Here is a variety of information that you may find helpful.
Photomontage is the process and result of making a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs. The composite picture was sometimes photographed so that the final image is converted back into a seamless photographic print. A similar method, although one that does not use film, is realized today through image-editing software. This latter technique is referred to by professionals as "compositing", and in casual usage is often called "photoshopping".
Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live-action shooting for compositing is variously called "chroma key", "blue screen", "green screen" and other names. Today, most, though not all, compositing is achieved through digital image manipulation. Pre-digital compositing techniques, however, go back as far as the trick films of Georges Melies in the late 19th century; and some are still in use.
Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a special effects / postproduction technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together, used heavily in many fields to remove a background from the subject of a photo or video - particularly the newscasting, motion picture and videogame industries. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production. This technique is also referred to as color keying, color-separation overlay, or by various terms for specific color-related variants such as green screen, and blue screen - chroma keying can be done with backgrounds of any color that are uniform and distinct, but green and blue backgrounds are more commonly used because they differ most distinctly in hue from most human skin colors and no part of the subject being filmed or photographed may duplicate a color used in the background. It is commonly used for weather forecast broadcasts, wherein the news presenter appears to be standing in front of a large map during live television newscasts, though in actuality it is a large blue or green background. When using a blue screen, different weather maps are added on the parts of the image where the color is blue. If the news presenter wears blue clothes, his clothes will also be replaced with the background video. A complementary system is used for green screens. Chroma keying is also used in the entertainment industry for special effects in movies and videogames.
Wedding videography can trace its roots back to before the advent of the modern video camera through 8mm and 16mm films. Over the decades while film was the only way to capture moving pictures a few enterprising individuals would take the family 8mm camera and film the weddings of friends and family. These film cameras had a major limitation in the form of 4 minute load times. After exposing 4 minutes of film the operator would have to load a new film cartridge. The high cost of processing and the fact the majority of them could not record sound to the film, further limited the industry. But there were a few individuals who had turned the documentation of weddings into a business.
1980 saw the introduction of the first consumer camcorders by Sony, with other manufacturers soon following suit. With the introduction of these first camcorders wedding video documentation evolved from something for the rich or celebrity into something for the masses. Early adopters were primarily hobbyists who, at first started recording the weddings of friends and family, then went on to do jobs for pay.
The early days of professional wedding videography were primitive, with the equipment generally reproducing low image quality. Cameras required bright lights, had fuzzy pictures, poor color saturation and single-channel, poor quality audio. The cameras were bulky with a separate unit that connected to the video recorder via a cable, severely limiting the videographer's movement. In post-production many wedding videos were not edited. Generation loss was also a limiting factor because of the nature of analog video tape.
From its earliest days and through the 1980s Wedding Videography developed a negative reputation of being an interference on the festivities, it was meant to document. The bright lights required to produce a quality image were damaging to the atmosphere many brides and grooms wanted to create. As the market expanded, it was flooded by many individuals who had little experience and technical knowledge, which left the consumer with fallen expectations. Consumer technology available to the wedding videographer could not equal broadcast quality of the time.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s the state of the industry began to shift for the better. Videographers began to get organized behind regional and national organizations. Manufacturers created a market between the professional video camera and video camera consumer levels which became known as prosumer which met the needs of this niche market.
Towards the mid 1990s, the manufacturers introduced the next evolution of cameras with digital cameras which removed the last of the technological barriers that had impeded wedding videography since its inception. The cameras were small, mobile, worked even better than the already good analog cameras on the market in low light situations and allowed the videographer to be discreet and not an intrusion on the events. These prosumer digital cameras were even adopted by many commercial producers because of their size and the quality of their images.
Post-production creativity took a major leap forward with the introduction of advanced tools like the Newtek Video Toaster in the early 1990s. This led to the introduction of other relatively inexpensive non-linear editing systems (NLE) which offered the editor many more creative options. But the delivery method still relied on an analog viewing system, VHS video tape. This changed in the late 1990s with introduction of the recordable DVD. Weddings and events were now recorded digitally, edited digitally and delivered digitally, greatly improving the image quality.
By the late 1990s Wedding Videography had expanded beyond documentation of weddings. The majority of wedding videographers preferred to add the additional term of "event" to their description of service. New offerings such as Love Stories, Photo Montages (a retrospective collection of photographs set to music), music videos, family biographies appeared. Anniversaries, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs graduations and many other one-time events were also being documented in large numbers on video. The general skill level of the industries members improved and post-production capabilities reflected the standards of commercial productions. As the industry grew the consumer began to have options, both in the length and the level of creativity, for how their event was portrayed.
Present day: Ironically the progenitor of video, 8mm, super 8mm, 16mm and even 35mm film stock is enjoying a revival within the Wedding Videography industry with some studios offering a combination of the video formats with the film formats and others offering film stock only production. Another major shift in how wedding and event video is produced and delivered is occurring with the introduction of High-definition video Technology and Blu-ray discs. Production equipment once limited to the commercial studios began to appear in the wedding video industry; Steadicam units, sliders, jibs and other camera movement systems. Post-production editing tools improved with the introduction of more capable computers and software.
Typical styles: Common styles range from "journalistic" to "cinematic".
Video Journalistic style: typically described as a documentary of the event. Segments are edited as they occur to preserve continuity. This style of editing will produce a polished documentation of the day as it unfolds. Also can be referred to as Documentary Style.
Cinematic: the term is defined as making a movie or film. Within the wedding videography industry it has taken on the following meaning: It is captured and edited for the dramatic effect and mood. It is usually presented with a particular style and "wow" effect that may not be present in a "mere documentary" of the event.
Storytelling: a video that relies on sound bites recorded pre, during or in post, usually from the bride and groom. These sound bites are then added to the audio track for dramatic effect and to push the story of the day forward.
Short Form Wedding: a video of the day that has been edited to fit within a time frame that is no less than 15 minutes and no longer than 50 minutes. Some videographers consider anything under 60 minutes to be short form.
Traditional: a catch-all term for styles that do not fit with above. Traditional tends to look more like a family-shot video; it can be edited, but usually lightly. Everything is edited in a linear progression and usually in its entirety. These videos tend to be 2 to 3 hours, and even longer, in length.
Wedding videographers are not limited to using just one of these styles; different amounts of styles can be found in every video.
Types of Video: Wedding video has grown in recent years to encompass myriad video production offerings. Some are produced to be shown at the wedding or are delivered after the wedding.
Engagement Video: A video documenting the groom asking the bride to marry. Quite often filmed without the bride's knowledge.
Invitation DVD: Some invitation printers will include a DVD in a slot in the printed invitation. The DVD shows the couple and/or the parents on camera inviting viewers to the wedding and reception.
Photo Montage: (also called video scrapbooks) includes but not limited to still pictures displayed on a video. Can also include sound bites and video footage, but is predominantly still photos.
Love Story: Traditionally an interview of the bride and groom about how they met, what they are like together and what their plans for the future are. Quite often the interview is inter-cut with romantic footage of the couple frolicking together or re-enactments of what they are talking about.
Concept Video: Typically a short film that incorporates to tell a story about the bride or groom or both. Quite often not related to the couple's real life.
Same Day Edit: (Also called a wedding day edit) A short video produced from the footage of the wedding shot earlier in the day, usually only incorporating footage from pre-ceremony, ceremony and post ceremony, that is then showed at the reception as a recap of the wedding.
Bridal Elegance: A video shot in the style of a fashion shoot that depicts the bride in her wedding gown. Can be done before, during or after the wedding.
Highlights: A chapter on the final DVD that shows highlights of the ceremony and reception. Usually running under 10 minutes, highlights videos may be uploaded to YouTube and other social networking websites. The shorter highlights chapter is popular to show friends, while family might watch the full-length wedding DVD.
Trash The Dress: A fad that struck the video and photography markets from 2005 to 2008. The idea was to create art by soaking, staining, dirtying or outright destroying the wedding gown. The shoot often occurred after the wedding day.
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