W4 Wedding Films

Tell us a little about yourself?

We are Chris and Amy, a husband and wife team, and together we run W4 Wedding Films. We are proud to be one of the leading wedding videographers in the area having filmed hundreds of weddings and won multiple awards.

We both have creative backgrounds and we believe our strength is in storytelling, capturing those missed moments, as well as the ones you will never forget.

As a recently married couple ourselves, we know how essential it is to choose suppliers whose work you love, but also those you can trust, rely on and who will blend in on the day. We would love to film your special day and are so pleased that you have taken a moment to read a little about us.

How would you describe your wedding videography style and your way of working?

We create cinematic wedding films that we hope you will want to watch again and again, rather than something you watch once and put in the loft!

We are unique in our ability to capture the spirit of the wedding, telling each couple’s individual story and the moments that make up their day.  We use camera composition, sound, camera movement, colour grading and sound mixing to give our films that ‘cinematic’ feel without ever losing the emotion of the day.

Our working style is to remain unobtrusive and discreet during the day. We believe the best wedding films have footage that is natural and ‘in the moment’. We never pose people or set up awkward shots and we believe it’s this approach that gives a true reflection of the day and its special moments.

We use long lenses and radio mics to help capture all the important shots without the couple and their guests noticing we are there and feeling self-conscious.

If we haven’t worked with your suppliers before (e.g. photographer) we will  often get in touch with them beforehand to establish contact and discuss the logistics of working together on the day. We always enjoy working alongside photographers and we always keep in mind their shots and positioning too.

We love working with couples from first contact, all the way through to personally filming and editing their films. For couples and those who enquire about our services, we are always happy to chat over the phone, in person or via Skype.

What type of equipment do you use?

We use a range of equipment to capture the day. We film on Canon C100 cameras with an array of professional lenses.

We have a range of discreet equipment that can offer subtle camera movements and enhance the cinematic feeling to our films, such as a steadi-cam and glide tracks. These mimic many of the movements that you can see in TV and films and add to the professional and impressive look we believe wedding films should have. However we are keen to stress that whilst we use these throughout the day, we are able to remain very mobile and discreet. In fact many couples and their guests comment that they didn’t notice we were there, which we take as a great compliment!

One thing that sets us apart is our approach to sound. It’s incredibly important to record the vows, speeches and other moments in crystal clear audio. We use discreet lapel mics and take a feed from the venue’s soundboard during the speeches (if applicable). This enables us to get great professional sound, without having to be too close or imposing with large microphones.

We are also proud to be one of the only wedding videographers in the area to be fully approved by the CAA to use drones at weddings. We don’t outsource any aspect of our wedding films or editing and this of course includes drone footage too.

Do you shoot in HD? What format with the final version be in?

Depending on the cameras we use, we film and edit in HD or 4K. We deliver the films in HD.

The finished films are provided on DVD and USB as standard with all packages.

Our highlights films (shorter versions of your main film) which come as standard with several of our packages, are also available online as a password protected link that you can easily share with family and friends.

What can you offer couples? Can they customise the package with you?

We have a range of packages available which cover various parts of the day. However, as every wedding is different, we are happy to create bespoke packages for couples according to their requirements.

What parts of the day do you usually capture?

Our most popular option is the ‘All Day’ package. We start with bridal preparations in the morning (or we can substitute this for evening guest messages if you prefer) and film throughout the day with two videographers until 9:30 PM. As well as your main film, this also includes a shorter highlights film and the full Ceremony, Speeches and First Dance as additional special features, all delivered on DVD and USB.

Of course couples can choose to have more or less of their day filmed, depending on their requirements.

How long does it take you to edit?

On average it takes between 2 to 4 weeks to edit a film.

How long with the final version usually be?

The wedding film is usually on average around 20-25 minutes.  The films are set to the couple’s choice of music and with parts of the vows and speeches included, often as audio playing underneath footage from the day.

We also then provide the full ceremony, speeches and First Dance as separate features on the DVD/USB. So in total, couples will receive on average 40-140 minutes of footage in total.

How far in advance should couples book you?

There is no set rule. On average couples will book around a year in advance, some more, some less. It’s always worth getting in touch to check our availability as outside of the peak wedding season, we can sometimes have late availability.

What information do you need from the couple before the wedding day?

A few months before the wedding we will send out a fact sheet which talks about how we work on the day and our logistics. At this time we also send couples a short questionnaire to find out some of the key timings and details. This enables us to be fully prepared for the wedding and to be in the right place at the right time without having to ask couples or their guests on the big day.

What are you expecting to see become more mainstream/more common in the next year or two?

Videography is becoming such a fast changing area, moving rapidly away from the old cheesy videos of the past to modern cinematic films. We expect to see wedding films using equipment such as drones to be commonplace. Also we believe the best way for couples to maximise the moments that can be captured during the day is to use two videographers. Using more than one videographer at a wedding means footage can be taken in different locations at the same time.

How should couples choose their wedding videographer?

Many of our couples find us through recommendations or partnerships with venues or wedding planners, so this is always a good place to start.

However, couples should always see a videographer’s work first, watch a few of their films and see if the style fits with what they are looking for. Don’t forget to pay attention to the sound quality and check to see if all of the films on the videographer’s site are of a similar standard.

Couples can always ask to find out a little about the videographer’s experience and background, perhaps asking if they are a member of the Institute of Videography.