Los Angeles Wedding Videographer
I'm Connery Davoodian. I have spent 17 years filming weddings in Los Angeles, and the thing I care about most is that your film is a film, not a montage. The ceremony is recorded in full. The vows are recorded in full. The speeches are recorded in full, with proper audio, so in ten years you can hear what your father actually said rather than a four second clip of him holding a microphone.
What you actually get
A finished film you can sit through, plus the short version for sharing. Colour is graded by hand, not dropped through a preset. Sound is treated with the same care as the picture, because bad audio is the fastest way to make an expensive wedding look cheap. You can watch eleven full wedding films end to end before you decide anything, which is more than most studios will show you.
Recent work, all shot by me: Niki & Payman · Victoria & Timothy · Ksandra & Joshua · Negin & Parsa.
How the film is built
Two microphones minimum on every ceremony: one on the groom or officiant, one taking a feed from the house system where there is one. Speeches get the same treatment. For movement I use gimbal work rather than long static wides, and where a venue allows it, drone exteriors and FPV through the interiors, which is how you show a room the way it feels to walk through it.
The reason to hire one team for photography and cinematography is simpler than it sounds: one lighting plan. Two vendors meeting for the first time on your wedding morning will fight over the same corner during your first dance. My photo and film sides have worked together for years, so the film crew is lighting for motion while the stills are being made, and neither one ruins the other's frame.
What it costs
Cinematography starts at $1,799. Photography and cinematography together start at $3,500, which is how most of my couples book it, and every wedding includes a free engagement session so we are not strangers on the day. Full-day coverage has no time limit, because a clock running during your reception helps nobody. If you want to sanity check a budget before you call, the wedding cost calculator will get you close.
Venues I have filmed in full
These are venues where I filmed the whole property, so you can see exactly what the room does on camera before you book it:
Lombardi House in Hollywood · The Vermont Hollywood · LA River Center & Gardens in Cypress Park · The Enchanted Manor in Valley Village · Violet Cactus Studio and Violet Cactus Petite in Burbank. More than a hundred other Los Angeles venues are covered on the venues index.
Where I work
Los Angeles and everywhere around it: Malibu, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank, Downtown, the San Fernando Valley, Santa Monica, Orange County and Ventura and Santa Barbara. I also film Persian, Armenian and Jewish weddings, where the running order matters as much as the light.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the finished film?
Two cuts: a short film of roughly three to six minutes, and the full-length film carrying the ceremony, the vows and the speeches end to end. The full film usually runs twenty minutes to over an hour depending on your day.
Do you record the vows and the speeches in full?
Yes, every time, with dedicated audio rather than the camera microphone. It is the part couples tell me they rewatch most.
Can we have the raw footage?
Yes, on request. I would rather you have everything than wonder what was left out.
How far in advance should we book?
Nine to fourteen months for a Saturday in spring or autumn. Shorter notice is often fine midweek, and I will tell you honestly if a date is still open.
Do you shoot photography as well?
Yes, and most couples book both. Photography starts at $1,599 on its own; photography and cinematography together start at $3,500.
Do you travel?
Yes. I am based in Los Angeles and shoot destination weddings worldwide.
If you are planning a wedding in Los Angeles and want the film to be something you actually sit down and watch, call or text (818) 749-7039 or use the contact page and tell me your venue and date.