Wedding Videography Tips

Written by:  Paul Aleksinko and Tracy Niedermeyer

Choosing a wedding videographer can be a confusing topic to navigate.   There are lots of moving parts. If you’ve ever created your own video, you know it’s difficult to stop fine-tuning your own masterpiece. There is always “one more thing” that you could do to add another finishing touch.   So, how do you choose a videographer that’s right for you?

Tip #1

Instinct Were the sample videos exciting to you? If they were, and you don’t know the bride and groom…I’d say that is a great indicator of a darn good wedding videographer.   Were there moments that made you cringe? Another good indicator! When it comes to editing, we think you’ve either “got it” or you don’t. Editing is as much intuition as it is a learned skillset.

Tip#2

Movement Video is about movement. The more movement involved in capturing your video, the better it will be.   Our basic video packages do not include a “slider” or a “jib” (a small crane) or a “steady cam.” What are those? And hey, a “crane” sounds big. Why would I want one of those at my wedding?

1. Cranes/Jibs For starters, a crane is not big. It is a tripod with an arm across the top allowing the videographer to capture a setting from a higher perspective, and allows movement at the same time. Kind of like a hanging lantern. It allows the videographer to keep a greater distance from you during an intimate moment. Absolutely nothing is more beautiful than the first dance filmed on a crane/jib.
2. What’s a slider? It’s a rail that attaches to the top of a tripod, allowing the video camera to film steadily while moving at the same time. Imagine a train on a track. Remember the key to fab video is movement!
3. Steady Cam Instead of a tripod or crane that uses the floor for balance, a steady cam is a body harness that uses cantilevers to remove hand held shake or jarring. If your body suddenly moves to the left, a separate, built in “gyroscope” will smooth out the sudden directional change and make your footage seamless and flowy. This allows you to react instantly to action in front of the camera.

All three of these upgrades take a lot practice and skill to master. If you can add these to your video, the outcome is delicious!

Tip#3

Unobtrusive A confident wedding videographer can document your day unobtrusively.   When you have a photo team and a video team – it can be a lot to manage. As a team who’s been working together for over a decade, it’s a bonus when the other half of the team is on the same page. At Maxime, we’re a well oiled memory making machine. A good photo and video team works side by side, helping each other out – always making sure the other has an opportunity to capture the moment. A good team is cognizant of the others needs, both in physical positioning and staying out of the others shots. A good team has one “director” or leader most of the time. And lastly, a good team is synchronized, with little talking. We can complete each others sentences. This is the most noticeable fact for the bride and groom. The less people telling you what to do on your day is a good thing. Let the photo and video team workout the shots amongst themselves, it will make your life easier and your day infinitely more pleasant.