I’m going to put my neck on the line here. I’m going to predict what I, and a lot of other Irish Wedding Videographers, believe are going to be big trends for Wedding Videos in Ireland for 2017. I haven’t quite picked these predictions out of thin air. Some are based on my own experience of trends happening in the industry worldwide, others are suggestions and views from some of Ireland’s best known videographers, lots of them having been around a lot longer than Hitched Films and seen changes in the industry first hand.
Anyway, it seems like a good time to take stock and make some brave bets. On to the predictions:
Two Shooter Teams
A well known two shooter team in the US - Sarah & Rick from PenWeddings. Image credit: penweddings.com
A trend that is coming is more videographers beginning to deploy at least two videographers on any given wedding day. At Hitched Films, we’ve exclusively offered a two-person team as a minimum since starting, and it seems more and more videographers are coming around to the idea that it is becoming more of a necessity than a nice to have if you want to achieve a certain level of video. Lots of videographers have complained about the stress of trying to film a whole day on their own. And in my mind, they are right. Video has many more moving parts than photography for example. So expect to see an increase in two shooter teams during 2017, as videographers try to spread the workload while also improving their finished product.
First Looks
Image credit: theknot.com
First looks are vastly popular in other countries, but not yet in Ireland. I tie this to the fact that a large proportion of weddings in Ireland are still Catholic in nature, and the idea of meeting a partner before the altar is still a taboo. However, an overarching national trend at the moment is a move away from Catholic ceremonies, and with this I think we will start to see breaks in other traditions, in particular I believe we will start to see more First Looks. We love First Looks, because they are intimate, beautiful affairs and in the past couple of months, we’ve been fortunate to capture a few. By the way, First Looks are also great for couples that want to get their photo shoot out of the way before the ceremony or where the daylight of winter will be gone after the ceremony.
Drone footage
Image credit: philipbloom.net
We will reach peak drone footage in 2017. New smaller, cheaper drones are making it easier for everyone to have a drone. Clients are starting to expect drone footage as part of their wedding video, and while a drone will never make a wedding video, it can add a nice shot or two. I emphasise one or two, because I think we will see too much drone footage before it’s pulled back to the level it has most impact. It typically happens with each new filming “toy” that gets introduced, and the drone is no different. I also think it will reach it’s peak in 2017, as I predict it will become harder to legally operate a drone in 2018 and beyond and the hassle might then not be worth it for some wedding videographers.
A new viral Internet video trend
Video credit: Adam Grumbo - YouTube
Every so often some viral Internet craze comes along and makes its way into wedding days, which naturally sometimes get recorded by the videographer. Think Mannequin Challenge, Ice Bucket Challenge, Marryoke or the Harlem Shake. We can’t predict what the next craze will be, but I’m fairly confident 2017 will have another. Thanks to Cal Callaghan from http://www.ontrackfilms.com/ for suggesting this one.
Increase in the percentage of couples getting video for their wedding
This is more of a mega trend. Each year more and more Irish couples are having a professional videographer record their special day. Back in 2014 some put that figure at about 50% of couples. Going into 2017 it’s more like 60-70%. Some of this is to do with trends in technology in general. Video is eating the Internet. Social feeds are full of video, so it makes more sense that couples capture and share their day by video. But I also think the general standard of videography in Ireland is increasing, and becoming more appealing to couples. So all of this combined, I feel that videographers will become more prevalent at weddings, and with more demand, there will be more videographers. Which leads us nicely onto our next point…
More videographers
Keith Malone from https://keithmalone.ie/ reckons there will an increase in the number of videographers in the market in 2017, and I agree. If demand goes up, supply will follow. But also the barriers to entry to become a wedding videographer are not as high as they once were. Cameras, editing software, marketing… have all become relatively cheaper for would-be videographers. We also have a really good community in Ireland, which is replicated by other global communities, which are super helpful for newcomers to learn and progress their skills and talent.
More deviation in pricing/offerings
And while an increase in the number of suppliers in most markets is generally a good thing for the customer from a competition point of view, both Mike Flannery of http://www.theseaburystudio.com/ and myself predict that 2017 will see a widening of pricing and offerings each videographer will make. Irish Wedding Videography is transitioning from a fairly standard process into one which contains a lot more creativity. Creative and innovative videographers will likely be able to charge more, and possibly restrict what they offer to just the services they are happy/confident to provide. But on the other side, there will lots of videographers who will begin to offer lots of add-ons or a la carte style options, so the gap between videographers and what they offer will expand in 2017.
Gimbal footage
Image credit: airstoc.com
Gimbals are the next big toy after drones, and Alan McCarthy of http://www.alanmccarthyweddings.com/ believes you will see a lot more footage using them in 2017. A gimbal is a camera stabiliser, and recent electronic ones give footage a type of floating or flying effect that were previously reserved for movie sets. These have become very popular in recent months, and 2017 will see a lot more of them in action.
Increase in average prices
Cal again from http://www.ontrackfilms.com/ believes there will an increase in the average price paid for a wedding videographer. I tend to agree. Wedding videography in Ireland is typically under priced when compared to markets like the US, Canada, Australia or even the UK. And as the standard of wedding videos increase, the price is likely to also increase, as more work goes into individual wedding videos and videographers themselves begin to value their work more.
Storytelling
Image credit: markdalton.net
Ronan Quinn from http://www.ronanquinn.ie/ believes that 2017 will see more videographers use storytelling techniques more. Wedding videos were once typically a linear timeline of the day, and not much more. But in last couple of years, editing techniques have improved and storytelling is becoming more common. For us at http://hitchedfilms.ie/ we believe a good story is key. We want our videos to capture the emotion of the day. You should be able to show someone your wedding video, and even if they weren’t there, they should be able to feel like they were there.
Dedicated “Couple Time” for videography
Another from Keith of https://keithmalone.ie/ is the likelihood that 2017 is going to bring a demand for more videographer-only time with the couple during the day. Tagging along to the couple's photo session with the photographer can yield OK results, but as videographers become more confident in what they are aiming to produce, you will begin to see videographers request separate time to get shots for the video, which are generally quite different from what the photographer will have a couple do. Think walking and talking, rather than smiling and standing still.
Movement to new forms of delivery
Image credit: www.zeta.net
So this one comes in from both Mark Minshall of http://www.pinklimevideos.ie/ and Mike Flannery of http://www.theseaburystudio.com/. Video delivery is changing. VHS to DVD. DVD to Blu-ray. Blu-ray to USB… what’s next? Well for me, digital file delivery is the future. Physical media is dead. Think iPod versus CDs. As more common devices become Internet connected and enabled (a TV with a YouTube app), people will start to use physical media less and less. Apple is the self-appointed King of killing physical media, and in it’s recent laptops it has stopped including normal USB ports. Only a matter of time before other manufacturers follow suit. I predict a big move to purely online delivery for lots of videographers in 2017, whether that’s YouTube, Vimeo, Mediazilla or some other online hosting service. Mike also thinks that there is a future in 360 video and Virtual Reality, and while I think they might come at some stage in the future (at what level I’m unsure), I don’t believe they are going to be a trend for 2017, not yet anyway.
More SDEs
Image credit: www.wedfilmschool.com
A Same Day Edit (SDE) is where a videographer will record and edit your wedding video on the same day, generally ready to play before the Band or DJ kick off. Michael McCarthy of http://www.michaelmccarthyvideo.com/ believes these offerings will become more popular with couples, and I tend to agree, although I believe not all videographers will offer this, or at least they will, but the costs will be prohibitive. A SDE, because of the time constraints, is generally not of the same quality as a film edited over multiple days. It also typically requires more personnel and more equipment to be pulled off correctly. However, couples seem to like them as they give the day a bit of a wow factor, and while Hitched Films are probably not going to be offering SDEs any day soon, I do see more couples being interested in purchasing them.
Package unbundling
Finally Sharon Coffey of http://platinumpictures.ie/ thinks there will be an increase in what we’re calling “package unbundling”. Effectively the way most of the wedding videography market currently prices is in bundles or packages. These make things relatively easy for the customer at point of purchase, but don’t always result in the customer getting exactly what they want or need. Sometimes they will get more than they actually wanted, sometimes less. An a la carte type menu means that a customer builds the package that most suits them and from casual conversations, more videographers seem likely to implement this as their price offering for 2017.
So there you go! There are my 14 predictions for 2017. Do you agree? Do you not? Can you think of any others? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Cheers,
Eoin
