You have a hard drive of footage from three cameras and a drone, a couple who wants their film before the holidays, and two quotes from editing services open in other tabs. One is in US dollars, the other says “starting from”. Neither tells you clearly how many revisions you get, whether the project file comes back or when the clock actually starts.
Before you send footage anywhere, it helps to compare like with like. Here is a checklist, using our own packages as the worked example.
What a highlight should include
“Highlight” means different things to different editors. Before comparing prices, pin down what is inside the price.
| Question | What to look for | Our Highlight film |
|---|---|---|
| How long is it? | A stated range, not “about a song” | 5 to 8 minutes |
| How many cameras? | Whether extra cameras or the drone cost more | 1 to 3 cameras, drone included |
| What resolution? | Whether 4K costs extra | Delivered from 480p to 4K |
| Music | Who chooses, and whether licensing is your job | Cut to the music you choose |
| Revisions | A number, and what counts as one | 2 revisions |
| Project file | Whether you get it back | Yes |
The project file matters more than it seems. If a couple asks for a change in a year, or you want to recut a section for your own portfolio, the project file means you aren’t starting from nothing.
If you need the long version too, the Feature film is 15 to 40 minutes with vows and speeches in full, a 1-minute teaser, multi-cam sync and audio clean-up, and 3 revisions.
US dollar quotes against fixed CAD
If the quote in front of you is in US dollars and you charge Canadian couples in Canadian dollars, you are carrying the exchange rate: the same film can cost noticeably more in CAD from one month to the next.
Our Canadian prices are fixed amounts in CAD, set by hand and not converted on the day you pay:
| Package | What it includes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Highlight film | 5–8 minutes, 1–3 cameras plus drone, project file, 2 revisions | C$140 |
| Feature film | 15–40 minutes, vows and speeches in full, 1-minute teaser, project file, 3 revisions | C$205 |
| Highlight + Feature | Both films and the teaser, project files, 3 revisions | C$345 |
If you also shoot stills, the gallery-and-film packages (Essential C$205, Signature C$275, Complete C$415) grade the photos and the films side by side to one look.
Turnaround: ask when the clock starts
A turnaround figure only means something if you know when it starts and what counts as a day. When you compare editors, ask:
- Does the clock start when you send the link, or when they confirm the footage and brief?
- Are weekends and holidays counted?
- Is the first cut the final delivery, or does a revision round come after it?
- How long does each revision round take?
Our answers: standard turnaround is seven business days from the point your link works and the brief is complete. Weekends and Canadian public holidays don’t count. Each revision round takes about two business days from when your notes arrive. Rush is 72 hours, for +50% on the whole order, when a date can’t move.
Multi-cam sync and audio for speeches
The part of a wedding film that takes the most hours isn’t the montage. It is lining up two or three cameras with separate audio, choosing the best angle for every line of the vows, and cleaning up a best man who held the mic at his waist.
What we do on the film track:
- Download and check every camera, drone and audio file, and confirm the brief and the music.
- Sync and select. Cameras and audio synced, the best takes of every moment pulled into a timeline.
- Story cut. The highlight built to your music, the full-length cut around the vows and speeches.
- Colour and sound. Graded to your look across every camera, audio cleaned and mixed under the music.
- Review and export. A full watch-through, then masters exported from 480p to 4K.
To help the sync, label your cards by camera and tell us which recorder caught the vows and which caught the speeches. Send a reference film of your own if you have one, so the pacing and colour match your work.
Social reels for couples who want to post now
Couples rarely wait for the full film before posting. A few vertical cuts give them something to share the week after the wedding, and give you a reason to be tagged.
Our Social reels add-on is three 9:16 cuts for Instagram and TikTok, for C$55. There is also a Drone-only edit for C$40, a short aerial film from the drone footage. If you filmed in a national park, read that as drone footage you were permitted to fly; our Banff elopement post covers the Parks Canada side.
Questions to ask before you send footage anywhere
Whoever you use, these questions save surprises later:
- Is the price fixed, and in which currency?
- What is the length range of the highlight, and does it change the price?
- How many cameras are included, and is the drone extra?
- How many revision rounds are included, and how long does each take?
- Do I get the project file?
- When does the turnaround clock start, and are weekends counted?
- Can I try one film before committing to a season?
If an editor can answer all seven clearly before you send a single file, the first delivery is much less likely to disappoint.
What to send with the footage
The brief makes the biggest difference to whether the first cut feels like yours.
- A reference film of your own, or two, for pacing and colour.
- The music you have chosen and licensed, and where in the film each track should go if you have a view.
- Must-have moments: the first look, a grandparent’s toast, the shot you climbed a hill for.
- Anything to leave out: a guest who shouldn’t appear, a speech the family would rather not include.
- Camera list, with frame rates if you mixed them.
The link stays in your own Dropbox, Google Drive, WeTransfer, pCloud or Box. We download from it, check every file opens and reply to confirm before we start.
Your next step
- Send one wedding as your free trial. The Highlight film is one of the packages you can choose, edited and delivered like a paid one.
- See finished films in our work, such as this mountain ranch wedding film.
- Compare every film and combination in CAD on packages, and see the day-by-day plan on how it works.
Editing a multi-day wedding? Read culling and editing a South Asian multi-day wedding, which covers films per event.