Wedding "Films", just curious
 

I've been out of the wedding video business for a few years now having gravitated to corporate work and mograph as well as a plethora of other media services. I have an ongoing contract with a wedding facility as their in house tech so I still have a hand in the industry. One thing I've noticed from the videographers who shoot there as well as those on this forum is the use of the term "wedding films" or "we film weddings" etc. Now in all my years in the industry I have never(accept for the brief trend towards retro super 8 last year) heard of or seen ANY videographer using film. What gives guys and gals?? Are you ashamed of being a "videographer" or a "vide-o-ographer" or "the video guy"?? To me it sounds pretentious and misleading.

For the record, I have the utmost respect for wedding video professionals. It's a tough way to make a living and not one that fit my lifestyle or business goals. Those that succeed should be commended. But to deny what it is that you do I don't feel serves the industry well. Just an opinion.

I think it's just part of your marketing and branding. If you want to tell your clients that you produce more artistic videos, you can express that with "films".

Clients don't connect the word "films" to super 8. Ever.

I think the word "film" is designed to convey the notion of a crafted project, rather than a chronological set of clips.

Video today is associated with YouTube and film with more ambitious projects. So a YT clip is a video however it was shot. Likewise a 90 minute movie is a film even when it originated in digital format.

I don't think there is a problem using the word "film". Michael Mann's latest movies and Lars Von Trier's "Antichrist", are all shot on digital formats (Cinealta, RED, Phantom) but those movies are still considered as films.

The use of the word "film" is an attempt to escape from the stigma that "video" has, at least for some. Some people associate video with the wretched productions of Uncle Charlie or others who lack both camera handing and editing skills. The problem is that there isn't a word other than film that conveys the message that some want to project. Maybe someone can invent a new word. ;-)

Fair enough guys. Just curious. With the advent of HD and cameras like The Red, I think it's true that high end video and film are becoming interchangeable. I think the danger lies in the fact that there's nothing stopping Uncle Charlie from using the term as well, which brings you back to square one. It's the same thing in my business when companies use the term "full service production company", purely subjective.

Hi Mick

I would say that the phrase "wedding film" does work for those creating masterpieces that we used to call "cinematic" ... I have always linked wedding films with the more creative shoot with lot's of colour grading and a tendancy to rather use music to compliment the vision instead of including ambient audio.

I'm happy to be called a videographer as I shoot solely in documentary style and don't even attempt to try and make my end result "film-like" My particular clients will often say to me that they chose me because the original audio is there and not replaced by music tracks and it accurately represents the day instead of vision set to the brides favorite music tracks.

I guess your product needs to reflect what style you shoot in and film-like cinematic wedding production is probably better known as a wedding film rather than a wedding video. The Uncle Joe sigma is a tough one to beat and as you say any relative with a Kodak Flip can call themselves a videographer or film-maker... !!

Often adding the word "Professional" helps... "I'm a professional wedding videographer" ??? A lot of people also tend to drop the "wedding video" phrase and call it a "wedding DVD" All my brides still call me the video guy !! Personally I would like to call my productions "wedding documentaries" but would that maybe confuse brides who want a wedding video and know it as a video????

Whatever style you shoot in, wedding film and wedding film-maker does sound a whole lot classier than the old term and is unlikely to be used by Uncle Joe!!

Chris

I think there's two reasons for the ascent of the "wedding film" phrase.

One is, as others have said, the stigma involved with the word video. It conjures up images of shaky, backlight footage with terrible audio and contstant zooms.

The other reason is that some of the variations of the word video - videographer, video-ing etc - are so damn hard to say. Sometimes is is just so much easier to say " I make wedding films" than "I'm a wedding digital videopraher."

Language changes over time and words are only connected to the meanings we give them. To take a closely related example, photographers don't shoot to film, cut up their negatives and mount them in slides anymore (well, not many do), but we still see plenty of "slideshows." I don't think it is misleading or deceptive to use the word "film" - in fact I think it gives wedding video's the artistic granduer they deserve and which they could never get when attached to the stigma of video.