Wedding Videography

Think Like A Producer (You Are One)

Courtesy Jim Hatlo, California wedding videographer

Directors get the glory for blockbuster movies, but a film's producer really is the person who pulls together all the critical resources and makes a mega-hit possible. Have you stopped to think that, as a bride, you're very much the producer of your wedding day feature-length video - as well as being the leading lady?

Your decisions about ceremony and reception sites, clothing color schemes, flowers, even favors and seating plans, all have a significant impact on the visual records you and your family will take away from your wedding day: your wedding video and your wedding photographs.

It's only natural for you to be preoccupied with the details of the day itself - a day you probably have been dreaming about most of your life. As you develop your planning, though, don't forget that you'll live through the event once - yet will relive it many times as you watch your video and leaf through your photo albums over the years. Give some thought to what you want to experience then, and you can help ensure that those memories will have a brighter glow.

Essentially, you're hiring a camera crew to shoot a movie of your wedding day, along with a still photographer on the set to capture special dramatic moments. You're budgeting a significant amount of money for those professional services. If you think like a producer, you'll want to do everything that's in your power to be sure you get your money's worth - and get masterpieces to treasure.

Here are a few ideas to consider:

• Bring your videographer and photographer into your planning loop early. Too often, brides wait to choose their videographer and photographer until after most of the other planning is done. You can get excellent input just by asking the simple question,"Where have you done some of your favorite wedding shots?" It's perfectly okay to include that as one of your evaluation questions, too, when you're deciding on a videographer and a photographer.
• As you think of issues like the maximum seating capacity of a church, or how many tables can fit in a reception hall, don't forget to keep the visual aspects in mind. When your crew will be filming you, what kinds of backgrounds will you be moving against? What else will be in the scene? Are there attractive settings nearby where your photographer can pose you, your groom, and family members for portraits? What is the lighting like - and in particular, what will the lighting be like at the time of your ceremony? At the time of the reception? Bright? Soft? Dim? Low light may seem romantic, but it may also make it difficult for your photographer to focus and for your videographer to capture crisp, well-defined footage. On the other hand, harsh outdoor light may add unwanted years to the faces of all the subjects in a picture.
• Are there good vantage points for your videographer and photographer to work from? Will they have freedom of movement when necessary? Tightly packed banquet halls can create obstacle courses for your camera people; you don't want them to miss important shots because they can't get to you in time. Also, be aware that some venues place restrictions on videographers and photographers during wedding ceremonies, limiting where they can stand, whether they can change position, and whether photographers can use flash. Are you - and they - comfortable with those limitations?

Certainly you'll face the need to compromise. You might find an ideal place for your "location shoot," only to discover that it's beyond your budget, or is already booked on the day you want it. And some things may be non-negotiable: You're going to be married at the same church where your parents were married, period - even though the rules there restrict videographers and photographers to the choir loft, and forbid them to move once the ceremony begins.

That's fine. You and your camera professionals can make plans to work within the constraints of such situations, as necessary. It's far better to have those "Oh, well..." moments of conscious compromise before the wedding than it is to have "Oh, no!" moments of realization during the wedding.

Think like a producer as you prepare for your wedding day, and for generations to come you'll be getting great reviews on screenings of your video and your photographs.