How long is your finished wedding product

[Trevor Troup]

Just out of curiosity,How long should your finished wedding video be? Obviously it is going to depend on the lenght of the day but I was curious about the average length everyones videos were? Too short and the client might fill like they didnt get enough for there money and too long is well...boooring. Does any one ask the Band G how long they expect the video to be?How does everyone breakdown there videos time wise( getting ready ,ceremony,reception etc) Thanks ...Trev

[John DeLuca]

90 mins on average, just like a real movie. Navigation via chapter points can help with the "boring" parts.


John

[Edward Troxel]

2 hours or LESS. (Since that's how long the standard VHS tape is in standard speed). When possible, I get it down to 80 minutes or 60 minutes (the two lengths of MiniDV Tape I use)

[Don Bloom]

Condensed edit---45 to NO MORE than 60 minutes, averages around 50.

Break down is a bit dfferent on each wedding but generally I try for;

opening bit-about 2-3 minutes
ceremony - about 8-12 minutes- depends on the feel and flow
reception coverage- cocktail hour,intors,speeches,cake cut,1st dances, garter/bouquet (if they do it), group dancing:
about 30 minutes
Highlite package which has my version of the formal session and the goodbye shot about 3-5 minutes depending on the music.
These time can and will vary slightly as will the way the footage is put together depending on how it feels and flows.


Don B

[Kevin Shaw]

One thing to do is try to get a sense from each customer what they expect. I heard reference a while back to a survey in which the majority of brides indicated they wanted to see more video rather than less, and I know that's how I feel about it. But it's obviously not convenient to sit through hours of footage on a frequent basis, so having a condensed (recap) version of the whole event is one way around that. Thanks to DVDs it's also easier these days for viewers to pick and choose what to watch and fast-forward through the slow sections, so if you give them more footage they can decide what to do with it.

I typically include the entire wedding ceremony and all the key moments of the reception, plus some reasonable amount of dancing footage, guest interviews, etc. This means that for a wedding with a long ceremony I'm easily into two discs for the finished video. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the video I received of my wedding was only about 25 minutes long and didn't include much straight footage of anything, so it was really just a long recap. That's too short.

[Waldemar Winkler]

Bride & Groom Interviews: 45 minutes to one hour.
Introduction with titles: 90 seconds.
Same with 20 to 30 image photo montage: 5 - 8 minutes.
Pre-Ceremony activities in B&G's respective dressing areas: 30 minutes.
Pre-Ceremony activities at wedding site only: 2 - 5 minutes
Entire ceremony, processinal through recessional: 30 to 50 minutes
Formal Photos: 3-5 minutes.
Reception (all traditional activities including dance sequence): 30 to 45 minutes.
Closing image montage (still and video): 3 - 5 minutes.

The B&G interview/love story is usually presented on a separate disk. Some of the above items are options, or are not included in all videos.
I always deliver the complete ceeremony without editing of the audio track. Same for toasts and any public commentary at receptions.
That said, my shortest complete video was about 25 minutes. My longest was one hour fifty minutes.

[Davi Dortas]

<<<-- Originally posted by John DeLuca : 90 mins on average, just like a real movie. Navigation via chapter points can help with the "boring" parts.


John -->>>

Boring parts tell you you should trim it down to make more entertaining. If you find it boring, and you shoot it, think how their friends will think.

[Waldemar Winkler]

<<<-- Boring parts tell you you should trim it down to make more entertaining. If you find it boring, and you shoot it, think how their friends will think. -->>>

Generally speaking, I would agree. However, some sequences we as editors might think as boring may well be important to the family, and should not be cut. The challenge then, is to find a balance. Would you agree?

[Edward Troxel]

Davi, as a shooter and editor, I find the toasts boring. By your definition I should cut them out. I'm betting the bride and groom and family want to see them, though.

[John DeLuca]

Davi


I put quotation marks around the word boring.You obviously didnt read the orignial post.

Posted by Trevor Troup.

****Too short and the client might fill like they didnt get enough for there money and too long is well...boooring****

I am trying to point out that chapter points let the client navigate better if they are bored. Most videographers end up with less footage because they dont shoot enough candid and cut to much out of the afterparty. When I started working with a pd-170, my total amount of usable footage doubled. Most clients are happy with 90 mins because its about the same length as a commercial dvd.


John

[Allan Phan]

I always do 2 hours or less but no less than 1 hour

[Jonathan Nicholas]

1 to 2 hours.

I don't edit down the speeches. There is some editing down of the service (1 verse of hymns or just intros to them if that's what the b&g want)

And Davi, you didn't answer the question of the thread.

Jon

[Cesar Ruiz]

Don't forget the power of a Deleted Scenes section.

I edit my main programs down to 45-60 min. It depends. But the client still gets extended cuts of the ceremony, speeches, dances, etc.

Leave stuff in for posterity, or because it doesn't quite fit the mood you're going for. But who says it has to be left in the main program?

-Cesar

[Franklin Bencosme]

From 60 to 70 -min here



www.franklinbencosme.com

[Sunny Dhinsey]

I won't go into great detail (unless somebody would like me to)
but Indian weddings - 5-7 hours - all on video!