Frequently Asked Questions on choosing the right company!

What is most important when choosing a videographer?

Experience, experience, experience. Too many videographers got into the video production industry by shooting weddings. But what you want is someone who got into shooting weddings after spending time, lots of time, in the video production industry. You wouldn’t hire a surgeon who never went to med school so why would you want to hire someone to do something as technically advanced as video production who has never worked with cameras or editing equipment outside of shooting weddings? You don’t get any “do-overs” on your wedding day so don’t trust this once-in-a-lifetime event to an amateur!

Should I select a photographer, videographer or both?

There are some major differences between photographers and videographers. Photographers generally pose their formal shots and can often take numerous photographs until they get the shot they wanted. Videographers rarely pose shots. Generally, they simply document the day, exactly as it happens. When you choose to have a photographer and videographer, the two should be willing to work together to ensure both your photographs and video turn out the best they can be.
If budget becomes an issue and you must choose one or the other, you must decide which is most important to you. Probably not surprisingly, we would choose video – but not for the obvious reasons you might think! First, video captures so much more than just the sights of the day. It captures the sounds and the emotions in a way still photographs just can’t. Plus, today’s digital video cameras and editing equipment allow videographers to capture “freeze frames” from moving video during the editing process. Those images can easily be output to a photo CD or printed onto photo paper as photographs.

How important is the equipment?

The quality of shooting and editing equipment is very important. As the video production industry evolves, the magic word is “digital”. Comparing specific brands and software packages is far more involved and technical than the average bride and groom need concern themselves with. However, there are a few key elements you should look for:
Camera
Your videographer should be shooting on a 3 chip digital video camera. 3 chip cameras offer excellent quality and low-light capabilities, which can be a big advantage in situations where you don’t want to blast your subjects with a bright light. We shoot on Canon GL-2 3-chip digital video cameras – the same cameras used to shoot many of today’s reality television shows like “The Amazing Race”.

Microphone
Your videographer should have at least one wireless microphone available for your ceremony. It is usually affixed to the groom or the minister/officiant. This ensures you get usable audio during the ceremony, even when voices are low or there is ambient noise in the church or wedding venue. We use two wireless microphones to ensure we don’t lose any audio in the event of equipment failure during the ceremony.

Editing Computer/Software
Your videographer should be editing your wedding on a non-linear (digital) editing computer of some type as opposed to the old tape-to-tape systems of old. There are several advantages to non-linear editing. First, your finished product does not lose any video or audio crispness the way it will in tape-to-tape editing in which you lose a “generation” with every dub. Second, non-linear editing supports a wide range of digital graphics and effects which are elements that make your wedding video come alive.
We edit on an Apple G5 desktop system running Final Cut Pro HD editing software. Motion, Digital Juice and Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator provide our graphic capabilities. Our G5 is supported by an Apple G4 Powerbook running Final Cut Pro 3 editing software.
Output
While most of us still have a VHS player around the house, chances are, you have invested in a DVD player. Your wedding videographer should be able to output your finished video to either VHS, DVD or both. Also, be sure to ask your videographer if the DVD you are getting will be authored or not. Authored DVDs provide you with a menu that allows you to quickly scan and select the scenes you want to watch. A non-authored DVD will require you to fast-forward through your video to get to the scenes you want to watch.
Eye Candy Digital Video can output to VHS or DVD. We only offer authored DVDs because we find them much more convenient and easier for the average person to use.

While equipment is certainly important, you must remember, state-of-the-art equipment is only as good as the videographer operating it. Make sure you are selecting a videographer with the experience to make his or her high-tech equipment work for you!

How many cameras should there be?

A former News Director of mine once told me a talented videographer could shoot an egg on an empty desktop and make it visually interesting. So, shooting a wedding with a single camera should be no problem, right? Well, a talented videographer can shoot with a single camera and then edit the finished video into a decent product. However, consider the following potential issues: what if that single camera fails? What if the videographer misses a key moment (like the kiss) or if someone jumps in front of his or her camera during that moment? Using two cameras ensures that nothing will be missed. At Eye Candy Digital Video, we shoot all weddings with a minimum of two cameras. This provides us with the greatest variety of angles and shots to use in editing and guarantees we will not miss a single moment of your very special day.

What should I be looking for in viewing demos?

A demo tape or DVD should showcase a videographer’s best work. As such, mistakes should be at a minimum. Think of it as a resume’. You probably wouldn’t hire an employee with loads of spelling errors and typos on his or her resume so you shouldn’t hire a videographer who sends you a demo with lots of mistakes. In general, ask yourself the following questions as you watch the demo:
- Is the quality of the video good? Is it too dark or too bright? Are the colors true or do the whites look blue or red (generally an error on the part of the camera operator)?
- Is the quality of the audio good? Did they use a microphone on the groom or the officiant? Are the levels modulated correctly (is the audio muffled or garbled)?
- Did the videographer use a tripod during the ceremony or is the video shaky?
- Are most or all of the “important” shots there: the bride’s entrance, the kiss, the recessional, the cake-cutting, etc.?

Bottom line: What should I expect to pay?

Prices for professional videography can vary widely so it is important to do your homework. You can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $10,000 for a professionally produced wedding video depending on the company you choose, the equipment and personnel they employ and the options you select.
Remember, by its very nature, videography is high-tech and ever-changing. You’ll want to make sure whomever you hire to shoot your wedding video is a professional videographer (i.e., someone with actual broadcast and video production experience outside the wedding realm) and who has up-to-date equipment and training. The fact is, videographers possessing this experience, equipment and training will likely not be charging bargain basement prices. However, you can bet they will provide you with a finished video that will become a cherished heirloom. The old adage is very true when it comes to video production services: you get what you pay for. Even if you don’t choose Eye Candy Digital Video, be very, very wary of videographers offering their services at prices far below the market average. If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is – unfortunately, you probably won’t realize it until it’s too late. You only get one chance to capture the beauty and emotion of your wedding day on video! Don’t let an inexperienced videographer ruin your precious memories!