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What You Need to Know Before You Choose Your Videographer

  “I didn’t get married so long ago that I can’t remember the angst and passion that goes into planning a wedding,” says Nancy Yachnes, co-founder of Timeless Tributes Video. She continues, “There were 52 fittings for the dress (OK, a bit of an exaggeration) to make sure it was perfectly modest and perfectly beautiful.  We spent hours discussing (and visiting!) halls, debating menu options and color schemes.”  About the music, Nancy was decisive, “I knew that only one particular band would do.” But when it came to a photographer, she was more than happy to delegate declaring, “Let the chasson choose.”  As for the video, she let the photographer contract that out without any further thought. “What a mistake I made!” she now laments.  “The video is the only ‘living record’ of the day,” so it really is one of the most important considerations.   A well-done wedding video is unparalleled as a re-presentation of the chasson and kallah’s experience of joy.  Video is the only way you can really relive the simcha, as you see yourself – the way the dress moves, the smiles and tears under the chuppah. 

 At Yachnes’ own wedding, she notes that the videographer did a competent job.  Shots were clear, editing was smooth.  “Still, I didn’t get the sense that the videographer (or the photographer, for that matter) knew ME at all,” she explains.   “I was posed in typical bridal fashion, fingering my bouquet, admiring my ring…  I felt silly.  And looking at my video all these years later, those poses remind me that I was just one of hundreds of bride “stars,” following the script.”  Fast forward to the present.  Yachnes would never have believed then that she would become an event videographer herself, as would her husband! Yes, Yachnes and her husband both shoot.  They say this works well for a number of reasons:  a) they rarely miss anything with two cameras running the whole time, b) dual views of the chuppah make for interesting and expressive editing, and c) they report that most people are more comfortable with a female videographer on the women’s side.  Many studios contract out for camera operators.  They don’t.  They are always personally on the job. (See their web site, www.SparklingVideo.com or make an appointment at their Brooklyn studio, for the whole story).  “Time is short, but we do try to get to know our chasson and kallah before the big day,” Yachnes explains.  “A questionnaire is followed by conversations both face to face and on the phone, in addition to a flurry of emails!  By the time we shoot an event, we feel we really know the families.”  The real understanding of the subjects of the video make a world of difference to the production.

 Yachnes notes that before the wedding, many people are under the mistaken impression that they are going to want every minute of the simcha on tape.  “Yes, we capture everything, but that’s when the work begins.”  She elaborates, “When you watch your wedding video, you want it to move, to reignite the emotions of the wedding day.  We don’t leave anything out, but we don’t belabor a point either.  Once you’ve seen a particular set of people dance around in a circle a couple of times, you’ve seen it.  You don’t need endless minutes of essentially the same shot.”  Yachnes believes that the story of a wedding can be told very beautifully in one hour.  She says that exceptional parts that are worth saving separately (like the chasson singing Eshes Chayil to the kallah) can be added as distinct segments on the DVD.

 It’s become standard to open the wedding video with a photo montage.  Yachnes suggests that you think about how you may want to make the montage – and the entire video – more artful and more about YOU.  Video clips (from growing up through engagement) and voiceovers (recordings of messages from you, your chasson, your parents, your grandparents… YOU decide!) can be woven into your video for a truly personal tribute that you and your families will always treasure. 

 Questions you may want to ask a prospective videographer:

      1.                    Do you have a professional, solely-dedicated video studio?

2.                    Are your videographers in-house?

3.                    What is the multiple camera availability?

4.                    How do the videographers get to know the chasson and kallah prior to the simcha?

5.                    Do you have a female video camera operator shooting the ladies?

6.                  How unobtrusive are the video shooters to the simcha?  Will there be ladders, cables, light stands, etc. that might bother the guests?

7.                    Will the final piece be edited throughout or will editing be concentrated on openings and closings?

8.                    Will the final DVD include chapters?  If so, will it be “Hollywood style,” with searchable chapters?

9.                    Can the video include a photo and/or video montage?  If so, to what extent can outside material (not from the wedding) be added?

10.                 Is the videographer willing to travel to multiple locations (over several days) to complete your shoot and if so, at what extra charge?

11.                 Can the videographer recommend outstanding still photographers who will help to create a complete “memory package” for you?

12.                 What are the videographer’s  fees and payment terms? At what point do overtime rates apply?  Will there be a written contract?

Nancy and Nasanel Yachnes own Sparkling Video (formerly Timeless Tributes Video), a videography studio in Brooklyn, serving the tri-state area. They both have training from School of Visual Arts, and Nancy is an Apple Certified Pro. Call (718)-252-2332 or mailto:info@SparklingVideo.com

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