13 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Videographer

Finding the perfect wedding videographer to cover your wedding can be very hard for a number of reasons. Sometimes it’s simply not knowing the right questions to ask. Below are our top 13 questions you should ask when shopping around for a wedding videographer.

1. What is your style of videography?

Every wedding film studio has a style to their work - no two studios are exactly the same. Looking through a studio’s website or social media is a good indicator of their style and brand. Most studios will have their style in the description, and it will usually be repeated throughout their internet presence. For example, a cinematic studio may label all of their short highlights as ‘Cinematic Wedding Highlight Film’, or something similar. These keywords tell brides exactly what to expect. A studio’s style can be defined by their storytelling, narrative content, post production process, and cinematic shooting. Every studio has a different blend of these elements, and finding the one that best fits you is key to finding the perfect videographer.

2. How do you choose the music for the film?

There are so many sources for music, as well as just as many copyright laws. In the current age of Youtube and Facebook, it is more and more ill advised to use copyright music in your wedding film. There are so many libraries upon libraries of copyright free music out there, and finding the one that best fits your wedding is best left to the professionals. You can always research songs yourself or ask what resource your videographer is using, but in the end they’re sole purpose is to find the perfect song for you.

3. How long have you been filming weddings?

Experience is the best teacher in the wedding film business. Experienced videographers are more prepared for every possible situation, whether it be weather or a PA failure at the reception. The more weddings a studio has done, the more they’ve seen and dealt with in the past.

4. What’s your backup plan?

A bride never wants anything to go awry on her wedding day, that’s why they plan for months and months for the perfect day. But in reality the world sometimes throws curveballs at us. A videographer has to be prepared no matter what. If the ceremony moves indoors, they have to know what camera settings to change, how their placement is going to change, and how they can deliver the best product as if it was the original plan all along.

5. How do you capture audio?

Its 2019, and there are a lot of ways to capture audio. This is an important question if you are planning on hearing the vows from your wedding day again. There is a little extra work that goes into capturing audio for your ceremony, reception, and first look etc. It is also important to consider your venue when capturing audio, so the videographer may need to make some preparations beforehand. It's important to know what will be included in your wedding video package from your selected studio.

6. Who’s going to show up on my wedding day?

This question is pretty straightforward but it’s important to ask. Often times a videographer or wedding film company will outsource the person who films your wedding. This can be disappointing and sometimes awkward when your initial point of contact doesn’t show up and instead it’s some random person who you have never spoken to or have no relationship or trust with. That’s why it's important to ask this question in the beginning so you know WHO is really capturing your wedding.

7. How do you work with the photographer?

The relationship between your vendors can take your wedding from great, to AMAZING. Photographers and Videographers all have the same goal - capture you and your fiance in the best light. Some will even meet beforehand in order to capture the event as best as possible - while others will ignore each other the entire day.

8. When do I receive my wedding video?

Ever hear about a friend waiting a whole year to receive their wedding film? Yeah, that’s a real thing. That’s why it’s important to ask upfront what the expected deadline is and get it in writing. You’ll know you’re working with a true wedding professional if they send you an agreement and include the entire scope of the project along with deadline and terms. Knowing when you will receive your wedding videos will help keep you sane as you patiently wait for the precious memories to arrive.

9. How do you put your clients at ease in front of the camera?

Let’s face it - no one wants a stranger pointing a camera in their face while they get ready for their wedding. Weddings are personal, private, and usually you just want friends and family. But unless your twice removed cousin Karen owns a studio, a videographer has to come in. But if a videographer is willing to take the extra step in growing their relationship with you, and respect your space, it makes for wedding video magic.

10. What should we expect before the wedding?

If a wedding were easy or time efficient to plan, there wouldn’t be entire TV series’ about just the setup. There are so many moving parts to your wedding, but getting a video isn’t a highlighted process such as cake tasting. Considering the style you want, it's good to know how in depth your videographer wants to dive with your relationship. Narrative content comes naturally with a friendly relationship with your videographer. So once you’ve booked your videographer, they might want to talk to you and your fiance over a dinner or one on one.

11. Why do you shoot weddings?

When planning your wedding, it's easy to become mildly obsessed with your special day. So when looking for a videographer, you want to know why they want to be a part of your day. There is a lot of money in the wedding industry, but there is more passion and love for weddings. We love telling the stories, and showing off all the awesome people we get to meet because of weddings. If your videographer wants to shoot your wedding just to have a reason to fly to your destination venue, it may not be a great fit.

12. How will you deliver our videos?

This is a question a lot of brides will ask after the wedding day while in the final stages of getting their video. But it's important to ask this question before your wedding. What if a videographer only delivers blu-rays, and you don’t have a player? What if they only do online galleries, but your resolution for 2020 is to give up internet for the year? Its ideal to have a plan in place so when the time comes, nothing can stop you from watching your video as many times as you want.

13. What types of films do you offer?

Every studio creates different styles of video at different lengths. Finding out which videos your studio in question offers will save you tons of confusion and will help you compare rates. It’s important to know exactly what their videos entail so you know exactly what to expect. It would be a total bummer if you get a feature film back expecting it to be 25-35 mins and it’s only 10-12 mins. Those extra 13 minutes really make a difference!

You’ve asked all the questions, now what?

In addition to asking questions, pay close attention to what they ask you. The more questions they ask, the more likely they genuinely want to get to know you and the more invested they will be in you and your story. This investment will naturally yield better videos and memories for you and your partner. It’s also very important to be completely transparent with your day of wedding plans and the dynamic of the family. For example, your videographer sometimes has to know if your Aunt Linda is deathly afraid of having her picture taken, or if you’re planning on surprising your guests with an appearance from Adam Levine. Your videographer will need to know when to avoid a delicate situation or when to get those precious reaction shots. The more communication and relationship building you have with your wedding videographer before the big day, makes for better coverage and phenomenal footage. Trust us, we know from experience.

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