The Dos and Don’ts of Selecting a Wedding Videographer in Northern Ireland

Your wedding videographer selection stands among the most pivotal decisions of your entire matrimony planning process.

This creative professional relies wholly on their acute technical skills and artistic eye to immortalise your once-in-a-lifetime memories into a cinematic film you’ll treasure forever.

With so much riding on their abilities, it's crucial to thoroughly vet candidates to find the perfect partner aligned with your vision and this post forms part of my wider topic of How to choose the right wedding videographer in Northern Ireland.

As an experienced wedding planner in Northern Ireland who has extensively researched and interviewed dozens of videography studios for couples over the years, I'm sharing my best tips on identifying the ideal expert.

I'll highlight what to absolutely DO as well as what to AVOID when evaluating top professionals.

DO Expect to Review Their Entire Portfolio of Wedding Videography Extensively

A wedding videographer's full portfolio spanning highlight reels, ceremony edits and documentary shorts offers the most revealing window into their versatility across different wedding aesthetics, venues, lighting conditions and couples.

You should expect to scrutinize at least 8-10 complete films of wedding videographers showcasing their technical and creative approach before feeling fully versed in their style.

Study each film closely - do they have skill spotlighting emotions through intimate close-ups and reaction shots? How smoothly and creatively do they incorporate camera movements using equipment like sliders and gimbals, and are they using multiple cameras for your wedding ceremony?

How is their editing philosophy - the best wedding videographer will use modern and energetic with fast cuts or more classic and languid? What tone and mood permeates their music selections and color grading choices of all the footage?

Ensure everything you see and hear visually resonates with the atmosphere and emotional depth you envision for your own wedding video just like I’ve said in The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Wedding Videographer in Northern Ireland.

Let their body of work build your confidence in their ability to flawlessly execute excellence aligned with your unique needs.

DON’T Skip Asking Targeted Technical Questions About Their Wedding Film

Key Factors to Keep in Mind When Choosing a Wedding Videographer in Northern Ireland is to schedule phone or in-person consultations with two to three top potential videographers to dig much deeper into their technical qualifications beyond what a portfolio conveys.

What specific filming gear and post-production software do they shoot and edit with - are they leveraging high-end industry standard tools or outdated consumer technology?

How many videographers and camera angles will they incorporate to fully cover your wedding day - is their team robust enough to seamlessly document all events happening simultaneously without gaps?

What redundancy backup equipment and contingency failover plans are in place to insure against potential disruptions like dead batteries or corrupt footage cards? Can they easily shift to alternate cameras or mics if needed?

Sharp technical questions reveal who thoroughly obsesses over seamless execution and preparation down to the smallest detail on par with their focus on creative artistry. Don’t let tech specifics get overlooked.

DO Verify Their Drone Videography Expertise

Since mesmerizing aerial footage captured by camera drones is requested by over 80% of Northern Ireland wedding clients today The Importance of Research When Choosing a Wedding Videographer in Northern Ireland includes taking time during interviews to have prospects comprehensively elaborate on their specific drone qualifications, equipment and portfolio samples.

They should hold proper commercial pilot certifications and liability insurance.

Scrutinize drone reels for stability, smoothness and creative camera angles and movement beyond just flying straight lines. Vet these niche aerial videography skills especially thoroughly - you want to see expertise that goes far beyond basic recreational piloting of an entry level quadcopter without skill.

Drone cinematography has simply become far too important not to prioritize it with your professional.

DON’T Just Compare Packages - Contrast Deliverables Rigorously

When evaluating multiple wedding videographer options, don't limit your analysis to simply their tiered collection package names like “Bronze”, “Silver”, “Gold”, etc.

One of the ways to Find the Perfect Wedding Videographer for Your Northern Ireland Wedding is to make sure to meticulously parse through and contrast exactly what is concretely included across each pricing level.

Look for potential red flags like certain essentials such as extra filming hours, additional videographers, or extra final edited discs/USB drives only being offered in more expensive packages. Rigorously break down deliverables side-by-side in an itemized spreadsheet - you want to be comparing apples to apples.

Also closely examine what adaptable à la carte add-on options each vendor provides - same day edits, wedding trailer previews, guest interview segments, live streaming, etc.

Avoid choosing based on budget alone before weighing out the comprehensive value you receive at each tier.

DO Demand Multiple Specialized Videographers

To fully capture a wedding day documentary filming style requires dispatching multiple synchronized videographers.

One focuses on intricately tracking the bride and her preparations, while another shadows the groom's anticipation building, all while additional cameras capture guests' reactions and venue spaces from all the ideal angles.

Relying on only a single videographer can't sufficiently document non-linear medium to large weddings anymore. Just like I talk about in my post: https://www.awweddingfilms.com/wedding-video-northern-ireland/do-you-need-two-videographers-for-your-wedding-video, top professionals wouldn't dream of risking only using one shooter alone, instead providing teams of 2-3 specialists with complementary gear tailored to comprehensively cover your big day from all artistic vantage points.

One of my Expert Tips for Finding the Right Wedding Videographer in Northern Ireland, is that if a prospective videographer proposes using only one person for filming, keep searching.

DON’T Undervalue Building Personal Connections

While thoroughly vetting technical qualifications and creative portfolio examples are absolutely crucial, don't underestimate the significance of organically bonding with potential videographers too!

Remember, this pro will be constantly by your side throughout the stresses of planning and especially on your vulnerable wedding day itself capturing every emotion.

Make sure you feel fully comfortable with their communication style, grace under pressure, and ability to smoothly adapt in the moment should the need arise.

You want the working relationship's vibe to feel like an intuitive friendship, not just a transactional business exchange. Ensure your personalities click and creative chemistry aligns - this foundation is key for navigating a hectic wedding day masterfully together.

DO Learn Their Post-Production Editing Philosophy

Take time diving into each videographer's unique editing philosophy and style by reviewing their provided raw footage samples from wedding shoots, partially finished edits, as well as the fully completed films.

Pay attention to contrasting how they each assemble the meticulous post-production editing that ultimately determines a wedding video's final emotional mood, pace and impact.

Also inquire about their standard timelines for delivering finished final cut wedding films after each event shoot wraps - this is definitely What to Consider When Choosing a Wedding Videographer in Northern Ireland. Reputable professionals nearly always invest many months with painstaking refinement polishing every wedding video to cinematic perfection.

DON'T Skip Reading Client Testimonials

Beyond simply getting mesmerized by gorgeous demo reels, invest time digging into at least 40-50 past client testimonials for each prospective wedding videographer as well. This is one of top tips on How to Identify the Best Wedding Videographer for Your Northern Ireland Wedding.

Look for any concerning patterns of recurring complaints referencing unreasonable final delivery timelines, subpar shooting preparedness, footage delivery issues, or general poor communication.

The absolute best Northern Ireland wedding videography professionals will instead have glowing five star reviews consistently emphasizing their creative storytelling skills, flexibility, technical prowess, and unrelenting commitment to capturing and delivering each wedding couple's unique vision beautifully.

Let in-depth verified testimonials further validate capabilities.

DO Expect End-to-End Wedding Planning Guidance

A quality wedding videographer should provide support, insights and guidance that extends far beyond just showing up on your big day to hit record.

One of the Questions to Ask When Choosing a Wedding Videographer in Northern Ireland, is if they act as a creative consultant from the moment you book, providing detailed shooting shot lists, recommended timelines, venue walkthroughs to plan angles, liaising with other vendors, and so much more. Their role as an invested partner starts immediately, not when you walk down the aisle.

Finding your perfect Northern Ireland wedding videographer takes dedication because so much is at stake.

But methodically following this dual framework of DOs and DON’Ts will lead to confidently signing the ideal full service creative professional whose talents intuitively resonate for stunningly immortalizing your wedding memories through their insightful film artistry and stewardship.

For more on this topic be sure to read my post: Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing a Wedding Videographer in Northern Ireland.

Thanks for reading!

For more information about our style of videography just check out our wedding films here. 

We cover wedding videos in Northern Ireland, various wedding styles in Ireland, and destination weddings across the friends, family members, clients, and family globe.

For more information just get in touch today to check availability. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Thanks,

Adam White 

Award winning Wedding Cinematographer - Creative Director

Filming weddings since 2017