It’s a situation many couples experience. You’ve just gotten engaged, you’ve scoured the boards of Pinterest for wedding ideas, you’re ready to make some concrete plans- and then you’re facing serious sticker shock, because, “How can pointing a camera for a few hours cost that much?!” Many aspects of a wedding are more expensive than we anticipate, and often times we don’t understand why. I know this was the case when I was recently engaged and planning my wedding! And it’s true, some vendors do up-charge simply because the word wedding is on the receipt. However, most of the time there is a good reason that vendors charge what they do for events, and this is certainly the case for videography.
So, what goes into the cost of a Banco Productions wedding video? The most obvious part is the time that we spend actually filming the wedding. This includes the time spent commuting to the venue or venues, equipment setup, and the time spent capturing the actual day. There are getting ready shots, the ceremony, reception, and one-on-one shots of the couple that need to be captured. Typically, the time spent filming ranges from 8-10 hours. Additionally, as videographers, we are doing more than just showing up to point and shoot. We are constantly navigating the event to try and stay in the background so that we don’t interrupt anyone’s enjoyment of the festivities, while also trying to get the best angles, lighting, and shots of the couple and guests.
Perhaps surprisingly, the bulk of our time is spent editing the video after the event. There are several hours of footage that we are working with, and even putting together a 3-5 minute highlight takes around 8-10 hours to complete! We spend time looking through the footage for the best shots to use, color correcting shots that need it, optimizing audio, and lining the shots up with the music and audio from the day. For the full-length edits of the ceremony and reception, we must go through the entire length of the footage to make sure we choose the best camera angles, and clean up the audio so that it is as clear as possible. This part takes at least another 10-15 hours.
Taking all of this into account, the whole process takes between 20 and 30 hours! Not only does the cost include these hours, but the cost of the equipment we use, and the inevitable repairs and replacements. When taking this into account, the investment that you put into your videographer is understandable. And when you consider the fact that most documentaries cost around $1000 a minute to produce, you are getting quite a deal! Regardless of what your budget is, it is worth looking for a videographer to capture your memories. To find out more about the pros and cons of hiring someone, check out our blog post, “Should You Hire a Wedding Videographer?“
Want to book your videographer now, or set up a time to talk? View our packages and pricing or visit our Contact Us page!
