film (1-2 min)
Have you ever watched a movie trailer? This is the same concept but for your wedding day. Often accompanied later by a short film, this trailer—or teaser film—is created by your videographer while they continue to edit and craft the final product. Some videographers include a teaser video as a part of their package, while others offer it as an add-on. Teasers can be edited so they are optimised for social media as well.
Highlight Film (3-10 min)
With many videographers, the highlight film is the final product you will receive. Being one of the most common package choices, this film is non-linear (not necessarily in chronological order) and takes a more modern approach. It’s a three to ten-minute cinematic compilation of the most memorable moments.
For full 10 hour wedding days, most highlight films are around 6-10 minutes in length from an established wedding videographer. Look for videographers that offer vows & speeches audio in their edits as this is a lot more emotional and loving to look back on rather than random music tracks.
Short Film (10-20 min)
If you decide on a package with a short film, you’ll receive an edited version of your wedding footage that takes a more linear form (in chronological order). This style typically includes a portion of your vows & speeches. Depending on how long you book your videographer for, the film may also include getting ready footage, first look footage and dancing footage.
Same Day Edit (4-10 min)
Some videographers offer an option to have footage from your wedding edited on the spot and shown during your reception. Though this offering is more difficult to hunt down, it can be a fun surprise for guests on the day of. This is definitely not a cheap service though, as an editor has to be onsite working non-stop to get the edit ready in time. Often there are at least 2-3 videographers as well so they can offload footage through the day without missing moments.
Full-length documentary (30-90 min)
If you are interested in reliving the majority of your big day, this option is for you! Your videographer can create a longer film that includes entire sections of your wedding, like your ceremony. Due to the length, this option is the most like an actual movie of your wedding. This is more common in cultural weddings where couples want non-stop recording of different events happening.
Wedding Videographer Styles
While each videographer puts their own artistic touch on their work, there are a few styles by which most videographers can be categorised. These are the most common styles to look for in your search:
Cinematic
Cinematic is the most popular style of videographer you’ll find. These films are most like real movies, edited and stylized like cinematic pieces of art—hence the name. There are two main styles within cinematic videography: Modern Abstract and Classic.
Modern abstract style is characterised by a non-linear approach. These films are created to make the viewer feel something, both in how the footage is arranged and the music used. The footage used in a modern abstract film is more likely to include atmospheric footage, or B-roll, which helps capture the overall mood of the day. Modern abstract films typically use little or no speaking from the day.
While modern abstract films are almost entirely non-linear, classic cinematic films may provide a stylistic edit of events from the day in between bits of B-roll. While you still feel a sense of the wedding atmosphere, your video will include more intact footage or sound bites of events.
Video Journalistic / Documentary
A video journalistic approach is meant to capture the day as it occurred. This means that your film will include footage of some of your day’s biggest moments while also highlighting the other happenings of the day—getting ready, guests interacting before the ceremony, messages from guests, dancing at the reception.
Storytelling
A storytelling style relies on sound bites—from the day and recorded at another time—to tell the story of your big day. While music is used to create an emotional reaction in other film types, storytelling uses sound bites for dramatic effect.
OUR TIP - Watch through a handful of different wedding films to get an idea of what style you like the most!
Should I get my friend to shoot my wedding?
This brings about the old-age battle of hiring a professional vs hiring a friend. We have photographed many weddings when the couple decided to save money and get their friend to film the video. Yes, it saves them money by 9 times out of 10, the videographer ends up ruining a lot of the photos.
How do they ruin photos? Well, if they haven’t shot many or any weddings before, there are certain moments that we know where to stand and when. We had a lot of friend videographers that stood no less than 1 metre away from the couple the ENTIRE ceremony. So every single ceremony photo has the videographer in it.
Weddings are also very high stress, there is a reason it is not for everyone. A lot of videographers come and go in the wedding industry has it is hard to manage expectations on a wedding day and still deliver a fantastic film. Someone who has never shot a wedding before will 100% be overwhelmed by it. They won’t know how long things take, where to stand at certain moments, what equipment they need to bring etc.
Our advice is to always hire a professional so you have peace of mind you are going to get a great film and also not impact the photos!
What is the Cost to Hire a Wedding Videographer?
This ranges depending on the experience level you are after. The more you pay, the videographer will have better gear, possibly a second videographer, drones, 3-4 cameras, multiple audio systems, and deliver everything in 4K. On the cheaper side, expect someone with just one camera and possibly not great audio.
Below is a quick outline of what you should expect to pay for a wedding videographer in New Zealand;
Beginner Videographer - $500-$1500
Amateur Videographer - $1500-$2000
Experienced Videographer - $2500-$3500 (best value)
Seasoned Videographer - $4000-$5000 (best option)
Luxury Videographer - $6000+
RED FLAG
There are A LOT, we mean A LOT, of photographers out there that sell videography as part of their package but don’t have a full time videographer as part of their team. They often will find a young videographers and pay them as little as possible to get them to shoot weddings under their brand. The videographers name won’t be under the photographer’s as they will constantly swap out different videographers constantly.
Our tip is to look for specialised videographers - either someone that has their own wedding videography website or a photo & video company that has someone dedicated to producing their highlight films.
Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Videographer
Do you have open availability on our wedding day?
How would you describe your videography style?
What does your cancellation (or rescheduling) process look like?
What is your turnaround time?
Are you open to editing feedback?
How many cameras do you use?
How do you get your footage safe after the wedding?
Do I need a second videographer for my wedding?
Do you capture vows & speeches audio?
Do I need to pay extra for drone footage?
QUEENSTOWN WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHER