It seems more and more couples are looking to bundle photo and video and it totally makes sense! I myself offer a collab package with Kristy Velesko Photography. There are a ton of benefits to having a cohesive team capturing your day. When choosing a team that does both however, you’ll want to make super sure that you’re getting someone who knows what they are doing. Is the videographer you’re getting through your photography company going to be as good as a separate vendor? It depends!
Questions to Ask About Wedding Videography Offered by Your Photographer
1) How long has the videographer been shooting weddings?
While many photography companies do have an experienced videographer on their team, there are also A LOT of photographers who are just beginning to offer videography services or are in the process of training someone to do it. There’s also a huge difference between a commercial videographer and an experienced wedding filmmaker.
2) Does this videographer offer audio?
Audio is a crucial part of telling the story of your day. While everyone has a different creative approach, if the videography services offered do not include professional audio, it’s possible that the videographer you’re contracting with is not an experienced professional. While we all package things differently, knowing whether your videographer has the equipment and expertise to capture audio is a good way to tell whether you’re working with a seasoned professional.
3) Who will be my videographer and how many shooters will there be?
This is huge one. I’m going to let you in on a dirty secret in the wedding film world—there are some companies who will hire an Associate Shooter for your day straight from facebook with very little vetting. Specifically asking for the name of the lead videographer early on will help you determine whether you’re going to be working with someone the company can vouch for.
Additionally, it’s important to ask how many shooters will be at your day. Not only does this help with getting an accurate head count for your planner or venue, but it shows the scale of the business you’re working with. An industry pro will be able to tell you how many shooters they offer and why they choose to work with the crew size they do. There are lots of amazing videographers who prefer to shoot solo, but they should be able to explain why and how they do. You’ll also want to note that crew size can impact style. If you’re wanting 3 camera angles of the ceremony, for instance, that can be tricky to accomplish as a solo shooter.
Videographer Word of the Day—Associate Shooter : an associate shooter is someone who is contracted by another company to act as the lead or main videographer at the event.
4) How many cameras will the videographer be using?
There are a few things you can discover by asking this question. One is whether the filmmaker has invested in the industry. Someone who has been around a while will typically have at least 2 cameras to work with. While it’s possible to shoot a great video with only one camera, it definitely lends itself to Highlight only coverage. Plus, if someone stands up in the middle of shot there’s no way to get that moment back!
5) Are there options for more coverage?
This is a great way to tell if you’re getting a professional wedding film or a moving photo montage. If you’re photography company offers videography with only limited coverage, there’s a big possibility that’s because they aren’t able to capture professional audio, work with multiple cameras, or fully cover your day in the way that an experienced professional filmmaker would.
6) Who is editing my video?
Here’s another industry secret. Sometimes videographers outsource their edits. Everyone approaches this differently and it isn’t always a bad thing, but if you’ve got an inexperienced videographer sending footage to someone over seas to edit you might not get the video you hoped for. Large companies who hire associates also often split the shooting and the editing.
There are lots of ways to get to a great wedding film. For me being both the shooter and the editor allows me to bear artistic witness to my couples day and then craft a film based on what I saw and felt. If that level of connection is important to you you’ll definitely want to make sure and ask this question.
7) How will the music for my video be chosen?
Ethical videographers used licensed music. A sure way to tell that the videographer you’re working with is sketchy or a newbie is if they’re pirating music from Youtube to use in your film. While there are some ways to license some popular songs, if all the samples you’re seeing are to Bruno Mars songs it’s likely they’re not sourcing their music legally.
Many videographers retain the right to choose the music for the film without input from the client. The music is integral to the creation of a moving film so you definitely want to trust your videographer’s method. Personally, I send couples a list of songs that would work well with their music, should they want to have more say in that.
8) Can I see links to work samples by this specifc videographer?
This is an important way to gauge whether the company you’re working with is hiring a third party contractor from facebook. If they don’t have work samples available from the videographer they’ve named (at the very least a link to their online portfolio or Youtube channel)…they don’t have a close working relationship with them.
9) Can I meet with my videographer before my big day?
Meeting with couples is an important part of the process when you’re creating a high quality wedding film. If you’re asking to meet with the videographer and the company you’re dealing with is hedging a bit, that’s a red flag. Either they don’t have someone contracted for your day yet or the associate shooter they’ve hired isn’t getting paid enough. Your videographer should want to meet with you. If they don’t it’s likely they’re getting paid a very small portion of the total you’re paying for your package. The reality is that an associate who is not being paid well will not be as invested in your day as someone who is either being generously compensated or will be editing the film themselves.
10) How will my wedding video be delivered?
There are lots of ways to approach wedding video delivery but you’ll want to make sure of a few things:
First that you will be able to download a digital file to your computer or device. You don’t want to be stuck with just a link—should your videographer go out of business, it’s possible future access could be blocked. Ideally your videographer will deliver your downloadable files via an beautiful online gallery like the one below.
Click to View Heather and Shawn’s Online Gallery
Secondly, you’ll want to ask whether the videographer offers any form of physical media. Many filmmakers provide a flash drive or a video album. Folks who’ve been in the industry for a while may even be able to offer BluRay or DVD discs!