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Is My Wedding YouTube-Worthy?
Beyond that, does it need to be? Here’s what to focus on when it comes to video
By Mary Fons
CTW Features
I’m torn on the whole wedding video thing. On one hand, I’m planning to get married exactly once. Having the whole thing in HD might be fun to watch when I’m 90. On the other hand, most of the wedding-video clips I’ve seen are so cheesy, I doubt I’d ever want to watch mine at all.
With all the other outrageous costs of my 500-guest wedding day, do I really need to shell out more money for a videographer?
Videographer Joe Mizera of Mizera Digital in Austin, Texas, thinks so. “A well-produced wedding video is one of the most important elements of your wedding day,” he says. “It’s the only possible way for you to go back and experience not only how that day looked, but how it sounded as well. Family and friends who were unable to attend can share the experience with you.”
OK, he’s got a point there. I know not every person on my invite list will be able to make it, including a few of Steve’s aunts and uncles in Croatia. Even if I don’t want to curl up on the couch with the remote to watch me shove wedding cake into my mouth, someone else might.
But doesn’t someone with a big camera just get in the way?
“My approach is to make as minimal an impact on the wedding as possible, and record the events of the day simply as they happen,” Mizera says. I prefer not to stage things, and really try to be a fly on the wall.”
What about the unspoken wedding video rule that says you have to use countless slow-motion cross-fades and cue inspirational music every time someone blinks?
“There are several styles of wedding video production – most of my videos are produced documentary style,” Mizera says. “I’ve seen examples that mimic the look and feel of a vintage film; others have gone for the ‘art film’ approach with unusual camera angles, time distortion, etc. Music videos have definitely influenced wedding video production, and many montage segments very much resemble a music video.
Here we go, I thought: the montages.
“[Montages] are fairly common [because] montage segments are a convenient way to compress time, and move the story forward.”
I’m still suspicious, but he’s probably right.
The average cost of a videographer varies. You can spend as little as a few hundred dollars or as much as a high four figures for your closeup. If you do decide to go for a video, make sure you ask the right questions and get everything in writing.
“The bride should view examples of the videographer’s work,” says Mizera, who suggests strongly that the bride, groom, and videographer have a sit-down discussion long before the big day to discuss expectations and desires. “Some clients enjoy short video testimonials from their guests, while others might not be interested. We’ll find out if the wedding will have live or recorded music, as special considerations must be made for the recording. Information is collected about the size of the wedding, the number of guests, the type of entertainment at the reception, and so on. The more details we have, the better the resulting video our clients will receive.”
I’ll let you know what I decide – or maybe I’ll just post clips on YouTube ...
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