Video Stills by Sky Focus Films
Chris Martin of Sky Focus Films has been capturing couples’ most important days for seven years, but when he got married in 2015, it opened his eyes even further to the impact and importance of wedding videography.
“As much as I can sit at the other side of the table and say, ‘Oh, this is what video will do for you,’ to actually experience it, it activates all your senses,” he says. “It really takes you back to that moment.”
But we’re not talking about the wedding videography your parents remember when they got married. Even in the last 10 years, technology has turned what was once seen as a stereotypically “cheesy” home video into a cinematic masterpiece, using everything from HD cameras to drones and cranes to capture footage. “It’s becoming normal for videographers to purchase the same equipment movie producers and directors use, so we’re seeing a huge increase in quality. It’s exciting,” says Jordan Walker of Narrate Studios.
While the idea of being able to watch the full ceremony and reception on your 20th anniversary is certainly appealing, today’s couples are also interested in the art of this new wave of videography: the highlight reel. Pulling audio from the vows and speeches, plus clips from getting ready in the morning through the first dances, and setting it all to a soundtrack, today’s videographers are creating the perfect snapshots—typically ranging in length from five to seven minutes—of the wedding day. “The old wedding video was 45 minutes. It featured most of the ceremony, and all the other moments were staged. Now I might shoot 14 hours of footage and really only 1 to 5 percent of that ends up making the final film,” says John Hoel of Vibrant Film. “If done right, you can capture the essence of the day in all its best moments. If you can boil that down to its core, I think that is something that’s powerful and uplifting and makes people want to watch it again and again.”
In recent years, the popularity of the highlight reel has increased dramatically, thanks in part to social media. With its ease of shareability on Facebook, guests who were there and those who weren’t able to attend can relive the wedding days, weeks, and years later. Sky Focus Films has taken it one step further, offering 15-second Instagram clips as part of its package to couples. “People’s attention spans can be short, and people love Instagram for its simplicity,” Martin says. “It gives these couples just a quick taste. And again, it’s something that they can share.”
Cost is still a big hesitation for couples. According to The Wedding Report, a wedding videographer costs $984 on average in the state of Minnesota, but that number tends to increase significantly (to about $4,000 to $6,000) in the Twin Cities metro area. It’s often one of the first cuts made when the budget needs tightening, but local videographers are starting to notice a shift in how couples prioritize videography in the grand scheme of their wedding day. “Photos are amazing and they will always be a staple, but I think people are realizing that video is equally important for a different reason,” Walker says.
“If done right, you can capture the essence of the day in all its best moments. If you can boil that down to its core, I think that is something that’s powerful and uplifting and makes people want to watch it again and again.”
—John Hoel, Vibrant Film
“You can look through someone’s wedding photos and they are breathtaking, but as soon as you watch someone’s wedding film, you feel like, ‘OK, I kind of get a sense of the space. I get a sense of the way she smiles, the way they had this moment.’ It just tells the story in the way a photo can’t.”
