What to ask a videographer before you book

Most couples have never booked a filmmaker before and, with any luck, never will again. So it is completely reasonable to arrive at an enquiry call with no idea what to ask. After years of sitting on the other side of those calls, here is what we would want to know if we were in your seat, along with the reasons each one matters.

• Can we watch two or three full films? Anyone can cut a gorgeous ninety second trailer. A full film shows pacing, speech handling, audio quality and what happens when the weather turns. Ask for recent work, ideally including a dark church or a wet day.
• Who will actually film our wedding? Some studios sell with one person's showreel and send a different crew on the day. There is nothing wrong with associate shooters, but you deserve to know whose taste and whose hands you are booking.
• How do you record vows and speeches? Audio is half of a wedding film. Listen for talk of discreet personal microphones and backup recorders. If the answer is that the camera picks it up, keep looking.
• How do you work alongside photographers? The two crews share the same few feet of aisle all day. A filmmaker who speaks warmly about photographers will get you better results from both.
• What is the plan for rain? This is Ireland. The honest answer involves umbrellas, doorways, window light and a sense of humour. Anyone who promises sunshine is selling something.
• When will our film arrive, and in what order? Delivery in Ireland commonly runs from a few weeks for a teaser to several months for the full edit. There is no single right answer, but there should be a clear one.
• How is the music licensed? Properly licensed music means your film can live happily online for years. It is a dull question with expensive consequences when it gets skipped.
• Are you insured? Many venues ask suppliers for proof of public liability insurance before they are allowed through the door. A professional will have the certificate ready before you finish the sentence.
• How many weddings do you take each year? There is no magic number. The answer simply tells you how much room your wedding will have to breathe in someone's calendar, and how fresh the eyes behind the camera will be.

Good suppliers enjoy these questions, because they are easy to answer when the house is in order.

If a conversation gets cagey around any of them, that is an answer in itself. And if you are wondering what all of this should cost, we wrote an honest piece on Irish wedding film pricing that couples seem to find useful. No sales pitch, just the numbers as we see them.