Many things are included in wedding videography. Some of course you will always realize and consider when selecting your videographer but there are many details that you might not think of when deciding or talking with your wedding videographer vendors.
Cameras, first and foremost camera(s) are included in wedding videography. While many in the industry now use DSLR type cameras to film your wedding day most of these cameras. Please understand most of these cameras cannot film an entire wedding ceremony without missing a few seconds as they have a max recording time of right around 29 minutes. This issue is why most wedding filmmakers do not offer complete ceremony films as most traditional ceremonies take longer than 30 minutes from start to finish. DSLR are great and with proper use and lenses can create some beautiful films. We use a combination of DSLR and professional camcorder cameras to film every aspect of your wedding day. We use a majority of professional camcorders during the ceremony to capture great angles while not visually impacting your guests seeing your ceremony. We believe in being as non-invasive to your day as we can possibly be. Yes, you and your guests will see us and realize we are filming but we have been doing this for years and try our best to not impact your day.
Microphones and sound recording: Professional wedding filmmakers will use professional sound recording devices to capture the sound from your day. We will always mic the groom, sometimes the officiant, and if necessary the bride to capture the sound from your day. We also carry a variety of cables to try to collect sound from DJ or church soundboards so that we can have a clean copy of the direct sound from the ceremony and especially the toasts. Sound is as important an aspect of your wedding film as the video itself.
Lights: Some wedding filmmakers will use and set up video lights to improve lighting for your films. We try to limit our impact on your reception set up, when necessary we will set up lights to film.
Software: While this is an aspect you will never see, it is one of the expenses we have in creating a wedding film. While there are FREE editing programs like Windows Movie Maker and IMovie, the amount of editing power these programs have is nothing compared to Adobe’s Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Audition ro create a truly cinematic film of your wedding day. We can color correct footage, adjust the sound correctly, and create unique effects to make even more out of your day with the software professionals use to create films.
Computers and Hard Drives: Wedding Films take up tons of storage space on our computers and hard drives. We purchase a new hard drive each year to preserve films for the future. Over time we have to upgrade computers for many reasons most frequently going from SD, to HD, to 4k now 8k films and with those changes come new demands for computer processing speeds and file storage space.
Insurance: A professional wedding filmmaker will have insurance because well things happen from cameras breaking to computers being corrupted and wedding being lost. Many years ago I have a baggage handler drop my backpack with my computer and portable hard drive. While the computer was fine, the portable hard drive was lost with a wedding on it. $1800 later I was able recover the footage and create the film, but insurance would have saved me if I would not have saved the film and needed to compensate the family of the lost memories financially.
Time: Between initial client meetings, possible rehearsal attendance, pre-wedding meetings, phone calls, or text and messaging, actual day of filming, and post wedding file upload and film creation. A typical wedding with 3 films: ceremony, same day edit, and cinematic highlight film we will spend 40 hours on a wedding couple. Please consider that especially when comparing prices for wedding photography/ videography with other wedding related vendors who are finished with your wedding the day it happens and we keep working on your wedding weeks after your wedding is over..
Vehicles, gas, taxes, and more. Like any business being a wedding filmmaker encompases all of the business world that make things happen.
So this is not a complete list of all things included in wedding videography hopefully it helped you realize there is more to your wedding film than filming on your wedding day.