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Interview with The Knot
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Why is videography important?
Approximately how many weddings do you do a year?
What services do you provide, and what's the cost?
What should a good videographer include for the price?
Does the couple have any say about how the tape is edited?
How would you describe your style?
Many couples are hesitant about hiring a videographer because they are afraid it
will interfere with the ceremony.
What is the best type of equipment (camera, format, etc.) to use when taping a wedding?
Are there certain venues that are more conducive than others to videography?
Is there anything that a couple and their wedding party can do to make the video turn out great?
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We talked to Bruce Himmelblau, owner of Blue Sky Video Productions in Lake
Bluff, Illinois, about -- the why, the what, and the how of videography. Blue
Sky Video Productions was an important contributor to our book,
"The Knot's Guide to Weddings in the Real World" &
"The Unofficial Guide to Planning Your Wedding."
Knot: Why is videography important?
Himmelblau: Details are soon forgotten, and only a faded memory of the event remains. You spend a year or more planning and dreaming about your wedding day, yet when it finally arrives, it's over much too quickly. While you will have your photo album to recall the important highlights of the day, what about that special song that played as you walked down the aisle, or those meaningful vows you exchanged, or your best man's unforgettable toast? The only way of keeping all of those sights and sounds alive forever is with a wedding video.
A video is also a great way to share the day with family and friends who were unable to attend the wedding. We often copy weddings into a European video format for family overseas.
Knot: Approximately how many weddings do you do a year? What services do you provide, and what's the cost?
Himmelblau: We average around 45 weddings per year -- with a maximum of 2 weddings in a single day -- in the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. We believe that quality is more important than quantity. In order to keep a consistency of quality and satisfied customers we limit the number of jobs we do in a year. We provide a variety of wedding packages, from videotaping just the ceremony to multi-camera coverage of the ceremony and reception. All our packages include editing, titles, and a shot of the invitation at the beginning of the tape. Our most popular package is the Video Retrospective, which is a 30 minute edited tape that include the highlights of the wedding day with the actual sound and music of day along music that adds emotion and sets the mood for video. The couple keeps the polished, edited master tape. In addition to actual taping of the wedding, we can also do a photo montage of the bride and groom growing up and dating, highlights of the entire video set to music.
Prices will vary depending on the videographer's experience, equipment and market demand. Industry prices reflect the growing expenses of videographers upgrading their equipment and spending more time in the editing process. The average package price for five to eight hours of coverage is around $1,000, but can range from $500 to $5,000. All of our packages include editing, titles, and the use of music to cover silent spots in the tape and to bridge scenes. Other services offered are a Love Story (the story of the bride & groom in their own words, taped in locations that are special to them), coverage at the bride's home on the day of the wedding and a photo/video recap of the honeymoon. We also offer videotape transfer to DVD.
Another trend in wedding videography is the use of black and white or sepia (the brownish, golden tint of old photos) footage. As the saying goes, "Everything old is new again." Photographers have been offering black and white photos for years, giving the wedding a juxtaposition of timelessness and nostalgia. In addition to videotaping portions of the wedding in black and white we go one step further, buy filming portions in black and white using a Super 8mm movie camera.
Knot: What should a good videographer include for the price?
Himmelblau: Whether you choose bare-bones coverage or all the bells and whistles, you should expect the following services and equipment: Back-up cameras, lights, batteries, wireless microphones, punctuality, and courtesy to your guests. Also expect interesting shots, professionals who follow your wishes, and finally -- although this item is very subjective -- creative and entertaining coverage of your day. Every package should include at least one edited tape. One of the most important reasons for hiring a professional to videotape your wedding, besides getting their expertise, is the ability to edit the video. Most importantly, the edited tape should flow smoothly from one scene to the next. Your video should tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
Knot: Does the couple have any say about how the tape is edited?
Himmelblau: We offer the couple the option of viewing a "window dub" of their wedding. It's equivalent to the proofs that the photography studio provides. This gives the couple the chance to see their wedding video within a few weeks of the wedding. The couple can watch the video and decide what they want left in (the entire ceremony, the bridal party entrance, the cutting of the cake, the first dance, any special people who were captured doing slightly embarrassing things) or taken out (any off-color remarks by the guests, long and unrelated comments from a guest of a guest that they don't even know, or friends, relatives, or even themselves captured doing embarrassing things). Most of the time the couple brings back the tape and says, "We want it all." The state-of-the-art videographer is now using non-linear editing equipment. If requested by the couple to store their footage in our digital library for future copies, we can actually go back and make changes to the tape even after we've delivered the final edited master.
If you're interested in seeing everything your videographer shot, they should be
able to provided you with either a copy of the raw footage or a window dub of
their own.
Knot: How would you describe your style?
Himmelblau: The key words that describe our services are, low-key and unobtrusive. Even when a bride and groom want full and extensive coverage of their wedding, they don't want the day to be a staged media event. I'd say we shoot in documentary style: The videographer is an observer of the action, documenting the event as a spectator rather than as a participant.
As I mentioned earlier, we offer single or multiple-camera coverage of the wedding and reception. During the ceremony, we locate a position where we can see the bride's and groom's faces but not be highly visible to the guests. This way the bride and groom are the center of attention, not the cameraperson. We also limit our movement during the ceremony.
As with all good videographers, we make it a point to work well with photographers. A conflict with the photographer can produce poor results from both professionals.
Knot: Many couples are hesitant about hiring a videographer because they are
afraid it will interfere with the ceremony.
Himmelblau: When I was first interviewed by The Knot in 1997, wedding videographers were becoming widely accepted, although there were many couples who did not appreciate the value of having their wedding videotaped. Mainly because of the obtrusive coverage by wedding videographers. With the average videographer having over 6 years experience and 1/3 having more than 10 years experience, videographers are more subtle and unobtrusive. Over 80% of wedding videographers work as videographers full time. Videography is considered just as important as photography.
Knot: What is the best type of equipment (camera, format, etc.) to use when taping a wedding?
Himmelblau: The trend for 2000 and beyond is digital video. Even broadcast TV stations are using digital cameras for field productions. In a recent survey conducted by
iWeddingVideo.com, over 75% of videographers use digital 3-chip cameras. Although some of the best wedding videographers still use and prefer S-VHS & Hi-8. These cameras are compact cameras that still deliver professional results. When all is said and done, the most important aspect of your wedding video is how it looks and feels. Just because a videographer owns the most advanced equipment on the market does not necessarily mean that you will get an outstanding wedding video. It is important that you take a look at samples of their work and make that judgment for yourself.
When hiring a professional videographer, definitely avoid anyone who still uses regular VHS or regular 8mm. These formats may be okay if your friend is videotaping your wedding as a favor, but for a few dollars, you could offer to rent a
"prosumer" camera for them to use instead. And you certainly shouldn't pay a professional to use these cameras.
I have found two very informative web sites that help couples learn about wedding videography. The first is
Wedding Pages, which is connected with
The Knot, and the second is iWeddingVideo.com, which has a national listing of wedding videographers, articles and video samples online.
Knot: Are there certain venues that are more conducive than others to videography?
Himmelblau: Weddings not held in a church or temple are actually better for videography. Outdoor weddings in a park or the family's backyard afford the cameraperson freedom to operate. Also, weddings that are held at a banquet hall or hotel allow the videographer to set up in the best locations and get the shots the bride and groom want. Basically, the less traditional the setting for the wedding, the more the videographer has liberty to work.
Knot: Is there anything that a couple and their wedding party can do to make the video turn out great?
Himmelblau: Prior to booking your videographer, talk to other couples about their experience. Visit several professionals and view their demo tapes. It is very important that you feel comfortable with the videographer that you choose, because establishing a good rapport with you allows them to be flexible and creative. Book your choice early, and let him or her know what and who is important. On the wedding day, if you see something that the cameraperson is not already capturing, point it out. If you or anyone in the bridal party is planning a surprise, make sure the photographer and videographer know ahead of time or you risk the chance of them missing the moment. Even with the planned events, it is always a good idea to give your videographer and photographer advance notice of when such things as the entrance, cutting the cake and the first dance will happen.
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