By Viddedit.com
Everyone wants to cover a wedding video but most of us end up failing miserably. On a wedding, you have only one chance to take the perfect shot. There are no retakes like in the other kind of shootings. Thus you have a noble duty. You have to make sure that you just don’t capture good shots but also capture the highlights of the day to remind the couple, cherish the memories, and inform upcoming generations about that one special day. So, what makes a great wedding video? Well, in order to answer that question, we have to ask another question first.
What is a typical wedding video?
When I ask this question, most people would say 5-hour long shaky video shot by Uncle Petyr on his Handycam, long and boring shots with no editing. Or maybe you’ve had a professional wedding videographer from video editing websites for the shooting and you become the lucky man. Yay!
Anyways, what makes a great wedding video? Well, a great wedding video is something more like fun and it entertains everyone. You need to have an eye on those great little moments which will be cherished 10 years down the line, the laughs, the smiles, the sounds, the bridesmaids shutting their stuff on the dance floor, and so many more. It’s more about subtlety. You’re ultimately directing the day, not documenting it. Your job is similar to the photographer but in a vastly different way. The photographer directs the couple and guests to stage all those important album shots. While a videographer needs to blend into the background like a ninja. When you are a videographer, you have to capture all the magic very carefully in a “fly-on-the-wall” documentary style. People don’t even notice a good videographer around them and the best shots he gets are those that you were not aware of being filmed.
And then there comes the magic called editing. You have to apply the technique in the filming stage but it all comes down to the post-production in the edit suite. The suite is the place where the magic is born.
A great wedding video needs great editing, period. The video is a non-starter if there is no editing. You have to build a scene through editing which flows using pace and rhythm, upbeat music, punchy cuts, scene dynamics and sound bites. You have to know that your craft is worth your weight in gold. I would recommend you to choose the best music for your video. A piece of great music is the key to making a great wedding video.
What about equipment?
You need to have the right equipment. You should carry at least one professional DSLR camera to do the job. By using both of them, you can capture a number of wide, mid and close up shots at the ceremony and speeches. Keep in mind that, variety is everything.
It’s even better to have a second videographer with you. You document all the main events and your partner captures details, fun, and special moments.
Audio, audio, audio!
You need to have a professional shotgun mic mounted on your camera and a radio mic which should be hooked onto the groom’s belt during the ceremony. The audio levels need to be top notch. Remember that there should not be any “I do’s” distorting like a robot.
You can use Final Cut Pro by Apple as your video editor, it is the most favorite editor in the industry. It opens up many editing possibilities as it is extremely powerful software. There are also some good editors such as Sony Vegas, Premiere Pro, Evid, etc. You can also use Magic Bullet for great color grading, though all of the above tools are also good applications for color grading.
You can offer your clients Blu-ray discs so that they watch their video back on an HD television in full high definition. It’s a good approach when you shoot the video in high definition. Professional photographers who work for TV have been working like this for many years. They shoot the pictures on HD cameras and when the program is edited, it’s broadcasted in standard definition. SO Blu-ray discs are not essential though they are all the rage.
You have to keep in mind that this is the most important day in the couple’s life. You have to respect that and your professionalism must go hand in hand. You have to strive at all times. My recommendation to you is to dedicate your thoughts, efforts, and energies to get the best shots. If you follow the guideline above, I’m sure that you will have a wedding video which the couple will love and it you will be proud of your work and contribution to the success of the big day.
Image Source:
https://pixabay.com/photos/couple-wedding-dawn-dusk-love-man-1850073/
https://pixabay.com/photos/bloom-blossom-bouquet-bride-1836315/