Getting married in 2015? Check out the latest trends in wedding video! Make sure your big day doesn’t have that betamax look by the time you’re exchanging leather gifts with your spouse. We’ll take a look at the styles, techniques, and ideas that will make 2015 special.
4K / Ultra HD video
What exactly is 4K? It’s the new generation of video technology, replacing 1080p. There are four times as many pixels as 1080p - your eyes have never seen anything quite like it! You’ll need a 4K TV to really enjoy it, but there’s no way that 1080p LED TV hanging in your living room is going to outlast your marriage, right? So you’ll have a 4K TV soon enough!
2015 will see the beginnings of 4K in wedding videography. Acclaimed wedding cinematographer Alex Kohn tells us “4K is something for you to seriously consider for your wedding videography. It will future-proof your wedding movie”. So if you want to avoid that “wow, did it always look that bad?” feeling you get when you watch your old VHS tapes, 4K may be the way to go.
Keep in mind that right now relatively few videographers offer 4K. It adds complexity to the videographer’s workflow, which adds cost. Alex tells us, “Because of the tremendous amount of digital information in the 4K format, editing will be more complex and time consuming. The shooting cost won’t be much different, but putting your movie together will be somewhat pricier.”
Creative storytelling
There is an exciting trend towards storytelling in wedding videos. Up until recently, wedding videos were stuck in what we’d call the “silent movie” era: no spoken words, just pretty images, chronologically ordered, set to emotional music. While this “music video” format does a fine job documenting facts, it’s not so good for capturing what people were thinking and feeling that day – that’s where the story telling comes in...
In 2015, wedding videos will find their voice. Couples want to capture more than moving images. They want to remember how they felt, what they were thinking, and what others were saying. In response, expect videographers to focus on integrating more soundbites from the vows, the toasts, and the open-mic at the rehearsal dinner. Couples should find occasions to express themselves – for example by writing custom vows, or when they’re exchanging gifts. As long as these activities are genuine they’ll be the bedrock of your story. Alex Kohn tells us, "I encourage my clients to write personalized vows. It greatly amplifies their own experience of the ceremony, and adds so much value to the video"
In this other example by Long Haul Films, the couple’s warm personalities are immediately palpable in the vows section, and their playfulness is captured in the fun games they organized for their guests.
Aerial shots
Need to add an epic feel to your video? How about a bird’s eye view of your big day? Amazing aerial footage is becoming more and more accessible. Wedding videographer Jamie Faure tells us, “we have started using a drone, and it does add to the epic feel of the cinematic highlights. In Australia using the drone has become a common practice among cinematographers.” Aerial footage was once the reserve of high end projects, but drones are now bringing it in reach of everyone. Aerial footage works especially well at weddings where it has the potential to reveal the beauty of your venue. You paid for that castle, now film it! Note: of course this type of thrilling footage should be used sparingly, mainly as set-up shot early in the day, no drone buzzing around during the ceremony please!
Timelapse
Timelapse is a technique that can contribute to storytelling while adding a high-quality feel to your video. Like aerial footage, timelapse adds another dimension to your video, which makes it more visually interesting. It’s also particularly useful as a set-up shot, or to connect two scenes that are a few hours apart, as we can see in this video by IQ Videography.
Or it can be used in even more creative ways – like this amazing engagement video
Slow-mo booths and other "party accessories"
Slow-mo booths are already a ton of fun - they give guests something creative to do, and an excuse to be goofy. These will be some of the most memorable shots in your entire video. And all those near-misses will be the backbone of your blooper real.
We’ve discussed the latest trends in wedding video, but lets not forget that the best wedding videos are the ones that manage to capture the emotional substance of the day. Ask yourself these questions: will watching this transport us back to our wedding day? Will it genuinely represent us as a couple? Get those things nailed, and then add some 2015 flare! Check out our 10 Commandments of Wedding Video to get the basics dialed in.