Ask a Wedding Videographer Anything
Your Burning Questions Wedding Videography questions answered by Scott from HC Visuals
You’ve asked and i’ve answered. As a fun wedding videographer based in the UK I am often asked many of the same questions from couples as well as other professionals in the wedding industry. In this blog I have collated all of my most frequently asked questions and put my thoughts down on some of the questions wedding videographers face the most, as well as on the wedding industries hottest topics.
A prime example of my brand of wedding videography
About You & Your Style
- How would you describe your wedding videography style in your own words
There are many different styles of wedding films available nowadays to engaged couples. From editorial films, classic British wedding films, traditional elegant films, to my own brand of wedding videography. There is something to suit all tastes, styles and budgets.
My wedding videography style is what I have dubbed ‘bold and unconventional’. I take a creative approach with all of my wedding films to ensure that they are unique to each and every couple, so that they are a true reflection of the day that they so carefully curate, as well as your style and personality.
I lean into striking the right balance between the fun, up-beat moments, with the sentimentality and romance of the day.
Some people dub this style ‘alternative wedding videography’. People often think of alternative wedding films as being fast paced, loud and brash. This feels like a pigeon hole and one that doesn’t quite articulate the wedding films that I create, instead, I like to think of my wedding films as an alternative to the many types of traditional wedding film styles that exist. This is fun wedding videography that tells the story of your day in a unique way.
2. What do you want couples to feel when they watch your films?
I think this ties in nicely with my previous answer. When I consider a wedding day in its entirety, it is a rollercoaster of emotions. With so many different events occurring throughout the day I want to strike the right balance between light and shade – meaning, I want to take people on a journey when they relive their wedding day on film, from the tender moments when exchanging vows, to the belly laughs with family and friends, to the raucous party in the evening.
Unfortunately far too many wedding films are one dimensional and lean too hard into one aspect over the other (for example a traditional wedding film may just focus on the romance and sentimentality) whereas I like to tell the story of you and your day, and how it felt from beginning to end.
Another example of one of my fun wedding films.
3. Are there any recurring moments or scenes you always try to capture in a wedding day?
My approach to capturing a wedding day is always the same but the outcome is unique to each couple. In principle, my goal is to capture all of the moments that are special and important for you. Some things of course go without saying, for example I capture all of your ceremony and speeches in full, as well as other key moments that are a staple of a wedding day, the confetti line for instance. During the build up to the wedding I catch up with all of my couples to go through the plan and timeline of the day, to do a deep dive, and to find out what is most important to them and ensure that all of the essential parts of the day are captured in a way that is meaningful.
4. What are your biggest influences that bleed into your work?
I recently appeared on the wedding podcast ‘I do and up do’s’ where I was asked a similar question. My answer relates to my own background in music – and similarly to the answer I gave to question 2.
I studied music at college and university, played in bands for decades, and am an accomplished musician in my own right. When starting out in weddings I noticed that the wedding film industry was awash with either very chill sentimental films, or chaotic ‘alternative’ films (as mentioned earlier). I found both styles to be, to my taste, one dimensional.
When defining my style I tapped into my music background and was reminded of a quote from Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page “Dynamics…Light and shade… A whisper to the Thunder. it invites you in… it’s intoxicating.”
The bedrock of any great piece of art is dynamics. By incorporating light and shade you take the listener, or in my case viewer, on a journey. You make them FEEL. Not just one feeling that is eveoked by the monotone films I mentioned previously. But mulitple feelings.
I decided my films should be like any other great piece of art from the pioneering greats of 20th Century music and film, and lean into the use of light and shade.
My goal is to meticulously craft unique, authentic films, that are personalised to each couple and take the viewer on journey that evokes all of the feelings experienced on your wedding day. No templates, no imposed style. Just films about YOU and your day.
5. Do you offer audio storytelling (vows/speeches layered into edits), or is your vibe more visual-driven?
The audio, for me, is what drives the backbone of the story of your day and gives it its narrative. Without the audio you will essentially be left with a wedding themed music video. Thats absolutely fine if thats your vibe and what you want! But I tend to lean more into taking sound bites from your ceremony and speeches, and entwining them into your wedding highlights film to fully tell the story of your day.
Philosophy & Approach
6. Why do you do what you do — what drives you to film weddings?
I am a natural creative and story teller. Coupled with being a tech and camera nerd its a match made in heaven! I love nothing more than starting with a blank canvas and being able to build the story of someones wedding day from scratch – meticulously crafting the story knowing which moments will get the laughs, which will get the tears. It is the most rewarding and fulfilling job I have ever had.
7. What do you not do — any common trends or editing styles you avoid?
Contrary to some popular opinions I don’t follow the latest editing, or social media trends, nothing ages and dates a wedding film faster than the latest TikTok dance craze. I want my films to feel timeless so avoiding trends allows me to do this.
As mentioned above too, I don’t go in for forced romance, weird awkward posing, or putting you in positions that you wont be comfortable with!
8. What’s your philosophy on blending into a wedding day (e.g. fly-on-the-wall, like a mate with a camera, more hands-on)?
My approach differs from moment to moment, but it is always very intentional and considerate of the current events. For example, during morning preparations I am very much a fly on the wall. I will blend into the background and capture all of the moments naturally and discreetly. For your ceremony and speeches I find key camera positions within the room and film them in full as they happen. The same goes for your drinks reception, I really try to blend in with the guests and capture all of the natural moments and interactions as they occur – natural moments over posed.
The only real time during the wedding day that this approach changes is during your couples portraits. For the most part I capture you as a couple in a way that lets your natural chemistry shine through without the need for weird, awkward posing. There are moments where I give gentle prompts or cheerlead you as a couple so that, ultimately, we have fun doing it! But my goal is to always make you feel comfortable in the moment and make sure that the moments you relive in the film feel natural and authentic.
Client Experience
9. What’s the booking journey like from first enquiry to delivery? Anything stand out?
Initially, I recommend that we have a chat either on the phone or via Zoom, just to go through you visions for you wedding film, and to allow you to see if you think i’d be a good fit for your wedding day.
Once booked in a welcome pack is sent out with a bit more information on what to expect on next steps, generally I catch up with every couple around 6-8 weeks ahead of the wedding to go through the plan of the day, however I make myself available at any time in the run up to the wedding to answer any burning questions that you may have.
Post wedding I aim to deliver a 1-2 minute trailer within 4-5 weeks of the wedding with the remaining films typically being delivered within 3-4 months.
10. What kinds of couples are your dream clients? Describe their vibe, priorities, or taste.
The whole ‘dream client’ thing seems to be quite a popular marketing tactic broadly across a lot of industries, and not just in the wedding industry. I find it quite unhelpful and reductionist – if you are nice people that want your day captured in my style then we can chat! Feel free to get in touch with me via the contact page on my website, or directly via email scott@hc-visuals.com
See more of my work http://www.hc-visuals.com
More blogs:
How Led Zeppelin and the Greats shaped HC Visuals
