Music just as important as visuals in the Wedding Film
Choosing the right Song
Choosing the right music can make all the difference to the finished wedding film- in fact i would go so far as to say the music is just as important as the visuals! Why do I say that? Well music in my mind is like the foundation on which we build our structure- the wedding film.
No E.T
Think to some of the best movies you have seen and then mentally remove the soundtrack that was used. Now think, how much would that movie move you? Think Star Wars and John Williams, or think ET also composed by John Williams- would we have shed a tear without that music?
Songs Effect Emotions
Now I know that a wedding film isn’t a blockbuster movie like Star Wars or ET but the principle is the same and the objective too- that is to move our audience, to help them connect with their emotions and that is even more important when it comes to filming weddings- because as my strapline says ‘it’s all about the emotions…’ Hence before i get into the serious work of editing my wedding films one of the first things i do after dragging a few clips from the video footage into my timeline is to find the right music for the film.
Is the Music as Important as the Visuals?
Now while i certainly think that the music truly is as important as the visuals I don’t think it is more important, hence the music I use is always just in the background and never dominating the wedding film. I rarely also use music with vocals because again I want the music the enhance the visuals not overshadow them. Having said that I did choose a track with vocals for Rob & Bobbies wedding because the song I chose summed up their style.
The Right Song for the Couple
When looking for the right sound tracks- there are usually about three or four tracks lasting around 4 minutes each used in the 30 minute long film. I can honestly spend a couple of hours listening to various tracks and comparing them not only with the footage I have shot but also the couple and their individual style. For example the music I use in a wedding film that features a couple in their 30’s with a more traditional wedding will be very different from the music I choose for a younger couple say in their 20’s who’s wedding has a completely different feel- say they dispense with a lot of the traditional elements of a wedding and have a unique feel to them I will always choose music that fits the couple. I am not saying that I ask the couple for their preferences as I believe this should be the job of the Wedding Film maker and he should retain creative control- however I do take the tastes of the individual couple into consideration and the overall feel and style of the wedding they have chose.
Conclusion
We at Julian Voigt Wedding Films always without exception choose only Royalty paid and legally licensed music sound tracks to our films that way my couples can rest assured that if they choose to share their wedding highlight film with friends and family on the internet they won’t have to worry that it will be taken down because the films breaches some copyright laws. To see a couple of example of where the music was different for two different couples have a look a Simon & Adele’s Wedding film which was more traditional here: https://youtu.be/-Y0X7yGjGfE and Rob & Bobbies wedding film which was a bit more quirky here:
