Creating wedding videos is a special and important task. Couples will watch the footage for years to come, share it amongst their loved ones and remember their day by it. Therefore, it is important to make sure the video is top quality – and that includes the wedding video music. The perfect wedding video music can take the video to the next level, and highlight those all important sentimental emotions. Let’s take a look at some top tips and tricks for using wedding video music!
Wedding Video Music: Our Top Tips
Prepare Beforehand
Before you shoot the wedding video, the bride and groom will have briefed you on what they are looking for. Ask them what type of music they enjoy or what they think would complement their style of wedding. Licensing popular songs is difficult, but it will give you an idea of what route to take. Take note of what music is played throughout the wedding day, and work from this. Also look at the location, the atmosphere and what different footage you have.
Theme
The theme of the video is important, and the wedding may even be specifically themed. In this case, your choices for music to complement the wedding are clearer. If you’re featuring dialogue, you will need music that isn’t distracting. However, if the video is one long visual montage, think of movie trailers and use them as inspiration.
Storyboard
Once you have organized your footage, it is a good idea to sketch out the video in storyboard format. This way, you can be specific in your music search. You won’t want to use the same music for the ceremony as you will for upbeat shots of guests dancing, for example. This will therefore help to separate out what you need. You can also jot down emotions or the mood of the footage so that you can search using these keywords.
Extra Footage Ideas
You should speak with the bride and groom beforehand. After the day, you could also show them some of your footage to see if they want to use any extra footage. You may have too much and not want to cut lots out. Therefore, you could use them in a teaser or trailer for the couple to share with their guests beforehand. If the couple is paying for multiple versions, you should look for extra music. That is unless the same music fits, and they are happy with it. It’s important to be on the same page as your clients and understand their vision to make it come to life.
Probably Avoid Pop Songs
What’s great about pop songs is that they’re so popular that they could appeal to anyone in the couple’s group. That’s sadly also the reason why they don’t make the best wedding songs. Everyone likes the song now, but what about years later when it’s left the collective minds of music listeners? These songs often play on the radio, in shops, concerts, and other places, meaning it can get annoying pretty quickly. They also don’t make wedding videos stand out. No matter how much a pop song is catchy or how much it seems to match this small film’s tone and visuals, it’s not a favorable choice in the long run.
Upbeat Songs are Still Fine
Not all upbeat and fun songs are pop songs. Some of the best wedding songs under this category have yet to be discovered. There’s a lot of obscure music you can use for wedding videos that don’t sound generic or repetitive. That’s not to say that you should only use upbeat dance songs for the entire film. The wedding day is filled with multiple events and moments that all look and feel different. Still, upbeat songs are a good go-to for wedding videos because it reflects a happy day in a couple’s life.
Establish Your Style
You’re probably an experienced videographer with a distinct approach to making videos. What you have to do is make that clear to your clients. You can show them your portfolio to give them an idea of what to expect from you. If you try producing a wedding day video for them that’s far from your style, the results might be below average. Learning about their wedding planning beforehand might help, but it could only do so much. It’s best to stick to what you know and leave the experimentation to non-paying clients and projects.
Video Production is Your Job
It’s significant to recognize that choosing the wedding video songs is mostly, if not exclusively, your job. Your clients might have some suggestions on how to make the video, but you’re the one who’s in complete control of that. That’s why you should ask neither the bride nor groom to look for wedding songs to put in the video. You can get to know your clients and learn about their music tastes. What you shouldn’t do is add more to their long list of wedding planning, especially if they don’t know the ins and outs of copyright music. A professional like you can access music libraries and wedding songs that the happy couple most likely can’t.
Get to Know the Bride and Groom
It’s one thing to ask your clients about the kind of music they like. However, getting to know them can help you narrow down your options further. Who are they as individuals? What songs compliment them separately, and which ones perfectly reflect their companionship? You could also learn more about them through the music they use during particular moments of their wedding, like the reception. Those songs can have a similar instrumentation pattern that’ll allow you to determine what melodies to incorporate in the video.
Finding Your Music
Now you have narrowed down what will work best, it’s time to start sourcing your music. It’s extremely important to be wary of copyright issues and make that you understand the ins and outs of music copyright. There are some exceptions when licensing, including using tracks for wedding videos. Therefore, make sure to check your rights when searching for tracks.
How Audiosocket Can Help
Some sites such as Audiosocket have dedicated wedding music playlists, and you can license tracks for use in your video. Audiosocket offers unlimited access to tracks starting at just $10 a month. Check out our library and get started now!
