Same Day Edit or Edit After?

Posted on by Alexander & Fox

One of the decisions you have to make as a couple is whether you want a same day edit or an edit after. What’s the difference? How does this affect my wedding?

Before we begin, let’s break down the difference of a Same Day Edit, commonly known as an SDE, and an Edit After.

A Same Day Edit (SDE) requires your video team to produce a video to show during your reception. These are usually around 4-5 minutes long but can go up to 10 minutes long.

An Edit After video service requires your video team to produce a video of your wedding delivered within 3-4 weeks time. The delivery can be longer (sometimes even months!) depending on the backlog of the production house. It would be best to ask them about this prior to booking.

In the Philippines, the SDE is very common. More couples avail of this service to show their guests what transpired during the day. More budget conscious couples would opt to do an Edit After service.

In terms of style and quality, an SDE editor would need to work quickly. He doesn’t have the luxury of time to go through all the footage and listen to all the audio recordings as he needs to finish the video by the end of the reception. This doesn’t mean that the quality will deteriorate but an editor with enough time can compose a better story than being under pressure. More often than not, the SDE becomes a highlight reel of what happened during the wedding day. From the preparations, to the actual wedding and eventually ending with the reception. You would notice that not much of the reception is shown in an SDE because this is the last event of the day and the editor may not have enough time to include everything in the reception.

On the other hand, the Edit After video service will give the editor enough time to go over all the footage and audio clips to better compose a wedding story. He has enough time to color correct and color grade to make the video even better looking. He even has time to add visual effects/transitions when needed.

Here is a list of pros and cons for both SDE and Edit After video services.

SAME DAY EDIT (SDE)

PROS

  • A video your guests can watch to recap the event
  • No need to wait weeks/months to see your wedding video
  • Favors those who like wedding highlights only

CONS

  • Editor will be on a time constraint
  • Not enough time to review all the footage/recordings for better storytelling
  • May delay the end of your reception
  • Needs a Projector / LED Wall / Big Screen TV (Additional Cost)
  • May require more manpower for coverage

EDIT AFTER

PROS

  • Editor has the luxury of time to review all the footage
  • Better storytelling
  • No delay in ending the reception (Straight to partying!)
  • More affordable than SDE

CONS

  • Delivery between 3-4 weeks (Sometimes even months!)
  • You are at the mercy of the production house’s backlog

It all boils down to couple’s preference. Whatever video service you choose, Alexander & Fox Productions will do their best to provide you with the best quality of service.