Hunter Floyd is the filmmaker behind Hunter Floyd Films. Originally from Houston, Texas, I had the opportunity to meet and interview the talented wedding videographer and share his story.
Tell me about your background.
I’m from Texas originally and lived all over the US. I was in Christian ministry for 6 years as a youth pastor. What I always loved about being in ministry was building relationships with people and storytelling. I would relay stories from the Bible or stories from life and make them relatable to people. I don’t do that anymore now that I make wedding films, but my identity of who I am, from what I used to do to what I do now, is that I still tell stories. The stories I tell now are love stories.
What makes Bearmane Films’ different?
I focus on creating films that are timeless and intentional. I’ve watched a ton of wedding films and I feel like many of them follow a template. I want each couple’s wedding film to be truly unique and a retelling of their personal story. I want to create a film that is so ingrained in who the couple is that it’s truly an extension of them and their relationship and their special day.
I want my creations to watch as movies, not wedding films. I want them to be unique focusing on people and relationships. What’s really important to me is to not give into gimmicks or trends. I want each wedding film to be watched decades later and feel timeless.
Why the name ‘Bearmane’?
Bearmane doesn’t mean anything. I had a friend whose company name was Bear Hands Media and he had a stuffed bear with human manikin hands in his office. I thought it was so silly and fun and wanted to have some cool art in my office, so I decided to take his idea and twist it to my own liking. The name doesn’t mean as much to me as the experience couples have with me. The name is just a reminder of that experience couples had with me.
What area(s) does Bearmane Films cover?
I cover everything in Chicago and it’s suburbs. I also do work in Wisconsin and Michigan. I would love to cover the whole world and am interested in going everywhere!
What’s your favorite part of the wedding day to film?
Any moment that elicits emotion. Any moment we’ll look back on in 20 years and be so grateful it was captured.
What piece of advice can you offer to wedding videographers who are just starting out?
Stop watching wedding films and start watching movies. What will really set you a part is creating content that looks different than what others are already giving because if we make stuff that looks like everyone else’s content what makes us different? Create something unique. Find inspiration and create your unique voice. And always put people first. Your couples and their emotions should always be first.
What would you say to a couple who is on the fence about hiring a videographer?
My philosophy is every frame I capture for film is a picture. I should be able to stop the video and it should look like a picture. There is an importance to video. My philosophy is every frame I capture for film is a picture, but film also captures movements, voices and more.
When I show people my films who didn’t have a videographer on their wedding day they regret not having a wedding film. The proof is in the pudding. I think you’d be better off to invest in a wedding film than regret it later. Having proof and evidence of that special day is invaluable. So I always ask couples: Can you honestly tell yourself in 20-30 years that you wouldn’t want film of your wedding day?
What piece of advice can you offer to brides and grooms looking to hire a wedding videographer?
Hire me. 🙂
Second piece of advice is to consider three things. First is trust. Do you trust that videographer to capture your day? Do you trust them to create the art you want them to create for you. Second is intention. Will they intentionally capture the day the way you want to see it but also the way they see it as well? Third is individualism. I would challenge couples who will be spending their hard-earned money to choose someone who is individualistic and cares about your specific love story. All of their films should not look alike.
I’m not going to commission a painter to paint something who looks like they’re just painting by numbers, so why would I pick someone who creates videos who looks like they’re dropping them into a template? Find a videographer who is a storyteller. Weddings are alike, but no two people are alike.
Saturday, September 15, 2018
