Some factors to think about when it comes to wedding videography costs and some of the reasons why I think videography is and should be one of the more expensive vendors on your list just after venue and dress.
Firstly! We are dealing with High-Stakes Moments, it is one of the most important days of someone's life, and the pressure on your videographer just knowing this and what it means to you is a massive responsibility. Wedding videographers are responsible for capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments. The pressure to ensure that no important moment is missed, combined with the non-repeatable nature of weddings, can contribute to stress.
Meeting client expectations can be stressful. Every couple is unique & ensuring the final wedding video aligns with the couple's vision and expectations requires total attention to detail and timing during the day and this only comes with experience and knowledge.
Key moments only occur once within specific timeframes and if you miss any of these moments there is no take 2 or 3 so without anything else the stresses of capturing a day can play a big part.
PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT COST:
High-quality video equipment, including cameras, lenses, lighting, and audio equipment, can be expensive. Videographers often invest in top-notch gear to ensure they capture the best possible footage for you.
The breakdown cost for my equipment at current prices:
3 x Camera bodies | Sony A7s iii | GBP £2,359.00 | Total = £7,077.00 |
4 Lenses | Various | ​ | Total = £4,600.00 |
Audio | Tx660 x 5 | £109.99 | Total = £549.95 |
Tripods | x 3 | ​ | Total = £375.00 |
Lighting | x 2 | ​ | Total = £180 |
Drone | Mavic Air 2s | ​ | Total = £659.00 |
Storage Space | Hard Drives to store films | ​ | Yearly = £300-£500 |
Gimbal | DJI RS 3 PRO | ​ | Total = £750.00 |
Editing software | Adobe Creative Cloud - full suite | ​ | Yearly Cost = £500 |
PC + Laptop | ​ | ​ | Total = £4995.00 |
This is a light breakdown of costs for your videographer's tools alone and generally, we are updating our gear yearly or every few years. This is not taking into account the many other costs we have such as website fees, emailing software, accountant fees, liability insurance the list is endless.
Most of the time videography is filmed by two cameramen to get the most out of your wedding coverage and this is another cost for your chosen wedding videographer. As you can see we spend a lot of money on having the best equipment to capture your wedding.
In any other projects we do as videographers outside of weddings, we will charge the client for equipment hire, and the wedding package will generally come without a charge. Package weddings are undervalued for the videographer.
EXPERIENCE IS KEY:
Wedding videographers typically have a high level of skill and experience. They not only need to be proficient in using advanced equipment but also have the artistic and technical expertise to create a visually appealing and emotional wedding film.
A skilled wedding videographer is not just recording events but capturing emotions and moments telling a story. The level of expertise and creativity involved in producing a memorable wedding video contributes to the overall cost. You can't buy experience it has to be gained over many years and you are paying for that knowledge and expertise.
EDITING TIME:
One of the main reasons your videographers will be expensive is the time they spend in the editing suite perfecting your films. The wedding day itself will generally be around 12-14 hours long but editing your film can take anywhere between 5-10 days if you are analyzing every clip.
Once the footage is captured, the huge task of going through hundreds of individual clips begins. This also includes working on the sound design, color grading the footage, and choosing the right music along with exporting and uploading the finished films. Films can be anything between 7 minutes to 60 minutes and this is at the discretion of your chosen filmmaker.
If the videographer has used multiple cameras, there will be many hours of footage to work with. This all takes a lot of time to do properly.
When you start to take that wedding video price and break it down into a daily rate or even an hourly rate you will see that the price being asked will seem a lot more reasonable.
Let's say that the work listed above totals 7 days (this will vary by a few days either way) and your wedding video is costing £2000 >>>>> That works out to a daily rate of £285 & this income doesn’t even take into account the costs of equipment, hard drives, website costs, staff costs, travel/mileage, paying employees, paying tax, cost of living, etc. Once everything is broken down with business overheads, time, equipment cost, and time away from the family it is not the most lucrative venture.
VIDEO VS PHOTO:
Not sure how much this contributes to the overall price here. I may be a little biased but I do believe that video is a more valuable product to have for future generations to watch and hear the sounds of loved ones. You aren't hearing vows and lovely words said from the day through your photos, it's virtually impossible yet couples will always look to spend more on photos & for sure this is a subjective matter and down to individual preference but for me, the work that goes into video massively outweighs the photography post-production process. The replay value of a video can be high, offering a more complete and nostalgic experience over time.