11 Questions to Ask Your Boston Wedding Videographer
For some couples, deciding on a wedding videographer may be an afterthought. But wedding film captures audio and motion otherwise would be forgotten and this is what couples sometimes miss. 70% of couples say that they regret having a wedding videographer, and so, our team has written up this guide to help you interview different Boston wedding videographers so that you can find the perfect fit!
For your special day, you will want a professional to capture it. It’s never good too hire a sub-par videographer who doesn’t know how to set up their equipment, edit film, or have proper backup equipment. Your photographer will thank you for this too, because often times, newer videographers get the way of photographers (and vice versa). Instead of the top 10 questions to ask, we give you 11 important questions to ask your wedding videographer.
WEDDING | Molly + Chris (highlights) from Nicole Chan Photo & Video on Vimeo.
Does the videographer have your wedding date available?
Outstanding videographers are always popular. They should be booked earlier. To make sure they’re available on your desired day, it’s best to check as early as you can!
What is the videographer’s aesthetic style style?
If you’re getting married, ask your wedding videographer about their style of wedding videography. For instance, do they prefer a romantic or playful aesthetic?
Do not settle for a style that doesn’t align with the look and feel of your wedding day’s festivities. There are different ways to shoot quality wedding videos, and the bride or groom-to-be needs to know what each style can look like.
Some common styles include journalistic, cinematic, retro, traditional, or a mixture of these.
Will you share a bit about your journey to being a wedding videographer?
Do they have a degree in film production? Are they full-time professionals in filming weddings or do they work part-time while having another career as well? Ask your wedding videographer for their sample movies or past wedding films to determine how well they capture shots. It also helps if they have filmed in your venue before. If they have, they will be familiar with the angles that will produce quality shots.
The number of years may be an important factor when it comes down to price considerations. Prices for wedding videography can be higher than others. It would depend upon how long ago they produced wedding films.
Is the videography crew shooting any other wedding besides yours on that very day?
Important questions to ask your wedding videographer will be a conflict with other weddings. You will need to make sure that they will be filming every important part of your special day— from the start of the wedding until the reception. It is ideal to have your videographer for the entire wedding day. If they’re doing many weddings on the same day, make sure they’ll have multiple crews.
Hiring from big companies often has multiple weddings scheduled for the same day. The person whom you’ve talked to and made an agreement may not be your videographer on the day of. It’s important to talk to your assigned videographer days before the wedding to make sure they get your video preferences before signing a contract with them.
What will the videography team look like? How many crew members?
How many filmmakers will there be at your wedding? For some, they prefer to work solo. For others, a full production group comes along!
What are your rates and packages?
Every wedding is a little different. Often times, we like to learn more about the structure of your wedding day, and then suggest a Boston wedding video package that works best for you!
Be sure to ask about specific costs like travel, accommodation, music licensing etc.
What films are included in your Boston wedding video packages?
We always provide a highlight film (like a movie trailer to your day), and these range from 3-8 minutes.
For some weddings, we also provide clean edits of the full ceremony, reception speeches, and formal dances (first dance and parent dances).
For some weddings, we also produce a 59 second teaser film or a same-day edit. 🙂
What is the editing process like?
Regardless of technique, wedding videographers will have to process their footage for you to receive a quality finished product. Understanding what editing method is best suited for your video should be something that you ask your videographer . This avoids surprises later on down the line when it comes time to view or share with friends and family.
How will the videographer handle music for the wedding film?
If you’re looking to add music, the audio must match your video style. Let them know what kind of music genre works best for you so they can find something similar in their music library or playlist. If not, be open with giving input on songs because if anything has sentimental value then they’ll want to use it too!
Another thing is co-ownership: ask about this before any material is posted online. Oftentimes there may be a fee associated with using licensed material like popular audio or TV shows/movies.
May I request changes?
Videographers have their schedule, with each film being different depending on the editing process and scheduling. Some finish in as little as 8 weeks while others can take up to an entire year but ask about what they typically think is the turnaround time so that it’s not too long of a wait.
It’s best to allow your videographer enough time in the editing process, so they can ensure that you and everyone else is happy with their produced film. Most experienced editors should have no problem finishing everything without needing any major changes or re-edits after completing production. Before launching the final film, most people give themselves 30 days to ask for minor adjustments or fixes.
In what file type will the final video be?
There are several new and creative ways to watch videos these days. USB or online downloads are commonly used as file types. You can also get your video delivered via DVD if that’s what you’re looking for! If social media sharing is important to you as well, then make sure the file type will work with any platform before buying it.
If you don’t want to miss a single detail, ask the videographer if you can have your wedding video in HD or 4k. Watching an event like your own wedding day in high-definition (HD) or even better yet, ultra-high definition (4K) will make it seem as though you’re there again with all of those great memories flooding backWho owns the copyright of the final wedding video? How many copies of the final wedding film can be made?
If you want to share the wedding video, ask first. Videographer protection is important when distributing video content. Infringement upon someone else’s copyrights can create legal consequences for an individual. Get these terms clarified with your videographer before agreeing so that they do not label themself as having rights over something which does not belong exclusively theirs!
Videographers typically include a watermark on the beginning or end of their video to protect themselves from copyright infringement. However, this may not be required if you are granted permission beforehand.
What other questions to did you ask your wedding videographer?
What other questions would you like to ask your wedding videographer? Let us know!
Here is more information about our Boston wedding videographer services.
