Need help finding wedding videography in Melbourne Victoria? Have no idea what you're looking for? And do not know where to start? Don't stress, I have created the perfect guide to booking wedding videography in Melbourne.
After working in the wedding industry, and planning my own wedding only weeks after I moved to Melbourne from Brisbane, I have learnt a thing or two about what you should consider when booking wedding videography in Melbourne.
Leading up to my wedding, I underestimated how stressful deciding which professional wedding videographer and wedding photographer to book was. All I wanted was someone who: was easy to work with from start to finish, creates a unique wedding video, captures the emotional moments with family and friends, has sound post-production editing skills, makes us feel comfortable, captures all of our requested special moments and who above all creates a finished product of our big day that we love. Easy right?
I ended up having multiple phone calls and answering multiple emails without booking a single thing for months! So what's the solution to finding wedding videography in Melbourne?
I've narrowed it down to the 6 key things you should plan so you are prepared to book wedding videography in Melbourne AND allows you to find a videographer who makes a wedding video you LOVE!
Step #1: Understand what is on offer.
Sounds simple right? There are so many Melbourne-based wedding videography package options on offer – and these are explained to you in so many different ways. The key is knowing what these actually are so you capture your important day the way you want to watch it back.
The common types of wedding films that you will come across are RAW footage edits, documentary style edits, highlight clips and lightly edited films. These terms are used loosely, and mean different things for different companies, which further adds to the confusion.
Let me break down what these terms generally mean so you can start to understand what you are getting, and what you should be looking for.
RAW footage is a film given to you straight from the videographers camera. This has no post-production editing and captures every moment filmed on the day. This means whatever the videographer shoots on the day you get.
This could include long moments of not much happening to quick random camera turns. These clips are without audio enhancement and rely on the camera speakers for sound, making it difficult to hear speeches and vows.
Lightly edited films is a type of edit where the RAW footage has been edited to a more watchable standard. The degree to which this editing is applied varies between videographers. Generally speaking, the lightly edited film only includes the best camera angles for the subject being filmed. RAW footage from multiple cameras are combined and then edited together to create a more cinematic film.
These clips can be with or without audio enhancement.
Documentary style edits are similar to lightly edited films, Documentary style edits are extended long edits of the best quality footage from your day. Documentary style edits generally are more cinematic then other film types as there is more post production editing done to your film. This generally includes colour enhancement, audio enhancement, cinematic music, cinematic sound effects, extensive editing and selection of camera angles and footage cropping. The additional editing creates a more cinematic movie style film, enhances its quality and makes it more watchable.
Generally speaking Documentary edits will document your entire day so will include all of your important moments from your day including: the bridal preparations, entire ceremony, bridal entrances, speeches, first dance and cake cutting.
Highlight clips are the wedding films you see on social media and wedding videographer's pages and websites. These videos vary in length and style but are the most creative and cinematic of all the edits.
Generally, they will be from 3-7 minutes and highlight your day.
What counts as a highlight varies between videographers, with some producing a more cinematic, artistic clip of the couple, while others produce a more chronological, cinematic clip of your day. Some highlight clips will make you cry, some will make you laugh and some are an emotional rollercoaster.
No way is right or wrong they are all artworks in themselves, this is why it is important to understand your style so you find a videographer who produces something similar. You can view some examples here.
Key take away: When booking wedding videography in Melbourne different edit options will be offered so it is important to clarify what exactly you are getting, and if hearing your day is important, also question if voice enhancement is included.
All companies will have a unique style that they will offer and these terms could be loosely used.
RAW footage, light edits and documentary edits are rarely posted online. So my advice is to ask your videographers to upload an example of their extended edits to google drive or similar so you can preview the standard you will be getting. Most videographers will be more than happy to show you their work.
Step #2: Know your style.
Videography is an art form and every wedding videographer will have their own style. Do you like an overly cinematic wedding video? Or more slowed down romantic wedding films? Or a combination of both?
Some clips make the couple look fresh out of vogue, others are more romantic than cinderella and some will have you laughing the whole way through.
It is important that you pick a wedding videographer whose style suits you. The only way to know this for sure is to watch examples from Melbourne wedding videography companies and get to know which videographer will be shooting your day (explained more in step #6).
Step #3: Understand videography equipment.
Not all wedding videography equipment will give you the same finished product in your wedding video. Especially when booking more affordable videographers its important to ask questions about the equipment they will be using so you get wedding films of good quality.
I recommend you book a videographer that is filming with cameras which are shooting in 1080 HD at a minimum or even better at 4K. Also consider if you want drone footage to create more cinematic films, and if so I recommend checking what quality the drone shoots in.
Wireless audio equipment is a must if you plan on being able to clearly hear what is being said when watching back your ceremony and speeches.
The camera audio picks up what is closest to it first, so background noise is amplified, making it very difficult to hear what is being said.
I also highly recommend making sure the videographer will use lighting. Several reception venues in Melbourne have limited lighting at night, which creates great ambiance for a wedding but is a wedding videography nightmare.
If lighting is not used the camera won't get enough light to produce a clear non grainy image of your reception, making the night time wedding videos unwatchable in many cases.
Step #4: Know your budget.
Weddings are not cheap, and can be a complete whirlwind of a day. Hiring professional wedding videographers can get very expensive, but many make the investment so they can relive the day, and the many things they missed.
Once this decision is made, finalising your wedding videography budget is the next step. In general, the more experienced companies will attract a higher fee.
The most important factor to consider is, what is the style you want in your wedding films, if you want them to capture every moment, what quality you want the finished product to be and then budget accordingly.
Step #5: Know exactly what you want to be filmed
Most videographers will charge you based on time. Not all videographers will film everything, so you should consider what key moments you want filmed. I have seen wedding videography packages in Melbourne range from 4hrs to 12 hrs plus.
A bride and grooms day can run from 6am to after midnight so what you want captured and the time these things happen needs to be considered.
Make sure you consider the timing of these festivities when choosing a Melbourne wedding videography package with a time limit:
Groom/bride getting ready
Bridal party entrances
Ceremony entrance/speeches/signing
Reception speeches/formalities
First dance
Father daughter dance
Time the dance floor opens to catch some of the dance floor fun
Bouquet throwing
Cake cutting
Late night surprises e.g. fireworks
I can't think of anything worse then being let down on your big day because you see the videographer leaving before the dancing has even started!
Step #6: Know who will be filming your day.
The final consideration I think you need to make is to make sure you are happy with who will film your day. The wedding videographers will be there with you for most of your special day. This more often then not includes, when you are getting ready to when the dance floor opens. So you want to have someone there that is easy to work with, you get along with and honestly... just does not get in the way!
My advice is to make sure you feel comfortable with your videographers (and wedding photographer) prior to your wedding day, so you both can be more relaxed and natural when your big day comes. If you don't, it could show in your wedding films and no one wants to feel weird and awkward on their big day!
It might sound obvious but the best way to figure this out is to get to know your videographer via phone conversations, FaceTime or by meeting them for coffee, to make sure they are the right fit for your wedding.
I'd love to hear from you
I hope you found this wedding videography Melbourne guide helpful! Feel free to get in contact below.
Originally published Jun 21, 2021 4:30:00 AM, last updated November 8, 2021