(2024)
On WEDDING
Cinematography
A FEW THOUGHTS ON OUR INDUSTRY, RATES
AND TIPS FOR FINDING THE RIGHT TEAM FOR YOU
If you have questions, hopes, fears or sticker shock about choosing a wedding cinematography team – you’re not alone and we’d love to help.
If the above sentiment rings true for you, please hear us when we say we understand. We’ve been there!
Our high school art teacher filmed our wedding in 2014 and while we are SO grateful to have our precious memories captured, in retrospect there’s a lot we didn’t know and wish we would have done differently. Now that we are on the other side (as wedding vendors ourselves), we’d love to pierce the veil a bit on what goes into the work we do, our unique approach to filming weddings, and why our packages are priced the way they are.
(MYTH 1) – WEDDING PRICES ARE INFLATED COMPARED TO OTHER EVENTS
We do NOT share this information to pressure you into any specific decision or investment around cinematography, we simply share this information because we were once in your shoes, and would love to help you understand the process & rates behind wedding cinematography as a way of supporting our industry, and shed some light and understanding on what often goes unseen.
Here are a few of our takes on common wedding “myths”, our approach to our work & the rates behind it, and some tips for finding the right team for you!
Contrary to popular belief, vendors are not charging more for wedding services just because it is a wedding. Weddings are complex events that demand higher expectations, a more niche expertise, and involve a far greater emotional investment than other kinds of jobs or special events. There is an expectation for your vendors to nail it once (there are no do-overs for this day), and to work both completely independently as well as cooperatively with the rest of your vendor team, offering a harmonious experience that (we hope) you will hardly notice. Your wedding is a day that will be imprinted in your memory for the rest of your life, and therefore demands higher expectations from those you invite to share in it with you.
Weddings are also unique in the sense that vendors must commit to jobs 9-18 months in advance (usually on a weekend) while turning away any other opportunities for those dates (personal or professional). When we say “yes” to a couple’s wedding day, there are many “no’s” that follow. After nine years in business, we have a protected and limited availability to ensure our “yes” is a carefully considered one – reserved for opportunities we feel we are both well aligned for and able to give the best of our time, heart and attention to.
The work days themselves are also unique in the sense that vendors (specifically cinematographers and photographers) are often on their feet for 8-12+ hours with no breaks (sometimes without the ability to use the restroom or eat), carrying heavy equipment, surrounded by a large number of people in unpredictable conditions, and capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments that cannot be recreated.
(MYTH 2) – I CAN CUT COSTS BY HIRING A FRIEND OR A NON-WEDDING INDUSTRY ARTIST AND RECEIVE THE SAME LEVEL OF PRODUCT & EXPERIENCE
It’s not just about capturing great imagery – it’s about anticipating & knowing how to do this in an incredibly ever-changing and unpredictable environment, in a way that is unobtrusive & respectful of those you are sharing the space with (namely the couple and the team they’ve hired to document alongside you), and considerate of the emotional impact of the moment at hand. This is not a production set – this is a wedding day, and should be treated with a special level of care and consideration not required in other types of jobs or events.
The end result should be beautiful, well-lit, and honoring imagery of the people in it without compromising the emotional tone of the moment and those you shared it with. Seasoned wedding industry cinematographers and photographers are trained in this unique art.
(MYTH 3) – WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOULD COST MORE THAN WEDDING CINEMATOGRAPHY
We first want to specify here that we adore our photographer friends and respect the hell out of the work they do. They are an irreplaceable and important part of your day and are worth every penny of what they charge.
So, please hear us when we say we mean absolutely no shade when we share that our work is objectively more expensive in both hard costs, time and labor. This does not mean that we believe our role to be more valuable – we understand that each of our roles require a unique set of skills and responsibilities that are not quantifiable, and we also do not believe that a value of a service comes down to mere expenditure. However, we’d be doing ourselves and our cinematographer peers a disservice to shy away from one important & objective truth: Our gear is easily double, triple, or quadruple the cost of photography equipment and we spend double, triple, or quadruple the amount of time in post-production.
We often work with photographers who walk into wedding days with a single backpack and a camera around their neck, while we have a four-wheeled rolling cart containing multiple hard pelican cases (one for two of our cameras and lenses, one for our audio equipment, and one for our reception lighting (the cinematography alternative to flash on a photography camera), along with our drone, tripods, light stands, sand bags (to ensure our light stands are securely placed), a backpack full of batteries and other small accessories, and two additional cameras we hand-carry. And these are just gear expenses– when you factor in the added cost of storage (one wedding film requires about 10x as much storage space as a wedding gallery), music licensing, drone insurance, equipment cleanings & services, etc– you can imagine how many extra hidden costs there are for cinematographers.
For the gear/equipment reason alone, we have (personally) found it impossible to successfully operate as a single-person team. While one of us is moving gear from ceremony to reception, one of us is capturing cocktail hour and celebratory moments with your family. While one of us is setting up audio for ceremony or toasts at the DJ booth, one of us is capturing the details that you, your planner and your florist worked so hard to bring to life. In all of the other moments, we are committed to capturing two perspectives of every single, fleeting moment worth preserving.
Because our work as wedding cinematographers requires two of us in very specialized roles (i.e. drone pilot, audio technician and editor to name a few), we have much more expensive and limited options when it comes to outsourcing (i.e. to second shooters or editors, not to mention a lack of AI options to speed up the post-production process like those available to photographers). When it comes to post-production, we asked photographers over the years how much time (on average) it takes them to edit a wedding gallery, and many of them shared they can edit a full gallery in 16 hours or less (versus our ~60 hours in post-production for a 5-7 minute highlight film). For teams that prefer to outsource some or all of their post-production process, the average cost to edit a wedding photo gallery is $150-200 (or less with AI), versus $1,000 for a wedding film (less for something more straightforward like moving pictures to music, more for edits that are more story-driven and textured with audio).
In 2020, after years of struggling to run our business with inconsistent assistants (and therefore an inconsistent experience and product) we happily decided that the best thing for both our business and our clients is a commitment from both of us as full-time career cinematographers - improving our quality of service and product, but also increasing the need to price our services higher to provide for our family as our sole income source.
We will close this by saying that our industry is always changing and we expect it to continue to do so – from social media to AI to music licensing laws, we must stay adaptable and quick on our feet. We are so grateful to create in a time where and film is more relevant and valued than it has ever been before, and we are committed to doing our part in pushing our industry forward in creativity, technical excellence and heart.
So, how does all of this play into your approach & pricing?
first off, LET’S FACE SOME MYTHS
(01) WE CHARGE FOR THE YEARS, NOT THE HOURS
We’ve been filming weddings for 9 years now, and in SO many ways our “year one” could not look more different than our “year nine”. The way we show up to wedding days is different, our client experience is different, the gear we show up with is different, our vendor teamwork is different, our filming and editing approach is different – and because of this, our pricing is different.
We’re so thankful for the couples that invested in us when we were in that early growth stage and had grace for our mistakes – mistakes we have since learned from. We take pride in the fact that we no longer experience wedding day panic for the gear we don’t have, the uncertainties of working with new vendor teams or at new locations, or insecurity in our ability to anticipate moments or prepare for what’s next without compromising the moment.
We’ve invested many years and dollars into our gear, equipment and post-production process to mitigate risk and offer a consistent product our clients can trust and excitedly expect. We shoot in teams of two to ensure we don’t miss a moment (often from two angles), and have backups for our backups (when it comes to cameras, audio sources and storage). We never show up without a detailed timeline and completed questionnaires with all of your key details (from addresses and schedules to the important relationships in your lives, moments and details to look out for, your favorite music, etc), and take the time to meditate on these things so we can capture not just the “stuff” of your day but the heart of what it means to you.
When the day is finished, we take home your precious moments on our cameras and memory cards and protect them both thieves and technical malfunction (both are a risk in this work that seasoned vendors act and pay to protect against), and begin our 60+ hour post-production process to preserve, honor and elevate the memory of your day for years and generations to come.
(02) OUR PACKAGE RATES COVER OUR COSTS OF RUNNING A PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS – FOR US & FOR YOU
We bought a new camera rig last year and it cost us about $30k, split over 12 months. Our many memory cards, batteries and editing hard drives cost about $800/each, and we pay for quarterly camera & lens cleanings to ensure everything we bring to your wedding is in perfect working order.
Insurance and taxes are more expensive (about 30% of what we make annually), and that doesn’t account for personal necessities like healthcare. We pay to legally license all of the songs in our films (typically ranging from $250-750 per film) because it honors the contributing artist as well as ensures our films are safe to live on the web & social media without legal implications. After your wedding day is over, we back up your wedding in at least 3 safe locations and our office closet is filled with more hard drives than we can count. We give our clients an accessible online roadmap of what to expect during every part of their process with us (from online questionnaires & payable invoices with reminders) and they love the convenience of it. We pay for this out of our package fees too!
All this being said, after we’ve given Best Buy & the government half our money (kinda kidding), your questionnaires are submitted, your venue has our liability insurance on file, your footage is backed up in more places than it really needs to be (we are guardians of your moments, remember?) & we’ve paid out the artists for the bangers in your film (lol) – we take home a fraction of the rate you see on our packages page. Whew– getting transparent here!
(03) WE LOVE TO GIVE OUR COUPLES AN EXPERIENCE, NOT JUST A PRODUCT
We could, theoretically, take on double the amount of weddings than we do right now, outsource our editing and work off of quick cookie-cutter blueprints. There are teams that do this (very well!), but transparently this isn’t our approach.
We consider our job to be just as relational as it is creative and technical. We love knowing the couples we work with and all the little quirks, relationships & roadtrip playlists that make them “them”. We like this because we are relational beings, but also because we love to tell stories. And here is the thing about storytelling – we can’t tell your story without knowing you, and we can’t know you without spending the time. We take on a limited amount of weddings each year because we simply want to spend the time. We both left other really great jobs (Dave as a career firefighter & Caitlin as a marketing manager) to do this full time because it is our passion and we love pouring into our clients with the best of our energy. We don’t want to simply “film weddings” – we want to dive in head-first to your story, feel it deep in our soul, tell it in a way that honors your truth & becomes a tangible part of your family legacy.
We love to film and tell stories, but we also want you to receive a custom experience we believe is worth every penny – both on your wedding day (protecting and advocating for your presence and enjoyment on a day that only happens once) and in your memory of it (honoring the truth of what is most worth remembering).
I LOVE THIS & am all about SUPPORTING and paying VENDORS what they’re worth, but sadly MY BUDGET isn’t there. ANY ADVICE?
Yes! We want to help you find the best possible cinematographer fit for you and your budget – whether or not that is us. We are certain that wedding cinematography is an investment that grows richer with time (and one that you will not regret), but we also understand and support couples doing what is best for them & their finances all things considered.
Let us start by saying that even if you don’t have the budget for your dream team’s listed packages, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible for you to work with them. And if it doesn’t work out, we would love to help you find a team that aligns well with your hopes & budget! Here are a few tips to help you find the right team for you.
01 – ASK QUESTIONS!
A few that we recommend are: Do you shoot and edit the wedding, or do you hire out either of these roles? What is your shooting style? Do you have more of a fly-on-the-wall/documentary approach, a more directive approach, or a balance? What does your pre-production process look like (i.e. how do you prepare to shoot the wedding day and know what we want in a film)? How does the music selection process work, and are the songs copyrighted/licensed? How do you work with my photographer and other vendors? How do you approach and incorporate the audio elements from our day (vows, toasts, etc)? What does your overall process look like (from booking to film delivery)?
Before asking these of the cinematography team you’re inquiring with, we recommend asking yourself these questions first. What are YOU looking for in a cinematography team? What are your ideals and non-negotiables? What are you willing to compromise for budget? This could help you find a team that specializes in what you are most after!
02 – ASK YOUR DREAM TEAM ABOUT CUSTOM PACKAGES, PAYMENT PLANS & OFF-SEASON OR WEEKDAY SPECIALS
If you have your heart set on a team whose packages are outside your budget, be honest with them & ask if they offer custom packages in your range. Tell them how much you love their work, why it feels set a part to you & why you personally connect with it. Tell them the budget you are working with (and be specific), and ask if they offer custom packages in (or closer to) that range. If they are able to, they can pitch you a package that is fair for both of you. If they can’t, thank them for considering and ask if they have referrals in your budget range.
As vendors, we will tell you how much we LOVE working with couples who enthusiastically connect with us and vice versa. This is abundantly life giving. We want our time and art to be properly compensated for (of course), but it’s not always just about money (it is just as important to work with people who fuel our creativity & see beyond the transaction), but|please note that not all wedding vendors have the financial ability to do this (and this is especially true during high season (April-November in California), and on weekends (Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays).
If you haven’t set a date or location yet, it could be worth asking about pricing differences for low season or weekdays and planning it around your dream team’s availability as this can save you a lot of $$ on not just videography/photography but venue & other vendor teams too! Additionally, many vendors (ourselves included) are more than happy to accommodate payment plans upon request. We have worked with many couples who pay monthly throughout their engagement to help ease the financial impact of larger lump sum amounts.
03 – UNDERSTAND INDUSTRY RATE AVERAGES & WHERE TO FIND TEAMS IN YOUR BUDGET
Most of the California based cinematographers we refer (whose experience, filming/editing approach & package offerings align most with ours), commonly range between $8,000-20,000 (typically varying by years of experience, quality of gear, storytelling style and where they are based within the state). In our first year of doing business (right out of college and beginners to the wedding industry), our packages started at $2,000 and this barely covered our (very basic) gear, insurance, taxes and a (very modest) rate for our time. They have increased with experience as our process & gear has improved and developed, and as we have both transitioned to making this our full-time careers.
It is very possible to find a team on a budget below our competitor’s ranges above. A few places we recommend looking are: asking the team(s) you connect with if they have any recommendations in your range, asking married friends for their recommendations (as they can provide firsthand accounts of their experiences!), looking through social media accounts (hashtags and location tags are your friends here!), as well as wedding directory sites like lovestoriestv, weddingwire, and the knot (which often have filters for location & budget ranges).
When it comes to finding the right fit (for your budget, day-of experience & end product), we recommend asking questions, getting really familiarized with their work (paying special attention to how you feel when you watch their films, what moments are prioritized & if you can imagine yourself in them), and ideally getting on the phone or meeting up to make sure your personalities and approach align.
We believe there is more than enough room in our industry for everyone to succeed, and we love doing our part to match every couple with the right filmmaker and vice versa – so please let us know if you are looking for something specific in style, approach and/or budget so we can refer our friends to you!
04 - GET CREATIVE!
There are a ton of ways to get creative with your priorities around video. If you know that you’re big on Super 8 film footage and would like to have your vows to look back on (and may be okay with compromising some other things like digital footage and some reception coverage), it could be worth asking about a simple Super 8 only film with a team who can record your vows to accompany the footage. A simpler film package with shorter day-of coverage could save you big! If this isn’t your cup of tea and instead you really want just ceremony and toasts recorded well, or a raw footage only package (i.e. no edits, your team hands over the files to you after the wedding), this kind of package/coverage would also save you a lot of money but ensure you have the important moments of your day captured to both look back on for years to come & provide the option to hire an editor later.
05 - PRIORITIZE YOUR BUDGET WHERE IT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU
Weddings can be expensive and we understand that so many aspects of a celebration like this are a luxury, not a right. Most people are planning on a budget, and more importantly asking themselves important questions on how they want to celebrate (and how they don’t). There are a million ways to celebrate the beginning of your married adventure together and it’s one of our favorite things about what we do and the celebrations we get to be a part of– there is something for everybody, and all of it tells a story about who you are & what you value.
With all this said, our best piece of advice is to make budget decisions around your values & priorities rather than what is expected or traditional to the industry, and remember that there are certain “wedding” investments you can make that long outlive the wedding day itself.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you! We hope that this information was helpful and serves you in the rest of your wedding planning journey. And more importantly, we hope that whoever captures your day will take care of your moments & your film story as if it were their own. We are confident that they will be so fortunate to share in your moments with you and create an heirloom we know you will forever cherish!
Warmly, Caitlin & Dave
(SO)
HAVE A QUESTION?
Feel free to reach out to us at any time at
hello@ironandfern.com