Recently one of the local videographers sent me a note asking to get on Michiana Weddings recommendation list. Well we don't just list anyone here, the vendors listed meet a certain level of quality in their respective industries. So I asked him to send in a couple fully edited weddings to view. Frankly I was shocked, the videos sucked and I mean sucked! Unsteady camera work, I coudn't hear the vows or the toasts and at times not even the music the disc jockey was playing. At times all I saw were the person's shoes or the ceiling. During the vows the bride and groom were blobs because the camera was focused on the wall 20 feet behind them. I couldn't believe anyone paid anything for this video or that this was some of the videographer's best work! My dad did a better job chasing my sister and I around the yard as children than this person did 'professionally'.

A little research online and I couldn't find any articles that went in depth into what a wedding video should look like when finished with examples. So I called our recommended videographer Brian Peterson from River City Productions and talked him into writing an article on what is good wedding video and provide some examples.

That one article has turned into a multi part article when Brian realized just how much there was to talk about. You can find What To Look For When Hiring A Videographer part 1 here. In part one Brian covers one the most important aspects for getting a video, audio quality and how the professional videographer does it so you know what to look for when talking with prospects to hire.

The audio and video clips are not yet posted, I will get them up in the next couple days. But this is in my opinion very important stuff to know so I'm posting the link without the clips. If you are hiring a wedding videographer you need to read this article and future installments! It breaks my heart knowing that 2 couples paid good money for these videos where you can't see them except as blobs, can't hear their vows or decipher the words of the toasts celebrating their union. Become an educated consumer, know what to look for!

- Amy


Part One: Turn Up My Hearing Aid, I Can’t Hear The Vows Or What You Need To Hear In A Wedding Video.

As a wedding cinematographer it never ceases to amaze me just how many poorly produced wedding videos are out there and how many brides and grooms regrettably purchased them. Not all videographers are created equal and as the consumer you need to educate yourself as to what to look for in a wedding video. In this and following articles we will illustrate what is good and what is bad when you are looking at wedding video demos.

Audio Is One Half Of A Video! Without audio video is nothing more than a sequence of still images displayed at 30 frames per second. Your photographer with modern cameras can capture 9 frames per second, why hire a videographer then if you aren’t going to be able to hear anything. The mp3 below is an example of a poorly done wedding video audio track during the readings. Notice that you can hear the person, but not very clearly. (Due to these clips being from a competitor's video the names have been removed and I am using video only.)






The audio could have been far more intelligable and easy to understand if the videographer had bothered to do his job properly. The following video clip demonstrates just how a reading should sound.

I like making videos sound "you are there" as much as possible so I have mixed back in some of the natural echo of the church while maintaining the clear and understandable words of the reader.

This next audio clip is from the vows of the wedding. This is where your audio should really excel! After all you will want to hear the words you spoke to each other on the altar. In the audio clip below... Well take a listen...

Labels: wedding videography