There are certain Memphis wedding vendors out there who have a stellar reputation and are a joy to work with.
Message in a Bottle Productions is one of those vendors. With a reputation that proceeds and a response time that astounds, this wedding videography company is one you definitely need to check out. We are so excited to feature them today.
Enjoy this interview with Message in a Bottle Productions owner Justin.
Wedding Vendor: Message in a Bottle Productions
Tell us about yourself and Message in A Bottle. What do you do?
Message in a Bottle Productions is a full service video production company located in Memphis, TN.
We specialize in wedding videography, corporate video projects, and online video production. Our goal is to create a thorough, elegant, timeless story from your wedding day. We bring top of the line equipment and know how to capture the story of your special day without getting in the way.
How long have you been doing wedding videography?
Message in a Bottle Productions has been in business for seven years now. In that time we have filmed over 275 weddings right here in Memphis, TN. We have also filmed weddings in New York City, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Destin FL., Mobile AL., Birmingham AL., Jackson TN. and more!
How did you get started in wedding videography?
Justin Croninger is the owner of Message in a Bottle Productions. His degree from Auburn University is in theatre performance. After working for a Children’s theatre for a few years Justin decided to try his hand at telling stories in a digital medium. 7 years later here we are!
Kendrick Wedding Trailer from Message in a Bottle Production on Vimeo.
How would you describe your style?
Our style is mix of romantic and documentary film making. All of the footage on the final DVD is edited to the music of your choice in a dynamic dance of a story.
We love to take the time during the wedding day to stop the bride and groom for just a few seconds to capture the emotion and excitement and document exactly what is going on in their minds on their wedding day. T
he mix of these two styles makes for a very powerful and revealing final product. We hope that the DVD is something that the couple can revisit and cherish for a lifetime!
Why should brides hire a pro videographer instead of a friend with a video camera?
Experience is a huge factor in filming a wedding. Weddings happen very fast and you need someone who is not only a master of their camera and craft but also knows what happens at wedding and when.
Weddings tend to be in dark romantic light which brings challenges for video production. Our teams shoot in low light situations every week and we know how to get the most out of our cameras in even the darkest of situations. This is not something that an amateur is going to know how to do! Shooting the wedding is the easy part of the job though.
Next comes the long process of sorting, editing, and cleaning footage. Friends and family who shoot weddings often don’t realize the amount of work that goes into post production of a wedding and so many amateur videographers never deliver a final product. There is just no comparison between the art that we have worked so hard to learn how to create and friend with a video camera.
Sidhu Wedding Trailer from Message in a Bottle Production on Vimeo.
How can brides help get the best wedding videos possible?
What a great question!
Light is the first answer. We want your wedding to be romantically lit, but there is only so much that we can do if you choose to get married by candlelight.
The next most important thing is a joyful attitude. We are going to be capturing moments with you all day long, most times you won’t even know that we are there. The weddings we film with happy smiling brides and fun loving grooms end up being so much easier to edit and so much better to watch.
Do you do all the weddings or do you have a team?
Message in a Bottle Productions is a team of videographers who shoot more than one wedding almost every weekend. Justin and Matt are the two team leaders and are the ones responsible for making sure that your wedding video is as good as it can possibly be.
Each member of our team was chosen for their specific skills, professionalism, clean appearance, and attitude. We aren’t just there to capture the wedding on video, we are there to make your day better. Each and every employee at Message in a Bottle signs a pledge that they care about the responsibility of capturing such important memories for our clients. While our teams have different strengths the two teams are very evenly talented and capable of creating timeless memories!
What’s your process? What can brides expect from your services?
The process begins with a meeting to discuss which one of our three wedding videography packages is right for you and your wedding.
Our deposit is currently $400 to book us for your wedding day with the final balance being due 2 weeks prior to the wedding. On the wedding day we show up 3-4 hours prior to the ceremony to capture the pre-wedding preparations (hair, makeup, getting into the dress), details of the day, and interviews with the Bride and Groom, next we capture the ceremony with 3 HD cameras to create a dynamic movie of the ceremony without getting in the way. Then we are there to cover the reception all the way until the bride and groom leave. We don’t work by the hour! We are there to capture the story of their wedding day and we feel that we can’t capture the story very well without being there for the end!
A 4-5 minute wedding trailer goes up on Facebook just a day or two after the wedding! All of your friends and family that are posting on the brides wall and friends and family who couldn’t make it to the wedding get to see the highlights of your wedding day!
The bride and groom choose songs for us to use in the editing of the final video once they return from their honeymoon. The final DVD is delivered within 2 months of the wedding day!
Kenney Wedding Trailer from Message in a Bottle Production on Vimeo.
What’s the turn around for a wedding video?
The wedding trailers often go up the next day! The final DVD is guaranteed to be delivered within 2 months of the wedding day or you get 50% of your money back!
How can Memphis brides and grooms contact you?
Justin Croninger (the Message in a Bottle Productions Owner) handles all the contact and bookings for us. The office phone number is 901.490.1275. Justin’s cell phone number is 205. 862.3508 and his email is [email protected].
You can always see our packages and pricing on our website at www.messageinabottleproductions.com and you can keep up with the latest videos and news on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/messageinabottleproductions.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your wedding videography?
We love what we do and we hope that it shows in every wedding video that we create. Every wedding has something unique about it and our job is to tell that story. Customer service is our primary goal and we go the extra mile every time to try and make every client 100% happy with our services. Just check out the reviews on our Facebook page to see a reflection of that attitude!
Coleman Wedding Trailer from Message in a Bottle Production on Vimeo.
Thanks Justin! Learn more about wedding videographer Message In A Bottle Productions at www.messageinabottleproductions.com.