Groovy Seattle Wedding Videography with Mixed Media
When you first start looking for Seattle wedding videography, you might think you have to pick between digital and film. The truth is, you don’t! You can mix and match Super 8 film, camcorders, and digital to create a video that feels like you in this moment of life. If those slow-motion, posed videos feel cheesy and fake to you, work with a videographer who will switch it up. I’ll show you how you can have a wedding video that’s authentic to you by mixing media.
Options for Seattle Wedding Videography
You’re probably most familiar with highly produced digital wedding videos. If you want a more authentic way to tell your wedding story, it’s totally possible. Sometimes it starts with picking the right medium. There are so many tools to choose from to make your wedding video vibey and true to you. Here are some of the tools I use for Seattle wedding videography.
4k Digital
4k is the format most people are familiar with these days. It’s good for faster-paced moments and capturing very crisp, colorful footage. People who want traditional audio (think vows over a montage of lovey dovey moments) often prefer 4K digital video.
A Vintage Camcorder
Do you want your wedding video to feel more like a home movie? Adding a camcorder will give you those soft-around-the-edges nostalgic moments. It’s not as modern-looking as 4K but not as old-school as Super 8 either. It’s got that colorful, raw 90’s energy.
Super 8
This 8mm film system was invented in the 1960s. Kodak designed it for amateur videographers. Read: home videos. It really made home videos accessible to way more people than any technology had previously. Picture the opening credits of The Wonder Years. The warm, dreamy footage is my absolute favorite addition to a wedding video. You can feel it on a whole different level.
Wedding Videography You’ll Be Obsessed With
I’ll be real with you. Super 8 is my absolute favorite way to document a wedding (in addition to film photography). I love it so much that I made a course for videographers who want to add it to their repertoire. Here are a few reasons why adding Super 8 to your Seattle wedding videography is a rad idea.
Super8 will switch up your videography experience. You can spend more time in the moment with your people and less time standing in the best light. Super 8 isn’t meant for super-posed, over-dramatic moments. Instead of repeating candid gestures for your videographer, you get a combination of spontaneous moments documented with intention.
Super 8 is also tangible and real. Emotion radiates from Super 8 footage. Without complicated production, it feels genuine. You can imagine sitting down decades from now and sharing those big feels with the important people in your life.
Having an actual roll of film instead of a digital file on a computer is also cool as fuck. You have a legit home movie of your wedding. Nothing will get you more nostalgic than this soft footage with its neutral tones. You can really feel Super 8 films.
Things You Should Know about Choosing Super 8 for Your Wedding Videography
With any wedding coverage, it’s good to know what to expect going in. My goal is to make it easy for you to stay focused on the irreplaceable moments unfolding. Here’s what you should know about including Super 8 in your Seattle wedding videography
Super 8 looks how memories feel. It looks more like a dream than the clean, sterile footage you get with digital video. You won’t get every detail in hyper focus. Instead you’ll get art. The film’s imperfections are what give it that beautiful softness and inviting feeling. Super8 instantly adds artsy, romantic vibes to your wedding video.
There are other types of film video available, but Super 8 is less expensive than 16mm film. It’s a more accessible way to have a film wedding video. If you’re getting film wedding photography, Super 8 is the perfect match. It gives you a cohesive way of telling your story in stills and video.
Since most home movies up to the 1980s were shot on some form of 8mm, any 8mm film will be reminiscent of those old home movies. You’ll look at your wedding video and get nostalgic for the home movies you grew up around. Or you’ll start a new tradition.
Most importantly, Super 8 will make you feel some type of way about your Seattle wedding videography. It’s raw and magical. I can’t get enough of these videos. The ways candid smiles and interactions translate on 8mm film are incredible.
Mixing Media for Chris and Tara’s Wedding
Tara and Chris value their adaptability in their relationship. They said, "We communicate, and love in a mixture of ways, depending on our moods and phases of life." They wanted their wedding photos and video to feel the same - a mixture of styles and moods that they can come back to throughout life. I mixed the media to make that happen.
When it came to choosing a format for their Seattle wedding videography, Tara and Chris had different preferences at first. Tara loves muted tones, while Chris prefers bright colors. I included Super 8 and camcorder footage as a nod to Tara’s love of earthy tones and making home videos as a kid. I included 4k footage to portray the faster-paced moments and get that vivid color that Chris likes. It was the perfect mix to tell Chris and Tara’s whole story.
I love that the media of a wedding video can reflect people’s personalities. Each type of video - 4k, camcorder, and Super 8 - reflects different vibes from different parts of the wedding day, too. This wedding video portrays the whole breadth of emotions and energy from Tara and Chris’s wedding. The vintage videography styles compliment the digital video in documenting their celebration. It was modern and unpretentious, elegant and focused on what matters most.
Your Seattle Wedding Videography
Whatever medium you choose for your wedding videography, it should feel like you. Your wedding video is art that imitates life. If your wedding is going to be intimate and focused on connections, adding Super 8 is a great way to document that. Make sure you pick a Seattle videographer who is going to give you art intentionally tailored to you. You deserve a video as honest and unique as your relationship.
Would you like me to document your Seattle wedding videography? I would love to work with you. We’ll choose the perfect formats to capture those unfiltered, in-between moments. Your video will help you relive your wedding like you remember it.
Book your Seattle wedding videography!
Thank you to the vendors who made Chris and Tara’s wedding so dope:
Videography: Sara Welch Photography
Dress: Sarah Seven
Jewelry: Perry and Carlson
Hair and Makeup: Done by Tara with products from Ilia and Chantecaille
Hair color: Lindsey at The Chill Blonde
Florist: Anne Long at The Dahlia House and Pretty Bitchin Blooms
Catering: Arbia Pizza
Cake and other desserts: DERU Market
Macaroons: Renee Chiang