Significant life milestones, such as debuts, weddings, and christenings, are memories that you want to remember in the future. Fortunately, modern technology allows you to store these keepsakes in digital format so that you can look back on them when you’re in a nostalgic mood.
While you may have the basic tools and skills for amateur videography, you’ll be better off hiring professional video production service providers, like the team from Morrisey Video Production. You may be tempted to think that you can complete the project yourself and save money. However, by hiring one, you’ll be keeping yourself from being stressed during your big day, while ensuring that you get an excellent end product.
Here are the reasons why you should hire a video production service company for your life events:
- Expertise
The primary advantage of enlisting the help of professionals is that you can enjoy their expertise in this particular field. These experts have gained advanced technical skills and knowledge of their craft through practice and years of experience. Unless you have the time to study videography and its intricacies, you want to hire a professional team for your major life events instead.
These are a few things that skilled videographers notice naturally while working:
- Positioning: Professionals know how to make their clients look good in the video. This way, you can fully enjoy memories of the events without cringing about how you turned sideways in an unflattering angle. The editor can cut that scene out easily.
With this, you won’t hesitate to publish the video on YouTube or some other platform for everyone to see.
- Lighting: Lighting is also a crucial aspect of videography. A professional videographer knows what settings in the camera to use to maximize the light’s availability, especially when your venue is outdoors, and there’s lots of sunlight.
They’re also adept at making harsh fluorescent lights look softer in the video for the most flattering output for everyone featured in the video.
- Editing: Videographers have the end in mind even while they’re still filming the shot. They’re trying to make the most of their paid time, so they strive to take videos in a way that minimizes the amount of editing that needs to be done. That’s why same-day edits have become a trend at weddings, where highlights of the ceremony are shown during the reception after just one or two hours from when it happened.
- Convenience
Another reason why you should hire videographers is that, as mentioned above, you save yourself from getting stressed on the big day. For instance, it’s your child’s christening, and you’ve decided to undertake the task of filming the joyous moments of the event.
You’d need to be in several places at once to capture all the well-wishes and happy smiles that your guests would bring. You can’t fulfill your role as a gracious host because you’ll be so busy concentrating on filming the video. Plus, you might even become ill-tempered if things don’t go according to plan, which happens most of the time during big parties involving several people.
Save yourself from becoming dadzilla or bridezilla and hire a professional team of videographers. This way, you can enjoy the moment with family and friends and leave the work to the professionals.
- Equipment
Today’s generation of smartphones may be able to produce high-resolution videos and allow you to edit them right on your device. However, for major life events, you should aim to make it future-proof. This means ensuring that it can be played in the future, when low-resolution recordings and formats may become obsolete.
Nowadays, 8K resolution has been developed, which entails a whopping 4320p video mode. It contains 33,177,600 pixels per image with a frame size of 7,680×4,320.
These figures may not seem impressive for most people. However, the implications of shooting with a high-resolution camera are that videographers can stay away from the limelight and still capture the emotions from, let’s say, the bride and groom as they state their wedding vows. This is because when the videographers zoom in twice as much, they can still have an output of 4K and HD if they zoom in even more.
Aside from a powerful main camera, a professional videographer also needs these gears to get the best shot of your event:
- Alternative Cameras: It makes a lot of sense to hire a video production company for big events with lots of guests because you want to capture everyone’s faces in the shot. The only way to do that is to have multiple people and cameras all around the room.
They may even have drones, which allow them to take shots at a long-range. This way, the videographers can have an assortment of recordings to choose from for the final output.
- Tripod: A few cameras should also be positioned permanently in various points of the venue. Two cameras might be used to capture everything going on in the stage while another must face the audience.
Regardless, these gadgets have to be placed on tripods to ensure their safety and stability.
- Gimbal: One or two videographers may also be moving around to capture the moments in motion. They should use a gimbal, which is a weighted tool that aids in keeping the videographer’s hands stable even while they’re going around the room.
This way, the output won’t be a dizzying blur, and it can still capture the quick reactions of your guests.
- External Microphone: While most digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras have built-in microphones to pick up sounds, they don’t usually provide audio clarity.
The cameras near the stage must be equipped with an external microphone to clearly capture the words being uttered by the minister, host, and celebrants.
- Lighting Equipment: A dark video is relatively challenging to edit. That’s why the videographers you hire must have lighting equipment, such as reflectors and portable softboxes, to ensure the quality of the final output.
These tools can help the team take advantage of natural light as well as soften the harshness of fluorescent lights.
- Speed
The expertise and experience of professional videographers have enabled them to create templates in their minds about how to shoot the videos and edit them. With this, they can provide you with the final recording quickly.
As stated earlier, same-day edits have become a trend for weddings. The videographers shoot the ceremony, take the raw recordings, and edit them into a cohesive video just in time for the guests to enjoy them during the reception. This skill is gained from training and having filmed several events.
The minds and muscles of these professionals are already proficient in knowing the right moments to pick for the highlight reel and post-process them quickly.
Check this video to see a professionally-made highlight reel.
- Unobtrusiveness
Positioning is crucial for both the subjects of the video and the videographers. Professionals are mindful of the guests and can capture the moments without obstructing their view of the stage.
The combination of their skills and the potency of their equipment, especially the cameras, allow seasoned videographers to take memorable shots without disturbing the ceremony.
Tips for Finding the Best Video Production Team
Now that you’re convinced of the reasons to hire a professional video production service company, it’s time to find the best team for your needs and preferences. Research is your top tool when looking for experts in the industry.
Here are some tips to help you find the best video production team:
- Check Their Style
The first thing you should do is to view the videographers’ portfolios on their websites or other platforms, like YouTube, Vimeo, and even Instagram. These professionals put their work out there so that potential clients will know what to expect.
There are several styles to choose from, especially for wedding videos. These are the usual techniques that are used by most wedding videographers:
- Cinematic: This style incorporates the technical aspects of cinematography into the filming and processing aspects of the video, which includes the angles, transitions, and filters used in movies.
Videographers who utilize this technique typically opt to portray the themes and emotions of the event rather than following a linear timeline.
- Short Form: Short form style focuses more on the highlights of the day. Most video production companies offer this type of video along with other full-feature formats.
For weddings, the highlights prioritize three sections: getting ready, the ceremony, and reception.
- Storytelling: The storytelling style of videography is characterized by tools that provide your audience with the context of the shots. It can be a voiceover narration, captions, music, or a combination of these media to produce a comprehensive video. This style is ideal for events with a significant background story.
- Documentary: Documentary videos aim for a more authentic feel. Videographers with this style strive to capture the unplanned and genuine moments of the event. They focus on personal moments and non-verbal cues to emphasize the raw emotions involved at the moment.
- Traditional: If you prefer the focus to be on the ceremony and reception, you may want to have traditional videographers. With this style, there are usually minimal shots of what happened behind-the-scenes and other wedding details. It also entails fewer cinematic tools, with a high-resolution camera being enough for most of the shots.
- Ask about Their Package
Most videographers charge a day rate instead of an hourly one because the grunt work usually happens after shooting. Different firms or agencies have differing prices. They also have differences in the services that they offer.
A typical video production process starts with concept planning, where the team prepares and presents its proposal to the client. Pre-production comes next, which delves into the details, such as crafting shot lists as well as preparing the equipment.
On the day of the event, the filming will start. The shot list actually just serves as a guide. Most videographers take a lot of raw footage to have an extensive assortment to choose from for the final output.
Post-production is the last stage. It’s where the team views the shots taken and edits them into a comprehensive full-featured video for the client.
- Confirm if They Can Work with Your Venue
While most professional videographers are trained to produce high-quality output regardless of the setting, their proficiency still boils down to preference. That’s why you must review the portfolio of a potential video production team. It’ll give you an idea of their style as well as whether they work well indoors or outdoors.
Hire videographers who have extensive experience in shooting at similar venues where you’ll be hosting your event. For instance, if you’re planning to hold your baby’s christening in your garden, then look for a team that has produced videos for outdoor occasions. They’ll be more knowledgeable about how to deal with the lighting and weather-related risks.
- Read Up on Reviews
To find the best videographers, you should do your research and read up on what their clients are saying about them. Social media and community forums are useful platforms for knowing how well a video production team takes care of their customers.
Reading reviews can help give you an idea of what to expect when you hire a particular videographer. You want someone who has the technical skills and knowledge to capture your events in the best possible light.
- Find People You’re Comfortable With
Aside from their expertise and proficiency, you also want a video production team that puts you at ease. While they don’t necessarily have to charm you, they should be professional and approachable enough that you won’t hesitate to talk to them about your vision for the final output.
Conclusion
It’s better to hire a professional video production team to film your major life events, such as debuts, weddings, and christenings. This is because they can produce excellent output that you’ll enjoy reviewing in the years to come.
They also have the right equipment to produce high-quality videos, so you won’t have to worry about anything during the big day. Save yourself the trouble and enlist the help of experienced videographers to capture your memories.
