Helen and Jason’s WEDDING VIDEO FEATURE

The Setting

Athens and Santorini are such beautiful settings for an elopement- the breath taking Acropolis sitting above the bustling Greek capital, ebxpially at sunset and the island of Santorini with its rugged cliffs, blue sea and white washed houses- it was a dream place to film.

The couple also chose a lovely hotel in the Santorini capital of Fira for their actual wedding day, which had unbeatable views of the bay and the other islands of the Cyclades dotted about in the Aegean Sea.

Helen and Jason’s Wedding Day Plans

Jason and Helen asked me to join them for three days as they traveled around Athens and Santorini before marrying at their hotel in Fira. Our first stop was Athens, where we spent a day visiting some of the historical sights in the city before climbing up to the Acropolis for views of the ancient citadel and of the city below. We made sure we timed this walk for golden hour, just before the sunset, as not only is this a beautiful view but the light of the sun at that time is most flattering on film.

The next day we flew to Santorini and firstly visited Oia, the picturesque town with its white washed houses and windmills before heading down to the harbour for a few hours out at sea on a private yacht. The boat trip was perfect opportunity to get some shots of the couple together enjoying the views and the rushing water and the island as backdrop gave the footage a glamorous Hollywood.

The final day was the wedding day which took a place at Helen and Jason’s hotel, overlooking the beautiful Fira harbour and the volcanic island beyond. The couple had written some heartfelt vows to each other and the story they recited about their journey up to this point was a perfect narrative to weave through their film.

The day ended with a sunset first dance and cake cutting before the couple sat down for dinner amongst the twinkling lights of Santorini.

Wedding Videography Approach

My main aim as a wedding videographer is to produce cinematic, yet authentic, mementos of a wedding day. I want them to be stylish, filled with all the emotions of the day while being infused with a classic cinema flair, which I always have in the back of my mind when choosing which lens to use in a certain moment, how to frame a shot, the sounds and music I will use to tell that part of the story and thinking always about the edit.

Me filming a wedding in Portugal with my minimalist set up.

I knew from the outset that Jason and Helen had booked me because they wanted a movie they could take home to their families, not just a highlight reel or a travel document but a complete film telling their love story, with Athens and Santorini as a backdrop, so I was mindful of this when filming, making sure we had all different sorts of coverage for me to put together a timeless memento of their elopement.

Once I have these all story telling elements in place I make sure my films are as cinematic as possible, and what I mean by that is I use every tool and technique at my disposal, from the filming style on the wedding day, to the editing and colour grading techniques afterwards, to create a piece of work that feels like a mini-movie, like a short piece of classic cinema, with a proper beginning middle and end, establishing people, place and story as elegantly as possible, woven together with music I choose carefully for each project.

Most importantly though, I use equipment and a filming style on the day that allows me to capture these moments without leaving a heavy footprint on the day- I use very minimal equipment, similar to a photographer, and avoid stage managing the day in any way because the most important element of making a great film is authentic moments and emotions and the only way to achieve these is allow them to happen naturally, unhindered by over posing/staging and manufacturing the events.

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