We already have a photographer, why do we need a videographer?
I’ve lost count of the times people have come up to me at a wedding and said they wished, more than anything, that they had had their wedding filmed. Yes, photographs are great but there’s no sound or movement during your first dance, no cheering, no friends and family wishing you all the best….the list goes on. The emotion of the day is missing, there’s nothing to listen to.
Picture this scenario…imagine watching your favourite movie as a selection of photographs and nothing else. You’d might be able to get the general feel of the story…so imagine how your wedding day will come to life by being filmed!
When many years have gone by, wouldn’t it be fantastic to sit with your children, your grandchildren even, and hit the Play button and watch it all again on the big screen as if it was only yesterday?
With your permission, I prefer to attend the wedding rehearsal to scout the location so I can decide beforehand where to put the cameras and whether the available light is adequate, how the acoustics determine which mic to use, what if any problems present themselves in the architecture of the building and perform any tests to solve that.
“Why you may regret not having your wedding recorded to video”
Why should we pay for a professional wedding videographer when Uncle Joe can film the day for nothing with his camera?
By all means, you should consider that option. The problems are many though. A lot of people like to ‘zoom’ the camera in and out producing bad focus and a lot of ‘shake’ which as you know can be very hard to watch after a few minutes, especially on a big TV screen.
The sound recording facilities on budget video cameras and mobile phones leave a LOT to be desired. I use professional shotgun and radio lapel microphones, NOT the inbuilt camera microphone and there is a very good reason for this. I use these pro microphones because they can hear every word you say at a distance so when you’re taking those vows, a pro mic will hear and record those words and nothing else. A budget video mic will pick up every sound, to the side, behind and in front….each and every cough, children chatting, a baby crying…it doesn’t bear thinking about. The closer any person is to Joe’s camera, the louder they will be on the final DVD. Forget what the bridal couple are saying, the speeches, all will be drowned out!
After all, Joe is one of your guests and he’s doing you a favour. But what if you don’t like the results?
Being a pro cameraman, I’m not at your wedding to enjoy myself, I’m there to do the best job I can without distracting you or your guests.
I use professional video cameras that cost a lot of money. You can buy a high definition video camera nowadays for £300 but don’t be fooled by that word.
All HD means is that the signal has so many lines of resolution but unless you have three chips inside that camera and a GOOD lens on the front, it isn’t going to look remotely like a pro camera video. That’s why I and other pro video camera operators pay £5000 or more for each of my cameras. We certainly wouldn’t pay that sort of money if we didn’t have to.
Modern day television programs have conditioned all of us to demand a certain standard regarding what we watch on our screens. The editing, sound quality, lighting….all of these factors require a knowledge gained over many years, like any other occupation. Just like no one could walk in off the street and do your job without training and experience, that is why it is a wise choice to hire pro wedding videographers to capture your wedding….after all, if Joe makes a mess of things, you can’t exactly go and do it all again. And doesn’t your wedding deserve the best?
Aren’t wedding video’s expensive?
Prices tend to vary a lot, anything from £400 up to £4,000. Some wedding video companies may have high overheads, others may already own all their equipment, others may choose to only target BIG weddings and charge accordingly, some use only one camera, others may be cheap because they really don’t have the experience. Some structure their cost depending on how much of your wedding day is filmed so what appears to be a good price can quickly escalate with various packages.
Don’t forget, it’s not just the day itself that occupies the video cameraman but the many days of editing your wedding into a beautiful DVD to treasure always.
My price is £795 and that is all inclusive. It brings you a guarantee of quality, professional equipment, thirty years of PRO experience in the television industry and a love of what I do.
Friends joke that I was born with a camera in my hands…..
I don’t need to be charging an arm and a leg and that itself is a big benefit for you.
Compared to what wedding stills photographers charge, hiring an HD video production team for the biggest day of your life is a bargain, don’t you think?