Videographers
Southern California

The Music Of The Night

Dear Videographers,

My fiance' and I are planning our wedding and would like to ensure that our guests thoroughly enjoy the day. A few of the receptions that we have attended have suffered from music audio levels that are very loud; both during the dinner hour and the dances. We've felt bad as we watch guests shouting across tables as they attempt conversation, and worse, leave early as the piercing dance music forces them out of the banquet hall. What is the best way to get around this problem?
Signed,
Loud in L.A.

Dear Loud:

You bring up an excellent issue that deserves serious attention. As wedding filmmakers, we feel your pain, literally. We are sometimes surprised as we are working at capturing a reception and watch as the guests are obviously uncomfortable with music that is too loud. As videographers, we are just as concerned with capturing the audio portion of an event as we are the visuals. So it should come as no surprise that we may be more aware of what is going on with the volume levels than other vendors.

Now, we are no pansies when it comes to loud music. We like our pop/rock loud and proud. But there is a clear difference between loud, and obnoxious (and even painful). Further, we know of at least two wedding videographers who have developed a hearing condition called tinnitus, which is basically constant ringing of the ears. Once this problem develops, it is for life, and there is no cure. Simply put, there is no excuse for excessively-loud music at your reception.

How to get around this potential wedding-day embarrassment? First off, be sure that you are not actually enabling the problem. If you are unsure as to where the line is, ask a few friends at the reception if the volume levels are ok. Those T-shirts that read "If it's too loud, you're too old" hold some truth. Ours is a culture that is more and more getting used to overly-loud volume levels. Secondly, have a word with your DJ or musical group PRIOR to your event, preferably when you meet them to discuss your plans. Have a chat with them about appropriate volume levels and communicate your expectations. Ask them to be sensitive to maintaining proper audio levels at your reception.

We are very fortunate to work with DJs and musicians that are true professionals. They are interested in ensuring a wonderful experience for you and your guests and are always more than willing to make sure that the volume levels are set to a dynamic, yet comfortable listening range. Indeed, we are sure that these pros sometimes are merely acting on the wishes of the wedding party when they are asked to set the levels too high.

All in all, the vendors that you retain are experienced professionals and are delighted as they provide excellent service to you and your guests. They appreciate and act upon the two-way communication that assists them in knowing what your desires are, and are more than happy to make the adjustments necessary for a truly memorable event.

Blu-Ray Disc - Perspective

Not long ago I walked into a Fry’s Electronics and was blown away by the quality I saw from a new emerging format, Blu-Ray. Fast forward several years to where Blu-Ray has become the standard for delivering the best high-definition experience available. It looks better, it sounds better, and it does a very fantastic job of making us feel as if we are really “in the moment”.

When it comes to memories and recalling the most important day of your life, the clearer, more vivid images will always help you do just that. We believe the aim of high-definition is not only to relive this pivotal moment in your life, but to make you feel as if you were there once again…the beauty of the flowers, the walk down the aisle during the ceremony.

That is precisely the advantage of Blu-Ray: it provides you with a medium to experience those real-life memories in rich, vivid colors all over again. High-definition also carries the weight of a 16x9 wide-screen format which gives a theatrical, movie like experience. Furthermore, the resolutions of your serene images will outperform those of standard definition several times over.

Not only does the medium of Blu-Ray enhance your visual experience, but it includes the next best thing: crystal clear audio. Audio can account for nearly 80% of your overall movie experience. The Blu-Ray disc format fits more than five times the amount of data than a standard DVD. With that much extra space, videographers can include lossless quality audio rather than having to compress their audio streams as they did before on standard DVD’s. The results produce the emotions like you are reliving your wedding day: from the excitement of walking down the aisle, to the party and dancing atmosphere during your celebration.

Blu-Ray is here to stay. In 2009, sales of Blu-Ray players skyrocketed by more than three times in 2008. Now, Blu-Ray is outselling all standard DVD players. The medium is now affordable, higher quality and more durable than its obsolete DVD predecessor. With enhanced menus, superb resolution and audio, it’s easy to see why people are quickly making the change.

With all of that said, perhaps Blu-Ray’s greatest quality is its inevitable longevity; eventually, everything will be presented in high-definition, and your wedding video should be no exception because just like a fine wine, your wedding memories will become more and more precious as time passes. In ten or twenty years, you will continue to reap the rewards of your investment today because you will know in both your heart and with your eyes that your video was covered in the finest possible quality the world could deliver…Blu-Ray.

"Sounds" Great!

Have you ever played that game in grade school where one person tells another person a short story, and then the next person tells the next; until the story makes it's way all the way through the classroom? The funny results are that by the time the story reaches the end, it barely resembles the original version. This can be an object lesson showing how time can change our memories of events over the years, let alone over the course of a single classroom session!

The point is that part of the value of having your wedding videotaped by a professional is keeping the priceless memories that would be otherwise lost over time. We are not just talking about the beautiful cinematic visuals that are captured during the day, but the audio as well. The heartfelt vows, the personal stories, and all those great best wishes and "shout-outs" by your friends and family.

The wedding day goes by in such a blur of fun and excitement, and these audio and video memories are irreplaceable. There is simply no substitute for having a video record of yourwedding day. Plus, there are those moments that the bride and groom would otherwise miss that happen in other parts of the venue. These can be captured for you and your family's enjoyment when they are edited into a professionally produced, custom wedding day video.Don't miss the opportunity to capture the beauty and grace of your wedding day. Videographers are always gratified when they receive great feedback from their couples saying how thankful they are of all of the memories that they now have to treasure.