10 Essential Questions For Your Videographer Before Signing

If you’re reading this, I don’t need to tell you how easy it is to become overwhelmed with all of the planning and booking that go into a wedding. It can even be tempting to become frustrated and settle on a vendor because you are tired of looking, or you may not feel comfortable asking someone to justify and explain their services. This can be especially true in videography, where it is very difficult to be fully informed on what you’re receiving, absent a background in the industry. My goal is to empower you with the knowledge to navigate beyond the confusing and intimidating jargon and focus on what matters when choosing a video professional. Here are ten very important questions you must ask your wedding videographer before signing them:

1) A: What format do you shoot in?

Let’s get this touchy issue out of the way: Yes, equipment quality (and, unfortunately, cost) matters in videography. That is not to say there is a particular brand, or even particular camera that is essential for wedding videography—as most modern professional cameras are more than capable of helping create a beautiful image—but there are certain specifications you want to make sure your videographer possesses: they should be recording your wedding in 4K or 8K, in Log format, 10 bit color depth, 4:2:2 (4:2:0 is passable, but some color information will be lost). If you want professional-looking slow motion, the camera needs to be capable of recording 60-120 frames per second. It should have dual memory card slots, for backup. Its thermals need to be capable of handling a long day of shooting without overheating. I always ensure each camera is recording to two memory cards simultaneously, so that a backup copy is immediately saved into existence.

  B: What lenses do you use?

Lenses are the eyes that witness your wedding’s events and send them to the camera to be recorded as memories. While just about any lens on the market will capture a superior image over a phone’s camera, there is a difference between the image you get from a cheaper lens as opposed to a more high-end piece of glass with a low aperture number: a lens’ aperture (among other factors) is responsible for creating that “cinematic” shallow depth of field: when the subject is in focus and the background has a pleasing blurriness (bokeh), or vice versa. The primary takeaway here is that your professional should be using prime lenses with an aperture of f1.8 or lower (preferably f1.4 or f1.2), and/or zoom lenses with an aperture of f2.8. Lenses with higher aperture numbers than the aforementioned specifications may still produce an acceptable image, but are generally not considered appropriate for professional work. Finally, ND filters are a must with wedding videography, particularly if your day will include lots of outdoor imagery. ND Filters are basically fixed or adjustable sunglasses for the camera’s lens (or are built into the camera itself) that protect the image from being ruined by over-exposure when using low-aperture settings. I primarily shoot with prime lenses because I love the effect an aperture of f1.4 or f1.2 creates for certain shots, but I still keep zoom lenses on hand should the need for them arise.

2) Do you have a backup camera?

It is very important that your videographer has a backup camera. A wedding is not a film set or studio where we are afforded multiple takes. There is one chance for a perfect capture of many of the day’s most meaningful events. It is a huge risk to not have a backup camera within reach in the unlikely event of an equipment failure. I would never personally shoot a wedding unless I have at least three of our cinema cameras on site. They are advantageous in providing multiple angles, but they are also a safety net.

3) Do you backup your footage?

This one is essential and the only acceptable answer is “Yes.” Plain and simple: if your footage does not exist in 3 places, it does not exist: meaning you run the risk of losing everything. I like to have clients’ files backed up in four places, in a mixture of hard drives and cloud space, stored in different physical locations, for months even after delivery is made.

4)  What is your look development process? 

What is color grading? Do you have a particular color palette you use in your films? It’s time to end the myth of the “Color Style.” Too often, we as wedding filmmakers are asked what our color style is, usually referring to our color and exposure preferences–think “light and airy, dark and moody, or teal and orange, etc., etc.–but in reality, your videographer is a professional who should be well versed in color science: meaning they should not limit themselves to any one look, but should take the time to create a new palette for their unique couples based on a wide variety of factors, including input from their clients.

When not asked your opinion on color, it is a sign your videographer may just be applying a general preset/LUT (think Instagram filter) rather than taking the time to craft a look specific to you. Look development refers to the overall color palette that your videographer assigns to your wedding: Just like in movies, color paints the unspoken tone and emotions of the film and is essential for a polished, complete project. Color grading refers to your videographer taking the time to meticulously review each shot of your footage to ensure that they align with your film’s overall look/palette (this does not include basic adjustments like white balance and exposure). My answer to this question will always be: “What is a series or movie that had a color palette that made you feel something? What are the primary color themes of your wedding day?

What season will your wedding occur, mostly indoors, outdoors, or both? All of these factors should affect color decisions regarding your wedding film. Asking your videographer about color choices is a great opportunity to find out how much effort they plan to—or do not plan to—invest in your wedding. It is important to remember that you are paying a professional a lot of money and to assess whether you feel your money is well spent on someone simply slapping on a color preset/filter and calling it a day.

5)  Can I choose the music for my video? 

Yes and No.The music falls under strict copyright laws. Not all songs are legal to use, but plenty of commercial use licenses are available for wedding film music. However, it may not be the music you’re used to hearing on the radio, but it is still guaranteed to stir up emotions when coupled with a well-made wedding film. I ask clients to recommend an artist or song from a vast library of available, licensed music, including some well-known pop music, or they ask me to choose for them based on a mood or genre.

6)  Are there any restrictions to flying a drone that I should be aware of? 

Yes, the FAA can refuse clearance to fly a drone when there are poor weather conditions and visibility, when there are large events near the drone’s desired flight path, when it is near enough to an airport or military/government installation, and when specific aircraft have entered the flight zone. Note that some areas are always off-limits. When preplanning with the bride and groom, I use several apps to ensure our goals are met according to current FAA mandates.

7)  How do you plan to light my wedding? 

Put simply, light creates an image or, at the very least, facilitates the creation of an image. Without proper light, a $10,000 camera can look like an iPhone, and an iPhone can look like one of your old, scratched DVDs, or worse. Insufficient light can permanently imprint that snowy/static old television look (noise) on your video. In contrast, too much-uncontrolled light can clip your highlights and make the sky in an image feel like it’s burning your retinas. Lighting equipment is essential for a professional videographer, coupled with knowing how to shape light. Scene lighting is just as much an art form as video creation, and you want to ensure that your videographer is capturing your memories, not the noise that can weave its way in and out of the sacred scenes of your day. It is important to plan where lights will be placed and what to do when lights cannot be placed—as in the case of some church weddings and other venues. On a wedding day, most of my vehicle is filled to the brim with lights and their accessories. I bring everything from smaller, battery-operated units to stage lights that can cancel out the sun: with changing weather conditions and varying venue space, a videographer can never be too prepared or safe when lighting.

8)  Can you change the way I look in my wedding film? 

This is a very common and understandable question: we all want to look our absolute best, especially on one of the most important days of our lives. The short answer is a little bit. Yes, some techniques with higher-end video editing software allow for the subtle application of digital makeup. Still, even in the most skilled hands, it is only to be used sparingly, as it can completely ruin an image. The real answer is your best self should be brought to life by your videographer at the moment through flattering, well-thought-out soft lighting and angles that you are most comfortable with. It is a great practice to speak with your videographer well in advance about which angles you like and which you feel less comfortable with; you may also provide images of yourself that you are pleased with to help paint a picture of your goals. Never be afraid to tell a videographer that a particular pose is making you feel uncomfortable and that you’d like to try something else. We are here to provide professional service and should acclimate to your needs promptly and accordingly.

9)  How will professional audio be handled? 

Even if a video is visually flawless, poor sound quality can quickly break the immersion and ruin the emotional attachment to your wedding film. The key things you want to hear your videographer discuss are lavalier microphones and professional shotgun mics, multiple backup recording sources, and the recording formats 24 Bit or 32 Bit Float. 24 Bit sound is of high quality and acceptable, but with the fast pace and unpredictability of weddings, 32 Bit Float nearly guarantees excellent sound quality with virtually no static/noise. The audio for your wedding video should never be primarily recorded from scratch audio (lower quality microphones housed inside of cameras–more of a backup). I always capture 32 Bit Float audio on a weather-proof professional field recorder or two and have at least 3-4 backup sources for sound. On shoots with multiple cameras and audio sources, timecode (TC) is extremely helpful in organizing all of the day’s events. Still, TC is not necessarily a make or break for choosing videographers.

10)  How do you deliver your footage? 

In years past, it was common to provide a hard copy of the footage on a flash drive, SD card, SSD, DVD, or even VHS, depending on how far back we were going. Presently, it is becoming increasingly common to issue a link to cloud storage or use an encrypted third-party website that allows the delivery of high-quality video. I typically upload my couple’s deliverables to Vimeo, where they can choose the download quality and download it to a computer or phone for easy social media sharing. Hard copies are not requested as much anymore since digital deliveries and backups are so easy.

Bonus Question!  My original budget did not include a videographer, but now I’m worried I may regret not having a wedding film. Is it worth it? I may be a bit biased here, so the most objective answer is that no one ever regrets having a wedding film, but many couples have expressed regrets about not having one. The problem arises when couples realize this too late, and most or all of the professionals are booked. A wedding film is extraordinary in that it is one of the few material items from your big day that is truly everlasting and can be enjoyed indefinitely by future generations of your family. It is an invaluable keepsake you will treasure forever.

I hope that, armed with these questions, you feel confident about hiring a videographer for your wedding. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me! Congratulations again on your engagement!

Bonus Question: My original budget did not include a videographer, but now I’m worried I may regret not having a wedding film, is it worth it?

Now, I may be a bit biased here so the most objective answer is: no one ever regrets having a wedding film, but many couples have expressed regretting not having one. The problem arises when couples realize this too late, and most or all of the professionals are booked. A wedding film is very special, in that it is one of the few material items from your big day that is truly everlasting, and can be enjoyed by future generations of your family, indefinitely. It is an invaluable keepsake you will treasure forever.

I hope that, armed with these questions, you feel much more confident in how to approach hiring a videographer for your wedding. If you have any additional questions please feel free to reach out to me! Congratulations again on your engagement!

About the Author

Jarrod Daniel Barker
Lead Videographer, BlackRock Pictures™
blackrockpictures.org
[email protected]
412.779.9127