How to Choose a Wedding Videographer: A Checklist
How to Choose a Wedding Videographer
For some couples, choosing a wedding videographer is as easy as watching one film and knowing you have to have that person film your wedding. Others will weigh their options, their budget and their priorities for weeks. Here is a checklist of things to consider so that you can make your decision before your favorite vendor gets booked up!
Style
There are different styles of videographers, just as there are different photography styles. The most obvious difference will be traditional documentary style vs. cinematic highlight style. At JMF we offer the best of both worlds and you can choose a package that includes a shareable shorter highlight film as well as a longer documentary style video that covers the entire day.
Cinematic Highlight
Full Day Documentary Edit
2. Feeling
How do you feel when you watch a wedding video by a certain videographer? Are you crying even though the couple in the video are strangers to you? Imagine if it were you and your fiancé in the video. Sometimes this is the only item on the checklist that matters!
3. Audio
Audio quality is even more important than video quality. When you watch sample videos can you hear the vows loud and clear? Are the reception speeches muffled and echoey? Getting great quality audio at a live event such as a wedding requires leg work, proper gear, know how and experience. We always use multiple audio sources for the major events such as the ceremony and reception.
4. Lighting
It is one thing to capture beautiful imagery outside in the sunshine. How does the video hold up indoors in a lowly lit church or in the dark reception room? This is where a higher quality camera with a larger sensor will shine. Minimal lighting is also necessary to create a good image in a dark environment to avoid a flat, dark look (think grainy cell phone images).
5. Customer Service
How long did the company take to respond to your initial inquiry? Do they answer the questions that you ask? Responsiveness at this stage is an indicator of how responsive they will be when the wedding rolls around and even more so when delivery time comes around. I don’t know how many times I’ve reached out to a couple to get their final timeline 2 weeks before the wedding and they haven’t heard from or been able to get in touch with their other vendors. Wedding season gets busy fast and many wedding vendors are very small organizations. You want yours to be on the ball!
Follow JMF on Instagram:
6. Personality
Do you see yourself getting along with this person? Wedding videographers and photographers will be glued to your side all day long at the wedding. You want to be comfortable with them!
7. Filming Style - director vs. fly on the wall
This can be a harder thing to tell about a company. Most couples do not want someone with a big camera and bright lights up in their faces all day long. If it is important to you for your crew to fade into the background, raise this concern early on in your search. A good videographer knows that this day is about the couple and will put the experience first. We always get the shot without interrupting the experience of the couple or your guests. This approach also helps with working together with your photographer on the big day. Photogs and videographers have been known to step on one another’s toes, but I have only seen this when ego is involved. We always communicate with your photographer to ensure that EVERYONE is able to get the shot. Plus it’s more fun to work together!
8. Reviews
What have other couples said about this company? Do the specific things they mention in their reviews align with what is most important to you? Do they line up with what the company advertises and has said to you?
In the end, it is not an easy decision to be made lightly. Every company is different and calls their products different things. You’ve likely never had to hire a video production company for anything in your life, especially not to follow you around all day long. Watch some films, read some reviews and listen to your gut. This is a film that you and your children will be watching for years to come, to be passed on down the generations. What do you want it to say about you?