As a wedding videographer who creates films for couples in New York City, Brooklyn, and Hudson Valley, there are a few can’t-miss questions you should never be afraid to ask when deciding who to work with to craft your wedding film.
Through the details below, I’ll go over the 7 questions to ask your potential videographer, including details to help you understand the pricing behind wedding videography packages. But first, let’s discuss the importance of hiring a wedding videographer in New York City.
Why Should We Hire a Wedding Videographer?
The number one regret many couples have after their wedding day is wishing they had hired a wedding videographer. A wedding film preserves the natural pacing, body language, and unscripted interactions of your celebration in a way that transports you back to what it felt like to experience those moments.
Yes, photography also offers this transportive experience, capturing a moment in time through imagery. But videography captures what images do not: sound and movement. The words you exchanged during your vows, the toasts given in your honor, the raucous laughter, and the pitch of someone’s voice who is overcome with happy tears at the joy of your union are all heard and felt in a wedding film. All of these moments serve as a time capsule, capturing the vibrant personalities of the voices you love most on the day of your wedding, gaining value with time as families grow and change.
Weddings are such a rare occasion where every generation of your family will be gathered under one roof before time inevitably moves you forward. Your best friends, the cousins you grew up with, your grandparents, and the people who gathered to honor you on your wedding day will all be carefully preserved through a wedding film that tells your story with audio and visual cues.
The Adrenaline Rush
Have you heard other married couples say they felt as though they blinked and their wedding day was over? On the day of your wedding, your adrenaline will be at an all-time high, making it feel as though time is rushing by at a rapid pace. In fact, there is a whole subthread on Reddit dedicated to the phenomenon known as “The Wedding Day Adrenaline Blackout”.
When your adrenaline peaks, your memory narrows. When this happens, you can recall the greater information but not details or specifics. A wedding videographer serves as an extra pair of eyes and ears, capturing the details of those moments whether you were fully present or they were happening around you.
What questions should I ask before hiring a wedding videographer?
Below is a list of 7 questions you should be prepared to ask your wedding videographer in New York City when you talk to them for the first time.
1. How would you describe your style and approach on the wedding day?
I cannot stress the importance of asking this question. Every wedding videographer has their own unique style and approach, and it has to match your expectations of the desired outcome.
The wedding films I capture in New York City and Brooklyn are centered on an organic flow of emotions happening throughout the room. Whether it’s the way you embrace your grandparents or the moments you let loose on the dance floor with your friend group, your wedding film will document the unforgettable memories you create on the day of your wedding.
2. Will you coordinate with our planner, photographer, and other wedding vendors?
A steady flow of communication between wedding vendors is the key to a successful wedding day timeline while creating a wedding day that allows you to be present for every moment that becomes a memory. I will be in constant communication with your entire team in the days leading up to your wedding and on the day of, all without requiring you to be “looped in” on every email.
3. How do you handle low-light environments such as a place of worship or a dark reception venue?
Lighting darker spaces can prove tricky for some videographers, so don’t skip asking this question if it’s a concern for your chosen space. I personally treat standard low-light recording as part of my routine and have the proper equipment to handle the setting smoothly. When searching for your videographer, if you find that they are stumped by this question, I would urge you to continue your search.
4. What is your audio setup?
One of the many benefits of selecting wedding videography is the ability to hear what is going on in the room. Listening to your vows recited or reliving the lively speech given by a parent or close college friend can cause a stir of emotions to be felt with the passing of time. To capture the beauty of these audio moments, I work with professional Lavalier mics and field recorders (connected directly to the DJ or sound system) for a specialized level of sound that captures the tone, pitch, and emotion of the voices at your wedding.
5. Do you have a backup plan for equipment failure or unexpected emergencies?
I carry more than one piece of equipment at any given time, in case of an emergency. Though it’s rare that an actual emergency occurs, I am always prepared with a number of gadgets and backup systems to make sure your best memories are safely stored in any circumstance.
6. What kind of films do you offer?
You may already be familiar with the 5 to 6 minute wedding highlight films that you see online. But, truthfully, a standard, chronological documentary wedding film typically runs for a duration of around 20 minutes. The number of films you receive and the length of time for each film will be built into the package of your choosing.
7. What Makes a Great Wedding Film?
A wedding film is so much more than clips captured throughout the day, stitched together in video format. It’s a carefully crafted timeline of your day, with a storied approach, that allows you to step back into how your day actually felt.
A beautifully created wedding film will have high-quality audio that captures every vowel in a toast, and ambient audio woven together with the sounds of the day, giving your film an immersive approach to re-experiencing sound.
An unscripted wedding film also requires pacing that allows moments the room to pause and breathe. Energy and dynamics are crucial for ‘feeling’ a wedding film, but so are the everlasting moments that require slightly longer time in your film.
Wedding films with a high level of emotion come from genuine interactions, not forced or directed poses. This requires a wedding videographer who is light on their feet and sometimes uses the smaller equipment needed to capture authentic emotions. Standard rules of composition and symmetry still apply, but with a focus on the organic interactions and connections that create visual memories.
Understanding how to compare wedding videography packages
Typically, the packages a wedding videographer offers their couples are based on a number of hours and shooters. The wedding films I create in Brooklyn, New York City, and Hudson Valley offer 8 hours of coverage with a 5- to 8-minute highlight film, along with a full ceremony edit and the full toast offered as part of the selected collection.
For a more robust wedding video experience, you can expect 10 or more hours with multiple films, including a highlight film, documentary film, social media edit, and, if desired, content creation.
How much does a videographer charge?
Contrary to the data typically shared by the large-scale wedding industry publications, wedding videographer prices closely follow the pricing of the wedding photographers in their local market.
These numbers are driven by the scale and region of your event. For example, a three-day wedding taking place in Hudson Valley would carry a very different pricing structure than a one-hour elopement in Las Vegas.
Wedding videographers in New York and the tri-state region are priced anywhere from $5000 (8 hours for a single shooter) to $60,000 (multiple shooters over the course of a weekend wedding).
This range of pricing is vast, and there are a few considerations that make up each end of the spectrum, including: labor, time investment, number of hours of coverage, number of shooters, post-wedding hours (editing can take anywhere from 20 to 50 hours), licensing fees for commercial music, the addition of add ons such as social media content and the purchase of raw footage.
Jason A. Films – Wedding Videographer Serving New York City, Brooklyn, and Hudson Valley
My hope is that the answers to these frequently asked questions have shed some light on what to ask your wedding videographer before making the decision to work with them.
My personal approach to capturing NYC wedding videography is to create wedding films that are a true reflection of who you are, through natural moments and authentic emotions.
The wedding videos I create are meant to feel deeply personal and timeless, without forced or overly directed moments. Whether you are planning a wedding in New York City or the Tri-State area, you can find more details on working with me to capture the vibe of how your wedding day felt when you follow this link.
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