What do you call yourself?

We’ve been asked this question a lot. What is the difference between a videographer, cinematographer and filmmaker?

You may have heard some people say they are all the same thing, while others will tell you they are completely different. And while there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to who does what and how they do it, it’s important to understand the difference between each of these titles and how they relate to one another.

Videographer

The word videographer came around many years ago and was used to describe someone who shot video on film (hence “video”). These days though, most videographers use digital cameras as opposed to film so the term has become less relevant. We still use it though because it helps explain what we do. We capture moments in time through video; with multiple cameras and drone video footage as well.

Filmmaker

A filmmaker is someone who creates films, whether they are feature-length movies, short films, documentaries, or other forms of visual media, according to CareerExplorer.

Essentially, we are filmmakers. We see things in a different way than most people. That’s why we get so excited about our work. It’s not just about shooting a moment, it’s about capturing an emotion or a feeling.

But how does this translate into the wedding world, short promotional and business promotional videos? In our opinion it is vastly different because we play many different roles. Now obviously you will never hear us yell “STOP!” in the middle of a ceremony or while we are working. Our goal is to document the moments from the angles we know are the best and make a beautiful visual story for our clients. However, we do know how to film a moment and take it into the edit room to create awesome after effects. We are the producers, editors and creative minds within this story.

Cinematographer

The cinematographer or director of photography is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece, according to Wikipedia. The cinematographer captures what the directors vision may be. Tasked with capturing a scene in accordance with the directors’ vision. What a director conveys to his/her team will be understood by the cinematographer to ensure this person achieves these goals.

Conclusion

It can be a confusing world for couples looking for wedding videography or a video for a person or business looking to promote themselves. There are two styles of videography: filmmaker and videographer.

We settled on using the terms videographer and filmmaker interchangeably because we feel it best describes our style as Focus+ Films. We love to making wedding films but we also film some great event productions and put our videography hats on as well. Every business is so different and that is also the beauty in this industry.

If you are in need of a filmmaker or videographer, feel free to reach out HERE.