The transformation of the wedding video has been dramatic as desktop editing tools, such as Final Cut, Premiere, and Vegas have exploded on the scene. The result is a confusing array of possibilities that run the range from basic home productions to polished professional videos that rival what is seen in broadcast media. To make things even more complicated, not only does quality vary, but styles from equally talented individuals run the gamut. A couple can find almost anything, from aged film to actual film, as well as every effect under the sun. This article is designed to explore what's available and to discuss our view on the modern wedding video.

The Beginning
Wedding videos have suffered a bad rap, not always unjustly so, as the form has matured over the years. The growing pains of limited budgets, experience, and equipment have resulted in a lingering hangover that attaches itself to the term "wedding video" to this day. When asked in a survey whether most people felt that wedding photography was more artistic than video, the majority clearly answered "yes." By the same token, most people also felt that video was better for documentary purposes, but that more money should be invested in the photography.

So is photography more artistic? There is no simple answer to the question. It's like comparing pictures with movies. But one thing is certain – wedding photography is well established, while video is just coming into its own, making the state of the modern video difficult to evaluate. Why so much change in videography? One word – editing.

If we were to go back two decades or even one, we would see that the options were limited for the videographer. Complex transitions, color correction, slow motion, and the ability to easily place footage in any sequence were largely absent. Instead, editors commonly relied on tacky effects, linear timelines, a single camera, and a limited budget to do all of this. The result was a static, uninvolving video at best, and a mercilessly tasteless one at worst.

The Present
Now, we move into the present. Wedding videography is an industry in flux, as new talent enters and old skills wane in value. Every day, new videographers enter the ring, while others throw in the towel. Ironically, modern technology now allows videographers to get back to the basics – strong storytelling and the development of emotional content.

How good is modern technology? Nancy Schreiber, with the movie November, won the award for best cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival using a video camera commonly used in the wedding industry - the Panasonic DVX-100. Meanwhile, Cold Mountain was editing using Apple's Final Cut software and a Macintosh. On television, not only are some shows shot on the same cameras that are used in the wedding video industry, but some of the slickest effects that we often see in million dollar commercials can be generated by computers that cost no more than a few thousand dollars.

What this all translates to, is that the limit on modern wedding video is not the quality of the equipment. It's the quality of the videographer. As an industry, there's no effective way to valuate the modern wedding video for couples today, because there has been nothing of comparable quality available in the past. We encourage couples to consider the value of the "wedding video" unchained from its past.

Length
There are two manners in which people commonly define wedding videos. First, people look at length, and second, they look at style. For length, there are two popular definitions. They are "long form" and "short form" videos. Long form videos typically last 90-120 minutes, and provide general event coverage. Short form videos last about 30-60 minutes, and are edited intensively to distill the wedding down to its essentials.

Typically, short form videos focus on the emotional core of the wedding, while long form videos focus on showing more of the footage. It is a matter of preference as to which is better, but we focus on short form videos at Iris Cinema. We believe that this results in a video with greater intensity that is more enjoyable to watch.

Style
There are as many different styles in the wedding video industry as there are videographers. However, some common categorizations show up frequently. The most popular are "cinematic," and "documentary."

Definitions vary somewhat, but in general, "cinematic" refers to videos that use a more movie-like feel, emphasizing strong composition and visual tonality and emotional interpretation, while "documentary" is a more straightforward approach, with a stronger emphasis on the actions that take place. Usually, cinematic styles focus on translating the emotion of the event into a visual flavor, while journalistic styles allow the pace and rhythm of the event to portray the emotion. The vast majority of videographers apply aspects of both styles to a greater or lesser degree in their works. Finally, there is a third style, which might be referred to as "edgy." Its trademark is the dramatic use of effects and offbeat pace, as has often been seen on MTV.

An Approach
We blend elements from all styles in our work. However, rather than focus on finding a definition, we believe that it's much easier to describe our approach. Each wedding and each piece of footage has a unique tonality to it, and our objective is to let that tone speak for the wedding. This relies on a solid understanding of editing technique and taking the time to deliver a thoughtful result that is true to each couple.

For example, is it more effective to use a voiceover of a minister's words combined with footage of a couple from later in the day? Or is it better to show the minister speaking himself? Is it more powerful to show the reaction of the bride as she listens or to show the groom speaking the vows? And how do you build pace to show the urgency and significance of the day? The answer differs with each video, but the approach does not. It is about portraying truth, powerfully and sincerely, by looking deep into the footage to find its meaning.

To this end, we tend to downplay the use of overtly dramatic transitions, relying on the message in the footage instead. We find that excessive use of effects – even slow motion, which can be very powerful – tend to pull the viewer away from the video, making them self-conscious of what they are watching. While this self-consciousness is fine in "edgy" styles, where style and substance blend, we prefer to employ techniques to make our videos more timeless. To keep our work contemporary and to make it striking, we instead rely on strong composition, careful use of imagery, and extensive attention to rhythm. We arrange the flow of the footage to have certain dramatic highs contrasted by subtle lows, and in all cases, we strive to pull the viewer deeper into the moment.

It's a hard task to define an industry in the throes of such dramatic change, and an even greater challenge to explain how we edit our movies and how viewers understand moving pictures. But in the end, the language of cinema is over a century old, and it's a language that almost everyone intuitively understands in our society, even if they don't know how it's done. At Iris Cinema, we start off with a solid understanding this language, and we apply our skill to translate your wedding video into a cohesive work that speaks of your day, eloquently, powerfully, and truthfully.