Why Should I Hire a Professional Wedding Videographer?

“Who’s going to watch that?”

Videography is expensive. You’re not wrong and there’s nothing wrong with being on a budget and thinking you’ll pass on a videographer for your wedding day. I often hear, “I’ve been on the fence about video but I feel like I’ll regret it if I don’t” and you probably will.

Video is one of those things that you don’t always see its value until long after when the memory has faded. Video is something you watch and gives a deeper perspective on the day. Pictures don’t have the audio of your personal vows and don’t truly show the motion of just how twirly that dress was.

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Audio

A professional wedding videographer captures clean audio. The videographer will hide a lav mic on the groom and have special white microphones for the bride that can clip to a garter around the her leg. The videographer will also mic the officiant or set up a recorder off of the pa system. They’ll hide backups at the podium when aunt Susy forgets to do her reading into the mic. They’ll capture clear audio of the audience roaring to see bride and groom enter the reception and they’ll grab a feed directly off the DJs speakers or board to capture every moment of the events audio in clear, crisp, and vivid detail.

Throwing up a camera and using camera audio may get a gist of what they are saying but likely you’ll get muffled audio you cant make out.

The certain things photos cannot not save and that’s audio. If you want to look back on your speeches and remember what was said a professional wedding videographer is going to record that for you.

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Its all about the angles.

A professional wedding videographer will have multiple cameras some times 3-4 of them. weddings are wild. Here is a scenario...

You can’t always control uncle bill. The unplugged ceremony is just a suggestion to the man. He’s going to whip out that front facing camera and go full on tunnel vision trying to maneuver his phone, physically flipping it around because it’s a video of his face and the damn thing is just too complicated. (He misses when phones were simple) While he is doing that he backs up and centers his head in the only video camera forming a perfect composition of the bald spot he is been doing his best to hide.

Most wedding videographers will have at least 2 camera ops. So in the event uncle bill backs up into the lead videographer and takes him out, there is still another manned camera triumphantly capturing the first kiss.

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“Ill probably never watch it “

A professional wedding video needs a professional wedding video editor. So if you will watch it, comes down to what’s going to be important to you 5-10-15 years later? It might be different for different people. Some might value a brief highlight video. Some might want to sit back and listen to their fathers toast or relive those written vows. Be aware that video edits can vary greatly so think what it is that would be best for you.

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Timeline Visuals does professional wedding and event videography

Located Northern/Central New Jersey.

Using a Gamepad to Cull Photos in lightroom

If you are like me and absolutely loath the culling process. this might be something that appeals to you. I use a combination of this and a program called Aftershoot which uses AI to cull your photos for you. This is often my first step and then I go through and check for only my absolute favorites and neccisary photos. You can get 10% off aftershoot with this code.

With this guide youll be able to kick your feet up and relax by grabbing your favorite console controller and programing it to use keyboard shortcuts. This is a universal keybinding process and can be use it any program such as premier pro for multicam editing, davicni resolve, Photomechanic, capture one Aftershoot or honestly any program with a large amount of shortcuts, Forr this we will be explaining the shortcuts for lightroom.

If you are on a windows PC you are going to want to purchase Controller Companion it is $2.99 and well worth it.. You can purchase it using the steam store, this should be familiar to any PC gamers reading this. You can also purchase it directly from them here.

The idea is programing you gamepad to utalize shortcuts so you dont have to touch your mose or keyboard a full list of lightroom shortcuts can be found here.

So first thing you need to do after installing is open it. For whatever reason it opens directly to to the taskbar icons. you need to click the icon and open settings

Next navigate to profiles. I would reccomend creating a program binding if you plan on using more then one program.

Below is my lightroom Profile

Lightroom Controller Companion Profile

$1.00

the best part is you can use any controler you want. Some may even opt for a wireless keyboard like the Corsair K83

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Funt Fact: .Jpg vs .Jpeg

Fun fact:

.Jpeg and .Jpg are the same lossy compression formats for digital photos.

Jpg is from a time when computer file systems had a 3 letter limitations but both indicate "Joint Photographic Experts Group"

Here's a jpeg. Thanks for reading.

The filming of Nani Wells music video "Dark"

The production for Nani’s music video “Dark” was a blast to make. We shot it over the course of two days, with a relatively loose concept. We filmed it all on the Sony fs5, while recording Raw Cinema DNG to our Atomos Shogun Inferno. For most of the video we used our Movi m15, with an Easyrig Mini Max to save our arms. We also used the Proaim Camera Jib to get the some overhead shots in the bathtub.

While we originally planned for 3 locations, the Vernon Boardwalk footage didn’t end up making it into the final edit. But with how cold it was that day, Nani was obviously freezing and who could blame her. It was 7am on a brisk, mid January morning.

Joey shooting a scene with Nani on our Movi M15.

For the edit, I colored all of the raw clips in Davinci Resolve and then exported them separately. Then I had Joey cut it together in Premiere Pro, using proxies so that we could exchange project files, and after I would do the final export on my computer. Cinema DNG can be huge in file size, so we recommend WD Black Drives for their mix of large storage capacity and performance. A raid DAS or enclosure might be necessary to mount them externally. We recommend using QNAP TR-004, Synology 4 bay NAS DiskStation DS920+, or for enclosures without raid a Mediasonic HF7-SU31C.

This page contains Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to purchase one of these products, we will be compensated and at no cost to you. This helps us to continue writing quality content for readers like you. Thank you for reading!

Things we think we did great

• We worked well on the fly without a defined plan

• We were able to keep the production relatively minimal

• Shooting raw on the Fs5 was really great, despite the extra storage requirements

Things we think we could improve

• We needed more B-roll, we started running out of shots during the edit

• Our schedules and budget were limited, but both would have benefited from a thorough plan

• We probably could have traded some of the gimble shots for tripod shots, to minimize strain on our two-man crew

• We would have benefited from having more crew members. Some lighting sacrifices were made, due to limited mental bandwidth

More BTS from the video

How much should a video cost?

Most people don’t ask us this directly. However, I think it’s safe to assume that most business owners are always cost conscious. And if you are throwing an event, then you may be thinking about your own budget as well.

When factoring the costs, you’ve likely already determined the importance of video and how much you should plan to budget for. You might also be worried that it might cost too much and that your marketing plan will fall apart and leave you empty handed.

I’m going to give you a rough idea of what you can do to minimize costs overall, and hopefully enlighten you as to where these costs are established from.

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DIY - Free

Yes, I’m starting with the freebie. Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook and plenty more are all flooded with videos that are super successful. This is primarily because of cell phones, and what we associate the quality with. When a cellphone video is relatable, the content’s success is almost directly a result of the story or the information that it tells. The quality of the video is not what sells this kind of video. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to make great content on your phone. Timing, aesthetics and tone all have a huge influence in how relatable your content is. If you can make your audience/ideal clientele feel connected to your brand, then this part will be easy.

Have a plan - We’re not necessarily making a Hollywood blockbuster, but you do need to have an idea for your video. First, decide your goal, then think creatively. What in life reminds you of this goal’s outcome? And what may remind others of it too?

Don’t drag it out - Cut to the chase! Only show the important parts of your video. Don’t make viewers watch the extra 6-7 seconds that you took to cut the ending of your Instagram story. If you bore the audience for even a brief second, you lose the effectiveness of your video.

Be patient - Don’t rush to post your newly created content immediately. I know you’re probably thinking, “Holy HubSpot Batman! We’ll never have time to make all of this content!”. And while that might be true, the important thing here is to not panic. Focus on quality of your content, and not necessarily on the quantity. If you need to, try posting less frequently.

Edit, edit, EDIT! - There are plenty of free programs out there like Davinci Resolve, iMovie and Wondershare’s Filmora. And unless you are telling stories that are carefully planned and timed out, you’ll likely benefit from cutting it in post. Acting requires lots of practice, and not everyone is going to nail their take on the first try. You can easily run the risk of either spending way too much time on your video, or compromising with an inferior product.

Put your video together with a few simple cuts, that are timed to tell your story. There’s an illusion of time you can create using cutting and lots of other little tricks can progress a day, months or years into even a 15 second video. If the idea of sitting at a computer for a few hours and developing severe nerd neck seems dreadful, you can always hire a video editor to help out with some of the heavy lifting.

Record Clean Audio - My audio buddies are most likely smiling while reading this. Audio plays a massive roll in video. Bad audio can ruin a good video, as much as a bad video can ruin good audio. Make sure that your audience hears what you want them to hear, and don’t become too distracted by the background fuzz or any passing cars. Practice yelling “QUIET ON SET! “ at your neighbor mowing his lawn and then record yourself clearly telling your dog that they’re a good boy. Because then people will know who’s a good boy.. he is. But it is always worth investing in a decent microphone, if you plan on doing this alone.

Add Music - Unless it’s a montage, the music should be mixed into your video, in order to not drown out any dialogue. Music can be extremely moving, so make sure that it’s moving people in the right direction. Hopefully that direction doesn’t result in hard work being removed, for copy right infringement or worse, penalties and fines. Be sure to purchase or acquire royalty free music, with an appropriate license whenever necessary.

Bonus - Beef up the video quality with a DSLR or Mirrorless camera and a decent lens. Below are some good entry level options.

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Hire A Team

Be a video producer and create a team. Be sure to have a plan fleshed out for your content. Ultimately you, or your marketing specialist should be guiding the content that you need efficiently. If you just need to make engaging content for your businesses’ social media page. It may be most efficient to do most of this yourself, and hire professionals to fill in the gap. All of these positions can be learned by yourself, but the key take away here should be that you are in the business of your industry. So focus on your industry and not necessarily learning a new one. However, it’s always helpful to have the knowledge needed in order to guide the team efficiently.

I reccomend using Fiver if you are looking for affordable services. It’s a gamble to use people without a trusted referral, but you can search for services that compliment potentially existing strengths.

Timeline Visuals - Video Editing “Battle-Station”

Video Editors

Editors can cost between $75 - $150 per hour or more. The amount of time that they take depends greatly on the direction you’ve given them. If you want to cut costs, try to give good direction. Write out a paper edit, with what clips you want included, how long you want them and in what order. Pick the music ahead of time. The less that the editor needs to think, the faster they can turn around. But also consider the rendering and exporting times. If you deliver massive video files to your editor, it will take them a lot longer to render them, compared to a simple 30 second video from your cell phone. Though the mp4 files probably look pretty sweet from your new a7III, any experienced editor is likely going to transcode them to an editing format. And depending on your resolution, this process and the amount of time that it takes to export can vary. It’s likely going to add an hour or two by default.

Production Behind the Scenes by Timeline Visuals

Videographers / Cinematographers

A good video guy is going to cost between $100-$150. But they may also want to book a guaranteed 2-3 hours, to ensure the time was worth lugging all their expensive gear to the shoot location. Be considerate that this is their profession, and they often invest a large amount of money into quality gear. If you are looking for cheap work, than you’re likely going to have a lot of hit or miss projects. If that’s okay with you, then ask away. Personally, I believe that paying people a fair wage and being considerate is the best way to bring quality help. Be collaborative, and form strong working relationships. You will find that it will go a long way in the quality of your content.

Yves - production sound guy - for Timeline Visuals production company

Sound Op - This is often a dedicated person. Like cameras, there is a lot of complex functions of microphones and recorders. Hiring a good sound guy helps ensure that there are no missed sound bites, just because the camera guy was to busy pulling focus to notice that the levels were peaking. Or while fixing their lighting setup, they didn’t notice that the lav mic battery was low and ended up missing a whole take. Do yourself a favor and avoid putting too much pressure on a single professional. It will eventually burn them out.

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Hire a Production Company

This is more of a premium concept. It might only be worth hiring a production company, when you need a premium video. Like a branded video, that needs to stand the test of time demonstrating your company values for your website. Or when you’ve grown your company to the point that you want to leverage your business as being of higher value, through beautifully crafted videos. Investing in your image, is investing in your brand. Hiring a production company, giving them a goal, allowing them to a source write and handing off creative control, can give you the freedom to focus on your business. Or even on just enjoying your personal life. Allow an experienced team like us at Timeline Visuals handle the production end of things, so that you can sit back and relax!

Timeline Visuals Production Company

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How to choose an editing monitor

Timeline Visuals “Battle station” 2018

How do I choose a monitor?

This is a loaded question and is often confusing for people. While searching different monitors used for color grading, you may find articles and forums talking about Flanders scientific monitors and think that it’s the right way to go.

This is not true for everyone.

https://www.flandersscientific.com/

Image credit : Tenor.com

If you are doing major print or cinema work that’s being premiered in a theater, than a high end monitor may be the best choice for you.

However, if you are shooting web-based content, weddings or even minor print work, than you don't need to buy a crazy expensive monitor.

Why is it important?

If your monitor is off, the work you show to the world will only look as you saw it on that specific monitor. Having an accurate monitor, while not fool proof, will help immensely in displaying media the way that it was intended. It’s also important to cross reference your projects on different devices, to build a full understanding of how this works.

What kind of work do you typically do?

If you primarily make web-based content for social media and your website, then sRGB accuracy will be your selling point. But it is good to know the range of important factors, to help make an educated purchase.

 Here are a few good monitors for the line of work described.

These are Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to purchase one of these products, we will be compensated and at no cost to you. This helps us to continue writing quality content for readers like you. Thank you for reading!

Asus Pro Art

(Budget Friendly)

Pros

• Accurate color 100% sRGB &

  rec 709

• IPS

• Extra: 75hz is decent for gaming.

• Low cost

Cons:

• Only 1080p

• Small; 23.8in (this may be better for people in tight spaces)

BenQ SW2700PT 27"

(I own)

Pros:

• Accurate Color: 99% Adobe RGB, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709

• Factory calibrated

•  Includes sunshade

• Relatively affordable

• Sharp 2k resolution

• Controller puck for changing settings.

• USB connection for software calibration

• 10 bit color depth

Cons

• Only 2k in resolution

• More expensive then some other options

What to look for.

The following info is to give you a basic understanding of what to look for in a good monitor. I’ve also linked a few articles that I find helpful and more in-depth.

Color Accuracy

sRGB

If budget is a concern, than you’ll want the most accurate sRGB that you can afford in your price range. But this should be standard for any monitors that are accurate in the following spaces.

pulled from https://fstoppers.com/pictures/adobergb-vs-srgb-3167

Adobe RGB

Similar to sRGB, but with more range.

Here is a good article from Fstoppers.com on the comparison (AdobeRGB vs sRGB)

Rec 709

This is almost identical to sRGB in the sense that it's the same color space. It is the standard for HD video. The difference is primarily it uses a different Gamma then the others.

 (More on rec 709 here)

Color depth

There are a variety of bit depths in monitors, but here are two of the more common examples.

Image credit: B&H

10-bit

10-bit monitors are becoming more and more relevant. It’s only a matter of time until they become the standard in LCD and LED panels. But until that day comes, they’re used primarily for printing work and also for your own viewing pleasure. Being able to see your work in it's 10-bit glory is always a pro.

8-bit

8bit is often "good enough". Although pros may point their nose in the air, most viewers will ultimately be seeing your work on an 8 bit screen. Therefore displaying on 10-bit might only be distracting you from grading your image for the proper audience.

More info on bit depth (Article on 8 bit vs 10bit here )

Resolution

High resolution will help identify the details of your image clearly. Most 4k or 2k screens are great to see your image clearly.

More on screen resolution Screen resolution: The ultimate guide

Viewing Angle

 You want to be able to view your monitor at slightly obscure angles, and still retain visual accuracy. IPS panels are great for this and can also help to retain more accurate color info

For more details on IPS (Advantages and Disadvantages of IPS LCD Panels)

Factory Calibration

Factory calibration is somewhat important, because it means the monitor was tested to be accurate. Even though the tests do vary, it’s nice to know that it went through some form of quality control to better assure the accuracy.

For details on factory calibration, this page is somewhat bias but might help to clarify some things.

Why You Need a Factory-Calibrated Monitor

Even though it is factory calibrated, you should still look into calibrating your monitor yourself . It’s often recommend that you calibrate your monitor every 6 months, but some suggest as little as every 2-6 weeks.

Hardware vs. Software Calibration

Monitor calibration tools

I personally use the Spyder 5, but either of these tools will do.

X-Rite i1Display Studio

Datacolor SpyderX Pro

Thank You

For taking time to read this post. I hope you found some of this information valuable and look forward to post future articles for you in the future!

extra

Monitor Arms

I find that having at-least 2 monitors can help multitasking, by providing extra screen real-estate. Having a dual monitor arm prevents the clutter.

Below is a link for a heavy-duty dual monitor arm, that I personally use for my 34in LG Ultrawide and for my 27in BenQ.