15 Questions To Ask Your Wedding Videographer Before Hiring
It’s tough to know what to look for in a wedding videographer. These quick tips and checklist will help you be a PRO at searching for and finding the best videographer to film your wedding!
1. How long have you been filming weddings? How many do you average per year?
Why this is a good question to ask: Your wedding video will be the video you look back on for the rest of your life and will also be something you can share with your children and for generations to come. You’ll look back and remember just how special your day was, so you want to make sure you hire a videographer who is experienced. To ensure your wedding video is the best, they should have at least a year of experience in filming weddings.
2. What is your storytelling style?
Why this is a good question to ask: Many videographers will have a preferred filming style. The two most popular styles are documentary or cinematic. Typically a documentary style is where the camera is stationed on a tripod and includes a lot of still shots. Cinematic style will include a lot more handheld shots, either with a camera stabilizer or not, with a lot of movement in your film. These shots are much more fluid and appear more “Movie Like”.
3. How is the music for the films selected?
Why this is a good question to ask: Music selection is HUGE in the wedding videography business. Many times a song can make or break your final film and you want to make sure the videographer knows which types of genres you like and also licenses music from trusted websites such as Musicbed, Artlist, Premuimbeat, or Soundstripe. If your videographer does not abide by copyright laws, you may end up in a legal battle for using an artist’s music. Make sure your videographer licenses from one of the websites mentioned above.
4. Have you filmed at my venue before?
Why this is a good question to ask: If your videographer has filmed at your venue before, they will automatically know where to set up their equipment and which angles are the best for your film. While this is helpful if a videographer has not filmed at your venue before it should not be an automatic disqualification, as most videographers will know how to find the best angles and lighting quickly on your wedding day. If you want to ensure your videographer sees the venue before the wedding, ask if they would be willing to visit the venue a few months before.
5. Is there a travel charge for my wedding?
Why You Want to Know: You want to make sure there are no additional fees on top of the package you’ve selected. Some videographers will have a trip charge based on how far away your venue is from their home base. Make sure you’re aware of these charges before you book.
6. Will you be filming any other weddings on my wedding day?
Why You Want to Know: You’ll want to know if your videographer has other weddings booked on your wedding day. Larger production companies will often schedule multiple weddings on the same day, but have project managers in place to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. Smaller operations may not have the same resources and the last thing you want is having a videographer at your wedding, with another wedding on their mind. If you’re moving forward with a smaller operation, make sure your wedding is the only wedding booked on your day.
7. Will you be the person filming my wedding or will you be using a third party?
Why You Want to Know: Your wedding day is a very special day and you want to be surrounded by people who support you and make the day that much better. When you hire a videographer who will be there on the day of your wedding, you’ll likely have spoken with them or communicated with them in a way that makes you feel good about having them there on your wedding day. If you use a large corporation that hires videographers, you may never communicate with the videographer until the day of your actual wedding. Oftentimes, larger corporations will allow you to chat with the main videographer before your wedding day, so make sure to ask to speak with them to ensure you and the videographer have similar vibes.
8. Do you film by yourself or will you have a second videographer?
Why this is a good question to ask: This question will depend on the wedding video package you select. Some packages offer multiple videographers while others offer only one. Having a second videographer on your wedding day will increase the overall efficiency of the videography team. They will be able to split up to capture all the detail shots they need, giving them more time to spend on what’s important, you and your future husband! A single videographer can also get the job done, but it will take more coordination for the videographer and may have them bouncing around all day, only spending a few minutes here and a few minutes there.
9. How well do you work with other vendors? Such as the Photographer?
Why this is a good question to ask: Your videographer has a very important role to play on the day of your wedding. They will need to interact with multiple vendors, such as the photographer, DJ, and wedding coordinator, in order to deliver you the best wedding film. The photographer and videographer will work closely throughout your wedding day to film all of the highlights of the day. They will also need to work closely with the DJ in order to capture all of your important speeches, such as the ceremony, vows, toasts, etc. Because of this, you’ll want to make sure your videographer is a people person and can work well with all vendors.
10. How will you record the audio from our ceremony?
Why this is a good question to ask: Audio is incredibly important for your wedding film. You want to make sure your videographer has a plan to record the audio during your ceremony, vows, and even during the reception to capture the toasts. The most common audio setup for a videographer is to place a small, hidden microphone on the groom during the ceremony to capture the vows and to also connect an audio recorder to the soundboard at the venue. Often times your videographer will need to coordinate with your DJ in order to make this happen.
11. How long will it take to receive my completed film?
Why this is a good question to ask: Editing your wedding video can take some time, especially during wedding season (May-October), as many videographers book weddings during these months. You’ll want to make sure you know how soon you’ll receive your wedding video so you aren’t waiting months and months to relive your special day.
12. How will my film be delivered?
Why You Want to Know: Your videographer will have a prefered method of delivering your wedding film. It is often that the film will be delivered digitally, but some videographers offer your wedding film delivered on DVD or other methods. Ask which method your videographer plans to deliver your film to you.
13. How often will you communicate with us leading up to the wedding?
Why You Want to Know: You don't want your last interaction with your videographer before the wedding day to be the day you booked them. Hiring a vendor is a two way street. You’ll want to hire someone who constantly checks in to make sure that they are up to date on the latest detail changes of your wedding day.
14. Are you insured?
Why this is a good question to ask: Many venues will require your videographer to have a $1,000,000 general liability insurance policy in place. This is to ensure that if the videographer accidentally damages anything at the property or accidentally hurts someone, you and the venue are covered.
15. Do you have a link to some reviews?
Why this is a good question to ask: Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. You want to make sure the vendors you choose to be there with you are highly recommended by other couples who have had them their on their wedding day.