Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2009 | Page 128

life

LOCAL BUSINESS

Award winning wedding
videos now available on the
Isle of Wight
Award winning film maker Roger Lowe brings the next
generation of wedding videography to the Isle of Wight
IMAGINE a wedding video that is so
professionally produced it is like watching a
television programme. Turn on the television
and you are the stars.
At last couples marrying on the Isle
of Wight can have exclusive access to a
memory of their special day which is at the
cutting edge of technology. In the same
way that stills photography has pushed
against the traditional boundaries, now
professional recording equipment, handled
and produced by specialists, is available
too. No more wobbly pictures from Uncle
John’s camcorder. This is high definition
television.
“We use high definition broadcasting
equipment,” says award-winning
videographer Roger Lowe. “We have
professional microphones to record the
sound of crucial parts of the day: tie-clip
microphones to pick up the words in
the ceremony or the speeches, as well
as directional cameral microphones for
fly-on-the-wall conversation.” Professional

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lighting can be used, too, to aluminate the
ceremony if necessary.
The finished result will be a contemporary
documentary-style programme which
intercuts the events of the day with
interviews with guests and key people, such
as the best man and the bride’s mother.
“We keep a story flowing throughout the
wedding,” explains Roger.
The difference between what has hitherto
passed for a wedding video and Roger’s
exclusive and professional work is like
night and day. Cinematic shooting captures
the thrill of this never-to-be-forgotten day,
and in his editing suite, Roger produces
the finished product in the style of an MTV
music video. It is hardly surprising that he
has won no fewer than four national awards
for Best Wedding Video, from the Institute
of Videography – the professional body of
which he is a member. He has also been a
judge of wedding videos, so his standards
are exacting.
To achieve a complete record of the day

couples can opt for up to four cameramen.
“Asian weddings tend to opt for four
cameras, to cover all the preparations of
the bride and groom and all aspects of
their ceremonies,” says Roger, “though on
average couples have two cameras. These
will film the bride and groom separately,
then together, obviously, right up until their
first dance.” The packages on offer are
based on the amount of time spent filming
and how many cameramen are needed.
The attention to detail Roger lavishes on
his productions is legion, starting with an
online questionnaire. “We want to know if
there’s a string quartet, say, or a magician.
By asking in advance if there is anything
we need to know we’ll be completely
prepared and nothing will be missed.” The
questionnaire also asks couples whether they
have alerted their vicar or registrar or other
conductor of the ceremony that filming will
be taking place, in order for any restrictions
to be discovered in advance.
If it sounds as though Roger has thought

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