Keys to Finding the Best Videography or Videographer for Your Wedding in Orange County

By the time you finish reading this article you will be armed with the information needed to select a quality videographer for you wedding.  Most brides are not familiar with the video Here are a couple things to look for when hiring a videographer for your wedding:

1 – Meet the people

Nothing beats the feeling you get from meeting people face to face.  On your wedding day you need to be comfortable with the people who are around you.  Not to mention, how people conduct themselves in life is usually an insight into how they will conduct their work.

2 – SEE THEIR WORK

Ask to see finished videos and final DVD’s.  Make sure the work is quality work and you like their style.  Make sure they have completed weddings to show you. 

Ask if it is a full time job for them or if it is a hobbie.  You will find that some people with open weekends, a high quality camera and a Mac computer call themselves wedding videographers.

Some companies may have sample DVD’s and a few will have samples to view online like at viewweddingsamples.com/a>.

You definitely do not want to be the first customer to a new guy starting a business.  Let him find someone else to be the guinea pig.  You want someone with experience.  Weddings are a live event.  Filming a wedding is more difficult than a stage shoot.  There are no retakes on the vows.  You need to get it right the first time, because there is only one shot.  This means you need people with experience.

An amateur will have the following problems with the footage:

- Framing.  Do they cut off heads?  Do they have artistic shots or is it lifeless filming?  A creative experienced videographer will have creative shots and entertain the audience.

- Focus.  If they are inexperienced they will loose focus on a shot and not be able to get the focus back quickly.

- Bad Audio.  When you are filming a wedding there are no “re-takes” the audio needs to be captured right the first time. This is especially key during the ceremony and toasts.  It is important to have a videographer who knows how to handle sound at your wedding or you may wind up with inaudible vows, which has been done to many weddings by amateurs.

- Camera movements. The shots should be steady and fluid.  You should have no attention on camera shakes if you are watching a good video.  You will notice the inexperienced videographers because of the shaky camera work or quick zoom in, zoom out shots.

Quality videographers will have tripods and steady camera equipment to avoid these camera shakes.  During receptions and other times it may be appropriate to hand hold the camera for a more stylistic shooting.

- Lighting.  A good videographer will adapt his equipment to handle low light or extreme light.  The footage will not be too dark or blown out with white glares in the footage.  The opposite is of course true of the bad videographers.

Some of the “rules” are broken intentionally from time to time to create certain effects.  But you will be able to notice the difference.

They will also have lighting equipment or a camera mount light for times when the standard room lighting or candle light is not adequate.

3 – Ask good questions

There are some things you should find out about the videographers you are interviewing:

- How many weddings have you done?

- Will you be filming and editing the wedding or will it be done by someone else?

- What will my final DVD look like?  Do you have a demo reel or sample wedding to show me?

- Do you have good microphones and wireless mics for the sound, especially during the ceremony?

The answers to these questions will give you a better idea about the company you are dealing with.

4 – Don’t skimp on the important things

There are some things you can bargain on but photography, videography and the wedding rings are not the things to skimp on.  Why?  Because these are the things you take with you FOREVER! and

You will get what you pay for in videography.  If you have a company willing to offer you unlimited hours and a full edited wedding DVD for $1500 - RUN!  I’ll tell you why.  Anyone with skills in video filming and editing can make much more than that doing anything in the video world. 

The average video is 2-3 hours preparation (meeting with the client, planning, etc.)  8-12 hours of filming plus travel time and 30-70 hours editing and mastering your DVD.  If you have more than one videographer, they are paying a few hundred at least to the second videographer, equipment upkeep, supplies, etc.  You get my point.  A person who will do all this for what ends up being $10-$20 per hour is probably not who you want. 

You will get what you pay for.

You can get good quality coverage and a nicely edited DVD for $2000-$3000 and add extras from there.  These extras include multiple videographers, love stories, photo montages, extended hours of video coverage, etc.  You can pick and choose what is most important to you and what you can afford within your wedding budget.

Armed with this information you can make good decisions and ensure you have a wedding video to view with your husband and family for decades of anniversaries to come!

If you have any questions regarding videography or how to choose a videographer feel free to email the writer of this article at cinemaweddings@cox.net.

Tom Wozny owns and operates Cinema Weddings Inc. Tom has been in the business of filming weddings since 1994.  Cinema Weddings produces the highest quality videos and has many samples for viewing on their website http://www.cinemaweddings.com target=_blank>www.cinemaweddings.com.  Check out the samples or call for an appointment to discuss your wedding day needs at 800-625-8817 or 949-340-7428.  Wedding videography services offered in Orange County, Los Angeles County and San Diego County, CA. *Will travel to destination weddings.