Videographers- yay or nay?????? HIB's Help please

Hi Kirsty89,

Obviously, I will sound biased as I offer video as well as, photography services and would like to share what our service is about.

Most of the time, B&G only want photography out of the two. Once they see a sample or a trailer of a real wedding DVD, they do book both, if their budget allows. No one has regretted it and usually say that they are so glad that they did so, especially, when they initially, discarded the idea!

Regarding as to how much you wish to be filmed, it is entirely up to you both. Professional camerapersons are not 'in your face' type and will usually film from a distance and only come near you when appropriate and also if you are okay with it.

You can decide how much or how long you want your videographer to film and go at the time of booking.

If you need to anymore information of the range of services provided please take a look at my website. There is a video info page with a sample.

If you want to contact me, you can do so via the website or telephone (below).

Regards,

Bob

Hi Kirsty

The amount of time us videographers spend filming very much depends on the couple's requirements. For instance if there is bride/groom preps to be filmed then we can start filming from 9.00am right through to the end of the first dance then onto the reception party and diary room. We usually take a break whilst food is eaten but back for the speeches (if after the b&g meal), cake cutting. So we can roughly work a 12-14 hour shift sometimes more. On News Years Eve we were filming until 1.00am after starting at 10.30am. Some weddings only require 5 hours filming. So we can roughly have 6 hour long tapes per videographer of footage taken throughout the day. This is then edited all together which takes many hours and hours to put it all together. It 's the editing that takes time as we do ours to the music so it all fits neatly together. Plus with using two cameras for every wedding we then have to synchronise each camera's footage and audio within the editing suite we use. We run round lots too to capture as many key moments as possible so we're on our feet all day. I do this job because I love it and am passionate about providing a service that exceeds our client's expectations. Beware there are some shocking videographers out there just like any other business. We have only one opportunity to capture these moments there is no retake!

As for you and hubby time - you can ask your photographer and videographer to leave you by yourselves for a short period. We try to be unobtrusive at all times but occasionally there are times when you know we are there but you kinda of forget about it as getting married is exciting and emotional . I know from experience - I wanted a videographer to film our wedding almost 2 years ago now and hubby wasn't so keen but we went off to a wedding fayre and he got really interested saying that he wanted a film if the budget could stretch and it did and we have never regretted it. Videography prices do fluctuate depending on where they are based and professional experience. We live in a very small town so we set our prices for this area accordingly so not to miss out on any potential clients locally, we are not the cheapest locally but neither are we dearest but we are exceptionally proud of what we do and the quality of our work. A videography company in London/home counties, big cities will undoubtedly be more expensive as they have higher overheads to pay. Our editing suite and office is located in our home so we don't incur these extra costs. Also you'll find that many videographers offer many different types of packages each offering more for a higher price as there is more filming and editing time.

Look online and watch sample footage,visit wedding fayres, speak to videographers, are they friendly, flexible and are they in your budget etc! Ask lots of questions, do they know their stuff.... legal conformity ie contract of service, insurance and copyright laws. Good quality work is a must of course but most of all you've got to feel comfortable with them as they will be spending a lot of time with you on your wedding day. Remember they are filming your wedding day you are not actors in their wedding film. Hope this helps.

Tracey x

We have just booked one because when I watched their videos I couldn't imagine not having that kind of perspective on our day.

www.fxfilms.co.uk

I am SO excited about this, more than anything else I've booked.

I have just booked one also, My best friends sister got married a few years ago and had one and we just watched her dvd, it was beautiful, Im so glad we were able to budget for one because at least i will be able to keep it forever

Wow was just watching some of the videos on there and im in tears!!

The way they film it is beautiful.

Wish i could afford this but as others im having alot of problems trying to someone reaonably priced to film the wedding...Very distressing but I guess one cannot have everything...

xxx

From what we’ve seen and know of FX Films their work is very good. Richard (the guy that runs FX) has spent a lot of money on additional filming equipment to allow production of such great video footage like this, hence their prices. Mind you if your budget doesn't quite squeeze to that, if you look around there are plenty of very good and professional videographers that offer exceptional quality service to a really high standard at half the price.

It's a No from me!

Personally, I couldn't ever see my sitting down and thing "oh, I'll lok at the wedding video". We've had a video camera for a few years now and the video we took of our big month long holiday 5 years has yet to come off the camera! In fact, I don't think we've even looked at it!

That was really lovely to watch,, especially you cuddling who I guess must be your grandmother? That is really a treasured moment, and it made me well up. Love that someone was tweaking your hubby's ear,, too funny!

I'm not a HIB, but originally wasn't planning one - I just want something fairly simple, and thought that I could get someone with a camcorder to record it. However, and this is directed to the poster who said they were going to do that, I really wouldn't - I was reminded of others I'd seen where there was camera shake or even if not the sound was really duff (e.g. a friend got married outdoors and you actually couldn't hear a thing). What kills me is the different in costs - anything from £500 - £3000!

If you do decide you want a videographer make sure it is a genuine professional. Like wedding photographers, it is estimated that well over 60% who purport themselves as professionals are in reality Saturday guys...or Weekend Warriors as they are known in the business. As a profesional wedding photographer I have worked with lots of them and also met back up with couples after the wedding and heard all the reports, and you would be amazed at how disappointing many of them are. It is simple enough to avoid however...just ask them "what is your day job?" and also ask for the contact details of their last two weddings and give the couples a phone. Any genuine bona fide professional will be more than happy to do this for you.

Peter's absolutely right there are some shocking vogs and togs out there. We are more than happy to provide references for our work. In fact a bride who we filmed last year posted our details on another forum for all to see her wedding highlights and we received wonderful comments from many different people about our work which we have on our site a link too.. so people can see that we are genuine videographers who take great pride in their work. We are both members of the Institute of Videographers so that surely counts for something as well! We are fully insured,etc. We're always looking to improve our techniques, keep up with technology and work and study hard whenever time permits to achieve this plus we have invested thousands of pounds in our equipment to ensure that both our picture and audio is of exceptional quality! We also spend hours and hours editng footage to ensure that every dvd is simply perfect before it leaves our studio.

A professional is definitely worth their weight in gold and therefore you should not be disappointed with the final product. Let family members and friends relax and film with their camcorders at their leisure.

Tracey

I'm really not sure now...........

Do the prices really fluctuate that much? That is shocking!

Will have to have a word with H2B, see what he thinks and if budget could stretch to it.

Thanks for the advice. If i do go for it, it will most definately be a professional.

xxx

Personally , we're not going to bother, purely for the reason i HATE watching myself on camera, so does my future hubby plus we have a VERY shy best man, i think he'd completely freeze in front of a camera. But i must admit i think wedding dvd's are beautiful and always make me feel emotional, it's just not for us

Just to clarify, I think that I am the only Peter on the forum apart from a Pete.....In this thread, this is my first comment, so I think the "shocking vogs and togs out there" comment was made by another.

There was a comment about giving telephone numbers of previous couples to potential clients. This must only be done IF the previous couples have given permission to act as referees. Randomly giving out telephone numbers without this is a breach of trust and several other "things"(mainly legal) as well..(although I understand entirely what the poster of this was aiming at).

Peter

Peter, apologies for the confusion, the shocking statement came from me from my own experiences, I was merely adding to Phillip's post (got the names mixed up) about getting a professional rather than a non-professional as he had met with clients who had been disappointed having not had a professional - or that's the way I read it anyway. To further clarify, although we are happy to give out references it would be with the consent of our clients - besides we have alot of our comments about our work through on email as its the nature of our business so to me that is proof alone without having to give out too much information about the client and with that there is no need to give out any telephone numbers - data protection and all that. The testimonials we have on our website have been added with the consent of those clients. Our terms and our booking form deal with promotional and marketing material.

Speaking now of when I was planning my wedding. A video was a must for me and I'm glad too as our wedding photos are not great and we didn't get a cheap photographer they were supposedly professional - they just lacked creativity, did minimal editing and the pics are too formal and very boring. Who wants pics with a whole load of chairs in the background all stacked up?? I'm not a tog but could see that this was wrong. The venue had a sweeping wooden georgian staircase, we didn't get one pic on it and it would have been beautiful . We asked and paid extra for bridal preps - we got some shots of the flowers, shoes and my dress hanging from afar (can't see any detail)- none of me getting my hair done or anything like that no bridesmaids getting ready nothing - I have a few pics of my dress being laced up but not close up ones. I'm not sure exactly what they were doing - too much chatting I think and I was disappointed. Our video was the best thing we paid for out of the two, but I know its not for everyone!

Tracey

If you have done a great job you'll find that couples can hardly stop talking about you so you shouldnt really be having a problem obtaining their permission. But my original comment was directed towards couples looking for a vog or tog and advising them to ask for references. Its the vogs job to have cleared permission with the referees. If he is reluctant or struggling to find couples who will give him a recommendation then I think that speaks for itself.

Sorry I got my Peters and Phillips all wrong - not sure where I got Peter from - it must have been the wine ?. Post has been re-edited to reflect this. Sorry Phillip and Peter for the confusion!

Tracey

No problems......FWIW, as a wedding photographer I would always suggest that a video offers a different dynamic of the day(not better or worse than the photography, just another dimension). The more memories you have the clearer the day will be in years to come, and like the photography will gather in "value" as loved ones pass away.

I do appreciate though, that this is a cost that some will find difficult due to budget restrictions.

Peter