Tips for Your Wedding Video Shoot - Wedding Articles | BridalBook

Your wedding video captures your special day in moving pictures, making it among the important wedding details that would allow you to look back on your wedding. If you have some apprehensions about starring in your own wedding video, below are several valuable tips from Jake Olaso of Jake Olaso Digital Video, Lénaïc Maréchal of Lmvisual Wedding Films, and John Mateos Ong of Wang Videography on how to prevent the jitters and achieve the wedding video you'll cherish for the rest of your life.

BRIDALBOOK: How do you get comfortable in front of the camera? Are there any preparations they should undergo, or things that they should keep in mind prior to the big day?

Jake Olaso Digital Video (Jake Olaso): Most couples are usually shy and distant to our cameras, which is why there should be a relationship between the videographer and the couple--an engagement session prior to the wedding day is an [opportunity] to build that trust and relationship. Relax and talk to your suppliers, if need be, eat with them! Share some laughs and I'm sure, you'll be ready to face their camera in no time! Finalize everything a day before, and assign a point person for all the inquiries so you can get your beauty rest before the wedding.

Lmvisual Wedding Films (Lénaïc Maréchal): Every couple is different and the approach is never the same. It is important to keep in mind that it is a video and not a photo. We, as wedding filmmakers, need a scene and a context. For that to be possible, the couple has to be genuine--and that starts with communication and confidence in the wedding supplier. I personally try to be on the location of the wedding day earlier than planned to talk to the couple, joke with them and start filming a little bit here and there--even though the footage filmed won't be in the final cut--just to make them feel comfortable and play with the camera before the preparation starts. 

Wang Videography (John Mateos Ong): It helps if you first set a pre-prod meeting with your videographers. Get to know them, and maybe open up to them about your apprehensions in being in front of a camera, then allow them to be your encouragers. Great videographers also make a great cheering team, so that's a note for you to also find yourself a great videography team that can rally you on. Sometimes, it also helps if you practice posing at home, say, in front of a mirror. That way, you'll have an idea about which angles and poses work for you.

BRIDALBOOK: Do you have any tips for choosing the song for the video?

Jake Olaso Digital Video (Jake Olaso): I always ask my clients to get a song that is: (1) Close to their heart--it doesn't have to be a wedding song, the important thing is that you remember your special day with this song; (2) Upbeat--a good SDE (same day edit) song is one you can thump you feet with; and, (3) Unique--this might not be necessary, but it would be a bonus if you can get a song that [may be unfamiliar to most people], but after the SDE they will be hooked with the song!

Lmvisual Wedding Films (Lénaïc Maréchal): This might sound unusual but I do believe it is best to let the filmmaker choose the song. We always do. We, more than the couple, know what song will fit best the ambiance of the day. A couple's favorite song doesn't have to be the wedding film song automatically. Using a brand new song will link it to the emotion during the wedding day, and instantly makes it unique and special. Every time the couple hears the song of their wedding film, it will remind them of the day of their wedding and makes this song we choose their wedding song. 

Wang Videography (John Mateos Ong): Not all songs fit a wedding video. Make a short list of your song choices, and give it to your team. You may also ask your editor about what song is best for your SDE.

BRIDALBOOK: What can you expect from your videographer on the big day? What should you do to make your emotions in front of the camera genuine?

Jake Olaso Digital Video (Jake Olaso): For us to show the true emotions of the special day, the couples should just be themselves. Everything will follow, and the videographer will do the storytelling for you. The key words here are genuine and non-intrusive.

Lmvisual Wedding Films (Lénaïc Maréchal): [Expect your videographers] to be professional, autonomous, and trustworthy--this is why the couple should carefully choose their wedding filmmaker and wedding suppliers in general. Choose them depending on your budget and taste. Make sure that you love [your videographer's] style. As cliché as it sounds, the best advice would be to be yourself. It is normal to feel the pressure at the start of the day, but remember that it is a day is about happiness and the beginning of a new life. Just relax and enjoy every minute of it.

Wang Videography (John Mateos Ong): Videographers do not expect their couples to act on their wedding day--they're not actors, anyway. The best videographers encourage their couples to be comfortable in being themselves. Love's best when it radiates naturally through the cam--that's where the real beauty of the SDE happens. Just be yourself and let your video team in! In the end, you will be the audience of your wedding SDE. So keep in mind how you'd like to see yourself on your SDE, especially when you watch it many years after your wedding.

To learn more about Jake Olaso Digital Video, click here.
To learn more about Lmvisual Wedding Films, click here.
To learn more about Wang Videography, click here.