There are a lot of great companies out there offering their services to film your day. So how do you decide which is the right company for you? After talking to many clients over the years, we find the biggest mistake people can make is not understanding how their suppliers can impact on their day. Here are a few tips we thought we would share to help couples make an informed decision about who will be best person to capture their big day.

1.First we need to chat about photography. Why? Because we work alongside the photographer all day and their style will come through in the film. Choose a photographer that has had a lot of experience with weddings. It is great to have a friend/cousin/dog walker who can take snaps on the day but there is a real art to capturing a wedding. Make sure you look through a few complete albums at your enquiry to ensure the quality is consistent. Also, have an understanding of how they operate on the day – are they “natural” photographers or will the shots be more posed? Either is fine just so long as you know what you are getting.

2. Choose people you feel comfortable with! It is your day and you should feel comfortable and relaxed as this will give the best results in the end.

3. Try to match the styles of your photography and cinematography. Ask who each company prefers working with. This helps as many photographers and cinematographers in the industry have built up good working relationships and will both be able to get what they need on the day without impacting on each other.

4. When deciding on the style of your wedding film,  there are companies who like to direct the couple on the day to get the best possible shot and there are others who will shoot quietly in the background as the photographer directs the day. Again both styles are fine but it is important to know what you are in for! Have a look at some samples and try to think about where the camera would be and how the shots were achieved – do you want this for your day?

5. Finally, it is important that you understand what cinematography is. Gone are the days of huge video cameras pointing and shooting all day long and producing a 30 or 40 minute documentary, we now use DSLR cameras to capture your wedding and use the footage along with music to creatively piece together a “story” about your day in the form of a short film. Cinematography generally will deliver a sharper, clearer more refined and more creative product. Make sure you understand the difference so you can choose a product you will be happy to watch over and over and over again!

 

Ms Gingham says: Great tips and hints for all of us who really don’t know much about how cinematography actually works! Thanks to Kara from Soda Films for this post.

About Soda Films: We believe that capturing the emotions you experience on your day, together with the excitement and happiness of your family and friends is an art form.

You can see an example of Soda Films cinematography here!