 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Why not let your buddy film the wedding with his new camera?
Some of the same considerations
involved in selecting a photographer for your wedding photos also apply to
choosing the right videographer. Wedding video, however, is a newer art than
wedding photography, and the two forms of preserving your memories cannot
really be lumped together when shopping for these professional services.
Nowadays, nearly everyone has a home video camera, and the quality of
pictures they produce is quite good; better, in fact, than professional
equipment could turn out just a few years ago. This has led many people to
neglect the importance of using a professional videographer to record
once-in-a-lifetime events. Yes, your friend Bob's nifty new handy-dandy
super camcorder can turn out some pretty good-looking stuff, but if you
depend on friend Bob to provide your wedding video, you are setting yourself
up to be sadly disappointed.
First of all, Bob's new camera, while quite snazzy, still will not be up to
the level of equipment the serious professional videographer will bring to
your wedding. When shopping for video, ask the videographer to explain to
you what a 3-chip camera is, and why it makes better video than a home
camcorder. Also ask him about the various tape formats used by the pros...SVHS,
HI8, Betacam, and get him to explain the advantages of these over standard
home formats. Oh, and wouldn't it be nice to have great sound quality on
your video, so you can actually hear your wedding vows, and your music?
Chances are pretty good that friend Bob won't own the sophisticated wireless
microphones the professional uses to record even a whisper.
Ever sat and watched Bob's 6-hour production of Little Bobby's Birthday
Party? This brings us to one of the areas where the pros really excel,
editing. No, editing is NOT "cutting out" or throwing away any of
your wedding video. Editing is an almost magical process whereby the
professional videographer refines and assembles the pictures he carefully
gathered at your wedding into a polished, pleasing record of your wedding
day. Every videographer has his own style, and there are as many types of
wedding video available as there are videographers. Look at lots of sample
videos, find the videographer with a style that pleases you, and with a
personality you can be comfortable with for six or eight hours on your
wedding day.
After your wedding is over, all you will have to help you remember a very
important day will be your wedding photos and your wedding video. Select
these professionals with care and you'll never be sorry!
Article by Gary Smith, Focus Video Services
