Learn all the ins and outs of video equipment and what is available to you. Be prepared for the technical details when talking to the videographer about his equipment and services.
The following article is an example of the content we have in our online wedding planning membership site HappyWeddings.ca under the heading of Videographer. To learn more and get useful wedding planning tools for FREE click here!
When you think of your wedding, your ceremony and reception sites will probably have low lighting. If you are having a videographer, they need light to get good videos. Videographers use low-wattage lighting in conjunction with professional video cameras that are sensitive enough to utilize the light so your videos come out properly.
The best way to get the sound good on your videos is to use a high-band wireless microphone. Some videographers use low-band wireless microphones, which can also pick up interference like police bands, CB radios and so forth. There are also hardwired microphones, which are physically connected to the video camera. The worst option is a boom mike, which picks up all sounds in the vicinity.
When it comes to video cameras, the wedding standard is the use of digital cameras on digital videotape. The most common format before this was Super VHS, and some videographers use Hi-8 (8 mm) cameras. These are professional grade cameras, which provide sharp pictures and vibrant colours, and cost around $3,000 each.
If your videographer is using standard definition cameras, it may not look perfect on a high definition television. High definition cameras require high definition equipment to edit and process the video, and they are very costly. That is why high definition costs substantially more than standard definition video. But really, unless you are a technology aficionado, standard definition is perfectly acceptable.
Although we have talked about video camera angles elsewhere, I just want to mention that when you see bad angles at a ceremony site on video, it is usually caused by the rules of the ceremony site. It is for this reason that many videographers recommend multiple cameras for video taping the ceremony. They can set up cameras in numerous locations to catch all the action, since they usually are not allowed to move around once the ceremony starts.
This information should make speaking with your videographer much easier, especially when it comes understanding the details of your wedding video packages.