Suppliers In Focus: One Day Film Productions

One Day Film Productions

An article by Robbie Roberts

We all think we can do it. Then you meet a professional, and you realise, there’s a bit more to video production than simply opening the camera app on your phone, swiping to video, and pressing record.

No other form of media can quite capture the detail, emotion, and story of a wedding in such a multi-sensory way like a video. Sarah Day of One Day Film Productions creates memories of your special day which remain with you long after the music has stopped playing, the cake has been eaten, the flowers have wilted, and the hangovers have subsided. A wedding lasts a day, what Sarah creates lasts a lifetime and is a must for your special day.

Sarah has been running her own videography business, One Day Film Productions, since 2020. However, her interest in video production goes back well before then. Sarah has the Apple iMovie app to thank for sparking her interest in videography as she used this to create short, home-made highlights packages of friend and family weddings at first, before then recording and editing a full wedding ceremony. The delight of her friends when they received the end product edited solely on her phone, was an indication that perhaps there was a demand for this kind of service, and an area she could move in to professionally.

In 2020, Sarah took the decision to learn more about her craft, and upskilled, invested in time, equipment, and software, and started her own business. She now creates cinematic wedding films for fun, adventurous couples. Moreover, she creates stories – of the day, and of the unique characters and journeys that have led them to this most joyous of occasions.

As I am discovering as I meet various service providers and wedding suppliers, there is far more to their services than it might seem, and just a quick canter through what Sarah offers shows what excellent value for money you get when you book her, both in terms of the quality of the production and the time it takes to produce it.

Sarah always takes the time to get to know her clients to learn more about their journey so far, their vision for the day, and any particular aspects that they would like to be included in the videography. The storyboarding process is a combination of the couples’ wishes and Sarah’s creative ideas and this preparation is key in the run up to the day. It is rather like a film production – cameras need to be in place for certain scenes, audio mics need to be attached and hidden, and therefore the schedule of the day needs to be arranged to ensure that Sarah isn’t required to perform the impossible task of being in two places at once!

When interviewing Sarah for this article, I got a real sense of the combination of creativity and flair, with organisation and sheer hard work not only on the day itself, but also beforehand and then in post-event video production process.

On the day itself, Sarah records the requested set-pieces, such as the walk up the aisle, the reading of vows, the speeches, the cutting of the cake and the first dance. However, she also captures the other parts that the guests and even the happy couple might not have noticed at the time, but the keen eye of an experienced videographer does. When it comes to creating the story of the day, there is only so much you can plan, and what sets Sarah apart is her ability to capture and adapt her production according to what occurs on the day – those golden moments that just happen and for you which you can’t plan.

Sarah has a unique ability to create the story of the day using the visual and audio content that she captures, and then revisits in the editing suite in the following days and weeks. A great example of this is in the video below. She had no idea that father of the bride was going to talk about how if he could he would rewind back in time to talk about how Tom and Laura’s journey started but picking up on this, Sarah edited the video to perfectly weave in this element of his speech to create such an emotive, powerful and unique start to their wedding video. This isn’t down to luck but rather is a reward for organisation and planning in advance (ie being in the right place at the right time!), an eye for detail and the imagination to create a story from the content captured on the day.

Following the wedding day itself Sarah can have captured up to six hours of footage. Most customers opt for packages of cinematic videos that come in durations of roughly twenty minutes along with a shorter version of around five minutes. This gives you an idea of the scale of the editing process that is required. Sarah also offers ‘sneak-peak’ video clips of up to a minute long which are great for social media and can be used to build up to when the final video is produced. If you really love social media and want to create reels, you can opt for a dedicated social media package! All this requires ruthlessness in the editing suite, an eye for those show-stopping emotional, poignant and fun moments, and patience. Sarah also carefully selects the best parts of the ceremony and speeches, as well as music which matches the moments, to create the perfect audio soundtrack to your video. This is a feature of all her packages which enhances the videos and the ability to remember and re-live the feelings and experiences on the day.

One thing that shines through when you talk to Sarah is her passion for what she does and a genuine warmth, which you can see in the way she builds relationships with her clients and in the videos she produces. If you choose One Day Film Productions you really are booking in guaranteed long-lasting happy memories and a video that encapsulates your story.

You can find out more about Sarah’s services and packages through the One Day Film Productions website, and also follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Sarah doesn’t work in isolation. She works formally and informally with a network of small business and sole traders who work in the wedding and event industry and who each pour enthusiasm, passion and dedication into the services they provide. Short branding videos are a great way for local businesses and suppliers to capture the essence of their service or product, and a way to stand out from the crowd. Sarah is keen to work with any businesses who are looking to enhance their digital promotional collateral to help them reach their target audience. Take a look at the branding video Sarah created for Katie Lou Weddings.

Local businesses go that extra mile and don’t let you down, here are some that Sarah works with and highly recommends:

• Bridal Boutiques Annabel Sarah Bridal, Shakespeare in Love  
• Beauty and aesthetics: Trust Salons and Katy Victoria
• Cake Cake Fantastique
• Florist White Ivy Flowers
• Venues Cider Mill Barns, Enchanting Woodland Weddings, Wootton Park,
• Hair Stylists Trust Salons and Say Yes Bridal Stylist  
• Travel Consultant Not Just Travel
• Magicians Elegant Magic Christian Fletcher Magic
• Pianist Robbie Roberts Wedding Pianist
• Photographers Sarah Haywood, Anthony Hall and Blonde Shot
• Ribbon backdrop or bunting style streamers The Enchanted Dreamer
• Stationary Bellapeach Creative
• Venue Stylist White Violet Event Dresser, Shakespeare Wedding & Events
• Wedding Band Jake & Ian
• Wedding Planner Katie Lou Weddings

This article was written by Robbie Roberts – a Wedding Pianist