A fabulous location with splendid arrangements for the décor, food, and flowers is made for the wedding day. There is a careful selection of people who will manage the event, such as the caterers, the stylists, the florists, the musicians, etc. Capturing the memorable day in its many dimensions is not just the photographer but the videographer as well. I would want to express my opinions here as a photographer with over 15 years of expertise, based in Trivandrum. This article will give tips on hiring a professional wedding videographer.
Tips to Hire a Professional Wedding Videographer
If you are planning to hire a professional wedding videographer for your big day, the below tips will help you find the best one in the industry.
1. The Portfolio of Work
It is good to consider already-established wedding videographers, and references and reviews are great sources of understanding their work. Nevertheless, if you come across some artistic work of lesser-known videographers, don’t overlook them merely due to lack of experience. Consider the professionalism as reflected in the skills and expertise.
Every videographer will have a portfolio to showcase, including short reels and long content. Meeting in person, asking questions, and understanding the videographer’s prowess in the craft will help you make the right decision.
2. The Editing Skills
When you go through the videographer’s portfolio, don’t miss out on the editing skills. You will see how various scenes that played out during the wedding have been spliced. Is there a seamless flow? Or do you see vague shots put in meaningless clutter? Have a closer look, too, at the colour tones, the special effects, such as slow-motion shots, and the overall length. Then there is the music, which should be incorporated in the right way.
Let the videographer know your preferences, such as a less lengthy video, a better time-lapse between shots, fewer scenery shots, etc.
3. The Professional Approach
Professionalism is not only about the videographer’s skills. You need to consider your rapport and interactions. A videographer who is not punctual when you want to meet, is not a good listener, lacks patience, and is generally indifferent to what you expect is not someone you would like to hire. You need a videographer with whom you can effectively communicate at all times, with regular updates from the pre-wedding planning stage to the post-wedding edit process and the final delivery.
Professionalism also includes being honest at the outset, outlining what the wedding shoot package includes, the price, and additional expenses. You don’t want to be told about some hidden costs later, which blow apart your well-planned budget.
4. The Videography Paraphernalia
A wide variety of gear is used by the videographer at a wedding shoot. Other than the cameras, lenses, and tripods/gimbals, there is the equipment associated with the audio and light systems, such as microphones and headphones, various types of lights and reflectors, and so on. Proper-length cables for all equipment and backups of everything should be handy as well.
The professional wedding videographer in Trivandrum who you hire should have all the required equipment not only for the wedding shoot but also the relevant hardware and software for saving and editing the videos.
5. The Innovative Approach
While going through the videographer’s portfolio, look for candid shots, behind-the-scenes footage, innovative styles, and creative angles. You will not want the same old clichéd videos capturing stock shots of the happy couple standing next to the wedding car or of close friends posing together with the bride on the mandap stage.
You need a videographer who, without being intrusive, can capture not only posed shots but also candid moments and dialogue and makes use of ingenious settings.
6. The Style of the Video
It is important to clarify with the videographer how the wedding video will play out, whether as a musical, a documentary reel, or a cinematic vision.
You may find a music video fun, with a focus on shots and no natural audio, but instead, incorporated with continuous musical effects and lyrics. The documentary style will be minimalist, having audio-visuals with a set chronology of all the happenings through the day, with a little music in the background. The cinematic style focuses on conveying the wedding as a story, offering a combination of a musical video with candid shots and actual dialogue, capturing emotions and warm moments. Whichever style you choose, you need to check out the videographer’s visual and artistic flair for it.
7. The Audio Quality
A major part of a traditional Indian wedding is the rituals. The videographer’s audio equipment should be able to catch the priest’s words, the couple’s responses, and the blessings. The same is true of people’s unfiltered aural responses—the cheers and people shout “Wow!” when the bride shows up looking stunning, when the husband makes fun of her, when conventional musical instruments are played spontaneously, and more.
8. The Final Delivery
The beautiful wedding is over, and everyone is content that it all went off well. Now comes the part when you eagerly await the delivery of the video that captured the whole event.
When you hire the videographer, enquire about the format of the delivery (likely a USB drive and/or via a shared link), how long it will take for you to receive it, and about hard copies of shots as a physical album (this may be with an extra cost). You can also find out if the package includes an early delivery of a trailer or a teaser as well as raw footage, which can be really wonderful to save in cloud storage.
Conclusion
A traditional Indian marriage ceremony is multi-dimensional with a variety of sacred rituals and programs. There are the mehndi and haldi ceremonies, the exuberant sangeet function, the joyous baraat, the emotional kanyadaan, and the tearful bidaai. Ensure that you hire a skilled, professional wedding videographer in Trivandrum to narrate your wedding story in a visually cohesive and compelling way.
Greenhat Photography, a leading wedding photography company with its main office in Thiruvananthapuram, is dedicated to capturing your big day in amazing, imaginative, and realistic photos. Every event is enhanced and leaves lasting memories thanks to the diverse viewpoints of our talented photographers. Visit our location or contact us at 9447991164 to book our services.