Frequently Asked Questions

Ever wondered about booking a videographer for your wedding but not sure whether to go ahead? Below are some Frequently Asked Questions and our answers.

Q. Our budget is already stretched to breaking point and we don’t think we can afford a videographer. Most of them are very expensive. How much do you charge?

A. Yes, there are a wide variety of videographers out there covering the full spectrum of costs. We charge from the ground up rather than the max down and our prices begin at £515 for our Silver Package. In contrast to other videographers who might ask for the full balance before your wedding day, we help you spread the cost by asking for a 20% deposit to secure the date with the remainder spread out over three more payments before and after your big day, like this: 30% before wedding, 30% after wedding, final 20% once your DVDs are ready.

Q. We are a little shy and/or so are our guests. We’d rather not have another stranger there with a big VHS camera into people’s faces making them self conscious.

A. A lot has changed since the videoing of weddings of yesteryear. And I personally am quite pleased with my ability to get awesome footage while staying relatively discreet. At the preliminary meeting I always check to find out how much of a presence you’d like me to have and to get an idea about you and your guests’ feelings while being in front of a camera. I can blend right into the background if you like, and even offered to pose as long lost uncle from Australia at a wedding in order to bring the visibility factor right down. At the end of the day if we give you a video where everyone looks stressed and annoyed this reflects badly on us, so what I like to do is get as many candid shots as possible, by zooming in on people at the opposite side of the room. That way everyone looks natural and relaxed. Also, cameras have changed a lot. Some of my cameras are tiny Go Pros, that stick onto windows or attach to light fittings and you probably won’t even notice them! I get many comments from clients saying they hardly even saw me. Have a look at our five star reviews and see for yourself :) 

Q. It’s going to be a small venue with lots of people, and the last thing we want is a bunch of cables everywhere. Heath and safety?

A. Yes, we take health and safety extremely seriously. We are fully insured (certificate available on request) and use batteries for our cameras and lights almost all the time. We may charge them up at an out of the way wall socket, but everything would be tucked away safely and out of sight if possible.

Q. What if there’s friction between the photographer and videographer?

A. As with everyone in the wedding industry I’m sure we all want you to have the best day possible, and I think most people realise the optimum way of doing that is to work together in a friendly manner as a team. I’ve worked with and learned from great photographers over the years. I usually let them do their directing and get their shots and follow them around just recording everything quietly. It’s acceptable to have the photographer in the video, but not the other way round :)

Q. What happens if there is a second wave of Covid-19 and we have to postpone our wedding to another date. Isn’t this just another wedding supplier we’d have to juggle and perhaps even lose our deposit?

A. If you book us and wish to change the date to one that we have available in the future due to Covid-19 related problems, we’d be very happy to accommodate at no extra charge. Please ask us for our available dates before re-booking your wedding. If, however, we are unavailable for your new date, we will refund 75% of your deposit.

Q. I saw a wedding video once and the guests had to leave a message and they were uncomfortable and embarrassed. We don’t want video messages.

A. That’s fine. What I usually do is just ask people in passing if they’d like to leave a message and if they say no, just smile and say, “thanks anyway.” Or I ask the DJ to mention it. But if you’d rather not have video messages I’d be more than happy to remove this from your package as this saves me going outside my comfort zone :)

Q. Do we have to provide a meal for the videographer as well as the photographer?

A. Not at all. Some people have it in their contracts but I’m as happy to have soup and a sandwich at the bar as in my car :)

Q. Oh god, not another meeting!

A. One phone call or Zoom chat sometime before your big day – 40 minuntes tops – that’s all I ask :) But if you’re too busy and trust me to do the best job I can, we can even forego the meeting and I’ll go over everything with the venue or wedding planner on the day.

Q. Can we see the video to suggest edits before it’s all finalised?

A. Sure. Once you’re all paid up I can send you links to preview your wedding chapters online and even share with friends. Let me know if you’d like to alter anything and I’d be happy to oblige.

Q. Do we get the full film as well as a highlights version?

A. Yes, that’s right. We edit together a full film of your wedding day lasting between 50 and 90 minutes, and we also cut together a short music video of all the best clips from your day. This will be in high definition and uploaded to be shared online with friends and family as you like. This is actually one of my favourite parts of the wedding video process.

Q. Can we hear the vows and the speeches or is it music all the way through?

A. Some of the chapters will be music only, for example, arrival of the guests, the photos, the first dance etc., but the ceremony and the speeches will of course have audio from the three microphones I’ll have dotted about the place. For the ceremony I usually clip a lapel mic on the groom – an internal mp3 recorder which fits snugly in an inside pocket, and this will pick up both your vows nice and clearly. For the speeches I place three mics down on the table in front of the speakers. 

So that's it! I hope that's answered a few questions you may have. If you'd like an more information about us filming your wedding in Scotland, please contact Chris by phone or text on 07899 718775 or email me at info@whiteorchidweddingfilms.com . You can also message our Facebook page :)

Tip #2 : Price

It's not all about finding the cheapest deal. It's about finding the best quality, the best value, the right videographer, with a character and style you like, who you can trust to do the best job they can. Some couples have a family member or friend video it for them for free for a wedding present. If your friend or family member's job is videographer with many years' experience then relax! You've aced it. Read no more.

The Wedding of Ruth & Alastair, The George Hotel, 1st Dec 2013

Consumer cameras are getting better and cheaper all the time, but there are some things that can only be learned from experience in the field. For example, did you know that most cameras, when trained on two people, autofocus on the central background between them? That's not good when filming vows. Also, will your family member or friend be using lapel mics to get good clear audio? Or know what an active smartphone can do to a microphone's signal? Do they know what to do if the bride and groom are silhouetted against a bright window and the camera can't make out their faces? Will they be using two cameras in case one is shaky or blurred or they need to edit something out? Just some things to think about.

The Cheapest Deal? 

One day when I lived in Japan it started to rain and was quite windy, so I went in to a 100 yen shop (like a pound shop) and bought the cheapest umbrella I could find. Then, while I was walking home the damn thing broke in half and I ended up throwing it in the nearest bin. And then I thought to myself, well, it was only a pound, what did I expect? And I walked home soaking wet. So I would have been better off not buying anything – I would at least have still had the 100 yen. From that moment I decided never to buy the cheapest option of anything. Usually I aim for the second cheapest, or middle of the range, or even better, a known and trusted brand name that have their image to worry about and so build things to last.

Another story. Before Christmas 2017 a young bride sent me a message. She was in tears because her videographer had made a hash of her video. I said I'd see what I could do. She sent me the link and I downloaded it and I felt a sinking feeling almost straight away. Because much of what her videographer had done wrong could not be fixed. When something is out of focus, it's out of focus forever. As far as I know there is no software that can put something in focus once it's been captured that way. I felt really bad for her. I could cut out those parts or cover them over, but apart from becoming the first person to invent an app to focus a blurry image there wasn't much else I could do.

How Much Does It Actually Cost?

A lot of people think wedding videography is generally over-priced. So did I. The trouble is, to make a good wedding video does actually take quite a lot of work (at least £8.50 per hour living wage) and needs quite pricey equipment that has to be upgraded every five years. A new Macbook pro + software costs about £2000. A good camera, £2500. Let's say hard drives & SD cards cost £500. That's £5000 every 5 years, or £1000 per year on average just maintaining equipment. (Say a videographer does 24 weddings a year. That's £42 for equipment per wedding.)

On top of this is £420 for insurance (£18 insurance per wedding) and £330 for accounting fees (£14 accounting per wedding).

Next let's say it takes 30 hours non stop to edit a wedding flat out + 10 to shoot it (+20 if there are two camera operators) @ £8.50/hr = £340 for labour.

And what about pension (10%), website (£5), admin (£10) and marketing (£10)?

Summary of Estimated Minimum Costs per Wedding

(assuming 24 weddings per year, one operator, £8.50/hr in 2017)

Equipment £42

Insurance £18

Accounting £14

Website £5

Admin £10

Marketing £10

Labour £340

Total £439

Pension(10%) £44

Grand total £483

So after all this £500 per wedding might not seem so expensive.

This is the minimum a videographer might expect to budget for costs for a wedding. Anything less than this and either they aren't using good equipment, or they aren't insured, they're doing a rush job, or they haven't thought things through properly.

The Raptor Filmz / White Orchid 2017 Wedding Compilation 

Top End Wedding Videos

Well, what about the most expensive deal? £2000 for a wedding video? Okay, if you really like their style, talent, hard work they put in, etc. Have they won awards? Do they have great reviews and an infallible reputation? How many people are they employing? Are they all really necessary? Are they going to use your money efficiently? How many cameras are they using? Are they filming from Bridal Prep until Midnight? Are they using great stabilisation like motorised sliders? (on my wish list :)) How many years' experience do they have? How many years' training? Do they have a fast turnaround? What support do they have in place (See Tip #1)? What resolution end result do they provide?

If a videographer asked for £2,000 to film my wedding I would genuinely be quite interested to see a breakdown of their budget.

On a side note, studies have suggested that the more money a couple spends on their wedding, the smaller the chance their marriage will last.

Conclusion:

Ask yourself : what would Buddha do? Well, he probably wouldn't get married. But if he did, he would choose the middle way. £500 as standard, up to £600 if they have good references, you like their style, you have a good rapport, etc. And I'm not just saying that because that's how much we usually ask for, from Guests Arriving until First Dance. This is honestly what I would recommend to a niece or nephew if they asked me how much would be a good ball park figure to spend on a wedding video in Scotland in 2018. 

If you would like to add something to the discussion, please let me know in the comments below.

Read Tip #1 : Support
Read Tip #3 : Why Choose a Videographer

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© Chris Young 2018