Top 5 Things You Need To Know As a Wedding Videographer
A Crash Course in Wedding Videography
I could realistically talk about weddings and the wedding biz all day — that’s what happens when you gain 15+ years of experience. However, if I had to go back and tell younger me the 5 biggest takeaways you need to know as a wedding videographer — these five things would be it!
Pre-Wedding Communication is key. This could technically encompass all four of the remaining items, since a lot of what you need to know, are things that can and should be discussed beforehand. But the truth is, if you’re not a good communicator, things will get lost in translation or overlooked all together. As videographers, we tend to want to blend into the background, but when it comes to pre-wedding communication, this is one area where you need to be assertive and ask questions. Ask about every timeline detail and logistics. How is everyone getting to and from the church? Is there room for us to ride with you? Have you discussed a first look with your photographer? All of these things will help set you up for success later one. I promise. So pick up the phone and chat with your clients before the big day.
Personal Vows — Find out if they are reading personal vows during the ceremony. This will help you hone in on the story-telling aspect of the wedding and you can clue in on certain details throughout the day to help you during the edit. For example, the groom talks about how the bride scrunches her nose when she laughs. Capturing a clip of the bride doing just that will help bring the story to life later on. If you can get a copy of the vows ahead of time, even better!
Letter Reading — Ask if they are exchanging cards and if they would like them read out loud on camera. I will admit, this is not one I typically do a lot, but it is helpful to know ahead of time because sometimes couples will expect it, and if you’re not prepared, you can be caught off guard without the right gear (audio equipment) at a critical moment in the day.
Communicate with the couples’ photographer. It’s so important to have a good rapport with all of your clients’ vendors, but especially the photographer. You guys will be working side-by-side throughout the day, so don’t be afraid to reach out ahead of time and just shoot them a message to say hi. As someone who has been on both sides (wedding photographer and wedding videographer), I can tell you that they actually appreciate being able to collaborate with the videographer and have some things figured out ahead of time.
Introduce yourself to the DJ or band leader right away (and don’t be afraid to reach out beforehand) . This may seem like a no-brainer for seasoned pros but as a beginner, I know first-hand how intimidating this can be. They are running around like crazy trying to setup all of their equipment and can oftentimes look stressed. So the last thing I want to do is interrupt, but I find that the earlier you jump in and just introduce yourself and say “hey would it be ok if I plug into your system once you’re all setup?”, the better! I’ve even had people come find me when they’re done which I really appreciate!