A FREE GUIDE! Courtesy of Fresh | Wedding Cinematography
10 Things You Should Know About Cinematic Wedding Films A Guide for the Bride & Groom
1. {STORY}
2. {LESS IS MORE}
First and foremost a cinematic
A good cinematic wedding
wedding video should tell a story.
videographer will shoot less I call it
Music videos are cool but to really
“shoot for edit”. Meaning, in short,
capture your personality your wedding
rather than letting the camera roll for
film needs to have an engaging story.
endless amounts of time we take
A great wedding film should have a
short 3-5 second shots and piece
main story lines and interwoven sub
them together in a sequence like you
plots. Dialogue and natural sounds
would see in the final edit. Of course
should not be forgotten or
we do let the camera roll for the
overwhelmed by music.
Ceremony, Toasts, Dances, etc.
6. {AUDIO} Second to light I would say audio is a wedding cinematographers top concern. People might sit through a movie that has good audio with sub par images but not a movie with bad audio no mater how good the visuals are. With audio being half the experience you want to make sure your videographer is prepared for all unforeseen challenges.
1. {LIGHTING}
1. {IMAGE QUALITY}
While some venues are beautifully lite
Most if not all cinematographers will
some are too dim to get quality
be accomplished photographers in
images. Unlike photographers we
their own right. Manual photography
can’t just “pop off flash” to get the light
techniques such as composition,
we need for a proper exposure.
lighting, exposure, color, depth of field
Videographer relay on natural light or
& focus are essential knowledge for
constant artificial light and you will
any good cinematographer. You want
never see a quality videographer use
a cinematographer that can walk into
an on camera video light. A proper
any situation and be able to capture
reception setup will fill the necessary
great images. Sometimes giving small
areas of the room with light, be
direction in position or isolating light
unobtrusive, and provide proper
sources could make a huge impact in
exposure for the camera.
the final product.
6. {EDITING}
You would assume the person who shot the footage would also be the one editing your wedding movie, after all they where there they know all the best moments, right? Well often times that’s not the case. Most Cinematographers outsource their footage for editing in an effort to save time and shoot more weddings. In my opinion all the magic happens in the edit and if you’re a cinematographer with the vision and that “shoots for edit” it would only make since to edit what you shot. Regardless you can still find cinematographers that shoot and edit but most likely they take less weddings and in turn charge more.
"It's worth the extra cost to find someone who is 100% committed to your project from start to finish." 7. {COMMUNICATION} A cinematographer that can communicate well is key to the success of your wedding. Its’ their job to create and maintain good working relationship with you (the bride and groom) but also with all the other vendors. The cinematographer often has to interject themselves into others peoples work space. For example, patching audio from the DJ or “sharing” the bride and groom with the photographer. So often couples choose the “all inclusive” media packages to avoid potential pitfalls with less than team players. A good cinematographer works well with others, communicates expectations and is generally fun to be around.
8. {GEAR}
9. {TECHNOLOGY}
While gear is great it can also slow
We are in a revolution with camera
you down in the field. A good
technology. I hear about camera
Cinematographer will choose his gear
breakthroughs all the time. In the not
that will give him the best results and
so distant future I believe all wedding
keep him agile at the same time.
photos will be extracted from your
Make sure your videographer uses
wedding film. Advances in camera
methods to stabilizer his/her shots.
capabilities with regard to low light,
Most good Cinematographers will not
resolution, and other features should
only use monopods and tripods but
not be ignored. A good
also use dolly tracks handheld
cinematographer will follow and adapt
gimbals to get silky smooth camera
to new technology. Ask each
movement.
videographer you talk to if they shoot full frame in 4k or high frame rates.
10. {PRICE} This is the big question on everyone’s mind and, in short, yes you will pay more for a good wedding cinematographer. I always compare a good cinematographer to a good photographer as far as the price they charge. etc. When I talk to many brides and grooms post wedding they say it flew by and that they can barely remember it. Without an engaging wedding film your wedding memories are going to be only of those split second photographs. A good wedding film with dialogue, story, beautiful visuals and timeless music will always deliver emotional and memory satisfaction.
"A good cinematographer works well with others, communicates expectations and is generally fun to be around."
