cinematography |ˌsinəməˈtägrəfē|
Noun
The art of making motion pictures.
It has come to my attention recently that many couples simply do not understand what they are getting. Are they getting a cinematographer or a videographer?We have been in business for 9 years now, and made the evolution from videographer to cinematographer in january of 2009.
We did this by learning from the best cinematographers in our industry; Patrick Moreau, Konrad Cyztowski, and Michael Y. Wong. We took the time, and spent the money to become better at our craft so that we could tell stories about people getting married in a more in depth way, and a more emotional way. It was the most amazing experience of my life, outside of marrying my wife this may.
Recently, I have noticed that companies everywhere are picking up the name, and in many cases the work has not changed. This is not a bad thing, It is simply misleading. I always say, there are great cinematographers and bad ones, just like there are great videographers and bad ones. I am not judging anyone, nor am I trying to say one style is better than the other, I am simply saying that there is a difference, and people should be aware of what they are paying for.
Our storytelling style has now developed from a cool looking bunch of clips strung along together with a catchy musical track, to well thought out sequences which are placed in they’re position on the timeline for a distinct reason. The reasons why we use one lens and not another, or why we cut a clip short due to something so minute like a tiny camera shake are just a few things that we take note of. These little things are so small and subtle to our couples, that they may or may not notice them, and so big and evident to us that we could never live with them in our film.
I believe that if you are looking for a great videographer, you should be looking for a company that can document a day in it’s entirety and also edit a video that has every element you are looking for. Typically they will include a full ceremony, and full reception (intros, first dance, parent dances, toasts, dancing, cake cutting, ect.). This will be topped off with a really nice highlight video, which will capture the entire day much like a music video.
If it is a great cinematographer that is your taste, I would look for some key elements. The most important of these is storytelling. Does the story convey an emotion. Do you feel connected to the film or the couple? A cinematographer will use voiceovers to tell the story, and add depth to the story. We also shoot and edit in sequences, not just shots for no reason. There is always a beginning, middle and end, and the story should reflect that throughout. So if Gary is putting his tuxedo shirt on in one shot, and then it cuts to him fully dressed in the next shot, we are missing the middle of the story for that sequence. Our goal is always to keep the storytelling at the forefront of our reason for shooting your wedding. Another great way to tie a story together is the music. The soundtrack is there, not for you to notice, but to be a support. Our Same Day Edits and Highlight Films may usually have a much more playful soundtrack, however when it comes to our Feature Films, we go with what compliments the story over a 20 minute film. Finally, Color Correction/Grading. These are two elements that are often overlooked. I would say by watching other company films for about 10 years, about 50% of studios actually do custom color grading. When looking at a film you should notice that the whites are white, and the blacks are black. Whites change from room to room and outside to inside. Making sure the Whites all look the same is key to being able to color grade the film to evoke an emotion.
I hope these little bits of knowledge help you along the path of choosing a videographer or cinematographer. Here is one of our Same Day Edits that I think portrays storytelling very well. Enjoy your wedding. 
..Greg
