While we obsess over wedding photos and pre-wedding shoots, the wedding video should also be an important part of your wedding planning. It’s a way of reliving your memories and being in the moment again. Which is why we spoke to Joseph Radhik – one of the most in-demand celebrity wedding filmmakers in the country – about how to make your wedding video the film of a lifetime!
1. Save the date for ‘Save The Date’!
Your wedding film has a pre-set narrative but you can really do anything for a ‘Save The Date’ film! “Keep it simple and real,” is Joseph’s advice. “It could be anything – two people talking to the camera or filmed in stop motion animation.” And timelines? “It can take anywhere between 15 days to a month to create a storyboard and script; and then day or two for the shoot itself.”
2. What’s your inspiration?
“Go beyond the wedding trailers and ‘save the date’ films. Instead, are there music videos that you really like, any movies, anything from pop culture, really. Look beyond the usual so that your ‘save the date’ video really reflects your personality and stands out from everyone else’s,” explains Joseph.
3. Loosen up before the D-day
There’s a reason why Joseph is a big fan of the destination ‘save the date’ shoot: “It loosens up the bride and groom in front of the camera as a couple which is a very big deal. It’s just two people in a beautiful location and the camera team; so you also get to know the people working with you.” Think of it as a vacation or as Joseph puts it – “An oasis away from the chaos of wedding planning.”
4. Go on dates… with your director
Meet your director enough number of times so that he gets to know your personalities. “I like to ask them about their creative tastes – their current favourite music, music they listened to when growing up. I like to speak to them together and then individually. It’s also a good idea to tell the entire story to the director beforehand. He will know what points to emphasise when shooting your individual interviews on the wedding day,” shares Joseph.
5. Trust your director’s vision
…If it matches yours. “Come to a filmmaker only if you like his style and want it for your own wedding video. He’s not going to be good at anything else, really,” explains Joseph.
6. Book your filmmaker before time!
“We’re booked 6 months in advance!” After the booking, the director needs a few one-on-one sessions with the couple. So always enquire as much in advance as you can about the director’s availability.
7. Full disclosure
Walk the director through the flow of events, where they will happen and what the timelines are. Tell him the important entry points – of the bride, the groom, are there going to be fireworks, if there is a special performance or puja etc. The idea is not to surprise the director at the time of filming – he should know where to place his camera crew during the entire function.
8. Introduce him to the family
…With a note that they should tell the director all the shaadi surprises even if they don’t tell them to you. For example, the bride’s sister should make him/her a co-conspirator in the surprise she has planned so that the crew is on hand to film it and the bride’s reactions.
9. Bang for the buck
Wedding video costs depend on a lot of factors – the experience of the team, camera equipment, whether a sound team is required or not, the size of the crew, music licenses, lights, whether you’re using an aerial camera or not. “It’s exactly like a film production,” – in terms of overheads and people involved, says Joseph.
10. “Please use this song!”
…Is the request Joseph gets most. “Of course you want your favourite song in your wedding video. I get it, and if possible we accommodate these requests. Brides and grooms also sometimes want a certain family member to be in the film – let us know beforehand of this. I strike a deal with my clients – let me keep my ‘director’s cut’ and afterward we’ll accommodate all your requests… within reason,” he tells us, laughing.
Stories by Joseph Radhik is holding a Wedding Photography Masterclass at The Leela Palace, New Delhi on July 3, 2016. More details here.
All images and videos courtesy Stories by Joseph Radhik.
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