Frequently Asked Questions
Most likely, you have never done this before. If you have, you may not have had a videographer the first time around or things may have changed since then.
Please read through these FAQs to demystify the wedding videography process and if you still have any questions, email info@jessalynmeehanfilms.com. We are here to help!
Do you travel?
We love to travel! Jessalyn Meehan Films is based in Upstate New York, but regular travels to other states and even countries for weddings. We frequent the Albany, Saratoga Springs, Adirondacks, Catskills and Westchester areas but always welcome a change of scenery. Additional travel fees apply and are determined by your individual needs, so reach out today!
What is a Highlight Film?
The Highlight Film is a creative edit of your wedding day set to music and high quality audio from the day. It incorporates your vows, speeches, readings and other important elements from your morning prep, first look, ceremony and reception to tell the full story of your unique wedding day. The Highlight Film is great for sharing on social media, feeling the emotions of your big day and remembering all of the best parts in a shorter medium.
What is a Ceremony Edit?
The Ceremony Edit is a more traditional, full-length edit of your entire wedding ceremony cut between multiple angles. We always provide high quality audio and video. Length will be determined by your actual ceremony.
How many hours of coverage do I need?
This really depends on your schedule! We suggest coverage to start at least one hour before the bride puts on her dress through at least a couple hours of the reception.
Timeline options that require additional time: multiple getting ready locations, separate ceremony and reception locations, special exit (sparklers, etc.) from the reception, etc.
In the early stages we will discuss your individual needs for coverage and if you are booking before you are 100% certain of your final timeline (very common), you will be able to add more coverage as your timeline evolves and we get closer to your wedding date.
Can we pick the music?
Short Answer: No. All music used in the creative edit (Highlight Film), must be properly licensed according to current copyright laws. As such, most popular music must be licensed at a hefty fee not covered in package pricing.
Long Answer: If you REALLY want to! JM Films has subscriptions to multiple music licensing sites that you are welcome to browse if music selection is very important to you. However, this is not suggested as there are a lot of songs to sift through and this can extend the turn around time for you receiving your films. Instead, we welcome suggestions for genres that you prefer or would like to avoid. For the most part, we try to use music that is unoffensive to most and goes with the feel of the day without distracting or overpowering the story.
Why should we write letters for the morning of the wedding?
If you haven’t heard of this tradition, some brides and grooms choose to write letters to one another to check-in on the morning of the wedding. For one thing, it is nice to hear from your other half and can go a long way in calming nerves at this exciting time. We capture audio of you reading your card for the video and this goes a long way in adding to your story as a couple. Some couples choose to write about all of the things that they have gone through leading to this day or what they are excited for in the future.
If you are not doing personal vows at the ceremony we highly recommend writing letters. It is a lower pressure way to say how you feel on this big day in your lives. See Jaleen & Andrew’s Wedding Film for an example of how nice writing letters can be.
Why Jessalyn Meehan Films?
Weddings are big events. They require months of planning, hundreds of decisions and resources you never imagined expending. When the big day finally comes, you want to enjoy it as you have heard it will be gone in an instant. Your photos and video preserve the big and small moments of your big day, each with different advantages. Your wedding video will preserve your loving vows, emotional toasts and killer dance moves. You can hear your parents’ words of advice the morning of and relive your first dance with your new spouse.
JM Films delivers a beautiful film that stays true to the feel of your individual day. We use backups on backups to ensure total coverage of high quality audio and visuals. Experience prepares us to best capture such an important and ultimately unpredictable day in your lives. We also enjoy being around such beautiful and heartwarming moments and respect the sanctity of the moment (we won’t be up in your face with gear and lights).
Elopements are so personal and unique, which is our bread and butter! Eloping is all the more reason to get a wedding film, so that you can still share your beautiful vow exchange with all of your loved ones. Special rates apply so reach out with your plans!
Do you film elopements?
What gear do you use?
We film on Sony Mirrorless cameras, which are great for high resolution video and excel in low light situations (think dark reception rooms). We utilize multiple cameras and audio sources during your ceremony and other big events to ensure full coverage. If possible, an audio recorder is plugged into the DJ/sound system if you are using a microphone and small lavalier microphones are placed on the groom and officiant. The lavs are attached to small audio recorders that can fit in a pocket and do not send a wireless signal so they will not interfere with your venue’s wireless system.
Telephoto lenses are used so that we can stay on the sidelines and not block guests’ views or distract from your special moments. Lights may be used during your reception for the events: first dance, speeches, cake cutting. This is how we make sure you look good on camera! We are very conscious to limit the use of lights to avoid turning your wedding into a Hollywood production.