WARNING when booking a wedding videographer

? What? I would've thought that would be an obvious one to include!! What, erm, plonkers!!!

Sorry to hear about this and thanks for the advice.

Sarah xx

Hi Rachel

Oh I'm really sorry to hear its not all resolved yet.

I don't have me or the bridesmaids walking down the aisle either, just a clippit from outside as we walk in, the side and back of my H's face as we are all walking in then you see my face when I get to him between shoudlers and head. I was really dissapointed that one of the main bits of day wasn't caught as I had hoped for as well as it being dark but I think part of the reason was that there wasn't much room at the front of our ceremony room....still doesn't mean it makes us feel any better though eh.

Your room was really spacious though wasn't it? Do you think they have the footage but just haven't edited it in? In my case a good view of me walking in can't be magic-ed up but have you checked with yours whether its just a case of bad editing? Surely they would have had the film rolling the entire ceremony so would have had the readings etc. If so, then its just their editing so I'd insist things be added in til you are happy.

I think our full day is about 1 1/2 hours so we have lots of footage beforehand and of us mingling and guests dancing. Is there nothing like this?

Lisa x

That sound horribly unprofessional. I think it would definitely be appropriate to name the company you used Mrsmcd, otherwise your story has no direct help when it comes to others being treated the same way by the same company.

x

Hiya,

It is mad to think they wouldn't get the bride walking down the aisle isn't it?! We have been sent the footage of me walking down the aisle but still waiting for it to be added to the final DVD, so it was just rubbish editing not the fact the didn't have it! Apparently the reading wasn't included as it was too dark (its taken 8 months for him to admit to this) as he said the windows were too big in the room to get a good shot. I had e mailed him prior to the wedding as I was worried about the windows (they run accross the whole of one wall) and that the lighting wasn't very good and have got an e mail from him telling me it wouldnt be a problem and that they would have large lights to if it was a problem. His excuse now is that he would have had to stop our ceremony to reposition my friend and to set up the lights in front of everyone! Why they didn't think of it prior to the ceremony is beyond me!! Also not sure how they have got shots of us at the front and not of my friend who is in the same position.

We don't have anything of us with our guests, we have some footage from the beach when we are having our photo's taken but its mainly just the 2 of us. I've now contacted Consumer Direct and are taking it further now.

Sorry to hear yours didn't get you walking down the aisle either, like you though I am so grateful we have our lovely photos as a memory of the day.

x

I would like to name the company as I would hate for anyone else to book with them, but as we still don't have our DVD's I don't want to be accused of bad mouthing them or slander etc at this stage, just in case we end up in court with them or something.

Ah, fair enough re. naming. I can't believe you don't even have your dvd nearly a year later! If I were you I would be requesting they give me all of the footage they have taken and have someone else edit.

x

What an awful experience for you - especially when you paid such a lot of money to have a so-called professional ...

He sounds like a very shoddy videographer and I hope you are able to find some sort of resolution !!! have you tried the IoV for mediation? he doesn't have to be a member as far as I'm aware ?

I'm in absolutely no way trying to defend his substandard work... BUT, it might be useful for brides to bear in mind that there are some things videographers can't control... one of them is the walk down the aisle, in some venues if it's a long narrow aisle then it can be difficult to get a full shot of the whole walk, because the guests usually stand for the entrance and block some of the view. The only way it would be possible would be to stand right in the centre at the front and film from there - but no celebrant I've met would allow that. The wedding is, after all, about the ceremony itself, not a hollywood perfect film of it (although obviously that's a bonus ?)

Many of the lighting/colour issues can be resolved at the editing stage so it's a shame your videographer didn't have the necessary skills to make the best of a bad job!!

No problem, also make sure you get it in writing as word of mouth isn't useful if things don't turn out as planned. Luckily we have most of it via e mail so have a record of the broken promises. We didn't meet with ours before the day but i am sure you will get a feel for how professional they are when you do this.

We have only paid a deposit for ours we dont pay anything until we have viewed the footage and are happy with it. Hearing your experiences I am glad this is the case - I dont know how many videographers do this though.

I am quite intrigued about the relative location of these windows compared to where you stood for the ceremony. They can be a great help or hindrance depending on crcumstances.

Well, lots of things to comment on here. First of all you asked if videographers on the boards had any further tips before booking. You've covered the main bits.

Absolutely get everything in writing. You should have a copy of the exact package you are booking and everything that is included within it, including the coverage time if that is applicable and additional costs should the timings run amok as they often do. You don't want to be stiffed for an additional hourly charge hidden in the T&C's.
You should have a copy of the terms and conditions. Remember though, that T&C's are for the most part scary things because they have to include every horrific eventuality even though in 6 years of business nothing like that has ever happened.
The terms and conditions should state when you will receive your DVD's. Editing is a time intensive practice so don't be put off if a company tells you it's a 2 month turnaround. That probably just means they're busy and they take time over the edit. (although for the OP that wouldn't have been any benefit) Also, don't compare the time it takes to get your photos back to the time it takes to get your DVD. Most photographers can process their pictures in less than a day. Most editors will spend 3 days putting your DVD together. If they are filming 3 weddings every weekend, that can get backed up pretty quickly.

A demo is a must and our demos don't just include the best bits, they include a full wedding as well as clips from several other weddings which helps the couple visualise the kinds of styles that can be achieved with their choice of music. Look at how the DVD is presented when it arrives. Do you like the cover design, the menus. A lack of professionalism in the packaging of the demo or covering letter can tell you a lot. Make sure what you see on the demo is what you're going to get in that regard as well.

Being a member of an organisation is not always a sign of professionalism. in some cases the level of skill needed to become a member of one of these is not that great! So don't be put off by those who aren't members. Those making claims however should be checked out. If they're lying about that, they could be lying about other things.

The OP said she noticed a definite difference in quality between the 1st and 2nd camera. Don't be fooled by the allure of 2 camera coverage packages. If you want 2 camera coverage, you'll get the best result if that second camera is manned by a professional rather than placed static. But you will pay for it, as you should getting two professionals all day. That said, you can get some nice shots from a static camera and it's considerably cheaper than getting a second operator. Make sure though that the second camera is of the same quality as the first. It sounds as if this guy bought along his handycam for some extra angles and that would explain the quality.

The length of the DVD is not always an indication of how good it is going to be. Length depends largely on the length of the ceremony and speeches as they are the two main "unedited" chunks of the day. On the other hand, you do want everything represented including your guests! Unless you have a very small wedding with not much going on, for a civil ceremony I wouldn't accept anything less than an hour in length. My videos vary between 1 and 2 hours. Most hitting the 90 minute mark.

As for meeting your videographer. I don't meet clients. Not because I don't want to, but because I don't have the time. I film and edit at times 60 weddings a year and there simply isn't time to meet every person who enquires about my services. It's logistically and physically impossible and my clients understand that. Instead I make sure that my website is transparent and every conceivable question is dealt with up front. The contract is comprehensive and any questions clients have is answered with confidence and experience, by email or over the phone. I believe in full disclosure because in the end, it gives me a less stressful life. If my clients know exactly what they're getting then nothing is going to come back and bite me in the .... . That disclosure benefits the clients too. So make sure you're confident that your videographer is confident about what he is doing. Remember you can tell a lot from emails, letters, phone calls and the demo. If they haven't treated your enquiry professionally, then don't go ahead.

As far as your experience goes Mrs McD you've been had by a bad apple. The obvious things that he has left out of the edit and the fact that he has made no effort to really edit anything, just says....money-grabbing weekend warrior to me. Every excuse he has come up with is rubbish. Yes, windows are a pain but they can be easily dealt with by a professional with a camera that can handle all situations. Filming and photographing weddings is all about thinking ahead. Knowing what's going to happen and being ready for it is half the battle won. He should've walked into that room and immediately known what his problems were going to be a sorted them out. If he couldn't do that he should've gone to the other side of the room to get away from the backlit windows as a last resort. I don't believe he would've brought lights with him, most venues wouldn't allow it and your ceremony would've looked ridiculous being lit by 2 300W lamps. If he couldn't deal with the windows and the room was too dark for the reading he either didn't have a good enough camera for the job or he didn't know how to use it.

Having said that a lot of couples love to add a bit of romantic ambience to their wedding ceremony or speeches and they insist on dimming the lights or getting married at 4pm in Winter by candlelight! :o) It looks lovely to the naked eye but most professional cameras would battle with that kind of situation so bear that in mind when you're planning. I know you don't want to do everything just based on what the videographer thinks is best but there are some basics that need to be addressed if you're spending money on a videographer, listen to his advice about getting the most out of your money. I had a bride who insisted on doing the first dance with all the lights off. Not just dimmed, but OFF. Nothing you can do in that situation. I could've put my portable light on, but that would've defeated the object of her wanting to be in the dark! You don't have to destroy the ambience, just give the videographer something to work with or make sure you know what will happen if you don't. ie. grainy, dark footage.

As for coming down the aisle, I have had some tough times with that one, but I've filmed over 200 weddings in the last 6 years and have never missed that shot. It's doable, from somewhere in some form, it's doable.

When you finally have you DVD do name and shame this guy because he sounds like a complete nightmare and he shouldn't be doing this job. For £1300 he certainly should NOT be doing this job!

Mrs McD, someone suggested you get all the footage and have someone else edit it. The editing is where all the magic happens so if you want to make an investment in that future then I think you should. It's your wedding day after all. Be aware though, that it will be pricey because of the time it takes, and considering how much you have already paid, it's going to be a tough pill to swallow. Get the footage, have a look at it and then decide if you think there is enough there to make it worth while spending more on it.
Hope that helps.

Having advised the OP throughout her post wedding 'video' experience via email and between us we found the operator was claiming false membership of his organisation. Misleading advertising as well as bad production.

The two main organisations for wedding videos in the UK are the APV and the IOV and as already pointed out the IOV does arrange arbitration. Something that could be used if a satisfactory conclusion isn't reached.

I must point out that qualification for both organisations is not an easy task and the examinars are looking for full manual control of all aspects of camera operation, besides the creative film and edit sequences.

This is not a guarantee that members have qualified as wedding operators though and full wedding videos should always be viewed to ensure coverage and style is what the client needs.

The locking of colour balance/iris/focus are very basic controls that the offending operator was obviously blind to and having read a full report of quality of the coverage it would seem that even with 2 cams they were incapable of controlling anything unless it was on fully automatic. Hence the windows shutting down the automatic iris and colours changing.

Having said that, one camera should have been able to cover the entrance of the bride no matter what the obstructions. We have filmed hundreds of weddings and never, ever missed these shots.

I sincerely hope you get a full refund and the camera tapes mrsmcd, as I know that any re-editing will be seriously time intensive.

Sorry, thats not really true. Processing and post production are different things. Most photographers will take more than a day, although I admit probably not as long as it takes to edit the video.