Blog

Q&A with Ryan Koral of Epic Motion

1. When did you decide that you wanted to become a videographer? I’ve always had a love for video - since I was in grade school - and there are some pretty hilarious (mostly embarrassing) videos that I created in junior high and high school (and even college) floating around…

2. Did you always want to shoot weddings? I never considered filming weddings until about 5 years ago when a photographer friend (Jeffrey Lewis Bennett) told me that the bride and groom for the wedding he was shooting that weekend really wanted a video. I was hesitant, but agreed to shoot it. I loved EVERY second of it - and the client loved their movie. It just made sense that this was a perfect fit for me.

3. What is the price range for an Epic Motion wedding video? Investments start with our high-impact, Same-Day Only offering at $3,000. People spend about $5,000 on average when they book us.

4. Why do you think it’s so important to have a videographer at my wedding? Show me a stack of honeymoon photos, and I’ll fall asleep in less than a minute. Tell me a story, however, and you’ve got my attention. Your friends and family will understand your relationship on a deeper level when they watch your wedding film because film picks up where words alone fall short. Your story matters. A wedding filmmaker will help you tell it to the world.

5. What are some of your favorite locations to shoot? Favorite locations to shoot: My new one is the Virgin Islands. I also love shooting in Northern Michigan. And you can’t go wrong with an urban Detroit wedding. We love shooting venues that we have never shot at before, as it brings freshness for us as visual artists.

6. How long after the wedding does it take to get the finished video? Over the years, as Epic Motion has grown, we have constantly worked to improve our turnaround time. Currently we are at six to seven months for the full production. Same-Day Edits are obviously shown the day of the wedding, and trailers are created sometimes as soon as the week after the wedding. It really comes down to what the client wants. We anticipate 2010 films to take between four to six months for completion.

7. Do you shoot in high definition? We shoot everything in HD, and all of our clients now receive both Blu-ray copies (HD) and regular DVDs. We give clients multiple copies of each to make everyone’s lives easier. We also make sure that all parents receive a copy.

8. How do you make sure that you and the photographer are on the same page? Typically our clients hire photographers that are similar in style to our own, so on the day of the wedding, there really isn’t any drama that happens between us and them. We strive hard to work as a team, and it has always proven to work quite well for us. We always tell photographers that we’ve never worked with that they can “push us, kick us, yell at us” if we get in their way; they usually laugh and tell us the same in regards to them. We enjoy working with people we enjoy; it sounds redundant, but it’s true.

9. Do you do all the editing for the videos? When Epic Motion first began, I was Epic Motion. Our team has grown to where it’s bigger than just myself. I don’t shoot every wedding anymore, but when it comes time to edit, I serve as creative director and ensure that the finished film is in line with our style and brand. I have an extremely gifted team of shooters and editors, and it’s fun to watch them grow, challenge each other and create some pretty amazing wedding films.

10. What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? I think people might be surprised to know that my wife and I didn’t have our wedding filmed professionally. Seven years ago when we got married, we had NO idea that a wedding film could be so stinkin’ rad. It’s for sure our biggest regret from our wedding. You sometimes don’t realize how important something is until it’s too late.