Recently the debate surrounding having a wedding videographer has become a lot more common amongst couples planning their wedding. Whilst everyone is obviously entitled to their opinion, it does make me question why. Is it hours of sitting through their parent’s wedding video or just hating the thought of being followed by a camera crew during one of the most important days of their life? Either way, I’m a huge fan of wedding videography and I think in a lot of cases, it’s massively underrated, so I got in touch with the incredible Alessandro Bordoni to discuss the world of luxury videography and what it’s all about.
Wedding films add a unique and beautiful aspect to a wedding day! While I believe photography plays a very important part in capturing your wedding, I also know that wedding films are able to capture different emotions, the vows you exchanged, your dad’s speech, or the first look. You’ve also invested in an incredible venue and dramatic florals for your wedding. You want to create an experience that reflects your own style, design and interests when you bring your guests together to celebrate. It’s these big-impact moments that create an unforgettable atmosphere for the entire wedding and they deserve to be uniquely captured on film.
We know that your wedding is a one-take production and you want to be sure that every detail you’ve selected is documented. in style.
And the best part is you’ll be able to share these moments with your friends and family again and again. Maybe you’ll even show the film to your kids someday. Plus, you’ll watch it more often than you think you would – it’s a great way to mark anniversaries.
I’ve had a lot of couples recently who aren’t even considering hiring a videographer for their wedding. Why do you think it’s so important?
Let’s start by better explaining the difference between wedding videography and wedding cinematography.
Wedding cinematography is about telling compelling and authentic stories. However, unlike a narrative Hollywood film, the responsibilities and filmmaking techniques required of a non-fiction cinematographer often vary from moment to moment.
Wedding Cinematography is much more different than classic Wedding Videography.
The Wedding Videographers are more like journalists; they just capture the moments in a linear fashion and have long-form video as a priority.
Wedding cinematography is instead an art form blended with creative storytelling.
The cinematographers are some of the best storytellers who can set the right tone for the video and weave a magically wonderful introduction and a climax of the wedding film. They capture a moment from various creative angles to give it a certain perspective and strum the heartstrings of the people viewing it.
Unfortunately, especially when it comes to destination weddings, there will be some who won’t be able to attend your wedding. And that’s another special thing about wedding cinematography! You can share your film with all of your loved ones, including those who couldn’t be there, and they will get to experience it for themselves.
I think a lot of people consider videography to be quite outdated (thinking back to the hours of video’s I’ve watched of older family weddings). How have things changed?
I feel you. Some wedding videos used to be quite outdated, infinitely long and do not involve much creativity. People think of a professional with a typical video camera that keeps rolling and moving around to capture any random picture of the couple and the ceremonies going side by side.
Wedding Cinematography instead, elevates the classic wedding video to a wedding movie like a director in the film industry. A Cinematic Wedding Film lasts about 20/30minutes and it continuously holds the attention of the viewers. There is also a 4 minutes Highlights Film and shorter versions to easily share your event with friends on your social media.
As the wedding cinematography involves a storytelling process, it is shot accordingly from various angles keeping the story or the perception in mind. While editing, all the effects are combined and interwoven to come up with a great wedding movie that you finally get to see.
Your wedding day experience is our absolute priority and our crew is quite big with a number of camera people and editing professionals.
With this in mind, we act as observers rather than intruders while filming. A minimum of two cinematographers will be present at your wedding to ensure you receive world-class footage from every angle. What will we do? Wear designer attire that matches your dress code, move seamlessly throughout your venue, and blend in with your guests.
What we’ll never do are things like stepping into the aisle to get a shot, blocking your guests’ view with bulky equipment, or hovering a drone above your heads during the vow exchange.
From our first consultation call through the pre-production process, filming and post-production, we want to create an unforgettable experience and create a memorable, masterfully-crafted wedding film. This is how things have changed in the last years, and thinking about hiring a cinematography team is one of the best possible decisions you could make for your wedding day.
Some couples feel quite uncomfortable about being filmed, they may be shy or think as it’s harder to edit unflattering angles. How do you make couples feel more comfortable about this?
We usually connect personally via video conference to ensure we understand your expectations and concerns. Even if you have a clear vision of the vibe of your wedding, since you’re not a cinematographer, you’re probably unsure about the best way to showcase it on film. This is where we really excel. Using what we’ve discovered during the consultation process, we’ll build a custom storyboard for your wedding and hand-select the perfect production team to bring it to life. We’ll make getting outside of your comfort zone feel like fun during the portrait session and make you stop worrying about unflattering angles that will be enhanced by a wise use of light and our editing skills.
What do you think you get from a video that you can’t get from photos?
You have to ask yourself what really matters to you and that is 100% based on personal preference. Do you want to have amazing photos that you can put into frames or albums? Or do you want to make it a tradition to watch your wedding film every year on your anniversary?
I think that when combined together, Photography and Cinematography complete each other.
It used to be that photography was THE way to go since old-school wedding videos were lengthy and boring.
With huge advances in video formats over the years, creative people like us have been able to create awesome films and this trend is leading couples to invest more money into cinematography.
While Photography is a visual art, Wedding cinematography is an art form blended with creative storytelling. It is like filling a blank canvas with shades of various colours from the moments encountered, and you get to keep every memory that can be seen but also those that can be heard.
Sometimes, what makes our moments special is the words we have spoken to each other;
It can be something funny a friend told us.
Whether capturing an emotional father-daughter moment, the beautiful bride sharing a smile looking at her groom or the stunning decor, the good wedding cinematographer weaves a story from each moment and creates a fairy-tale wedding movie out of it.
Also, memories are about emotions, and when it comes to emotions, nothing can beat music.
Good music is more important in a wedding film than the visuals themselves. It’s a really powerful tool for storytelling and helps the audience and your viewers know how they should be feeling.
It could be soft music, it could be triumphant music, it could be any sort of music. Music really sells the emotion, swells inside of you and gives you goosebumps. A visual can be really cool but if the music doesn’t fit, it’s not really going to work.
What should couples consider when choosing a videographer?
Most of the “are wedding videos worth it?” blogs out there would say to start by looking at packages, coverage, prices and style.
I firmly believe that you should schedule a call with one that you like or ask your wedding planner as the first step.
A couturier doesn’t cut a pattern until he’s taken exact measurements, and we don’t create a package and a storyboard until we’ve wrapped ourselves around your vision. We’ll start by scheduling a video conference and going through a detailed list of questions to gain an understanding of your expectations. Only after this, since we value your time, instead of sending you hundreds of package options to review, we’ll send you an accurate, tailored proposal that’s easy to read and understand.
Make sure that your wedding cinematography team is fully aware of your expectations. We approach every detail of the weddings we’re entrusted with first as explorers, then as observers, and finally with the editorial eye of an artist.
Do you have any other top tips for couples?
Speaking of social media: This is a complex topic where people have different perspectives and often raises debate in the creative community. Make sure to have tackled this part with your wedding cinematography team before hiring them.
We respect your privacy and are always mindful of the fact that we’re working on your behalf—not our own if you prefer to keep your wedding under wraps.
We have signed many NDA agreements due to the attendance of celebrities or politicians in the past, meaning some of the most over-the-top weddings we’ve ever filmed will never be viewed publicly…and we’re okay with that. Your wedding is not a vehicle for us to show off on social media.
What are your thoughts on wedding videography and has this blog made you re-consider at all? We’d love to hear your thoughts! If you have any other questions about this wedding videography or would like to know more about our full wedding planning services, then please get in touch with us today.