KOCHI: A newly-wed pours dish-washing liquid into her husband’s morning coffee and smiles. As the unsuspecting man takes a sip, the band breaks into an exuberant ‘She’s crazy, but she’s mine’ track. If you thought we are discussing some music album you are mistaken, they are a real-life couple rocking their post-wedding video. Gone are the days when wedding videography was a single-day affair featuring blushing brides and badly orchestrated shots. Helicams, exotic locations, underwater footage, actors and multiple crews – it’s an all-new ballgame these days. “The couple wanted something different, so we went for a theme that suited them. They liked the song, but didn’t want a shot-by-shot copy. So we just took the concept and filmed it in our style,” says Arun Sol of Sol Brothers.
Lights, camera, action …
Bhavya’s wedding teaser opens with a silver-haired granny and a bunch of bubbly kids. We are convinced they are family, but the videographer winks and says, ‘no, just part of our crew’. “No, there are no random, unprepared shots, we come with a storyboard,” says Arun though he is not very happy about bringing in ‘extras’. “Recently we shot actor Anusree’s brother’s wedding and the trailer created quite a buzz. It was a rural wedding and only people who participated in the ceremony were shot.” He also believes in capturing candid moments and later coming out with an aesthetically edited footage.
“Recently a bride’s brother arranged a flashmob for the couple a week before the wedding and we went and filmed it at Shangumugham beach. It turned out to be one of our most popular videos,” he adds. In another one you see a bride, in all her wedding finery, getting out of the pool and Arun agrees underwater shoots are also trending. So what comes next? “Now videos are going viral just like film trailers and songs. So we are planning to bring in a celebrity anchor next time to document the wedding as a 30-minute episode,” he says.
The prep time
‘Cinematic’ is the buzzword today and bringing in that filmy element is not easy, says Vishnu, photographer. So earlier it was just girls starting their wedding preparation much in advance to look stunning on the D-day. But the scene has changed totally and now grooms also put in some extra effort to look good. “I started working out after our engagement. We had a temple wedding and the photographer suggested I get in shape since I will be wearing only an angavastra over the mundu,” says Jishith. The video and photo crew are also involved in locking in the look, based on the budget and location. “There are certain colours that look washed-out on camera or jar with the backdrop.
So we ask them to avoid that and sometimes do a trial. If the location is a beach we recommend flowing costumes and at times go for a colour code and use props,” says Vishnu. Though wedding videography is basically all about what the client wants, the themes and costumes are mostly couple-specific. “We basically do what the client wants. If they have a theme we try to work on it, if they want it simple and candid, we follow that lead. And when they ask us suggestions we give them that. The only thing we make sure is that the concept fits the couple. We don’t want to make something for people to troll. Another thing we have done is signature wedding music, specially composed for the purpose,” says Arun.
The new-age twist
The job of wedding videographers starts from ‘save the date’ videos - small, less than 60-second teasers. “In our generation it’s the easiest and trendiest way. You can post it on social networking sites and mail it to guests. For my wedding I went for an animated save the date,” says Anju. Nobody wants to shoot a post-wedding video in the familiar, routine locations, says Arun. So there are couples who take the camera crew for their honeymoon or travel with them to scenic locations for the purpose. “Sometimes they extend their honeymoon for the shoot and we join them later on. We have covered almost all destinations in India and have flown to Malaysia, Dubai, and Bangkok for post-wedding shoots. Usually it’s a three-member crew and the shoot takes a couple of days,”
adds Arun.