In this day and age, it is becoming more and more common to see a professional videographer at weddings and events. My hope is that this blog post will give you a fresh perspective on the value of having your wedding or event immortalized on video and thus reinforces your desire to hire a seasoned videographer.
In the 15 years that I have been filming weddings and events, I have seen the industry grow and change. Not only has the technology improved the quality of the video and audio that you get, but the creative approach in how one captures an event has fundamentally changed from the days of just purely documenting an event in a journalistic fashion. Like most growing industries, competition has driven the creativity to soar to new levels and styles have matured. This brings a variety of looks and styles that are very personalized. When researching various videographers, you will see which style you connect with the most through viewing highlight reel and sneak peek videos.
Prices for videography services will have a wide range based on the professional's experience and whether they have assistance's to compensate. For professional videography services, rates can range anywhere from $1000 to $5000+. Obviously, see what fits your budget and narrow your search. There are a lot of us videographers out there now able to showcase our portfolios either on websites or social media. Ask for recommendations from past brides or other vendors. This will help you find videographers with a track record which you can rely on even before contacting them. Of course, make sure that they are licensed and insured and therefore a legit business entity as many venues will require your vendors to provide a Certificate of Insurance. Now, why is it important to have your wedding or event immortalized on video? There are many reasons, but here are some that are pretty obvious. Photography has always been the number one way of capturing memories and scenes from the wedding day. As beautiful as they look, they don't convey all the movement, energy and sounds from your big day. When you have the ability to see movement and hear the sounds from your day, I believe that it will bring you right back to the emotions and feelings you had on your wedding day. It is like having a window into the past, not just on a visual dimension but especially on an emotional level. It brings friends and family alive as if you were right there with them again. Video with audio is such a dynamic way to relive your event. Audio is another dimension of videography that many don't even notice but it plays an equally important role in revisiting your day. You'll hear voices, your vows, the emotion in your voice, the live music that was played. And then the overlay of music in editing can really complement the visuals and highlight the emotional dimension that you felt on that day. Creative editing can really bring your story alive.
Videography is an entirely different experience than photography when it comes to reliving everything from your event. I believe it to be the most authentic way to transport you back in time each and every time you watch your wedding video. In that sense, the value for these services are priceless and totally justifies your investment! The worst is to be left with a sense of regret after the fact and not have any professional quality video to look back on. Cell phone video snippets just won't cut it. You will be delighted to share your highlight reel with your loved ones and guests who couldn't attend.
Of course, like I mentioned earlier, each videographer has their own aesthetics and style when it comes to filming and editing the footage and audio together. Even if you connect with their style, make sure to communicate with them what is important for you to have captured. It helps the videographer's sense of focus on what is important to you and thus makes for a more personalized end product. We are able to adapt from couple to couple.
In conclusion, the value of having your wedding or event captured on video (and audio) lies in the fact that you will always have that ability to voyage back to how you felt, what you saw and heard the day of. With each passing year, your video will mature and you will rediscover moments from your big day. Your next of kin will also be able to see you celebrated one of the biggest days of your life. Your video will be the gift that keeps on giving for all your loved ones. So go ahead and bring video to Life! Happy planning!
- Derek Fowler of Derek Fowler Productions, LLC
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