Information is necessary from your wedding videographer, but what should be asked?
Question 1: How did you begin in this industry? What is it that you enjoy seeing the most when filming and editing a wedding?
Begin chatting with your videographer by getting to know them and getting to know why they love what they do. Remember, your videographer doesn’t have to sign with you if it’s not a good fit for their business. This is a two-way interview where the both of you will want to learn more about one another. You are going to want to know that your videographer is passionate about their work and truly loves what they do. By asking these questions, you will learn more about how passionate they are about videography and weddings. The more passion they have, the more they will care about the work they put back into your wedding film.
Question 2: What type of gear and cameras do you shoot with? How many cameras do you use throughout the wedding day?
You will want to ask these questions if quality or angles are important to you. Many couples admire drones, multiple angles for reaction shots, and crisp bokeh. Check with your videographer to see how many camera angles they will use and typically how or when they use them.
Question 3: What should I expect to see in my final product?
The final product is what it is all about! Don’t you want to know exactly what you will expect to see? Be sure you know what your videographer includes in your package deal. Have them walk you through the delivery process and what will be included based on the package you selected.
Question 4: How do you prepare yourself to make sure the day and film both go smoothly?
It’s not as important to ask your videographer how long they have been filming weddings for. Your videographer could say they have been filming weddings for 10 years, but has only filmed three weddings in that time. Time has nothing to do with experience. Quantity is also not as valuable to know with your videographers experience. It doesn’t matter how many films they have created either. What matters most is quality and preparedness. There aren’t second chances in a wedding or elopement. You have one chance to capture each individual precious moment. What you will want to know from your videographer is how they make sure they are prepared for every moment, so they don’t miss a single second of your wedding day.
Question 5: Will you incorporate audio? If so, how will you do so?
Videography is the next level of photography with movement and audio. The greatest part of videography is watching every move and listening to every word spoken. It would be a shame to miss out on valuable, precious words throughout your wedding day. If capturing audio is important to you, you will want to ask your videographer how they capture their audio and how they incorporate it into their film.
Question 6: How will you collaborate with the rest of my vendor team?
All of your vendors working together as one team for your wedding or elopement is huge. Each one of them has their own business to operate and their own final product to deliver, however, working together is the only way everyone will be able to deliver the perfect final product. Be sure your videographer has a plan to be on the same page as the rest of your vendor team.
Question 7: What are the maximum amount of hours you will work on my wedding day? Is it possible to add extra hours?
Some videographers create their packages based on a certain amount of hours while others operate a full day package. You will want to know just how many hours your videographer will be with you on your wedding day.
Question 8: Should we expect any travel fees? If so, what are your travel fees?
Be honest with your videographer about all the locations you are planning on having right up front. Also, let the videographer know if you are planning on having multiple locations. This is important because this may incorporate travel fees from your videographer. Depending on the location and travel time, your videographer may also require support with finding a place to stay for the night. Other videographers may not have travel or lodging fees. It is best to check with the videographer you are interested in booking with about this information as it varies.
Question 9: What are you personally like on the day of? What are you like behind the camera throughout the day?
Since you are spending the entire day with your photographer and videographer, you are going to want to know what they are like personality wise. Many couples book their videographers based on their work, however, it is also important to know if their style will match with yours. Are you hoping to have a videographer that will interact with you, make you feel comfortable, and direct you throughout the day? Would you rather have a team who is passive and just documents your day as is? Then, assess the match to your needs!
Question 10: How and when should I expect to receive my wedding files?
It is common for videographers to finish their projects in the order of which they occurred by date. Some videographers do not put a promised deadline on their projects, so their work is not rushed and imperfect. Other videographers will let you know their work could be returned within a few weeks to a year. It just depends on your videographer, so be sure to ask!