Should I hire a wedding Videographer?
Why you should hire a wedding videographer!
Whether or not to hire a wedding videographer is a personal decision that depends on your priorities and budget. I always say your LOVE IS WORTH IT! A wedding videographer can capture the emotions and memories of your special day in a way that photographs cannot. A video can also allow you to relive the day's events and hear the vows, speeches, and music that were a part of it.
Videographers can be great for weddings as they can capture the emotions, memories, and the overall atmosphere of the day in a way that photographs cannot. A wedding video can allow you to relive the special moments, hear the vows, speeches, and music from the day and share it with family and friends who were not able to attend. A professional videographer will also be able to use different techniques such as drone shots and stabilizers to create a cinematic and visually stunning video that you can treasure for a lifetime. They can also film candid moments that you might miss on your big day.
Fact: Over 98% of Bride and Grooms regret NOT hiring a wedding videographer.
RDS Films Top 5 DJ + Band Picks
Here is our top picks for a DJ. and or Band!
Hiring a DJ and or band is an important part of the wedding process. Here are our TOP 5 DJ + Bands we LOVE working with!
Mike Rundel - soundboundmi.com
Christopher London - cldjservice.com
E3 Detroit - e3detroit.com
Collision Six - c6band.com/blog
Block Party - theblockparty.com
RDS Top 5 Wedding Photographers
Our top photographers we think you should hire!
Here are our top 5 wedding photographers we LOVE working with!
Kellie Saunders Photo - www.kelliesaunders.com
Light Garden Photographer - www.lightgardenphotos.com
Ferdinande Fotography LLC - www.ferdinandefotography.com
Matt + Ashley Photography - www.mattandashleyphoto.com
First Street Photography - www.firststreetphotography.com
Wedding Videography Tips for Brides!
Yes, you should hire a wedding videographer!
Are you looking for the perfect wedding videographer? Here are some tips in finding the best wedding videographer for you!
Being someone who is passionate about my craft for the last twelve years, I’ve compiled some of my top tips for finding the right wedding videographer and getting the most out of your wedding film!
1. Hire a professional. Bride’s number one regret is not having a video. I know I wish my parents did and so do they. There is no other time than your wedding when you are surrounded by so many happy friends and family, and to hear what was said and see people interacting is priceless. Considering all the time, money and energy that goes into your day capturing professionally it is a fairly small investment that will pay off for generations.
2. Don’t just look at just their portfolio, look at their reviews on multiple sites. The top professionals have consistent delivery. This means that even on the days when things don’t go perfectly (timing, weather, lighting, and hundreds of other variables that could be problematic) they can still deliver a great film.
3. Have personal elements. Personal vows are best, but if you don’t want to do personal vows during your ceremony, you could exchange vows during your first look, if doing one, or you could exchange cards to be read out loud. To have the personal dialogue helps us tell your personal story more.
4. Timing. Videography has a lot more moving pieces than photography does, from our tripods, to lights, to drone and other gear we rely heavily on the timeline to make sure we can cover what is happening but also be ready to cover what is going to happen next. And at times multiple things are happening at once, such as the bride getting into her dress, the groom getting dressed and the completed ceremony site is ready for filming. For coverage of all of these crucial moments, we rely on the detailed timeline that your coordinator put together.
5. Final edit options. There are so many options for final delivery; here are the main delivery options. Trailer/Teaser, a video that is one to two minutes in some cases sixty seconds so that it will fit on Instagram (their current time limit is sixty seconds) Highlight film, ranging from three to six minutes of the best moments of your day, this is great for weddings without much of a reception or with minimal speeches Short Film, eight to ten minutes, I think this is the best balance: it still has the visual engagement of the shorter films but you still have time to include speeches and content to tell the story. Feature Film twelve minutes and longer, this is great to get completely into your day and story. The feature paired with a trailer is a great option so you have both versions for those who want the full film and those who want to just see the best moments.
Documentary Video or Long Form Edit: this is the full ceremony and reception edited between the cameras. This is like a “live edit” there really is no cinematic quality to it. It just shows the entire day in chronological order in a watchable format. These edits are usually around forty-five minutes long but the length can vary greatly depending on the ceremony denomination and length of speeches. Raw footage: completely unedited footage. I recommend having this for archival purposes, it isn’t as watchable as the Documentary edit but is also usually a less expensive option.
Regarding the format for your film: 4K resolution is four times the resolution of HD and will become the new video standard probably in the next four years so if you want to time proof your film this is a great option. Usually, an add on. 4K is only viewable on 4K TVs and computers. USB flash drive or online is the standard delivery for your film now. I haven’t delivered Blu-Ray or DVD in years. We do offer it as an option still but USB drive is the most universal delivery format or even online via download link.
After receiving your films it is crucial you back them up. Hard drives fail over time so having your films backed up in a second-place or in the cloud is highly recommended. Most videographers only hold on to the project for so long after delivery so do not rely on one copy.