We are often asked by our clients "what is wedding cinematography" or we're asked if there is a difference between a videographer and a cinematographer, the simple answer is - when it comes to weddings and civil partnerships, there isn't a difference between the two.
In the very broadest term cinematography is the act of making a film. So if you have a video camera and you are in the business of making movies, then you can classify yourself as a cinematographer if you so wished. A cinematographer is someone who operates a movie or video camera.
Within the wedding and civil partnership industry the term cinematographer/cinematography has taken on a meaning of higher quality video production. This can either be just a higher quality of service or footage or it can get more involved to mean the actual production level is higher to include things such as lighting rigs or camera dollies. For us, we say we are cinematographers because we want to offer the highest possible level of service and shoot some exceptional footage which is natural and not staged, without the need for extra bells and whistles. There isn't a distinct difference between someone who is a wedding and civil partnership videographer and someone who is a wedding and civil partnership cinematographer. When you get in to the realm of television or film production, the role of a cinematographer changes quite a lot - they are also sometimes known as the "Director of Photography" or "DP" for short. But let's not get in to that!
So when you are having a mooch online and see someone saying they are a wedding and civil partnership cinematographer, fear not, they are offering the same thing as the more commonly heard of videographer - to film your day with a movie or video camera.
When it comes to AHF, we don't mind saying we are cinematographers (in fact, we quite like it, because it makes us feel fancy!) but we always assure our clients that just because we use that term to describe ourselves it doesn't mean that we will show up on the day with an entourage or a series of camera rigs and boom mics - heaven forbid! We always shoot the day in a natural and discreet way, we just use the term "cinematography" because, honestly, it sounds a bit cool!
Our wedding and civil partnership videography (cinematography!) service is based in Bristol but we cover all of the UK. If you have any questions or comments you can e-mail us at info@adamhuckle.com. We are always happy to hear from our blog readers!
-Adam
