3 Things to Focus on When Choosing A Wedding Videographer

Rivendell Event Venue in Grandview, Texas

It seems like a constant question that every couple has at one point or another. How do I know which wedding videographer is best for me?

The simple answer is: You don’t.

Luckily, the solution to that problem is a something that you’ve used thousands of times throughout your life. If you’ve ever bought a house, chosen a college, or even dated once , you’ve used the same tools. Since you’re looking for a wedding videographer, I’ll assume that dating has gone fairly well and continue on with that analogy.

Style

When in the dating pool, what is the first thing that catches your eye about someone? If you’re being honest, it’s their physical features. Looks, attitude and style play a vital role in first impressions. This can be the same for Wedding videos. Some wedding videos are filled with smooth gimbal shots that make the camera float with constant movement and are sleek as hell. Other wedding filmmakers focus in on the emotions of the people at the wedding and let that emotion breathe with quiet reflection, still shots and heartwarming vows. The wedding film’s style is what draws you in first and catches your eye.

And just like with dating, you don’t want to try and change their style & outward appearance. You want the filmmaker you hire to be operating at their highest level and doing what they do best.

The Price is Right

Again, thinking of the dating world, this is like making sure that they sync up with your financial plan so that you’re on the same page. Budgets are everything for many people. Of course you don’t want to settle with a mediocre option, but you have to stay within your budget because weddings are expensive. Even if you’re on a micro budget, things tend to stack up. I got married immediately after college before either of our careers had fully taken off, and I remember having to make tough decisions on what & what not to include on our special day. We opted to not have a traditional wedding film and had a filmmaker shoot fly-on-the-wall style Super-8 film (the kind you see from your grandparents weddings.) This was a great solution to our problem because we now have a nostalgic view of our wedding through the lens of 100 year old technology. My only regret is that we did not include any sort of audio package to go back and hear the emotion in our voices as we professed our love for each other. That’s the great news about traditional wedding films; they usually include audio packages.

Most filmmakers are willing to talk things out when it comes to budgets. This doesn’t mean they’ll lower their prices for the same product, but it does mean that they may be able to work with you on what they can offer you based on your budget. All it takes is a conversation.

The Filmmaker

This seems like a no-brainer. You choose a wedding company because you like the videos, so thats the end of the story, right? Wrong.

I intend to cover this in detail later, but it is absolutely imperative that you at least have a conversation with the filmmaker before signing or paying. The wedding industry is filled with good people who want to make great art, but, like any other industry, the rats can sneak in and spoil the pie. Some wedding companies have incredible support staffs who see to your every needs and have a great track record of consistency. Others hire random, untested contractors from craigslist for dates that they overbooked, which lead to a wild variety of video consistency. I know this because I have worked with both types of companies before branching out into creating my own company.

A tell-tale sign of the latter type of company that you don’t want is the phone call test. If they don’t want to talk on the phone, then that’s a red flag. It’s usually pretty easy after a short phone call to be able to determine if the videographer is 1) a legitimate filmmaker and 2) a filmmaker that will mesh with your group. This means, if your company has multiple shooters, try to have a conversation with the shooter in addition to the owner prior to the wedding. At Leviathan Film, I shoot 80% of our weddings and rely on high class cinematographers for the jobs that I am unable to cover; but I will challenge anyone to try to figure out any differences because our consistency is top tier.

There are two types of filmmakers. I tend to be in the group of “invisible” filmmakers who capture the day with minimal distractions and direction. Then there are the more involved filmmakers who want to direct and be a part of the party with you. Each style benefits different groups in different ways. It’s up to you to decide on what you need. Continuing with the dating analogy, this would be the same thing as making sure that your significant other gets along with those most important in your life.

Dating is hard, and so is hiring. You may not know if a wedding videographer is perfect for you, but I hope the knowledge I’ve provided informs your selection process when hiring a wedding videographer. If you’re in Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth or any of the surrounding areas, feel free to reach out and have a conversation with me to see if I’d be a fit for you.