Finding Your Videographer – Finding the Right Style for You

It seems a long time ago now that I sat down to proof-read Dominique’s thoughts on how to choose the right style of wedding photographer for you, but after flipping back through some of our old posts it got me thinking about wedding videography and whether it’s a simpler or more difficult task to find the right type of wedding videographer to produce the kind of wedding film that you will truly love and cherish.

The fact is that there are far fewer wedding videographers out there than there are wedding photographers, but I think that perhaps what many couples don’t necessarily realise is that despite the smaller number of suppliers, the different styles available to you are no less varied, nor is finding your perfect style any less important. Wedding videography has moved forward leaps and bounds in recent years and it has become equally as expressive and personalised an art form as photography with several very distinct styles starting to appear, each more suited to a particular taste.

If you’ve ever had a fight over the TV remote you’ll appreciate that everyone has completely different tastes in what they like to watch. You might be a Rom-com kind of person but maybe the person sitting next to you needs something with a bit more action. Maybe you love your comedies but your partner is more of a documentary fan. Sometimes you have to flick through pretty much every channel before you can find that one programme or film that you can both agree on, and it’s no different when choosing your wedding videographer.

There are so many completely different styles out there and, as with photography, there’s a certain amount of crossover between each one, so it’s important to understand all the options available to you. If you’re a TV documentary fan you might for example be most interested in a more journalistic style wedding interview where the Bride and Groom talk direct to camera or talk about the day in voiceover style for part of the video. If you’re more of a comedy person you might be looking for something a little more crazy and fun like a ‘Marryoke’ video where the Bride, Groom and guests sing along to a backing track and form a kind of ‘music video’ of the day. Somewhere out there is your perfect fit; the film-maker with the power to make you laugh, or make you cry, to make you smile or to warm your heart. But in order to find them, first you need to work out what it is you’re looking for.

So off the top of my head some of the main styles of wedding videography/cinematography include Cinematic, Vintage, Documentary, Journalistic, Marryoke, Contemporary, Traditional… there are all kinds of wedding video you could go for and we’ll hopefully look at them in more detail in a future post, but in broad terms what are the things you can look out for to help identify whether this is the videographer for you?

1. Do your research. Just as with photography it’s important to look at all the different styles available first before trying to narrow down the pack too far. There’s an awful lot of crossover between different styles when it comes to wedding videos but you should be able to get a rough idea of whether you’re looking for something more quirky, maybe something shot in the old nostalgic Super 8 format, something very cinematic with perfectly smooth gliding movements, maybe you’re just looking for full, unedited coverage of the day… watch as many videos as you can and don’t dismiss someone just because they’re further down on Google – it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a better videographer, just that they know how to get found!
2. Look at their blogs. Most videographers will feature their most recent work on their blog and this is generally the best place to keep up-to-date with the type of work they’re producing right now. Videographer’s are ever-evolving their work so the work they produced two years ago may be quite different from what they produce now. The blog is also a great place to find full videos – many videographers will simply feature a ‘show-reel’ on their main wedding pages full of great clips but not necessarily fully demonstrating their story-telling style. Whilst the show-reel can be a great indicator of the quality of their work you should always make sure you see a few of their actual films first.
3. Look for their longer films. Many videographers will only feature video trailers on their websites as these tend to be the most eye-catching and easy to watch. Trailer’s are great at establishing the videographer’s style of filming and the way they put things together, but if you’re looking for a longer film from them it’s a good idea to watch some examples to get more of an idea of how they put the story together – remember with video the way they edit, the use of sound and choice of music are just as important in telling the story as the footage itself. Do remember though that whilst most couples are happy with videographers sharing short edits of their day many prefer that videographers not share the full coverage of their day as it’s so personal, so don’t be surprised if you’re not able to watch full feature films or complete coverage of the speeches and ceremony.
4. Consider how discrete you want the filming to be. If you’re looking for an all-out epic film with sweeping shots down the aisle, cameras seemingly gliding along with the bride and groom as they walk, your wedding band recorded in perfect audio quality… all of this may be achievable but it’s important to remember that in some cases it will require a lot more equipment and sometimes people. If you want to be completely unaware of the camera all day then it’s not always achievable with some of these cinematic effects. Everyone has different ways of shooting and it may not be a problem, but it’s something you need to consider and talk to the videographer about if you have any concerns.
5. Consider how ‘involved’ you want to be in the film itself. Now of course as the Bride and Groom you are going to be the centre of the action, but what I mean is that if you’re one of those people like me that would naturally freeze up the minute someone pointed a camera at you and asked you a question then the journalistic style probably isn’t for you and you should perhaps consider something in more of a documentary style. If however you want to record a personal message to your partner direct to camera then a documentary videographer may just not offer this option. Similarly some videographer’s choose to pose their couples or direct the action to make sure they get the perfect shot whilst others will never ask you to do anything at all. The last thing you want on your wedding day is to feel uncomfortable in front of the cameras that will be following you for every minute of the day, so make sure your find the balance that works best for you.

But most importantly watch, enjoy and see whether you feel that emotional connection with the films. And remember this is your film and it’s your choice – the critics may tell you that a film is outstanding but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should go out and buy the DVD. Find the type of cinematography that speaks to you – that excites you, moves you and entertains you. Find that and you’re guaranteed an absolute blockbuster.

A film is – or should be – more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what’s behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.

– Stanley Kubrick