Wedding Film Terminology

Wedding Film Styles

My name is Tom Teneriello. I have been a wedding Cinematographer for more than 30 years. I know from first-hand experience that creating a positive wedding film experience starts long before I deliver you a finished film. It begins by helping you understand the different wedding film styles available. There are three distinct wedding film styles from which to choose. There is no right or wrong choice; it is a personal preference. However, choosing the right film style can be very confusing because today’s studios all use different terminology to describe their films.

This page has one goal in mind, to help you understand and easily distinguish the differences between wedding film styles regardless of the terminology used. So let’s get started!

The Documentary Video

A single Videographer captures Documentary videos. The primary goal is to merely document the significant events of the day from an individual camera perspective. The finished video is the least creative of all wedding film styles but, it is the most cost-effective. The finished video is played back in real time, so, there may be moments when you utilize the fast-forward button while watching it. Although a Documentary video is not a creative film, it does allow you to avoid the #1 Wedding Day Regret as reported on by the Huffington Post.

The Standard Style Film

A Standard Style Film is a very traditional film style. It is captured by two Videographers whose primary goal is to capture the events of the day from multiple camera angles. The second camera angle allows for the finished film to be edited creatively but in chronological order. The key to a Standard style film is the Chronological editing. The sequential editing controls what you see and more importantly when you see it. You may consider the predictability of this film style to be a downside. Other than that, a Standard style film is a great way to relive the day because it includes many of the moments you may not have had a chance to see first hand.

The Highlight Style Film

The most popular film style offered by today’s modern studios is without question the Highlight Film. We capture Highlight Films utilizing multiple Cinematographers from many angles and use creative tools like Sliders, Gliders, Gimbals, and Drones. The Cinematographers creatively edit the footage captured into a one-of-a-kind Highlight Film. However, not all Highlight Films are the same. A true Highlight film is unique to each couple and will include all of the essential moments that took place throughout the day.

Unfortunately, some studios work with Highlight Film templates that are 5-10 minutes in length. No matter how much footage they capture, they condense it into their predefined template. This editing technique forces them to cut out crucial moments that just won’t fit. Now don’t get me wrong, most likely, the 5-10 minute film will be fun to watch. However, at the end of it, you will be asking.. “Where are all of the other important moments of my day?” Studios will often include Raw Footage to help overcome this objection, but let me ask you, “Do you want to watch hours of Raw Footage to relive the important moments of the day?

Our Highlight Films are much different. Although the average length of our Highlight Films is about 20 minutes, the events we capture determines the length of the film. Our goal, when creating your Highlight Film, is not focused on how long the Highlight film is but, to make sure that we include every critical moment of your day. You should never have to be forced to watch the Raw Footage to relive the important moments of your day.

The Wedding Trailer

Social Media makes Trailers a popular option. The Trailer consists of a short recap of the day’s events. The key word here is “Recap.” The Trailer is not intended to be the finished film. Think about your last movie theatre experience. As you sat back eating your popcorn and waiting for the premier to begin, you watched Trailers for movies that would be appearing at a later date. That is the primary goal of a Trailer…. to merely get you interested enough to want to come back and watch the movie. Trailers are fun to view and share, but be cautious of studios pushing them off as finished Highlight films; this will only leave you disappointed and wishing you had more to watch.

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The Sneak Peek

The Sneak Peek is merely a shorter version of the Trailer, but the concept is the same. The Goal is to get you interested enough to want to watch the full film.

Congratulations!

Taking time to learn more about Wedding Film Terminology is an essential step to acquiring a Wedding film that you will cherish for a lifetime. Feel free to contact us if you would like to learn more about the wedding films we create or to check the availability of your date. Thanks again for reading and best wishes for a fantastic wedding film experience!