Your wedding is a BIG deal. There’s SO much happening throughout the day, SO many people to talk to, SO many little decisions to make, SO much cake to eat… By the time your big day is over, all of your wedding memories can turn into one big blur. We’re a little biased here at Robot Monster Creative, but we believe one of the best decisions you will ever make when it comes to your wedding is having a good to videographer capture your day. For most couples, this is the first and last time you will ever have to hire a video professional, so here are a few things you need to know to find the right videographer for your wedding.
DON’T TRUST ANYONE WHO SAYS THEY TAKE PICTURES AND VIDEO AT THE SAME TIME
You may come across wedding photographers or videographers who say they can do everything. It might sound like a good deal at first, but 9 times out of 10 you’re not going to get the wedding video that you deserve. Watch out for vendors who say that they can take all of your photos throughout the day AND film your wedding by themselves. Make sure they’re working with a team and that they have someone at your wedding who is there only to be your videographer. There are too many important moments that happen throughout your day to trust to just one person. You need at least one photographer there to take pictures and a dedicated professional there to get video footage.
WATCH THEIR WORK
Just like every wedding vendor that you hire, check out their portfolio before you contact them. They should have at least three different wedding films on their website or social media channels that you can view. These videos will give you a good idea of the kinds of weddings they specialize in. Does your potential wedding videographer only show rustic countryside wedding films on their website? If that’s the case, they may not be a great fit if you plan to have an urban Jewish ceremony under the chuppah. Find a videographer who matches your style of wedding.
AUDIO IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE VIDEO
When you think about hiring a filmmaker to cover your wedding, the first thing most people care about is the visuals. What you also need to think about is how your wedding video sounds. Some of the most important wedding memories you’ll probably want preserved include “first looks” with your parents and spouse, your vows during the ceremony and the toasts from the reception. Without good audio, these important events just aren’t the same. Ask your potential videographer how they capture sound. At Robot Monster Creative, we use several different types of microphones throughout the day, so no matter what happens, you’ll always be able to remember exactly how your wedding day sounded. If you really want to test your potential videographer, ask them what they do to backup their audio in case there is interference with the DJ or venue’s sound system. If they don’t have a plan for it, move onto another videographer.
MUSIC: DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHTS TO USE IT?
One of the questions we always get from potential clients involves picking out the songs for their video. Many times they will ask us if we can use their favorite tune from their favorite band. Unfortunately, the answer is usually no. Due to copyright laws and the way social media companies like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram work, your video could get scrubbed from the internet without notice if you do not have the proper documentation and permission to use music in your wedding film. Getting permission from music companies to use popular songs can either be expensive, difficult to track down or both. Because of this, we use a music service named Artlist.io that gives us all of the rights we need to use their immense stable of recording artists for our videos. We never have any trouble finding great songs to use that match the style and personalities of our couples. If your potential videographer doesn’t use a similar music company for their videos, you run the risk of having your wedding film abruptly removed from the internet or worse. No one wants to fight a legal battle over their wedding video.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET MY VIDEO?
Nothing breaks our heart more than hearing stories from couples who still haven’t received their wedding films after several months of waiting. Somewhere in your contract, the length of time it will take to complete your video should be clearly stated. Just for reference, our contract clearly stipulates that you will receive your wedding video within two months of your big day, but we do our best to get it to you sooner. Every wedding filmmaker has their own process for editing video and ways of distributing their films to clients, so the wait will be different for each company. In order to satisfy our couples, we can expedite the editing for an extra fee or make a “social media teaser” to help tide you over while you wait.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Wedding videography should be fun. We hope this handy little guide has shown you how to find a wedding videographer and a few of the questions you should ask before signing a contract. If you would like us to film your wedding or just have some questions about wedding videos in general, send us a message here. Good luck and congrats on your upcoming wedding!
Robot Monster Creative is a Kansas City Wedding Video Company That Creates Beautiful Wedding Films
We produce handcrafted wedding videos that reflect the personalities and feelings of couples on the most important day of their lives. Creating an easygoing experience for our brides and grooms that results in films that they will enjoy for a lifetime is our main goal. Although we primarily serve couples in the Kansas City area, we love to travel. If you would like for us to film your wedding, see the services we offer here.