What’s in a name? The Difference Between Wedding Cinematography & Videography

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a film is worth a million.

If you’re wise, you’ve realized that pictures aren’t enough to capture your day and have decided to move forward with filming your wedding, not just a photographing it. The next battle? What is the difference between videography and cinematography? Why do some companies say they make videos while others claim to make films?

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Confusing stuff, right? Not only do you have to budget for the service, you have to figure out what style you want it to be filmed and edited. With that in mind, it’s up to you to decide how you want to remember your wedding and invest in a really good person or team to do just that.

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1.  How do you want your film to look?

Do you want your family friend that dabbles in filming during their free time to throw something together, or do you want trained professionals?

  • Do you want to watch your film and feel like you’re watching a movie in which you’re the star, or would you prefer a simpler, more home movie type of vibe?
  • Do you want it be completely unaltered or would you prefer it lightly edited and set to music?
  • How do you want the film to make you feel when you watch it?
  • Most importantly, how do you want your love story to be told?

Your answers to these questions can help you determine whether you’re looking for a traditional wedding video or an artistic wedding film.  The difference lies in the style in which your footage will be produced.

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2.  Cinematography

When you see the word “cinematography” you should think Hollywood, lights, camera, action! You can think of cinematography as being a planned visual of the footage collected from your day.

As you can interpret from the name, cinematography involves the activities involved in curating cinema. This is a film masterpiece that focuses on cultivating a story, not just aimlessly collecting footage from the day. Cinematic films are artistic interpretations of footage captured from the event. The primary focus is highlighting the story behind the images flashing across your screen. Cinematographers want to target not only your sight but your spirit! The focal point here is how certain angles, lighting, and transitions can make an individual feel when they watch the piece.

In our case, we have a team of dedicated individuals who have studied and passionately curated phenomenal work over many years. Both our shooters and editors work closely alongside one another and our couples to ensure that the love shared between every couple is uniquely portrayed in simplistic detail.

If you need a visual, take peek at some of our cinematic trailer films right here!

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3. Videography

Videography is the act of capturing video to document an event and generally consists of one person, standing in the back of your venue, shooting a long-form video without edits. 

When you think of a wedding video, images of a guy in an oversized suit hanging around the reception with a camera on his shoulder may pop up. Naturally, times have changed and technology has advanced, but the concept remains the same. Wedding videography, depending on the company, may be comparable to a home movie due to the format in which it is displayed.

Unlike cinematography, generally speaking videography will be significantly less “Hollywood” in the shots, angles, and editing of the footage.

To clarify things a bit, when you think cinematography, think Hollywood rom-com trailer, and for videography think of cute home video footage.

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Whatever you choose, find solace in the fact that your day will be both magical and memorable no matter what, because it truly is one of the best days of your life!

Focus on the feelings that you want to be conveyed and how you want your story to be told, your options are limitless!

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Whether you’re in the first weeks or  first months of planning, don’t skip over one of the most important vendors for your big day: a videographer! Check out the full video and more of our work in our beautiful portfolio! Also, take a peak at our current collections and pricing right now.

Still want more? We’re wedding obsessed too! For more wedding inspiration, follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram!

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