How To Make Wedding Video Like A Movie

The wedding: a special day deserves a professional video

Are you trying to figure out how to shoot a wedding video like a movie? You are on the right page: in this simple and complete guide, we will explain how to create a professional wedding video.

In this hyper-digitized age saturated with everyday images and videos, the wedding video has become an essential must for any couple who wants to celebrate and remember this special day. Enough with the little films shot by the uncle or cousins who juggle a little with the camera (or worse with the smartphone); to have quality and a wedding video like a film, you need to contact professionals in the sector.

If you are a videomaker or run any Event Video Production Company In Dubai, perhaps a beginner or a first commission, or if you are a very agitated young couple trying to know if the person they hired is doing well, then this article is for you. Here you will find the abs on how to make a professional wedding video, the necessary equipment and some advice on the essential points to shoot during the day. Let’s begin!

In this article, some useful tips on how to make your wedding video.

How to tell the wedding video as if it were a movie

To create a wedding video like a movie, first, you have to start treating it as such. This means that nothing must be left to chance and, indeed, the narration of the video must be meticulously prepared and above all agreed with the couple. Not everyone wants to focus on the classic: these days many couples require special wedding videos, now more romantic or more fun, with more or less rhythm, with a certain type of equipment or with another.

The first task of a professional videomaker who has to film a wedding is to understand the tastes and desires of those who commission the video. There are, however, some solid points to start from, elements and moments that can help you as you draft the “script” of the wedding video.

Try to consider this video as for any film with a script in three acts: there will be an initial part of the presentation of the characters and the world in which they move; here it is important to show who will become the protagonists of the wedding video, therefore spouses, parents, witnesses and so on. The entrance to the church or town hall marks the beginning of the second act, the one that leads to the point of no return, usually placed in the middle of the film: the fateful yes and the subsequent exchange of the rings. From here on, the wedding video can also change completely: it is the moment of the reception, of the party, in which it is important to capture emotions and build a crescendo of pathos and unforgettable moments.

The secrets of creating a wedding video like a movie.

When making a wedding video, the climax is the keyword: only then can you get a film that does justice to the special day you were asked to shoot. The advice we give you is to film as much as possible, always be present in the key moments and give voice to as many protagonists as possible: not only the spouses but also all the people around them. And yes, even that tipsy cousin can help spice up the third act of the wedding video.

Here are a few pointers on what to shoot during a wedding, key moments that you simply need to be certain you capture so that the wedding narrative is truly like a movie. Here are these moments:

• The preparation of the spouses
• The arrival at the church/municipality
• The exchange of promises and rings
• The yes and the kiss of the spouses
• The exit from the church/municipality
• The beginning of the reception
• The speeches of the spouses and relatives
• Cutting the cake
• The party

With these moments in your memory card, you’ll have everything you need to edit your wedding video. But what equipment do you need to take with you?

Wedding video: the necessary equipment

From theory to practice. Shooting the wedding video is an operation that requires preparation, but also technique. The first piece of advice we would like to give you is, if possible, not to do it alone: ​​being the only videographer at a wedding can put you in the unfortunate situation of having to run here and there or having to quickly change lens or camera settings. With the risk of missing the perfect moment which, alas, cannot be repeated?

Filming the wedding in two operators can be easier: so one can keep a “narrower” lens to capture close-ups and details and the other “wider” and choose different points from which to shoot the same inevitable scene. It will make your life easier even in assembly and a lot.

Having said that, let’s get to the equipment needed when shooting a wedding video. Obviously, it depends on the needs of the clients, but some of these elements are vital:

• Batteries– When it comes to filming a wedding it’s a good competition as to who runs out first, the operator or the batteries. Fortunately, for the latter there is a remedy: always carry at least three batteries and find a point where you can constantly recharge them. The temperature of the day can play tricks on the life of your batteries.
• External microphone– Some couples, to have the wedding video like a movie, also agree to be mixed for the whole day. In that case, you need pins (lavaliers), radio microphones to keep under control and, preferably, a sound engineer who takes care of the audio part. Otherwise, an external directional microphone (shotgun or half shotgun) to attach to the camera will do its job. I recommend: remembering the headphones to be sure of the audio levels.

Everything you need to create a wedding video is like a movie.

• SD Memory Cards– To film a wedding, take as much memory with you as possible. Fast SDXC cards of at least 64GB each, especially if you’re shooting in 4K. Better to equip yourself with a laptop with an external hard drive and, if you have a moment to do so, pour the material and immediately create a backup copy. Caution is never too much. By the way, always copy directly from SD cards and not from one hard drive to another: if errors are created during the transfer phase, you may see them replicated in all backup copies.
• Easel– Better still would be a stabilizer, but if the rhythms and spaces of the wedding video you’re making allow it, bring a ready-to-use tripod too. It will be easier to have stable and quality footage.
• A white t-shirt– This advice may seem strange to you, but every video maker who makes wedding videos knows that agility is key. A white t-shirt is used to always have a surface on which to do the white balance, essential for quality shots. A professional card with 18% grey would be better, but the T-shirt can also help you if necessary.
• Drone– For a wedding video like a movie, a drone may also be required, which fortunately is a technology within everyone’s reach nowadays. You will thus be able to take aerial shots of the bride’s arrival, the wedding location and many other moments.

This is the equipment to always have with you when shooting a wedding video. Have you marked everything? Because now we will move on to some advice in the editing phase when the wedding is now over and you can only count on what you have shot.

Edit the wedding video like a movie

Now that the last bottle has been uncorked, it’s time to sit down at the desk and edit the wedding video. Don’t underestimate this phase: here the real film is made, providing images of meaning and rhythm and, in some cases, of a specific genre. As mentioned, some couples want particular wedding videos, and if you find horror splatter fans who want to remember their special day as one of their favourite movies, you’ll have to be ready to please them. Some couples also provide a list of desired songs: they don’t necessarily work on video, so either you resort to the sublime art of mediation, or you make a virtue of necessity and try to make it work with an ad hoc montage...

In this regard, follow the instructions on how to narrate a wedding video and remember to use tighter shots for the most emotional moments, such as the exchange of rings or the kiss between the spouses. If the lighting conditions allow it, shoot the video at, at least 50 fps, so you can create a slow-motion of these moments in a few simple steps. If you don’t know how to do it. Remember that when you create a wedding video, you are the master of time: the duration of the video, the individual scenes and in general the rhythm depends on you and on the use you make of the shots. If you need to lengthen a scene, perhaps to get to the right point in the song, try to use filling images – the classic “liver” – as the faces of guests, and parents, usually the most excited and therefore always very useful for rendering emotion of the video, or some detail of the reception location.

One last piece of advice concerns the ending of the video: if it is true that the first seconds are essential to attract the attention of the public, it is in the final moment that you can give a precise emotional direction. You can also use a faster and brighter pace during the party, but for the conclusion make sure you have a beautiful shot with a high emotional rate, to be slowed down if necessary to bring down the final tear to those who are watching and guarantee you the infamous ones. 92 minutes of applause.

Wedding video: last summary

We have come to the end of this simple guide in which we hope we have clearly explained how to make a wedding video like a movie. The secret is to treat it as such and arrive prepared for the big day, already having in mind the type of story to tell based on the protagonists and their desires. We have also provided you with a list of necessary equipment and gave you some advice on how to professionally edit your wedding video.

Experience is always the fundamental discrimination, but there is also another element that can push you to want to make more and more wedding videos: the buffet. The key is always the buffet. And no one tells the man with the camera not to take other voulevants!