A chat with Veiled Productions, Hertfordshire wedding videographers

Should I book a videographer for my wedding?… we spoke to Veiled Productions

​Last month I met up with Hertfordshire wedding videographers Veiled Productions. They are an award-winning videographer team who cover Herts and the surrounding counties. I really wanted to pick their brains and find about a bit more about what it is they do and why they do it.

If you are wondering what talented videographers could do for your wedding then read on!…

‘Thanks again for meeting me guys! So please tell me a bit about yourselves and what you do?’

Rachel:  ‘Thank you so much for having us, always a pleasure to see you both! I’m Rachel and I started Veiled Productions in 2011. And this is Pete my partner who helps me with our website, is a second videographer for me if ever needed and very good with all technical things!’

‘In a nutshell we are all about capturing the fun and emotion of the wedding day. We like to tell each couple’s unique story in films they can treasure forever. The wedding day goes by so quickly for the couple because lets face it, how often do you have all of your family and friends together in the same room?!’

 ‘And what kind of style and approach do you take when filming?’

Rachel:  ‘We describe our style as filming from the view point of a guest. We have a very natural, unobtrusive approach. Nothing is staged or posed. The best comments we receive from our couples is that they didn’t notice us filming on the day but we still captured everything important to them.’

‘We love capturing the natural laughter, the hugs and kisses which makes the film full of emotion but not too cheesy.’

‘Sounds perfect!’

Hertfordshire Wedding at The Priory, Little Wymondley

‘So most couples will be booking a photographer for their wedding, but maybe not a videographer. What do you feel are the main benefits of using a videographer?’

Rachel:  ‘Photos are great to have on the wall and make you smile every day but video is totally different. It preserves the words that were said and moments that over time you will forget.’

‘Totally agree, there must be potentially so many moments that could be missed and forgotten without them being captured.’

‘Exactly! And I love watching family videos of us when we were babies. It’s amazing watching my younger parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and of course us as young kids running around!’

‘It’s especially precious now that some of them are no longer with us and we are all grown up. And I feel the same is true for a wedding film. Watching the films back a few months after the wedding will bring joy and fond memories and watching it back 10 years later will be even more special.’

Pete:  ‘Having the wedding filmed means you can relive the special moments you will always remember. But also experience moments you might not have seen – the getting ready, the guests at the reception, the partying. It also means family members old and new can watch it 10 years down the line and laugh at the speeches or the dancing or whatever it may be.’

‘Are there parts of what you do that couples might not have thought about, other than having the formalities of their wedding filmed?

Rachel:  ‘The story telling element of the films is what makes having a professional so worth it. We record the day as it happens and then edit the films to the couples’ favourite songs and that’s what brings out the emotion. Our split screen editing style makes the film a bit different too, something fun and a bit more fast-paced.’

Pete:  ‘We are also super careful when it comes to the footage. We backup everything in 3 different places – one offsite – just in case a hard drive fails or something goes wrong – we will always have the footage.’

‘You can never be too careful can you!’

Rachel:  ‘I’m so careful that I even carry the SD cards in my pocket on the journey home so that the footage is always with me until it is safely backed up!’

‘So as a DJ and host I work regularly with both photographers and videographers, how do you go about capturing the entertainment side of things?’

Rachel:  ‘We love the entertainment because the dancing and the fun really begins! We always film for an hour after the first dance to make sure we’ve got lots of footage of our couples and their guests having a great time. It is at this time that their personalities really shine! We always communicate with the DJs / Bands because the mood lighting is great for creating an atmosphere but is often very dark.’

Pete: ‘Yes and because of this we also have lights which create the perfect lighting for the films. And we work together with the DJs/bands so that it’s not intrusive for them and still creates an atmosphere but also ensures it’s not too dark for us capturing the fun either.’

‘Awesome! You must have great fun doing what you do, seeing so much through your lenses! But you must spend a lot of time in the editing room too. How many hours go into a typical wedding?’

Rachel:  ‘Yes we love it so much and feel very privileged capturing all the special moments. I do love the editing too, the story-telling part is my favourite and I usually spend about 50 hours editing after the wedding day. We edit a full length film, typically between 60 and 90 minutes in duration. Plus a highlights film which is edited to one song.’

‘Watching all the clips, cutting the best bits and timing to music is quite a long process. We also colour grade the footage and then export the final films which is why we say it can take up to 10 weeks to deliver the edited films in peak season. It’s totally worth the wait as we want the films to be perfect and never rush them.’

‘Definitely worth the wait for sure.’

‘So one last question, a scenario…
A couple have booked you to capture their wedding. What is one piece of advice you would give them to make them feel at ease about being filmed?’

Rachel:  ‘I’d say it may sound a bit daunting now but we promise that we will be as subtle as possible. And you’ll be so busy having a great time with each other and your closest family and friends that you will soon forget we are there.’

Pete:  ‘The day flies by. Take moments during the ceremony, or when you are having couples photos, to think ‘wow, we are married’ and remember the feelings. The footage we capture will then remind you of those feelings 2 months, a year and 10 years down the line. We promise it is worth it. Our tag line is “goosebumps guaranteed” after all!’

‘Thank you so much for taking the time to speak guys!  Great to see you again.’

‘Thank you for having us it’s been a pleasure!’

Visit Veiled Productions website for more information on the fantastic services they offer.