The Video Process

on Oct 15 in Wedding, wedding video

A lot of people want to know what goes into producing a professional video.  Just like with making movies – as i did for the first few years out of film school – or producing corporate video – like my other company Capture Video does – a wedding video has three phases.

Pre-Production:

I meet with and talk to each bride and groom before their wedding day (assuming they want to meet!).  During the meeting we discuss what is important to the couple and what is not.  A wedding is a very special day, but there are often sensitive issues involved.  I like to find out, ahead of time, what the key moments and who the key people are that I or my associates need to focus on.

Production:

Like the photographers, we have to get the shot.  Framing, lighting, and remaining unobtrusive are key concerns.  In addition to getting the best shot we can get, we have the added elements of movement and sound to deal with.  I arrive an hour before the ceremony to set up both cameras and plant microphones as needed, before going out to capture establishing shots of the venue, flowers and the guests and bridal party arriving.

Sound: During the ceremony, we are sometimes forced to stay in a balcony far away from the the whispered, “I do.”  Sometimes a family friend is singing the “Ave Maria.”  We set up two – four professional wireless microphones during the ceremony, hidden close to the action, so you can hear her voice as she says “until death do us part.”  At the reception, we capture the toasts, blessings, and impromptu karaoke moments that would otherwise be lost in time.

This bride and groom were anxiously awaiting their video after they got their photos and could not figure out – “What was so funny?”  You want to be able to remember and hear the answer to that question whenever you share your photos with family in years to come.

Movement: Capturing big dance moves and sweeping shots of the beautiful venues and landscapes is always important, but so is being ready to catch small moments like a tear rolling down a cheek, or a hand shaking while trying to place a ring on a finger.  These movements tell a story, and the way we, the videographers, move to capture that story, sets the stage for the final product.

Post Production:

Post is where we spend the most time.  It is hard for people to understand, but video editing takes a long time.  Our typical wedding video takes between 4 and 6 times as many hours to edit as it took to shoot.  So, for example, a 6 hour wedding package can take anywhere from 24 – 36 hours for us to edit.  Part of that time is just the process – going through all the footage and picking out the best shots -  and part of that time is due to me being a perfectionist.  I do not personally edit all the videos that leave my studio, but I supervise every one.  Once the music is selected, the shots are chosen, the montages pieced together, the ever changing light and color leveled and corrected, and the audio mixed, I watch the entire video and tweak little things here and there to make sure it tells the story I know the bride and groom wanted to tell.

Only then do we master it onto DVD and send it off -  to get responses like this one, from Matilda and Richard:

“We did watch the DVD and we love it!  When my parents watched it my mom cried from start to finish.”

And then the video process is complete!