Consultation
We have an initial consultation with the client in person, where we show examples of previously edited weddings. In many cases we can show examples from your chosen ceremony location and reception sites. Many brides find this to be a unique opportunity to view their ceremony and reception venues "all dressed up". We also take this opportunity to determine the couple's specific wishes for their wedding video.
Your Contract
Once a couple has chosen us for their wedding, a contract is drawn, stipulating what packages and options are selected.
Your Rehearsal
Next comes the filming of the rehearsal (when applicable - depends on package chosen). We strongly recommend getting your rehearsal videotaped. We videotape weddings all over the country so this is our chance to meet your family members and friends prior to the wedding, and to meet with the officiating clergy. Here we discuss the site's policy for video and we determine our audio needs, optimum camera locations and light requirements (we do not use artificial lighting during the ceremony). This way, at your ceremony, our job goes smoothly and in harmony with both the wedding participants and the location policies. If videotaping the rehearsal is not possible or is not a part of your wedding video package, we consult with your officiating clergy via telephone.
The Wedding Day
On the wedding day itself, we arrive on site one hour before the wedding and set up the cameras, audio lines, dress these down and then start filming the pre-ceremony events: Interviews, if desired, outside and inside shots of your ceremony location, your family and friends arriving, etc. Once the ceremony starts, we lock down on the tripods and videotape the wedding. During the ceremony, our camera people will talk to each other via head sets in order to direct one another to different points of view and perspectives so that in the editing room we can put together the most dynamic and elegant video possible. The groom wears (if desired) a wireless microphone (very small, black, and low profile) which is only used for the vows. We are discreet, respectful and unobtrusive.
The Reception
We record all the major events happening at the reception, and we can conduct interviews and other forms of coverage, as you desire. Totally interactive or totally discreet, we'll respond to your wishes, because it's your party!
Editing
When we edit, we review all of your footage and prepare your video according to what we captured and your wishes. No wedding video can be produced by a "cookie cutter" because no two weddings are the same. We edit your wedding with a digital non-linear system. A fully digital editing system provides you superior video and audio quality. Music is added to the rehearsal, pre-ceremony, post-ceremony/stills/cocktail hour segments, baby picture collage, music video, Whimsy, or other short form videos. Editing with a fully digital editing system means that later on we'll be able to give you your wedding in other, more advance formats, such as DVD.
Communication is the Key
Communication is the key to everything we do for you! The more we know about what you want and what to expect at the wedding, the better the video that we'll produce for you. If it is done right the first time, it is much easier to make you happy - after all, happy Brides are our business!
Creating Your Own Love Story
One increasingly popular supplement to wedding day coverage is a custom-produced "Love Story Video." Also called a "Reflections Video" or a "Concept Video," this tells the story of how you both met and fell in love. You have the opportunity to let everyone--including future generations--know how your relationship evolved right up to this special day.
A Love Story Video can be as creative and special as you like, reflecting your own unique personality as a couple. Some Love Stories, for example, are produced as a music video, shot on-location with you and your fiancée at your favorite settings. Others may take the form of an indoor, or outdoor, interview session that also features important family photographs, even video clips. Still others combine the two styles.
You have a wonderful and unique story to tell. Why not share it with those you love.
Send out a unique and original Video Invitation to those you love the most.
The video invite incorporates your life together, your life growing up and a personal message from the both of you.
Will you have a low key presence?
Absolutely. We go about our job quietly and professionally without distracting you or your guests. Most couples remark that they didn't notice we were there and are surprised by the extensive coverage. Our videos are in a style of documenting, not directing. Brides have told us how much they appreciated this.
How do you get along with the photographers you work with?
Very well. Most of the high end photographers refer us and are pleased and impressed with our ability to stay out of the way and keep a low profile, especially since we don't use a lot of lights.
Do you use bright lights?
No. We use an unobtrusive, on-camera lighting to highlight the clarity, brilliance, and true color of real TV.
What type of equipment do you use?
ALL Digital. Our cameras are the highest quality in the industry - 3CCD. This, combined with our Professional, Non-Linear Editing system, insures the most artistic and highest quality video possible.
What about the quality of the audio?
Crystal Clear! Echoes are eliminated because we use wireless remote microphones. Your voices are clear. Your vows will sound just as you spoke them.
Do you carry back-up equipment?
Yes. We bring two of all of the necessary components to insure a quality video.
Will you be professional in your appearance?
Always. You can only expect a class act, both in demeanor and dress.
Can we select music for you to use in the editing process?
Yes. Songs that are special to you can be edited into the final tape at no additional charge. In our pre wedding planning stage we will cover music and style of editing.
Do you require a retaining fee for your services?
Yes, a retainer of 1/2 of the contracted total is standard. The final 2/2 is due on or before the wedding day.
How soon can we expect to receive our edited DVD(s)?
Extended Basic - 12 to 16 weeks
Standard - 16 to 20 weeks
Silver - 20 to 24 weeks
Gold - 28 to 36 weeks
Add additional 2-4 weeks for a summer weddings...
What is people ask me time to time?
WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU???
Because I will produce a video that will exceed your expectations. Colorful, crystal clear, rock-solid visuals. Smooth and tasty transitions, with a dash of black & white, slow motion, letterbox, and soft focus for full flavor. The digital stereo soundtrack will sound spectacular on your home theater system!
All my videographer(s) and me graduate from Syracuse University. We hold MA in Visual Communication, resived 2 gold medals and numerouse awards from very prestige competition. We worked for TV Production Studios for many years and now we run our own business for 6 years (!), and tomorrow we will be here.
We are a full-time videographers who specializes in weddings. Unobtrusive, and easy going. We won't add to your stress level on the big day. Most of the time, you won't even know we are there.
We document the events of the day with an emphasis on all the little details you might miss. Using artistic techniques that are visually pleasing and interesting, you will be portrayed in the best possible light. Special effects are used appropriately and sparingly to avoid the dreaded "cheesy" look.
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Lights, camera, action: Ready to film the romance of a lifetime?
A wedding videographer combines the skills of a documentary filmmaker with the eyes of a movie director, and options abound when it comes to capturing the spirit or shaping the story of your wedding day. Here are 10 issues you should consider to get the wedding video you envision.
VIEWING VIBE The first question you have to ask yourselves is how do you want the video to "feel"? Would you prefer it to be one-dimensional, like a TV sitcom, or multi-layered, like VH-1's "Once Upon a Wedding" or "Love Story". Do you want the static footage of a stationary camera, the fluid movements of something handheld, or a blend? This choice between a "standard" and more narrative "documentary" style will be the filter through which you make all other decisions, from who you hire to how the day is filmed and the footage edited. A standard video is less expensive but more limited; many people prefer the well-rounded flow of a documentary approach. Ask the expert from Living Art to show you the difference, and ask them why they prefer documentary style. 1.877.EZVIDEO (398.4336) or e-mail us
CAMERA CUES in GENERAL Two types of cameras can be used when shooting video: DV (digital video) and analog (non-digital). Analog was standard until DV technology became affordable, and the advantages are clear. "Digital produces crisp, pristine images," says videographer Peter Di Lauro who has shot over 500 weddings. "The color and skin tone rendition is flawless." Better yet: The cameras are significantly smaller than analog, can be handheld (for that hospital-documentary look), and are twice as sensitive to light as analog, meaning that free-standing, blinding room lights are a thing of the past. (On-camera lights are still required to illuminate faces, however, and smaller, handheld off-camera lights are used when staging a specific shot -- backlighting a veil, for example).
CAMERA CUES in LIVING ART Unlike other wedding videographers who often use old, bulky equipment just to impress their clients we are able to stay mobile and avoid dangerous extension cords and annoying light stands.
-We know how to remain unobtrusive.
-We have a special trained eye for catching those natural moments.
-We love kids, and enjoy finding those cute, spontaneous moments for your video.
-We can sensitively interview your guests to capture their emotions and heartfelt congratulations (by request). Every wedding video package includes: state-of-the-art video equipment to ensure that your precious memories are captured forever. Your video stays digital from the 3-chip digital cameras to the computerized editing system, all the way onto the final digital master tapes. Single or two video cameras. The production includes professional digital video editing tools, incorporating custom graphics & music. At least 40 hours of post-production editing after your wedding (on a digital non-linear workstation), making no two videos alike.
Next decision: How many cameras do you want at your event? Two or more may seem obtrusive, but one cameraman can't be everywhere at once. "Many brides want a choice of perspectives," says Di Lauro. "For example, with two cameras you can shoot the father/daughter dance and the expression on Mom's face. Or you can have one camera covering the bride getting ready and one covering the groom." The cost of additional cameramen is either a flat fee or prorated according to how long the extra coverage is needed: pre-wedding prep only, ceremony only, and so on. Using our computerized wedding video editing suite, we create stunning effects such as elegant transitions, slow motion, and dissolves from color into black and white. We use our equipment like a fine craftsman-s tool. The wedding videos are edited in a smooth, timeless, and tasteful way for years of enjoyment. Words from a retired videographer trying to offer his grain of salt. If you are looking for a pro to videotape your wedding...
PREVIEW POWER Once filming is finished, we can show you the raw footage to preview before editing begins to note scenes that you definitely want to keep or cut. This is important because a videographer doesn't know what -- or who -- is most significant to you. For example, during the reception, he would choose only the most interesting dance scenes, whereas you might want those, plus a specific shot of a friend from overseas whom you don't see very often. (The raw footage is allways available for purchase or as part of your package.) The best editing system is non-linear editing, which means that the original footage is stored digitally on a computer hard drive, edited via "cut and paste" techniques on the computer, and then output back to VHS tape, CD-ROM (the quality is not as good as DVD but it can be played on your computer), or DVD. This method allows the videographer to create seamless transitions between scenes, titles, and special effects.
PERSONAL EFFECTS. Some couples are of the mind that adding lots of special effects will guarantee that they get their money's worth. Although this may spice up a standard TV sitcom-style video, keep in mind that the goal of a documentary-style video is to achieve the virtually invisible transitions of a feature film. Special effects are used to enhance your wedding, not upstage it. That said, the range of ways you can augment a video is mind-boggling. While filming, a star filter can be used to accentuate candlelight for the dream-sequence effect you've seen on TV, or a soft-effects filter can be added to airbrush a sometimes too-realistic clarity (in other words, helps mask those bags under your eyes). In the editing room, text can be added and animated or written, scrolling (for example, in a split screen with your vows on one side, your ceremony on the other), and fly in at different speeds and angles. Color can be super saturated (intensified), de-saturated (softened), washed with a sepia tone, or converted to black-and-white. Single elements can be highlighted with a spot color against a black-and-white background (like the little red dress in the movie Schindler's List). Images can be slow motion; transitions can be fast or slow fades (from or to black), or dissolves (one scene dissolves into another).
FINAL FORMAT Analog videotapes (VHS) start to deteriorate after 15 years and quality declines in duplicate tapes. DVDs last longer, there is virtually no loss of quality in duplicate copies, and there is no pesky rewinding; it will come with about five chapters -- such as the ceremony, the cocktail hour -- that you can hop between with the touch of a button. If you don't have a DVD player, no problem: Shoot the wedding with a digital camera and purchase the final edit on both a DVD (this will be your master copy) and VHS tape. This way you have a superior quality image secured in a long-lasting format but you don't have to go buy a DVD player to watch it.
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