Originally posted September 7, 2009. In the field of event videography, some of us choose the word “videographer” and some of us choose the word “filmmaker” to tell other people who we are. Why is that? What is the difference?
Certainly, the word “videographer” can have some negative connotations. It sounds less expensive, less talented and perhaps even less tasteful. But the word “filmmaker”, when applied to filming weddings (for Pete’s sake!), can sound pretentious. After all, I’m not Steven Spielberg and the average bride is not Meryl Streep (no offense, ladies). But now that nearly a decade has passed since I first turned my lens on special events, I realize that what we do IS, in fact…filmmaking. And here’s why.
Working in a one-take environment and creating a beautiful film is an art form. It takes experienced people with courage and vision to handle the workload. There are no do-overs for missed shots and there’s no downtime when special moments follow each other in rapid succession. Add to that the challenge of capturing the moments embedded within each event artistically and in a way that is usable for the editors. No crazy pans, erratic zooms, and 3-second shots here. Every shot needs to be controlled, framed, long and beautiful. At which point the editor must step in and create an engaging film which neither drags, lags, nor flies by too quickly. It’s not enough for the images to show what occurred. The images need to encompass a feeling, tell a story and tell it in a way that speaks of talent and style. This is why your uncle can’t film your event the way we can film your event!
I think that when I started out in this field I didn’t have the courage (and frankly the language wasn’t there) to call myself an event filmmaker and so I started the company as Dolce Video. But now I feel (and the language is there) that the term filmmaker is more apropos. I recently saw an excellent video discussion with some event filmmakers that really helped me feel more comfortable with the label “filmmaker”. Check it out here. (FilmFellas Cast 4, webisode 15). These people seem really cool and they’re doing what we’re doing. They seem like my kind of people, if I could be so bold.
I realize that my personal musings on this subject may not have helped you to decide which to hire for your event. To that end, the word “videographer” or “filmmaker” is not going to tell you what one person or a company of people does. The only way to know which to hire is to look at the work. If it looks like something you’ll love watching for years to come, you’re not going to care whether it’s called a video or a film. And that’s a wrap.