The film circuit and every bride in the country knows of The Wedding Filmer and Vishal Punjabi is no stranger to the hectic and crazy world of Indian weddings. The list is big for this well-known film maker and his team – Anushka – Virat, Bipasha – Karan and Deepika – Ranveer and that’s just the celebrity count. His latest, being ace designer and entrepreneur, Pernia Qureshi’s Istanbul extavaganza that was all over Instagram. With hundreds of beautiful settings, soulful music and interesting ideas, The Wedding Filmer’s work has time and again been on every bridal wish list. This year, we also saw the team showcase their skills in the very popular series, Made In Heaven. This month, we interviewed Punjabi, the Ghanian-Indian filmmaker and director who gave us insights into his own work as well as tips on how one should choose a wedding film maker.
On finding a good videographer for your wedding film
Picking a videographer who has an eye and talent for storytelling is very important. The team should find themselves being a part of the family – to find those beautiful moments and understand close relationships. It’s important to get to know the bride and groom first and for the couple to be comfortable with the team. There is no need to have more than three videographers at weddings. Due to the hectic-ness of the wedding, the bride and groom tend to miss a lot so it’s up to videographers to capture all those special moments.
Great locations, good decor or a more candid approach – what makes a good wedding film
A great location, a wedding planner with experience, beautiful hair, makeup and wardrobe all help with the production value of a wedding. But the real charm is finding a quote or a moment for a feeling – the essence of what binds two people together. It’s important to bring forth the family, the love story, their connection through story-telling.
On finding the perfect soundtrack for the wedding
Half our memories are filled with not just what we see but what we hear. At an Indian wedding, music plays an essential role in mood and energy and although traditionally, there have been many folk songs made for weddings, films like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and DDLJ have changed the way people host traditional events. Music doesn’t die, and that melody adds another layer to our memories. So we find moments that work well with music that touches your heart. We’ve also used original songs in our work many a time because a fresh song with a new tempo, arrangement and meaning keeps us inspired and makes the video more impactful.
Newest trend in videography in weddings
Nowadays, the interviews we do with couples before or after their wedding has become a trend. We get the couples to open up, it’s not just a Q&A session, it’s about understanding the couple what they want to remember along this journey. Then it’s about taking that essence, the special information and visually creating a canvas that resonates with them.
Tips on creating a dream wedding video
Outdoor weddings are better than indoor weddings.
Small and intimate weddings which have structure are more aesthetic to shoot.
Don’t have too many elements, let the busyness not get to you. Keep it simple.
Knowing your story and being authentic sets any video apart because it’s all about a good story, well told.
On why ‘The Wedding Filmer’ stands out from other cookie-cutter firms
Most of our contemporaries do both photography and filming, but we don’t. We specialize in one and don’t divert our attention and talent in photography. I have grown to understand that the two are very different mediums and follow very different processes from planning to execution to delivery. What sets us apart is the amazing talented crew we work with, years of experience in film making and weddings which gives us the power of anticipation. And because we were the first to do this and the best, we have learnt from all the mistakes we have made in the past to ensure we don’t repeat them again.
Latha Sunadh
Deputy Editor
When she's not trying on a new serum, researching on yet another classic fragrance and sharing lip balms with her 5-year old daughter, Latha Sunadh keeps it reined in with a nice song and a good book. Special skills include obsessing over handmade, home-made and handcrafted luxuries.
Most Popular
