If you are planning to hire a video production company for your business, it is important to understand which kind of technician you are hiring – a videographer or cinematographer?
Understanding the difference between videography vs. cinematography, and hiring the right professional, are crucial elements of marketing success. The brand image you want to create of your company or the way you wish the marketing message to be conveyed to your customers can play a pivotal role in the success of your business.
While the work of both cinematographers and videographers may involve essentially filming with a camera, there is a marked difference in the way it is done by a videographer and a cinematographer. Let’s find out more.
Cinematographer
As the name suggests, these professionals are commonly associated with the filming of cinemas or movies. Otherwise called the directors of photography, they are professionals hired by movie production houses to orchestrate and execute the director’s vision and take it to the next level.
The cinematographers are responsible for taking the technical and artistic decisions regarding the lighting, usage of lenses and cameras for different scenes, exposure, filters, zoom, camera movement, etc.
Using the appropriate technical instruments is key to capturing the frames perfectly, and to remarkably impact the way the audience perceives, interprets, and connects with the story or presentation. Each and every decision taken by the cinematographer has to be in line with the story and has to align correctly with what the director is trying to portray and convey.
The cinematographer usually works or leads a big team consisting of a camera operator, light assistants, etc. and is in charge of translating the director’s idea into images that can capture the audiences’ attention and interest.
Cinematographers are not usually involved in the editing and post-production activities.
Videographers
Videographers, on the other hand, function essentially as a one-man army who is hired to cover and film events like weddings, interviews, conferences, and other activities.
Working alone or with a small team, they usually operate the camera, arrange sound, select the location, capture the event end to end, and finish it up with editing.
The videographer’s primary focus is on capturing the essential moments of the event as it happens, and they rarely have control over how the event unfolds.
The New Breed – The DSLR-graphers
With advancements in camera technology and the advent of DSLR cameras, the fine line between videography and cinematography is blurring nowadays.
Features and innovations that provide DSLR cameras with movie-like video shooting capabilities, have made many embrace this as a hobby or even a serious profession.
A lot of videographers too prefer to shoot events with DSLR cameras as it provides movie-like quality and effects. With the boom in the demand for wedding photography and couples opting for a big, lavish wedding, the need for wedding videographers has increased.
Unlike movie cameras, in DSLR video cameras, it is impossible to cover the whole event. So, the DSLR-using videographers resort to capturing the highlights of the event and create a short film spanning 15-20 minutes with added narration or background music.
These new age professionals seem to be creating a bridge between the traditional cinematographers and videographers, creating a new space for themselves.
The Divide – Videography vs. Cinematography
The audiences nowadays are becoming more demanding and are highly media-savvy. Capturing their attention, retaining their interest, moving them with emotions, and selling your brand is not an easy task anymore.
Hence, you need to be clear on what you wish to achieve when you hire a media production professional. Some of the questions that you need to ask yourself are:
- How do you wish to have your event captured? Is it in documentary/reporting style or with additional effects like background music, cinematography, etc.?
- Do you want it to be informative, or entertaining, or loaded to the brim with emotions?
- What is your budget? In terms of props and production value, you will usually get only what you pay for.
Having a clear idea about these primary points will give you more clarity on whether to go for videography vs. cinematography.
Conclusion
While the basic premise of capturing an event is the same between videography and cinematography, there is a fine line that sets the two apart.
While cinematography is more about the art and science of making a movie, videography is primarily about recording an event. The former is more creative and intertwined with the art of storytelling, the latter is about capturing and recording the proceedings with material constraints and limited resources.
When it comes to choosing between videography vs. cinematography, if your objective is brand building or marketing, then it makes more sense to hire a cinematographer than a videographer.
If you are still unsure, you should check out some of the services offered by Lido Live TV, one of the most popular media production companies in the US. They will make sure that every special occasion and event in your life is exquisitely captured and recorded by experienced professionals.