Sometimes our clients come in with a list of questions like “Do you shoot in digital?” or “What type of equipment do you use?” We realize that these questions might come from a wedding planning web site that has good intentions, but these questions really miss the mark, in our opinion. The more meaningful questions that determine if a videographer is right for a client in the long run are tougher to answer for many videographers.

I’ve shared my thoughts on this with other professional wedding videographers around the country whom I respect. We agree that the pitfalls that some clients fall into can be avoided if the right questions are asked.

Today, many of us have taken this idea and started to run with it. We hope that all of us can make a dent and help educate clients so that they don’t fall prey to the well-meaning hobbyist who is more interested in having fun and making a quick buck than they are delivering you a high quality video that you will enjoy for years to come.

The 10 REAL Questions You Should Ask Your Videographer

1. How will my movie sound?
2. How do you handle lighting?
3. How do you vary your shots?
4. How do you plan to tell the story of my day?
5. How long will it take to get my finished movie?
6. How do you work with other vendors during the wedding day?
7. May I see other clients’ movies and read what they had to say about you?
8. How do you get your shots without being ‘in the way’?
9. Why are your services more expensive/less expensive than other companies?
10. What do you do to make sure our movie is unique to our personalities?

Congratulations Natalie and Robert! It was a beautiful garden ceremony followed by the reception at the Courtyard on St. James. The festivities concluded just as the torrential weather started up. Here’s a frame grab from their actual video (downsized for the web) and comments from Natalie:

Christie and David. I just have to tell you y’all are awesome! I enjoyed having you as part of our special day and I can’t wait to see the final product. I know it’s going to be great! You both are so creative and a joy to work with. I will absolutely recommend you! I couldn’t have been happier with how our day turned out. I’m still on cloud nine!

Thank you Natalie for the kind words and have fun on your honeymoon!

Congratulations Kim and Walter! They had a beautiful sunset ceremony followed by the reception at Kemah Gardens. Dinner was provided by Rudy’s BBQ, music provided by Wag’s DJ Services, flowers provided by All That Blooms, and the wedding/groom cake provided by The Cake Lady. The special entertainment for the evening was fire dancers that were amazing. The staff at Kemah Gardens did a fabulous job and made the entire day very special. It was a pleasure working with you all.

If you’re in the Galveston area Sunday be sure to stop by and see us! We will be at booth 209.

…a happy customer. From the mother of the bride, whose wedding video we delivered last week:

“We did watch the video last night. It was great! Thanks again for the wonderful work you guys did! You captured everything we could have ever hoped for- sweet, precious and funny. We definitely laughed, cried, oohed and aahed through the whole thing. What beautiful memories we’ll all have of that special day!!”

No, thank YOU Ann. It was a pleasure serving your family for your daughter’s wedding.

Do you know someone who’s planning a wedding? Read this article from The Knot. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

“Free” is a dangerous game when it comes to your wedding. There are just some things you should never try to get for a big, fat $0 in your wedding budget spreadsheet. Because the adage is true: you really do get what you pay for. And it gets worse: some freebies with $0 attached lead to huge expenses when you have to undo the disaster, if not utter heartbreak when your day is ruined.

Click here for eight wedding freebies to avoid, and don’t say we didn’t warn you. . .

Let’s talk about budget. And I don’t mean how much you should spend for your wedding film, I’m talking about the whole shebang.

According to Dave Ramsey, the average wedding in America is somewhere around $25,000. The average household income is around $50,000. It appears the average wedding is about half of the average income.

So if YOU are paying for the wedding (I’m talking to you Mom and Dad) divide your income in half and use that number as the maximum amount you are willing to pay. A marriage is about love, not dollar signs. (another Ramsey-ism)

By the way, if you’re wondering how much to spend on your wedding video? A good rule of thumb is to budget the same amount to video that you do to photo if you want similar quality.

Future brides, here’s a good article on how to have no regrets from your wedding day. Newlyweds share their wedding-day mistakes.

Coming Soon to Blu-ray and DVD!

Check out the full details on our Facebook page.

The Royal Wedding went off without a hitch earlier this morning in England.

Did you watch it on TV – or did you look at photographs? (Trick question. Of course you watched it on TV, just like you’ll watch your wedding video on TV)

Notice how you could actually hear the vows? This is one of the many, many reasons why you hire a professional. Don’t expect to have anything watchable if your Uncle Charlie sets up a video camera for your wedding.

Hire a pro.

Coming Soon!

While we’re working on Natalie and Ricky’s video we wanted to share a Coming Attractions trailer with them. Their reception at Hotel Zaza was outstanding!

Some recent posts on The Knot website, and our comments:

Speaking as a bride who did not get a videographer, I regret it. Even though I’m sure I wouldn’t watch it hundreds of times, knowing I can never see my ceremony again even once is painful.

Over the years the thing we hear the most is from people who did not get a video. It never fails, every year at least one of our clients will tell us about their sister or friend who did not get video and now regrets it.

I’m not going to get a videographer because I could not find a place for it in my budget. Instead, we are going to set a video camera up to tape the ceremony because it’s just not that important to me, but I don’t want to regret not having it.

Ha! You’ll never hear anything being said on the altar, just the sounds of the cute baby crying in the last pew.

If you can afford it, definitely do it!! Videos these days are not like the ones our parents had…they’re not boring or cheesy. We got a 3 minute highlights clip that looks like a professional commercial and makes me cry every time I watch it. We’ll also get a an edited 25-30 minute film and I can’t WAIT to see it. We hired our videographer 3 weeks before the wedding and it was one of the best decisions we made.

Exactly.

My parents watch their wedding video on every anniversary. It’s a different sensation to see yourself in moving pictures and to be able to hear your voice. Think of how much you’ll appreciate that 20 years from now. As children, we always got a kick out of watching our parents wedding video.

The secret that most people don’t realize until after they have their video is that the SOUND is half the experience. Being able to hear the vows, the family members, the close friends, is valuable now and priceless in the future. It’s an experience that still photos cannot provide. Both are important of course, and we recommend you spend as much on video as you do on photography if you want the same quality.

We belong to a great local association of video and imaging professionals, the Houston Professional Videographers Association. At our meeting last week we determined there were a few local companies and individuals that we had come in contact with (not in HPVA) that were less than honest in some of their dealings. For instance, in one case a rather large video company in Houston actually hired an ad agency to produce the eye-popping demo that you will see at Houston Bridal shows. The work done for you by this company will not look nearly as good. No, we’re not going to tell you who it is.

So how can you be sure the company you hire will do a great job for you? There are a few things to look for:

1. Ask to see a complete finished product. This can be on a DVD, on the web, or some other delivery device. It’s relatively “easy” to produce a 3 minute highlight that is entertaining and emotional. Highlights are important, but don’t base your purchasing decision off of just that. Ask to see a complete product.

2. Are they members of HPVA? I am not suggesting that videographers who are not members don’t do good work. I am reinforcing the fact that, as members of the association we are involved in learning and perfecting our craft. We are well-respected in the Houston video community.

3. Be sure to meet with the people who will actually be attending and filming your event. You don’t want to meet with and be sold by the owner of the company only to find out that two newbies will be filming your wedding, because they’ve scheduled 2-4 events on the same day. There’s nothing wrong with running multiple crews of shooters, but you should know this up front and you should be able to meet with the videographers who will actually be spending the day with you.

Can you think of any more? Add them to the comments below. Have a question about this? Email or call us today and we’ll be happy to discuss.

We’re proud to announce that in December, McKnight Video was awarded the People’s Choice award for the year, and that we tied for First Place for the year for all the annual Houston Professional Videographers Association competitions.

The winning video for Tricia and Ryan is an example of our cinematic ceremonies. This wedding was coordinated by Summer at For Your Memories and the event was featured in Houston Brides magazine.