Things to Consider When Selecting Your Wedding Videographer

Planning & Advice

If you missed it, we released the results of a survey we recently did with over 1200 participants. You can read about that in this post. Something that we really found interesting is how couples choose between the many incredible suppliers available to them.

“When it comes to choosing their ideal suppliers and venues, couples say that reviews are the most important factor. Only 21% stated that price was the most important factor.”

In our expert opinion, price shouldn’t be the main factor that helps you select your suppliers. We’re not saying you shouldn’t think about it at all, but there are a few other points that are more important. When it comes to wedding videography, we asked the experts to tell us what they recommend you keep in mind. There are so many incredibly talented wedding videographers in Ireland, so it gets pretty hard trying to choose!

Image credit: ER Films

 

The Fennells | View Profile

Price shouldn’t be the first thing to decide on. The reason I say this is because see what’s out there first, then you’ll see what you get for the price you pay and the value. This is better than looking for whats the cheapest, keep your options open because you get what you pay for. That being said. The style and length of film that suits you is important as this can vary greatly. With us we shoot a documentary style with a “fly on the wall” approach telling the  story of your day. Always check they are full time professionals and have many years experience along with insurance, etc. Also check they are registered with the IPPVA.

 

SES Digital | View Profile

When choosing your wedding videography there are a number of considerations you should consider other than price. Other than price couples should firstly consider the quality and style of the videographer work, and that it matches your expectations.

The Personality of the videographer is also another important factor as you will spend a large portion of your day with him so it is important you all get on.

 

Two Paws Video | View Profile

For me, the number one thing people should think about when selecting videographers is style. Much the same as they should choose their photographer based on the same consideration. Choose someone who’s style and whose personality matches yours. Talk to your perspective videographer, have a chat about your big day and see if that person is the kind of person you would invite to your wedding.

More than likely, if you like their style of work, you’ll also like them. I love to chat to my couples, to get a sense of who they are, what their story is. Then on the big day couples always are more comfortable around you, you’re not just there to shoot, you’re a friend too.

My style is a very natural style, I don’t like to overly pose people or make couples feel awkward around the camera. I find that when couples have chosen their photographer and videographer based on their style and personality, they enjoy every part of the day!

 

Bride & Groom Films | View Profile

The only thing most people know to ask about initially is the price.  That’s only natural.  I’d suggest you look at the work itself, and compare and contrast it with the work of others.  You may not know about filmmaking on a technical level, but you’ve a lifetime of experience watching films and TV.  Do the wedding films move and flow nicely?  Are they paced in a particular way?  Do they seem rough and poorly thought out, a jumbled mess of shots thrown together, or is there a creative choice behind the selection and placement of the shots?  Who is the videographer?  How many years experience?  Doing what?  Do they live, eat, sleep and breath filmmaking or are they in it just to make a quick buck before going back to the office job?

 

ER Films | View Profile

In my opinion, couples should see the work first, do you like the samples? Do you like the style? Every one of us has own style, kind of own signature, an experience which we gather trough years and represent in our portfolios. If couples set the budget, next they should look at samples. And I would suggest to not add Videography to the budget after you hear that your friend regretted that she didn’t have one, but one of the first thing when budgeting the wedding.

Experienced Videographers gets prime dates booked fast. And at the end of the day, you get what you pay for. Experience in Videography means a lot. Do you like samples? Make an inquiry.

 

Tall Tales | View Profile

There is really a great variety in the styles of wedding videography available, and it is important for the couple to choose a videographer who will capture their big day in a way they will love. For example, would they prefer a cinematic or a documentary style video? And, what style of editing do they like? To get an idea of what is out there couples can look at the sample videos on videographer’s websites. It is important to look out for videographers who can capture the character and the charm of a particular wedding party without forcing a one size fits all formula onto their films.

The best videographers tend to be sensitive to the atmosphere of the wedding party and the personalities of the couple. They prepare themselves by asking pertinent questions before the big day and preparing accordingly. Then, by being flexible, experienced and alert they gently steer what’s in front of the camera towards something that will work well on film. They react to unpredictable variables such as weather, mood of the wedding party and technical considerations such as lighting and acoustics. Another tell-tale sign of a good wedding videographer is how well the couple look in their film. Did the videographer do a good job at making them feel comfortable and happy in front of the camera?

The second stage in the making of a wedding video is every bit as important as the camera work. This is, of course, the under appreciated art of editing. The sensitivity and quality of the editor’s style should be subtle yet evident when watched closely. The opening images and sounds should immediately engage the viewer.  The editor’s skill should show in everything from the mood conveyed by the music choices, to the way that beautiful words spoken during the day find their way into the video. A good editor orchestrates all elements of a wedding party into one beautiful visual story.

 

Keith Malone | View Profile

I’ve broken this into style, experience and price. The 3 factors are usually connected to each other.

Style: Broadly speaking, there are two main styles of wedding video available namely traditional and cinematic.  There is probably also a third style which I call ‘tradimatic’ that takes some elements from both styles. Traditional wedding video tends to be an “as it happened” type of video that recalls the day from start to finish, in the order that it happened. They are usually longer videos. They’re still quite popular in Ireland and many companies do an excellent job with this style.

A cinematic wedding film will tell the wedding story of a couple through the use of creative visual sequences from the day. The video is usually shorter but some say it’s more compelling to watch because higher production values are often in place to help tell the story in a more creative, emotion-driven way. There has been a noticeable increase in the number of videographers in Ireland who creative beautiful cinematic wedding films.

Experience: It’s important to consider if the videographer is well-established with plenty of experience. There seems to be absolutely no connection between experience and creativity. It’s highly recommended to watch lots of sample wedding films so that you can get a sense of the quality that is on offer.

Price: Price will be a deciding factor for many. Premium quality usually comes at a higher price but you will also find very high quality videographers charging in or around the average price in Ireland. Be very careful booking a videographer who is charging a price that appears “too good to be true.” Do your research and check reviews, reputation and quality of work.

Main image credit: Two Paws Video