If you want to hold on to your wedding
memories in a way that no other
medium can offer, you’ll need a talented
videographer. Watching your happy faces,
friends and family’s speeches, and the
most touching moments of your wedding
years later is a great way to reconnect with
those emotions. You’ll want a videographer
who is creative, experienced in creating
cinematic videos, and passionate about
ensuring that your big day is captured
perfectly. To help you understand what
what makes a wedding video great and
what elements should be present for the
film to be nothing less than perfect, we
spoke to Michael Justin of Michael Justin
Films.
Urbanette Magazine:
Pre-nuptial
and post-nuptial videos are a
big thing nowadays. How do you
prepare for pre-nups and how do
you brainstorm with your clients to
get exactly what they want?
Michael Justin:
We’ve definitely
seen an increase in interest for
pre-nuptial films over the last three
years. The process and involvement
for these types of films differs
greatly – sometimes couples come
in with a vision of what they want
which we use as the starting point
of collaboration; sometimes they
look for creative direction that we
provide. Regardless, it’s a joint effort
to create a unique and entertaining
film that represents the couple and
delivers their message of love and
commitment. Since there is no set
structure to these types of films, it
opens up opportunities to get creative
– which is what we love!
Urbanette:
How much of a video is
inspired by the client’s vision and how
much of it is your brand? What is the
Michael Justin brand when it comes to
intimate videos like weddings?
Michael:
We love storytelling
and it’s the driving force behind
everything we create. We pride
ourselves in giving our couples more
than just a recap of their day. We
use artistic cinematography and
editing, emotional voiceovers and
harmonizing music to tell their stories.
I believe our success is due to the
relationships we create with our clients and our ability to tell their
stories in a way others don’t. Whether
that’s through the extra time we take
getting to know our clients before,
during, and after the wedding,
their personal stories we include in
their films or our non-cookie cutter
approach to editing – we’re passionate
about creative cinematic storytelling
Urbanette:
What was your most
memorable shoot?
Michael:
We’ve filmed in some pretty
amazing places around the country
ranging from high end estates in
Texas, to the first ever wedding held
at the House of Blues in Orlando,
to a really intimate ceremony of
ten people in Central Park (and
everywhere in between). To me, what
makes a shoot truly memorable are
the unexpected moments that happen
out of pure love and elation that we
just happen to be fortunate enough to
capture.
Such a moment happened between
one of our couples almost three years
ago. After a very moving ceremony
and being announced husband and
wife, they exited down the aisle and
out the back to another room. Not
knowing they were being filmed and
forgetting they were still mic’d, they
pulled each other in close, started
crying in each other’s arms, and
whispered some of the sweetest
things I’ve ever heard. It was such
an intimate, powerful moment that
I almost felt bad recording it. A few
months later after the couple got their
film, I received a phone call from the
bride and as she fought through tears
she told me how grateful she was to
have that moment captured.
and our clients can see that in our
films.
Urbanette:
What do you think are the
top three elements a wedding video
should have for it to be a success?
Michael:
Our top priority in the films
we create is to evoke emotion in our
viewers. We want the person watching
to feel connected to the story and
end their experience with a positive
reaction. We achieve that by sticking
to a few general rules. First, we keep our films short and
powerful. By keeping them between
five and twenty minutes, it ensures
we use only the best moments from
the day. This keeps the story moving
and interesting. Second, we keep the
balance of natural audio, music, and
voice-over’s in harmony, not allowing
one to dominate the film. And finally,
we make it a priority to borrow a few
minutes from the bride and groom
on the wedding day to give them
a chance to reflect on the day and
their love for each other. It winds up
being some of the most moving and
emotional content we capture.
Urbanette:
What should a wedding
video NOT have?
Michael:
A wedding film is very
personal, so it is difficult to identify
specific elements that should not be
included. It really comes down to the
preference of the couple and the style
they like. For a Michael Justin Films
wedding film, however, you’ll never
see impromptu questions asked to
guests – like most wedding films from
the 80’s and 90’s – cheesy special
effects like star swipes or picture in
picture, and you’ll never see a film
with little to no story.
I know I’ve mentioned it a lot, but
making sure our films accurately
represent the story of our couples is
paramount. Before a film ever reaches
our client, it goes through a rigorous
quality control period – mostly close
women and men who understand
our brand that watch and critique
the art. If the film isn’t well received
with smiles, laughs, or our ultimate
aspiration – tears – we go back to the
editing bay and work on the story.
