How to get the Best Wedding Video

The key to ending up with a great looking wedding video, is firstly, use a professional!

It’s tempting to ask a friend or family who has a video camera to shoot the whole thing for you and put it on a DVD. Unless they're a professional, it’s likely the camera work will be shaky, the audio levels not properly balanced, colour not properly matched, the camera’s vision obscured or not properly focused due to other objects that fall into frame. The famous last words “it will look alright when it’s edited” sadly are false to. I know from first hand experience having been asked, to edit an amateur wedding video, taken by a friend of mine (I won’t name and shame). Only around 10% of the footage taken could be used, the ceremony itself was entirely inaudible and much of the music was muffled, he was also talking over a lot of it! Unfortunately there’s only so much magic that editing can do.

Once you’ve chosen a professional, be that me through Chapter or whoever, it’s important to choose a package that’s right for your Wedding day. Many Video companies have set packages, at Chapter I tailor a package exactly to your requirements. It’s essential you have the package that will cover all the parts of the Wedding you want to see most. For example, if you only choose to have the ceremony covered, mightn’t you regret when the speeches come around not having those filmed to? Or the first dance?

With the package sorted, the next thing is communication, discussing with your videographer what’s happening on the day and updating them as plans change. Weddings are made up of lots of little events, the ceremony, the speeches, cutting the cake etc… A good videographer will keep a note to hand, as I always do, of these events, so they are prepared as each one happens.

Music is an important consideration to, ideally take some time to think about what music you’d like to be included on the Wedding video before the big day. As a rule of thumb I always ask for about 7 to 10 tracks, asking clients to confirm which are their top 3 must be included tracks. I will then usually use about 5 on the video itself. Giving the music to the videographer before the wedding will help them to understand your tastes, so that they can adapt their style accordingly and capture video that will fit well with your music selection.

I would also suggest giving your videographer, examples of film and photograph styles that you like, this can give them an extra insight and edge on producing a wedding video that you’ll love.

For the best quality finished video, you want High Definition. I exclusively use professional high definition equipment and offer your video on Blu-Ray or DVD. However few people have blu-ray players and so most people still tend to opt for DVD, which isn’t a problem, as I always keep a High Definition copy, to produce a Blu-Ray for my clients, if they should ask for this at a later date. This is a question worth asking of other videographers.

A good Videographer will put you at ease, working unobtrusively in the background and not crowding you with big obstructive cameras. They will also work well with your Photographer to ensure they both get the best shots. This is something that comes naturally to me and that I am often praised for. I am always pleased when a bride gasps “how did you get this shot, I don’t remember you being there” it’s a great compliment.

By Ricardo Di Donato - January 2010