I recently had a photographer correct me in the use of the word “documentary” in terms of style of videography. Of course I clicked onto his profile and saw that he is an older photographer, so I’m assuming he may not understand that documentary style videography for a wedding and a documentary film are not the same thing.
And just like he may not understand the difference between the different styles of wedding videography, we understand that our clients and many others may not understand the difference either.
How many different wedding videography styles are there?
To answer this question: probably too many to list. However, we can go over the types of wedding videography that we offer.
Other wedding videographers set their footage to music and their films are not particularly engaging, just a pretty montage. The entire point of videography is to add audio and realness through story and motion.
Cinematic Videography
The cinematic style feels more like a dream you get to relive over and over again of your wedding day. This style is filmed and edited more like a movie, taking your day and turning it into a piece of art.
This style can include effects like in camera lens flares, filming in slow motion to slow down in the edit, tasteful transitions, and even stylistic coloring which can be done through changing our white balance or in the edit – all while strategically blending in the best words and moments from your day to tell your full story.
Documentary Videography
Documentary (also abbreviated “doc”) style wedding videography is straightforward, captured and edited. This will include the original audio (meaning your spoken words, music selections, etc) from the shots captured exactly as they happened.
It will also usually include events in full, from start to finish, leaving nothing out. This creates a feeling of realness and is very realistic as it is simply documenting what happened without any or as much artistic style in the editing.
What Styles of Wedding Videography We Offer
So now to answer the ultimate question – what types of wedding videography do we offer? Simply put, our collections have films of both kinds.
We categorize these into doc edits and highlights, trailers, and feature films. I’ll go into more detail about these in a moment. The latter are artistic pieces – heirloom films that keep the documentary realness of the day while adding in a creative, cinematic touch to retell your story. Doc edits are not quite as artistic but recap events from start to finish with all-original audio.
Doc Edits
A documentary edit is as simple as it sounds – it includes each event captured in it’s entirety – to “document” what is happening. You’ll get to watch certain moments such as first looks or touches, your ceremony, dances, toasts or any other moment throughout the day so you can watch it just as you remember it.
Click here to see an example of a wedding gallery with doc edits from the couples’ formal events throughout the day.
Feature Films
This is your wedding turned into a beautiful, cinematic short film. This film is 10-15 minutes of pure spectacle so nothing will be missed. The extra length ensures that speeches and vows won’t need to be shortened as much and we can add in all the creative artistic flair you’re looking for in your wedding film.
Check out Jennifer + Ray’s Feature Film here:
Highlights
A cinematic artistic film that retells the story of your wedding day. This film is shorter than the feature film, between 3-7 minutes. This is the most popular option our couples are looking for in our collections.
Click here to see our highlight films.
Trailers
This is also a creative edit. It is a short movie trailer-style sneak peek of your wedding day. We throw these into some of our collections to give you something to watch on repeat while you’re waiting for the rest of your content.
Click here to see our trailer films.
The creative type of wedding videography is a great option if you’re more into a shorter cinematic, artistic version as a recap of all the best parts of your wedding day.
The documentary style of wedding videography is perfect for those of you who want to relive ALL the moments from your special day.
You can even opt for a FOMO film which includes EVERYTHING we captured throughout the entire day! Instead of dumping hundreds of unprocessed video clips onto you, we package up your raw footage and tie it with a bow for a more enjoyable viewing experience for you.
We like to think of it as a very polished up home video style film. This film is for you if you’re into popping some corn, sitting back, and binge watching your entire collection of wedding memories!
Check out Katelyn + Justin’s FOMO film here:
What type of videography is right for you?
We hope this helps clear up some of the terms floating around! If you are still unclear, we would love to chat with you more and answer any of your questions. But we hope this helps you understand what the different styles and types of wedding videography are and what you want for your own wedding day.
Our goal is to always give you the option of getting everything you want from your wedding day. From your memories to beautiful works of art, we’re here for it all! Even if you have an idea unlike anything you’ve seen or heard of, we would love to help you bring that vision to life!
If you’re still looking for the perfect videography team, we’d love to chat. Click here to learn more about our wedding videography and photography services or head over here to get in touch.
