Selecting a videographer is not a difficult task if you will follow the following tips.
Nowadays everybody claims to be a good professional wedding videographer with huge experience and a lot of blah blah but what is the truth?
Here is a list with some claims from many videographers and our advice of "How NOT to step on the banana"
"We have 250 years of super experience"
Ok. This is the first banana. The most of the people will try to convince you that they are very experienced. Experience is not bad at all, but there several kinds of "experience".
I know someone claiming that we had 15 years of experience but the only wedding he filmed is the wedding of his niece 15 years ago.
Don't focus only on the amount of the years. Ask the potential videographer to prove the experience by letting him show some footage of the weddings that he claims that he filmed.
It's also important to know how many weddings per year that person has filmed or if possible ask the total amount of weddings that he can prove that he has filmed.
"Good, Better, Best and even... Bester quality"
This banana comes from the artist-wanna-be-videographer. No matter how good or bad their videos are.. everyone claims that he is the best. Some people they have even convinced themselves that they are better than the others. I love the expression the Belgian people use "Dikke nek".
How can you claim that you are the best if you didn't see what the others doing?
The best way to avoid this banana is to see with your eyes as many wedding videos as possible and decide yourself who is the best.
"Our weddings are filmed with a professional 3D HD CCD DDD super video camera"
Lately, I've noticed that many wedding videographers are trying to convince you about their professionalism by showing you photos of their big fat cameras or by fat descriptions of their equipment.
Let's make it clear: Size doesn't matter. The video camera's are like the mobile phones; every year they are becoming smaller and better.
Since you are not a professional don't focus so much on the equipment. The most important is to look at the actual video and see with your eyes if the actual video looks like a movie.
The big camera's look more professional but some of them are more than 10 years old.
In bright sunlight the most of the camera's can film well but in dark situations like the evening party or during a wedding in a dark church you can see a huge difference. Cheep or old camera's can't reproduce the light correct and the footage is full of noise.
The HD (High definition) is also a trick sometimes for the following reasons:
Not all HD camera's are as good, special the 720p and 1080i which are the oldest HD formats.
The best HD format for home use at the moment is the 1080p.
Don't be confused with the 1080i. The 1080i has the half resolution of the 1080p.
"We film weddings, baptisms, funerals, divorces...."
This claim comes from the "We-want-money-from-everyone..no-matter-what" videographer.
A wedding videographer who is promoting himself as a videographer who can film everything he is doing that just because he doesn't have enough weddings to film and have a satisfied income.
On the other side, a corporate videographer or a cameraman from a TV station doesn't have the necessary experience to deal with a complex even as a wedding.
"Our clients are very satisfied"
One day I was reading a web site from someone who claimed that he was a videographer. He had scan a card he had received from his client and placed it on his web site. His client was happy and he thought that this would be a good promotion for himself. So far so good... but his biggest mistake was that he added his video underneath. As a curious person I am I clicked on the video and there came the "drama queen".... a blur video that you couldn't even recognize the faces of the couple followed by an out-of-sync audio.
The video was ugly but still.. the couple was happy! I am wondering: "How can you trust the opinion of non experts?" Some couples are so happy that they've got a wedding video and they will be so happy to promote their videographer but..who cares??? Not everyone has the same opinion with the others and this applies in every day life. Not everyone likes the same kind of music, not everyone wears the same clothes, not everyone drives the same car etc. As a videographer is good to have your clients happy but as a client you shouldn't focus only at the opinion of other people. See a sample yourself and make your own decision based on YOUR taste and preference.
"I am not a videographer... I am a Cinematographer!"
Hahaha... Is this man for real???? What else am I going hear... :-)
A few months ago I had a talk with a couple that they wanted me to film their wedding...
After they saw my portfolio they wanted to book me.
While I was filling the reservation form the male part of the couple told me the following:
- We like your work more than everything we've seen so far. We even saw a work from someone else.. but he isn't a videographer.
- What is he? ( I answered)
- A cinematographer!
- A what??? A cinematographer? Is this guy making cinema movies?
- No. Just weddings. When we were at his place he told us "I am not a videographer.. I am a cinematographer!"
Then the couple showed me his web site. I found the quality not bad but I couldn't find something that he could do and I couldn't. He was filming with VIDEO cameras and he was delivering his VIDEOS on DVD. No films... no cinema.. no pop-corn. The guy he was just selling himself overpriced and he was trying to convince his clients that he is better than the other "videographers" just by calling himself a CINEMATOGRAPHER!
Thanks Mr. James Cameron.. but we won't bite!
"There is only 1 Saturday available. Come fast, we need your money"
This a very "cheep" tick. Some people they are trying to convince you that they are so popular that they are almost full booked. Even if they are almost full booked.. they still spending money for promotion. Think twice...
"Welcome to El-Cheepo video productions"
Price is a major factor when it comes to people's choice. Everyone likes to get more for less, but when it comes into services here are the traps: A successful videographer doesn't have to be cheep to attract new clients. He would convince his clients with his quality, not with his price. Cheep price means also: cheep camera, cheep materials, cheep result. If your budget is limited is better to cut a cost from somewhere else or even quit the idea of wedding video. It's much better to keep the money and spend it at your honeymoon rather to pay for a video that you won't like to watch.
Here we can talk about wedding video productions.
"1080i has the half resolution of the 1080p"
ReplyDeleteYou should get your facts straight, 1080i half the resolution? Do you even know what the I or P stands for? 1080i or p is equally sharp my friend, I challenge you to show me the difference.
Your clients are stepping on a banana as well if you give them this information.
Another thing; what about audio, I don't see any comment about that. The difference between your so-called wanna-be's and the ones that try to be professional is also the use of wireless sound. Are you able to get crisp and clear sound in a church from the couple and the priest? This is what separates the amateur from the professional.
ReplyDeletealso, just that you know, it's not "cheep" but "CHEAP" :)
ReplyDeleteSorry, I keep coming back :)
ReplyDeleteOn your website it says: "Cinematic huwelijksvideo voor elke bruid en bruidegom" and in this blogpost you make fun of videographers that think they can call themselves cinematographers.
Are you also not delivering VIDEOS on DVD. What was it, euhm, No films... no cinema.. no pop-corn? ;)
Lot's of wedding videographers use the word cinematic as a selling phrase because it sounds more professional, even you do. Nothing wrong with that so you might reconsider your opinion here. :)