Wedding Cinematography

As a child my father had an old 8 mm cine camera. We have fascinating old footage of me and my brothers playing in the sand as children and talking to the camera with no sound. There's something so compelling about seeing the people you love moving about in a memory you have, right there on a screen in front of you. When I'm behind my cinema camera filming weddings, I often think of the people in the future who'll be looking back at this day through my film. It's an incredible thing that children and grandchildren will one day be able to see your wedding like this.

My film package is very simple. You receive your five-minute 1080p Full HD film via a high quality Vimeo link so you can share the highlights of your day with friends and family on social media. You will also a receive a link to download the highlights film at full quality for your own family archive. I cover the whole day and capture the ceremony and the speeches in full. A separate, password-protected Vimeo link and download link will be provided to you for these, so you can keep your personal vows and speeches private.

I hope you enjoy watching some of my work. I'd love to put your wedding on screen for you.

Natural

It's your wedding day, and you want to relax. I won't ask you to act or do anything cheesy. I want to make you a beautifully natural film of what your day was really like. During your portrait shoot with the photographer, I will give you a bit of gentle direction to get a few shots as you're having your pictures taken, but for the rest of the day my goal is to fade into the background so you can forget I am there.

Friendly

I try to blend in as much as possible, but of course I am part of your day, and that means being friendly and professional with your guests. I love job, and I think that shows on the day. As much as possible, I stay out the way and capture fly on the wall reportage footage.

Coverage

I work from two hours before your ceremony until your first dance, and sometimes a little longer if I can. If they are amenable, I will work with your photographer to get my footage during the time you have set aside for portraits.

I capture the ceremony and speeches in full, with audio.

Equipment

I don't use a huge big camera on my shoulder. I don't want to distract in any way from you. I use a Canon cinema camera, which is a little larger than an SLR, but still discrete. I work alone and carry all my gear in a backpack so I can be on the move with your and your wedding party. I don't mic you up for the ceremony, and record the ambient audio using a professional field recorder on the ceremony or near the altar for church weddings. I find this provides a more ambient sound and is less intrusive to you, the couple.

Audio

During the ceremony and speeches, I record the audio in full. For the rest of the day, I set the footage to music. This lets me be more creative with the edit, and means you and your guests can talk freely and joke together the way we all like to when we're enjoying wine and sun with good friends. I always tell guests who ask that I am on their side. I want to make a film you all love.

FAQ's

Do we choose the music for the film?

For the full film you receive on Blu-ray, yes, you choose music. I'll ask you for three songs that mean something to you to set the three parts of the day to—the morning preparations, the afternoon, and the evening. The audio from the ceremony and speeches is the actual audio from the day, so no music is edited in here.

For the shorter films you see here, it's a lot harder to licence the music you choose, so I use music from professional cinematic music libraries which are made with filmmakers like me in mind. I spend more time than any sane person would believe picking out the right song for each film.

How do we receive the film?

You will receive the full film on Blu-ray disc. I use this format because it remains the easiest and most accessible way for my couples to view their films in Full HD 1080p quality. Providing the film on a physical disc rather than as a download also allows me to license the music legally, which is very important to me as a professional.

The short films are uploaded to Vimeo and set in a post on my site, which you can link to and share with your friends. You can also use the Vimeo app on your phone or tablet to keep this film offline so you can view it any time, and take it with you to show colleagues and loved ones. The film can also be downloaded at any time using a private link.

Do I retain copyright of the film?

You are welcome to make copies of your film for your own use, and share it anywhere you like. For commercial purposes, I retain the rights to my work, but this is a technicality that allows me to protect my business should another commercial entity seek to use my footage without permission. Sadly, this does happen. Once you have your film, you can copy it and archive as you see fit.

Can you use a drone?

Currently, I do not operate a drone myself, but if you would love drone footage in your wedding film, I can contact some colleagues and arrange this with them for an additional fee. Operating a drone for commercial purposes in the UK requires a licence and the correct drone insurance. Reputable venues will often ask to see these documents.

 

Let's Do This

The next steps are very simple. Fill in the form below and say hello. I'll send over a short agreement document for you to fill out and sign, with all the details for payment too. Once I have the document and the initial payment, we're all set!