Why is wedding videography so expensive?
So, you have decided to consider hiring a wedding videographer. Good decision. Now you’re starting to search for the perfect person to capture your day and you’re finding out, good grief, this isn’t going to come cheap. Let me shed some light on what you get for the cost and share 5 reasons why wedding video is expensive.
1. Experience of the videographer
They’re trusting a complete stranger to document one of the most important days of their lives. There are no repetitions during the wedding day, you have an opportunity to capture those important moments. Experienced videographers will tend to command a higher price than those just starting out. They will have better equipment, more insight into when moments will occur, and a better understanding of their team to ensure they get the opportunity. Everyone has to start somewhere, but keep in mind that wedding video definitely falls into the “you get what you pay for” category, and if you decide to go the cheap route, you may be disappointed with the end result and wish i had. made the investment in someone with experience.
2.Team
They say it’s not the team, it’s the person behind the lens. That’s true to a certain extent, we have to know the importance of framing and photography settings, but good equipment makes a world of difference to the overall quality of your wedding video. Experienced wedding videographers have invested a lot of money in the right equipment for the job. Multiple cameras, audio recorders, lighting, tripods, stabilizers, lenses, etc. All of that adds up to 30k – 50k of film crew at the very least, all to make sure they can capture your wedding day in the best possible light.
3.Time and Edition
People think this job is easy, we only work on Saturdays during the wedding, right? Not that much. I don’t know about other wedding videographers, but I do my research. I find out as much as I can about my partners before the big day, taking the time to learn how they became the couple they are. I wait for rehearsal the night before and spend 12-14 hours with them the same day. After the day is done and the couple finally relaxes, I head home to transfer all the images to my computer and make sure everything is backed up. This could make me go to bed at 1 am or 2 am after a long day. The following Monday is spent reviewing all that footage to create the wedding movie. We’re talking a minimum of 16-20 hours of editing time, finding the perfect music and creating the perfect story of your day. Mentioning music, that brings me to point #4.
4.Music licenses
Many people think that you can just pick a popular song to put behind your wedding video. Since copyright infringement is such a major issue these days, quality wedding videographers will subscribe to royalty-free music sites to purchase their music library. There are many sites to choose from and many videographers will pay for multiple sources. This can cost hundreds of dollars a year, but it ensures that your wedding film and my business will be free from lawsuits or legal action.
5. Computers, Software, Insurance
Having all these beautiful images from the day is great, but we need computers and editing software to create your beautiful wedding movie. I suppose you could get away with having an older system and using some free version of video editor, but having the industry leading software makes your final wedding movie so much better.
Let’s be real, things happen. We need to carry some form of insurance for the equipment and liability in case the worst case scenario occurs. Another expense that we must address and pay.
In short, wedding videographers (at least the good ones) aren’t cheap, but nothing worth the money is. All I can say is that it is well worth the investment! It may not seem like it during the planning stage, but having a beautiful wedding film that captures every moment of your perfect day will pay off when it’s all said and done, and you can look back and say it was one of the best. decisions you made You will be so glad you did!