The Essentials Package
We are reintroducing our Essential Package as our entry level offering. With this you get:
- Our “Wedding Story” highlights film (a 10 to 15 minute artistic edit).
- Basic coverage of the ceremony, and main reception events.
- A 3 to 4 minute preview of the day.
The difference between the Essentials Package and our higher priced offerings is that only one videographer is assigned to cover the day instead of two, and only the main reception events (first dance, parent dances, toasts, blessing, cake cutting, bouquet and garter) are included.
One videographer doesn’t mean one camera. We still use multiple cameras, but as one person can’t be in two places at once, it does limit us somewhat. We cannot provide “getting ready” coverage of both the bride and groom, and we don’t have as many shooting options. You still receive a beautiful wedding day film though. Here is an example of what we can create:
In the above example the couple (Erin and Greg), everything (bridal prep, ceremony and reception) was at one location, which made it possible to work within a single videographer framework. The Essentials Package is perfect for simple weddings. If you are unsure whether this package is right for you, just ask us.
Read MoreWedding videography with a DSLR
If you have attended a wedding recently with video coverage, you may have noticed that instead of a regular video camera, the videographer was using the same camera as the photographer. No he was not trying to horn in on the photographer’s business (at least we hope not). He was shooting video, high quality HD video. Initially added on to digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLR) as an add-on, the video capabilities of these devices has been embraced by not only wedding videographers, but other filmmakers including those doing TV shows and documentaries, and in some cases Hollywood productions.
In most cases the cameras used are the Canon EOS 7D and 5DMKII although other models are also found. Why would we use a camera that is not specifically designed for video over one that is. The answer is image quality. DSLRs have much larger image sensors than video camcorders (at least those that wedding videographers can afford). This results in a much more film-like image due to the shallower depth of field. DLSRs are also more sensitive to light which allows us to get a cleaner image in dim lighting conditions. Another plus is interchangeable lenses. While many camcorders also have this feature, they tend to be big and bulky, not what we prefer shooting with. In fact a DSLR is smaller and lighter than the camcorders that we do use. As it looks just like the cameras that the photographer and guests have, it helps us blend in better.
But the main advantage is, as I mentioned, image quality. None of the HD cameras that are commonly used in wedding and event videography are quite as good, close perhaps, but the DSLR still has an advantage. As an example, several noted videographers recently created the concept film City Of Lakes in India using Canon DSLRs.
We have just started using a Canon 7D in our work. While we still use our camcorders, the 7D brings a new dimension to our work. It is also interesting that when I pulled the camera out of the bag at a wedding we were filming a couple of weeks ago, the bride knew all about using a DSLR for video. The word is getting around!
Read MoreWhy wedding videographers love their work
There is one thing about wedding videography, for many of us (myself included), it is a passion, not a job. I love what I do and most of the best names in the business feel the same way. Recently I came across a blog post by Laura Moses, who along with husband Steve, run one of the top wedding videography studios in the country. This is the way that Laura sums it up:
We work with music, hearts, and dreams. We’re the keepers of the flame for future generations. After we’re gone there will be pieces of us ”little bits of our hearts ” scattered across the globe, telling stories about love.
That says it all. It isn’t just about documenting the day, it is about keeping the flame, capturing the emotion, seeing things in a way that will forever commemorate that one day. Great wedding cinema is beyond “just video”, like great movies there is an emotional connection that spans generations.
A Story of Love – by Laura Moses.
Well said Laura!
Read MoreCreating a Memorable Wedding
I see a lot of different weddings and the only thing that you can count on is that two people will be getting married. There are a lot of standard traditions, the bride’s father gives her away, the couple kiss at the end of the ceremony, there are toasts at the reception, and the bride an groom dance. Beyond that anything goes. We are encountering fewer couples who do the bouquet and garter, sometimes they will do just the bouquet (there was even one wedding where there was just the garter), or nothing at all. At one wedding this year there was a wedding cake but no cake cutting.
Couples are free to dispense with anything that they don’t want. When I got married we did away with the first dance and bouquet & garter. If fact we didn’t even have a DJ. And I handed a camera to a friend and asked her to film the wedding. That was a big mistake. I wasn’t a professional wedding videographer then, but I did know how do edit. No matter what I did, there was no way that the video would ever look good. In retrospect we both wish that we had a better video. As far as anything else is concerned, it is up to you. It is your day. If you do what you both want, you will have a memorable wedding. Don’t bow to family pressure. If what they want isn’t what you want, don’t do it. The same goes with friends. Don’t feel that you have to outdo your friends. It isn’t a competition.
Last but not least, remember that your video and photos will be the only tangible memories that you will have when it is over. Don’t decide that it isn’t important, they are.
Read MoreTimeshifting The Wedding Story
Until this year our short form (Wedding Story) videos were edited in a linear fashion. That is, that the narrative proceeded from pre-ceremony, through the ceremony and concluded with the reception. While we produced some very good wedding stories this way, I was dissatisfied with the results. The entire idea of the Wedding Story is to capture the emotion and feeling of the day in an artistic and and dramatic manner. The highlight of the wedding is usually the vows. The problem is that this occurs early in the narrative. Wouldn’t it be nice to conclude with the vows (definitely a happily ever after moment).
There is no rule in storytelling where you have to start at the beginning and end at the end. A good example are stories told as flashbacks. The narrator is who ties everything together. In a flashback narrative it is acceptable to tell the story in a non-linear manner as there is a device to tie everything together and keep it coherent.
So what we do is to evaluate each project. Some will be better when edited in a linear timeline. Others will tell the story better when time shifted. Here are two examples. The first is uses a linear time line. Jason and Darlene’s wedding story starts with the bride and groom getting ready. It then proceeds to their first meeting, and then to the ceremony. After this we see the entry of the bride and groom, the first dance, toasts, parent dances, a montage of more dancing, and concluding with a recap of the day. The story is told in about 25 minutes.
Jason & Darlene - Click to Play
Below is an example of a time shift edit. Amber and Dan’s wedding starts with the bride and groom getting ready followed by the pre-ceremony photo session. But interspersed are voice overs by the rabbi and father of the bride recorded at different times of the day. Part of the ceremony is shown but this is interrupted by the first dance. During the dance we hear the voices of the matron of honor and best man. The first dance flows into the parent dance where we again hear the father of the bride (from his toast) and ends with the toast itself. We then return to the ceremony for the vows, rings, the kiddush cup and breaking of the glass (all important parts of a Jewish wedding). The father of the bride’s voice reappears right at the end providing a satisfying emotional conclusion. The length of Amber and Dan’s wedding story is only half as long as Jason and Darlene (13 minutes) but is stronger emotionally proving that less can be more.
Amber & Dan - Click to Play
Interesting insights on wedding filmmaking
In recent posts I have often referred to our style as “wedding filmmaking” rather than wedding videography. The clip below from Chicago based Zacuto Productions and featuring noted wedding filmmakers John Goolsby, Kristin * of Bliss* Video Productions, and Joe Simon of Joe Simon Productions. In this clip John, Kristin*, and Joe discuss what makes a wedding film and why it is different that wedding video.