Capturing the wedding day on film is an absolute must for many couples – especially if you dream about reliving your favorite moments for years to come! However, you might never have realized just how much goes into the planning. For a cinematic, quality end result that you’ll fall in love with, you’ll have to collaborate with your cinematographer on the style and overall mood of your film.
Wedding videography is not a one-size-fits-all decision, and there are several styles you and your partner might want to consider. One essential question to ask potential wedding videographers is how they would describe their style!
Keep in mind that the styles are not necessarily clear-cut. Often, wedding films have multiple styles blended to get the desired outcome. You can also use the same raw footage to create multiple videos such as a short highlight film to share and a longer documentary style with more details.
Which wedding videography styles are the right fit for your big day? Here are six styles to discuss with your wedding cinematographer before you book!
Cinematic
When you sit down in a dark movie theater, you anticipate being swept away by the small details that bring a story to life. Cinematic wedding videography captures the essence of storytelling that many couples want to bring to life following their big day. If you want a keepsake to show to the next generation, this is one of the most captivating ways to store your memories.
A cinematic video gives the impression of watching a real movie with all of the small touches you might take for granted like music and high-quality audio. This storytelling method is about more than the single day that you celebrate with friends and family. It gets straight to the heart of your love story, preserving it for decades to come.
Storytelling
Storytelling goes even deeper into the story of how you and your beloved came to celebrate your union on the day of your wedding. It is all about layering tension into the film and showing the finer details of your day: footage of getting ready, capturing the guests finding their seats, and a general hum of anticipation for the ceremony itself.
From here, a storytelling video will capture the precious once-in-a-lifetime moments before the ceremony like first looks and processionals. Then, we include the moment you become married and start to celebrate in your reception. At Reverent, our wedding films follow the timeless three-act structure that you might have learned about in a high school English course.
Documentary
Some couples love the idea of raw footage coming together to create a keepsake video. If this is what you want, then a documentary-style of wedding videography likely fits the bill. This style is best for capturing candid moments during your ceremony and reception without all of the polish and staging that will sometimes accompany cinematic or storytelling videography.
Documentaries are fantastic for those who want to record what their wedding day was like in real time. These films do not focus on the love story that led up to the day, may not have high-quality audio, skip out on the music, and often undergo less editing to splice together different parts of your celebratory ceremony. Oftentimes, it feels more like a cozy home movie than a polished feature film.
That said, you can work with your cinematographer to have elements of a documentary wedding film style, such as interviews or original audio, without fully compromising on an elegant, artful end result.
Highlight or Short-Form
In an age of social media and online sharing, many couples want short highlights and clips included in their wedding videography package. This style often breaks down larger films into smaller pieces that can be watched in a few minutes by those who were unable to join you for the big day in person.
Especially if you had a smaller wedding, you might want to share the joy of your union with friends and family on social media.
You may want a full-length film for your memories, but not everyone wants to dedicate a half-hour or more to watching footage from a wedding they did not attend. Short-form films are more appropriate to share with loved ones who want to celebrate but don’t want to get into the details of every aspect of the day.
Vintage
Along with some of the other wedding videography styles included here, couples might want to consider adding a vintage element.
While your wedding cinematographer captures the small details for your cinematic video, they can do so with vintage cameras and film for a unique throwback to simpler times. This style tends to be more reminiscent of the wedding footage of your parents or grandparents, which some couples truly love.
If you want your wedding video to feel more like an old home movie with that special touch from a professional, then look into a videographer who has access to Super 8mm film, camcorders, and other tools that capture the moment in a less high-tech way.
Traditional
Considering something that feels more traditional than a documentary or cinematic video? A traditional wedding video style might be the style that best suits you! It focuses less on the details of a timeless film and more on the smooth transition throughout the day. The three-act structure is abandoned in favor of recording what happened on the day in the order it happened.
It should be noted that traditional videos are often simpler than other videography styles. They tend to have very minimal music scoring and feature only some basic editing to blend the film. If you want something heavy on editing, then a traditional videographer may not be the right fit.
Find Your Ideal Wedding Videography Style with Reverent
Reverent understands how important it is to capture one of the most significant moments of your life: your wedding day. Our talented cinematographers specialize in cinematic storytelling, creating a film that you can rewatch and enjoy for the rest of your life!
If you prefer some of these other styles, we can also adapt to your preferences to create a film that uniquely suits you and your significant other. We also create shorter highlight films that are great for sharing on social media or with others. After all, this is YOUR special day – we’ll do everything we can to make it perfect!
Have questions or ready to book? Reach out today to book your wedding date or check our availability.
