In this article we’re looking at the difference between cinematography and videography, giving you all the 411 so you can decide which method is the right option for your event.
Modern Cinematography: Film production
Cinematography is a big word; it’s what the professionals in Hollywood use to define a person’s title when shooting movies. For our purpose here, we’re taking cinematography to the level of creating a cinematic, or movie-style film of your wedding day.
Cinematography can be defined as the art and science of motion picture photography, involving all aspects of realizing the vision and the artistic creativity of the director (that’s me) and/or client (that’s you!). To this end, it can involve which lens and lighting choices to make, as well as what filters and the specific camera action operators will be taking.
To lie out some of the other qualities you’re going to get with a cinematographic production let’s take a look here:
· We’re going to document the day in a movie-like, artistic perspective.
· The cameras will be small and unobtrusive, as well as being able to capture scenes in limited light with no additional spotlights needed.
· We’ll be using modern film tools such as Steadi-cams, sliders, aerial drones and other advanced devices to capture unique footage.
· We’ll be able to record speeches and other audio stories with high quality; this will allows us to later narrate the wedding feature in a creative style.
· Instead of just a one-man team behind a bulky video cam, we use multiple cameras to capture the ceremony from various angles.
· Using a cinematographer means the film captured will look more movie-like (this is called a shallow-depth-of-field look). It results in smooth camera movement and the feeling of high production value.
· Rather than basic event coverage, cinematographers opt for narrative-style or documentary-style “short films” or “story videos”.
· The editing style for your cinematic film will emphasize the story, thus much more work goes into the editing (could be 40-80 hours versus 10 hours for a traditional wedding documentary).
We ultimately like to call these short films. Your wedding film captures all the actual events and more, which are than edited with additional story telling taken from many hours of footage; including speeches and separate audio recordings acting as narration for the story.
Traditional Videography: Video production working with video vs. film
Videography at its basic can be compared to security camera footage. It is usually taken from one static position, thus unable to take into account surrounding moments of spontaneity, beauty and other artistic elements.
A video production will offer you:
· Very straight forward edit with all of the footage delivered in a chronological order.
· Long, possibly boring shots.
· Lower quality image.
· No movie-style movement or action shots.
· Videography is unable to be as creative and produce a storytelling final document.
· May have more of those cheesy style interviews with family and friends.
· Almost exclusively uses wide-angle shots to capture as much of the event at once.
· Finished video will be on the longer side and include almost everything shot that day.
· Most video is shot at a higher frame rate, which gives the video a “home movie” feel.
So, once we take out the mumbo-jumbo of tech speak and break it down into the basic cinematography versus video is a lot easier to understand. Some people prefer a homemade movie style giving them a kind of old fashioned feel to document their special event. Others may prefer a hint of flash with some modern style editing, allowing for a bit more artistic license and creativity.
Only you can know what style might fit you best when hiring a film team for your wedding in South Florida. Now, with all that said, no more talking and please take a look at our videos in the link below!
Wedding Portfolio - West Palm Beach, Miami, Florida Wedding Videographer
Portfolio of South Florida Wedding Cinematographer Videographer Chad Andreo, serving West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and NYC.