Pro Moviemaker May-June 2021 - Web

WEDDINGS

CASE STUDY: THEWEDDING FILMMAKERS ACOUPLE HAPPY SHOOTING HAPPY COUPLES! M arried couple Rachel and Adam Galwas work together as The Wedding Filmmakers – a luxury videography company based in London, but with clients all over the world.

“We can honestly say we love what we do!” affirms their slick-looking website, clearly aimed at the fashion-conscious bride of today. “We take pride in producing truly memorable wedding videos which tell the story of your wedding and the story of you as a couple in an artistic and beautiful way. As wedding videographers, we operate in a discreet manner, without interrupting the flow of your special day, capturing real moments as they unfold. We approach each wedding with fresh eyes and with the aim of creating a unique film and personal keepsake that you and your family will treasure forever.” And it definitely works. The Wedding Filmmakers have been building their business for almost a decade now. “We stumbled upon wedding videography by pure chance. Adam’s interest in filmmaking began at 14, filming extreme sports and documenting his travels abroad,” Rachel explains. “For many years I saw filmmaking as a hobby and decided to pursue a career in law, with video as a sideline income,” agrees Adam. “Colleagues started asking me to film their weddings and word spread, until it got to the point that I actually needed to quit my day job to cope with the workload. “I started to take it more seriously, and my passion for event filmmaking was ignited. Rachel assisted me on wedding shoots from the very start, and it wasn’t long before she was hooked, too. We made the decision to go into business together. Rachel’s background in design means she has a great eye for composition and framing. She is a natural creative, whereas I ammore technical and business-minded, so our skills are complementary.” The pair love travelling the world and being part of a momentous day for their customers. “It’s a cliche, but to be given the chance to capture some of the happiest days in our clients’ lives is a real privilege,” says Adam. “However, the most challenging side is the sheer volume of post- production work. It is a seasonal business, so the majority of our shoots take place between May and October. It can be difficult to keep on top of the editing during the busy season, as we do all of the post in-house. It can take anywhere from a few days for a single-day traditional wedding, to several

weeks for a large, multi-day wedding. Taking on too much work can easily lead to burnout, so we are careful to limit the number of commissions each year.” Too much business is not something new wedding filmmakers might suffer from. However, Adam and Rachel have that enviable problem thanks to developing their own style. Couples not only love it, but spread the good word, as Adam explains. “Wedding videos have changed significantly in recent years and the quality of work produced now is astounding. This increase in production value has improved the public perception of what we do and taken it from being an afterthought, to being as important as wedding photography.” While it’s true that Netflix and the age of social media has given couples high expectations for their wedding videography, Adam also hopes this market demand will give rise to a greater range of styles. But, as new companies enter the market, it’s also important not to be too influenced by what others are doing. “You naturally develop your own style with time, and clients will eventually seek you out because of your unique approach.” Equally, word-of-mouth referrals are huge in the wedding industry, and Adam explains the majority of his bookings come via recommendations from previous clients, wedding planners, venues and photographers. “Thankfully, this means that we spend very little on paid marketing, but we do keep our website portfolio and social media accounts DREAM TEAM It’s a real labour of love for wedding filmmakers Adam and Rachel Galwas – and they’re always developing their production style

“Wedding videos have changed significantly in recent years and the quality of work produced now is astounding”

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