That’s why we’ll work our hardest to produce your video in as little time as possible so you can remember your big day sooner than ever thought possible. During our peak season, you should have your video completed in mere weeks, not months. This isn’t magic, this isn’t a gimmick, this is just good customer service.

In the meantime, we like to have a little fun too. Some call them ‘Sizzle Reels’ others ‘Teasers’, but when you see your video for the first time from us, you will think you’re watching a Hollywood movie – That’s why we call them Trailers.

When you hire us to work for you on your special day, remember that we’re people too.

Jason

The State of the Industry:

Unlike mechanics, neurosurgeons, and rocket scientists, wedding videography and photography is not an industry where one is required to be licensed before promising you the world. This can cause clear problems. Without a standard governing the practices of each and every wedding business, it leaves our customers open to poor service, inexperienced staff, inadequate attention to detail, and missing ‘non-refundable’ deposits.

With the modernization of the HD cameras, and the capabilities of an entire cinematic studio able to fit in the back of a Chevy Malibu, this is a relatively easy industry to start a business in, opening it up to anyone with a bit of a pocketbook for investment. Shooting for Art, and shooting for Profit are two different disciplines, and you will see that in your final product.

Business Licensing:

In Canada, to operate a legitimate business you need to be licensed through the Government of Ontario. Sounds easy enough, right? Well for some, that just sounds like a set up for them to spend their hard earned money on taxes, licenses, and insurance, so why register?

A company who is not registered (I like to refer to them as ‘fly-by-nighters) can’t be tracked. This means that if you submit a deposit to them for a date next year, they can vanish without a trace, and with your deposit.

I can’t tell you who to hire for your wedding day, nor am I looking to directly bring down the practises of my competition, but I can suggest that before you sign a cheque over to someone you don’t know, make damn sure they’re AT LEAST a licensed business in Ontario.

P.S. Regrettably for Susan, she is almost at the 7th month mark of waiting for her video, and still going strong. Were Rootin’ for you!

When you bring us on board, you’re essentially adding on another team member to see your day through. Someone to bounce ideas off of, have long chats with about lighting and camera angles, favorite locations to shoot from, your dream photograph or video.

Consider us as an extension of your bridal team. We've got your back.

Your new creative team members also have a coordinator on staff that is there every minute making certain that your perfect wedding memory is recorded exactly the way you want it recorded. Additionally, if you would prefer, she can put in her two cents as well.

So when you’re selecting your Videographers and Photographers for your upcoming wedding, keep in mind that we’re on your side of the lens.

Jason Wilton.

High key (Bright & Dreamy) scenes are trendy, and fashionable for the 2011/12 wedding season.

“Imagine your dad, decked out in a tux and with his glass raised, delivering a toast that leaves you and most of your guests reaching for the hankies. Your photographer will snap the pics to preserve the moment, but after the champagne glasses clink together, Dad’s words are only a memory — unless you have them on film. Wedding videography captures the sights and the sounds of your day, evoking a feeling and portraying the day’s emotion. Your videographer is bound to catch something you missed. The bonus: With digital video — often called DV — becoming the norm, your DVD promises to have a much longer shelf life than a grainy VHS tape. That means future generations will be able to see how Grandma and Grandpa married — even if at that point they have to ask what a “DVD” is. Here are some of our favorite video innovations.

The Digital Revolution
DV is pretty much the highest quality format that currently exists. One of it’s many benefits is that you get super-high resolution on your wedding DVD, and the quality will stay no matter how many copies you burn. You can send discs to people who couldn’t attend as well as to close family and friends along with your thank-you notes, and their versions will be just as good as the original copy.

Hot on DV’s tail is shooting in high definition — the same crystal-clear picture that’s driving many to buy flat-screen televisions. With high-def wedding video (if your TV is HD-compatible) you’ll see that the quality is incredibly sharp and amazingly clear.

As is the case with most new technology, the drawback to high-def wedding videography is the cost — since videographers need all new cameras and editing equipment when they make the jump to high definition, their investment is reflected in a higher price. But you can’t beat high def for the supersharp, feels-like-you’re-there quality — you might even find yourself reaching out for another slice of cake!

The Subtle Factor
In the past, many brides bristled at the thought of an intrusive, gear-laden cameraman following them around all day. But new technology means a wedding videographer today is much more of a fly-on-the-wall presence than in the past. “My two videographers worked so stealthily, I didn’t even see them during the ceremony,” says Rosie, 32. “I looked for understated personalities when interviewing, and it paid off in their quiet work style.”

New cameras are built specifically for filming these events, so they’re well suited for shooting in low light and don’t require bright spotlights. The specialty cameras require so little light (they might need an extra on-camera bulb, but it only has to be about 50 watts), in fact, that your videographer can portray the atmosphere of your wedding as it really happened, rather than how it would look lit up and reenacted on the History Channel.

(Quick) Note: If you’re having a very dimly lit ceremony and the site won’t allow extra lighting, consider asking an assistant to raise the lights slightly to film the processional and recessional. The lights on the congregation can then be dimmed when you’re at the altar, which is generally adequately lit anyway.

The Sound Check
And don’t worry about guests stumbling over microphone wires. Many wedding videographers use wireless mics during the ceremony, hidden discreetly just under the groom’s boutonniere (the mic’s tiny and black, so you’ll never see it on his tux) with a small pack that acts as the transmitter and clips onto the back of his waistband under his jacket.

If placing the microphone on a boutonniere, it should be at least halfway down the lapel since if placed too high it could easily pick up the sound of the groom breathing. At a Jewish wedding, your videographer can even try hiding the microphone in the huppah, an ultradiscreet alternative.

The New Angles
Part of the reason it’s become so much easier to get creative with editing is because it’s also simpler to shoot from unexpected angles. No more plunking a camera on a tripod and letting it roll. Innovations such as attaching a camera to a pole (it’s flexible, sort of like a pole vaulter’s pole, so the shot isn’t shaky) that can extend from 5 to 23 feet and rotate 360 degrees means you can have a shot start on a close-up of your centerpiece and circle all the way around the table while rising toward the ceiling.

It’s like floating, and the camera itself is small — about the size of a fist — so it won’t interfere with your photographer’s pics while giving you otherwise impossible shots (like being alongside the newlyweds while they’re lifted in chairs for the hora, a Jewish dance).

Your Own Indie

Keep your eyes on him, let me worry about catching the details.

New approaches to wedding video editing have flourished over the last few years — gone are the days of long interviews with drunk uncles slurring their congratulations set to a background track of Kool & the Gang. The trend: a combination of documentary and cinematic styles. “We wanted a condensed version of what the whole day was like and something our friends and family might actually want to watch,” says Felicity, 28, “so we decided on a highly edited style of video.”

Even if you don’t want a highly edited video, ask your videographer if you can give him or her a CD of preferred songs to use.

Today’s videographers often use filmic techniques (think flowing compositions, dramatic music, and wide-screen shots) to make the video even more dynamic. Effects that were once prohibitively expensive are now much more accessible, and the results are wedding videos that feel more like feature films than ordinary home videos. That’s just perfect for your extraordinary nuptials.”

Jason Wilton c/o M Stiverson

There is no right way, or wrong way to film a wedding… unless you simply miss every shot, or shake the camera, or show up late… maybe there are wrong ways. What I mean is that everyone has a specific style or vision when it comes down to your big day

You make the moments, We just capture them.

Although you are hiring a videographer to capture the details, and every last moment of your wedding, you don’t want someone shooting something that looks like your Uncle Larry shot in the pews, even though that is their ‘style’. Look for someone that is willing to listen to you and your visions – Put in some suggestions, but cater to your likes and dislikes. A professional visionary needs to be able to get in your mind, translate the details, and create a production for you that you would be proud to show your family, and freinds (maybe even on Facebook™).

Late Now? Late Forever.

Something as simple as basic customer service should truly weigh heavily on your videographer decision. Are they on time to your meeting? Do they listen to your story? Are they pleasant to talk to and interact with? If they do not value your time for the initial meetings, it’s more than likely that this is a trend that will continue throughout your entire professional relationship. Ask your self… Is what they are offering me truly worth the risk of them missing moments of our wedding?

Price vs. Value

Unfortunately this entire industry bases it’s prices on, what the marketing geeks would call, ‘follow the leader pricing’. What this means is new videographers will look at the competition’s pricing, and simply copy and paste it to their website and try to re-create the package ‘deals’ as they go along. This seems easy enough to do, however it does not provide to you, our customer, fair value. The professional company, or the ‘leader’, has the experience to price the investment exactly as it should be priced. Every minute behind the lens, or in the studio is carefully tracked and used to improve – They know what they are providing you, and they know EXACTLY what your memories are going to look like. The other guys, or ‘followers’, take this pricing information, and simply copy it in its entirety. The down side for the customer is that you may not be receiving the value that you would with the established company – you could get short sticked, poor quality, shaky camera, or less than what you agreed upon.

When you are selecting a videographer, don’t be afraid to ask details on each of the items which are priced. You may be surprised with some of the answers you would receive!

Personal Connection.

Professionalism is key when choosing a wedding videographer

Videography, and photography is an art form expressed in as many ways as you can imagine. I’ve always been an advocate of different styles, and learning from every video, or photo I see. However, there are times where the connection just doesn’t line up. Our professional photographer, Vanessa Nguyen, will tell you horror stories from first hand experience; If they cannot connect with you now, you will not connect with your video later.

Meet your videographer in person before you make a decision, get a feel for them and see if there is a connection. The last thing you would want is to have a person at your wedding day that simply doesn’t get it. If they want to help you, they will make sure they are available when you are to discuss your details.

Quick Note: Although Kijiji can prove to be a great resource for thousands of videography companies, keep in mind that ANYONE can post anything up there.

Again, I’ve heard so many horror stories, regrets, and ‘What if I had…instead of…’ stories. Take the time, and hear what we have to say, we are here to make your wedding day’s memories last forever.

Jason Wilton