FAQ’S

Who will edit my wedding footage?

At North By Northwest every DVD is treated as if it were going to be our demo. Because we put this much importance on every DVD we produce, we put a great deal of time and effort into every single wedding. We want our camera men to be in touch with the completed project. Because of this, more often than not, the one who shoots your wedding will be the one who edits it. Every DVD we produce is critiqued by at least two editors before it is completed. At that time if it doesn't pass certain criteria, it goes back to the editing bay to be revamped.


Is everything on one DVD?

Your completed edited footage will be on one DVD. Your unedited (the raw footage) footage (if ordered) will be on a separate DVD. If you are familiar with a North By Northwest Cinematography, you are aware that all of our DVD's are a highlight recap. We take the best parts of your day and digitally compile them into one 27-45 minute (depending on how many events we film) long segment. Our thoughts are that when you want to watch the events of your day or show it to Grandma or your college girlfriend, you don't want to fast forward through 2-5 hours of unedited wedding footage looking for those special moments. You want to be able to sit down and be engulfed in what is almost like a music video.

Do you use digital equipment?

We only use 100% digital equipment and have HD packages available. What does this really mean? It means that when we film your wedding we use digital cameras. When we edit your footage we use digital editing decks to transfer the digital footage to our digital non-linear editing bays. A non-linear editing bay allows us to color correct, trim, add length (slow motion) and manipulate clips all the way down to a single frame of video. FYI, there are 29.97 frames of video per second.


Are your shots staged?

Absolutely not. North By Northwest is known for our ability to catch you naturally and relaxed. What we do is let your photographer do what he/she does best by getting all of the formal shots. We shoot those shots as well, but what we are really doing is focusing on you when you are not even aware that we are filming. As the day goes on, you and your spouse begin to relax and forget that you are in front of the camera. These shots look so good because you are truly relaxed and are being natural in front of the camera. You may see a shot on one of our videos that you would love to see yourself in. Most of the time the events of the day will put us in a situation to obtain that shot naturally. If not, we still don't stage you. Instead, we put you in a situation/location and let you do what you do best and we catch you doing it. We wait for just the right moment and are in the right place at the right time to get the shot.


Will I look that good?

Of course you will. The brides of North By Northwest are all beautiful. We are asked all the time if we hire models to do our demos. We have never hired anyone. What we do is know what to look for and then shoot it. We find the perfect angles to film a bride at. Once we know what angles she really looks good at we capitalize on them. The end result is a video that really showcases the bride & groom.


Can I choose my own music? Will you help me choose music?

We encourage you to use any music you like. We could choose the music for you, but in all reality, after we finish editing your video, we most likely won't see it again. You, on the other hand will see the video hundreds of times over the coming years. We are happy to give you suggestions, but want the final decisions to be with you.


How are your videographers dressed?

Every wedding is different. We want to blend in with the crowd and not stand out like a sore thumb. We will dress in any way you wish. If requested at formal events we wear Tuxedo's. At casual weddings we will wear dress slacks and a nice shirt. The normal attire is dress slacks, dress shirt & tie.


If it gets dark, will the DVD look good?
We bring on camera lighting so that if the lights are low or the sun goes down we can still maintain a perfect image.


Do you work well with photographers?

Photographers have been shooting weddings since the 1800’s. For so many years they were the only game in town. In the late 1970’s wedding videography came into play. Through the years, some photographers have felt that videographers were imposing on them. For so long they had the bride & groom all to themselves, but with the development of video the options have expanded for brides. Photographers have never been a problem for us at North By Northwest. The reason is simple, we just stay out of the way and let them do what they want to do. They feel that we are very courteous and they then extend that same courtesy to us and let us to get what we need to get. If we have never worked with a photographer before, it usually only takes a couple of minutes visiting together and we have a great working relationship with them.


Will we be able to hear our vows during the ceremony?

We connect a wireless microphone up to the groom. The microphone picks up everything he says, the bride says and the clergyman says. That sound is transmitted directly to a second camera that is focused directly on the bride and groom. It gives you uninterrupted audio of the complete ceremony.


Can I get my video done in Black & White or Sepia Tone?

We can custom make your DVD in any way you wish. We have packages that include Black & White, Sepia Tone or both. Many brides are getting their packages with a “Flash Sequence”, “Overall Flash Sequence” or both.


What is a “Flash Sequence”?

We shoot your footage slightly different and come up with a series of shots that we convert to either Black & White or Sepia Tone. We have you choose a song that has a normal beat to it but goes into a faster beat during the chorus. During the chorus we edit in those Black & White or Sepia Tone clips to the beat of the song. The clips that are edited in are “letter boxed” (they have either black or white cropping bars on the top and bottom) to give it that cinema feel. (See our demo for an example)


What is a “Overall Flash Sequence”?

After your DVD is complete, we take the best of all the clips and edit them to the beat of a song. It is very similar to the Flash Sequence but we have you choose a song with a steady beat all the way through it. All the clips are done in either Black & White or Sepia Tone. The clips that are edited in are “letter boxed” (they have either black or white cropping bars on the top and bottom) to give it that cinema feel. (See our demo for an example)


What are the advantages of a multiple camera shoot?

First and foremost it allows us to be in more than one place at a time. A single camera shoot is great and is very cost effective, but it just doesn't give you the coverage of two or more cameras. Imagine the emotion it brings when we can have one camera focused directly on the Groom. We witness tears streaming down his cheek as he watches his Bride being escorted down the aisle by her father. At the same time we have a second camera actually film the reaction of the Bride as she first sees her husbands emotional outpouring. In addition, it allows us to employ the use of wireless microphones.


Can my Ceremony be edited in time for the Reception?

This is entirely possible but must be scheduled with us in advance. Your Ceremony must be early enough in the day to allow us the necessary time to complete the editing process before your Reception begins. Normal editing time for a Ceremony is about 4 1/2 hours.


How long will the edited DVD be?

It depends on how many events we cover for you? Average DVD's last between 27 & 45 minutes in length. To give you a better idea, a 40 photo montage normally runs about 6 1/2 minutes in length. A typical wedding ceremony will start with pre ceremony (when the Bride and Groom are getting ready) coverage that is edited down to about 3 1/2 minutes long. The average wedding ceremony edits down to about 8-11 minutes in length. The average reception completely edited lasts between 7 and 15 minutes in length. The average Overall Flash sequence is about 4 minutes in length. If your ceremony is a full mass your video will be considerably longer. Many of our brides have us cover the time when the Bride & Groom as well as family are having their pictures taken. This normally adds an additional 8-11 minutes to the completed video.


Will my finished DVD be as clear as the demo DVD?

More than likely it will be clearer. When we edit your video we will use our digital non linear editing bay. Many of the weddings on the demo are weddings over the past few years. What you are watching is a copy made from our wedding archives in which we had to drop one generation to get it back on the demo. When we finish your wedding video it will come directly off the computer and will be a first generation master.


Who will shoot my footage?

If you have a specific request for a videographer we will do everything possible to honor that request. Over the years a family may have had one of our videographers film several weddings for their family and friends. The family may request to have that same videographer film the next wedding. If the requested videographer is not already requested for a different wedding on the same day we will accommodate your request.


Do all your videographers shoot as good as each other?

At North By Northwest it is really interesting how closely each videographers work is to the next. We want every DVD to be a unique production by itself but want the camera and editing work to follow certain guidelines making sure that we keep the quality at the highest level. The way we do this is simple. We start by only hiring people persons. In the wedding industry having someone who can get along with anyone is a must. You need to be able to get along with and relate with your clients to be able to make the client feel comfortable enough to relax. When a Bride relaxes around us we are able to catch her naturally so that the video never looks staged or posed and turns out great. All of our camera men start out as editors. By editing, they first learn exactly what we are looking for. They see the unedited footage day in and day out. We critique every videographers work several times over during the editing process and it is amazing how much you learn while sitting in the editing bay. After they have mastered the editing process they are then trained on our camera techniques. It takes a good amount of time just to know how to operate the cameras in different lighting conditions. Following that, they practice shooting weddings accompanied by one of our highly trained videographers on at least 30 weddings before we actually let them film one by them self. Their first shoots are on luncheons or receptions and not ceremony's. FYI, luncheons & receptions are not time sensitive. There is nothing really urgent or pressing taking place. At a ceremony everything happens so quickly and there are no second takes. You only have one opportunity to get the shot of the bride walking down the aisle. You can't stop the bride and ask her to give her father another hug just as he hands her away to the groom. There is no second opportunity to get a close up of the groom sliding the wedding band on to the finger of the bride. You can't interrupt the ceremony and ask the bride if she can kiss her husband for the first time again. You need to be able to know what is going to happen, when it is going to happen and be in the right place at the right time to ensure that you get the shots that you need. In short, there is no room for mistakes. Because of this we just don't let anyone shoot. They have to have their stuff together. We don't sublet work out to other companies! North By Northwest is only North By Northwest!


What if your camera breaks or malfunctions?

Accidents happen all the time. Fortunately for us, of all the weddings that we have done (we shoot over 300 weddings a year) we have only had three mishaps. Just the other day a competitors company called us and asked if we had an office in the Los Angeles area. He had sent one of his videographers to shoot a wedding there and his camera got smashed on the plane. He didn't have a backup camera and obviously he was panicking.


In 1996 one of our camera men dropped a camera from shoulder height. The bride & groom's hearts sunk as they watched the camera smash to pieces on the ground. It was smashed and unusable. They were only panicked for about ten seconds. They were relieved that within three minutes we were back up and running with one of our back up cameras. In 1998 while traveling to San Diego California one of our cameras was smashed while going through the luggage handlers at the airport. It didn't effect us as we had two back ups. The last incident we had was in 2001 when while shooting a reception in Salt Lake City Utah the camera's viewfinder went gray. It was some sort of manufacturer defect. We grabbed a back up camera and didn't miss a beat. The bottom line is that your wedding is only taking place one time. We won't gamble with that. We plan in advance for possible problems and take the necessary steps to be ready to remedy the situation. We always have at least one back up camera ready to go on every shoot.


Can you shoot at locations with no electrical power?

There are many times that we shoot in locations that are so remote that there are not even restroom facilities. We bring enough battery power to shoot all day even if we are only scheduled to shoot a few hours.


What if I am not pleased with the finished product?

I am not sure as it has never happened. We have a 100 % satisfaction guarantee so I can only imagine that we would do everything possible to make your DVD exactly the way you want it.


Who will be on my finished DVD?

Our main focus is the bride & groom while paying special attention to all the family members, bridesmaids, groomsmen, grandmas, grandpas, flower girls and anyone in the wedding party. We make sure we film anyone who is wearing a tuxedo, bridesmaid dress a corsage or boutonniere. We also have you provide us with an “Assistant Producer”. This will be someone who is familiar with both sides of the family. They will be able to point out who is and is not important.


Will you do interviews with the guests?

There is nothing more intimidating than having a microphone set in your hand, a spotlight directed at you and (grabbing the attention of everyone within 50 feet) larger than life camera focusing on every move while being asked to come up with some great words of wisdom for the bride & groom. We don't want to make your guests feel uncomfortable. Rather than go around to those who may or may not want to be interviewed, we will (if requested) make an announcement and set a camera up in a corner of the room. We invite those who wish to give some words of advice to the bride & groom to come at their convenience and do so. No one is put on the spot and everyone feels comfortable.


What time will you arrive to my Ceremony?

Every wedding is different. It depends on what time you request for us to be there. For example. If your Ceremony time begins at 3:00pm you may want to have us begin shooting at 2:00pm. If we begin shooting at 2:00pm we would arrive by 1:45pm and get our equipment ready so that my 2:00pm we are ready to go. We would get all the shots of the bride getting ready (once she has her slip or gown on) and all the shots of the groom and groomsmen getting ready (once they have their boxers or trousers on). If you are not having us film the getting ready shots we would arrive approximately 15-30 minutes prior to the Ceremony starting time. If we have not shot at a location before we would arrive 30-60 minutes prior to ensure we can evaluate all the different lighting conditions. If you are being sealed in a LDS Temple we will arrive (unless instructed differently) 45 minutes after the sealing time. Some brides getting sealed in the Temple elect to have us shoot prior to the ceremony. We will do anything you wish. You just have to let us know. Please call us if you have any more specific questions or want to run an idea past us.