How many filmmakers will be present?

One by default, keeping the presence light and the day natural. A second filmmaker can be added.

Yes and no, on purpose. BARDO works on a spectrum and meets each couple where they are: real direction and a shot list when wanted, pure observation when not, and usually a movement between the two.

How many weddings does BARDO take each season?

A limited number, on purpose, so every film gets a full edit, real film handling and complete attention.

BARDO Films: cinematic and Super 8mm wedding films. Based in New Zealand, with filmmakers worldwide.

BARDO Films

NZ + Anywhere
Weddings, observed

BARDO The space between moments

Wedding films with a pulse.

Digital cinematography and authentic Super 8mm, cut into films with movement, humour and atmosphere. Less a record of the day, more the feeling of being inside it again.

Watch the films

The films

Contact sheet · 2026 →

Every frame is from a real wedding. Check your date

Social Clips

Made for the scroll.

BARDO Social Clips: short, energetic, vertically formatted films built for Instagram and TikTok. Cut fast, cut loud, sized for phones. Your wedding the way your friends will actually watch it, days after the day, not months.

Included with Signature and Bardo. The full films are for the big screen; the Social Clip is for everyone’s pocket.

Ask about adding one to Core

Film frame from Rebe and Harry's BARDO wedding film

The approach

Directed. And not.

BARDO works on a spectrum. We arrive with a vision and a shot list, direct properly when a frame calls for it, then put it all down and let the day run. The film has intention; the day keeps its freedom.

We shoot the story on digital and the feeling on real Super 8mm film, developed and scanned the old way. Grain remembers things pixels cannot.

We accept a limited number of weddings each season, with filmmakers across New Zealand, Australia and the United States, and keen travellers for everywhere else. Travel and accommodation are quoted clearly and added to your collection.

One day, two crafts

Working alongside your photographer.

A wedding day has one rhythm and two crafts. The best days happen when film and photography move as one crew, and that is how we work, whoever your photographer is.

Before the day

Timings are planned directly with the two of you, never through your photographer. We agree the key moments and timings together in advance, then everyone else is briefed from there, so who stands where is sorted before anyone is standing anywhere.

On the day

Film and photography should never compete for the same moment. It is really important your photographer is made aware in advance that BARDO is filming: with that in place, complementary angles are planned so both teams get their frames and neither appears in the other’s.

The setup window

Great ceremony coverage is built before the ceremony: cameras placed, audio recorders running, microphones on the celebrant and the vows. We need a clear 30-minute window at the ceremony space, before guests are seated, to set up microphones and cameras. Build it into the timeline and the ceremony takes care of itself.

A little direction, a lot of energy

The films BARDO is known for will need moments of light direction: a walk repeated, a group pulled together, thirty seconds of choreography. It is quick, it is natural, and honestly, it is usually fun. Nothing staged into stiffness.

Time of our own

Alongside your photographer’s portrait time, we will take dedicated minutes with the two of you or the wedding party. If a photographer outside our team is leading the day, we need a minimum of 20 minutes with the two of you built into the timeline, alongside every editorial and posed session.

One timeline, built with you

The schedule is built with the two of you directly, so the day carries everyone’s best work. When photography comes through our family, BARDO Photo and Jonny Scott shoot documentary alongside the film team, it all happens in-house, and a bundle discount applies when you book film and photography together.

The collections

Three ways to preserve the day.

Collections from $6,500 NZD · all prices include GST

01

Core

Your wedding, beautifully distilled. Honest, candid and properly observed.

02 · Most chosen

Signature

Most couples choose Signature because it gives the story more room to unfold.

03

Bardo

The complete emotional archive of the day, built to be re-watched for decades.

Request the collections

About

A film studio that happens to shoot weddings.

BARDO makes energetic, cinematic records of real celebrations: the outfits, the weather, the noise, the two seconds before the kiss. We combine digital filmmaking with the texture and unpredictability of Super 8mm, so the finished films hold what happened AND what it felt like.

On the day, the cinematographer takes centre stage. When photography comes through our family, Jonny Scott shoots documentary alongside the film team, overseeing without crowding: two crafts, one rhythm, never jostling for the same moment.

BARDO is based in New Zealand, with filmmakers across Australia and the United States, and keen travellers for everywhere else. Travel and accommodation are quoted clearly.

Based in New ZealandFilmmakers in NZ, Australia + USALimited commissions each season

Questions, answered.

Where are you based?

New Zealand, with filmmakers in Australia and the United States too. For everywhere else, we are keen travellers with current passports.

Do you travel for weddings?

Yes, anywhere. Travel and accommodation are quoted clearly and added to the collection price, no surprises.

What is Super 8mm film?

Real motion-picture film, the format home movies were shot on for decades. We shoot it alongside digital, have it developed and professionally scanned, and weave it through your films. It looks like memory feels.

Is Super 8mm included in every collection?

Yes. Core includes one roll, Signature two, Bardo three, and more can be added at $400 per roll.

Do you film the full ceremony and speeches?

Signature and Bardo include the full ceremony and speeches as a Raw Cut: an unedited, continuous recording captured from a single camera angle, delivered alongside your cinematic films. It is a faithful record, not a multi-camera edited film. Core is the distilled cinematic film only.

How many filmmakers will be there?

One, by default. It keeps our presence light and the day natural.

Can we add a second filmmaker?

Yes, $2,400. It adds simultaneous angles for the ceremony and speeches, and broader reach when the day happens in more than one place.

How do you work with our photographer?

Happily, and with one honest requirement. When photography comes through our family, Jonny Scott shoots documentary alongside the film team and the day runs as one crew. If a photographer outside our team is leading the day, we need a minimum of 20 minutes with the two of you built into the timeline, alongside every editorial and posed session. Tell your photographer early; it protects both crafts. See how we work alongside photographers.

Will you direct us?

Yes and no, on purpose. We work on a spectrum and meet you where you are: some couples want real direction and a delivered shot list, others want to forget we exist. Most days move between the two, and the film is better for it.

Can we choose the music?

We choose music that fits the film and is properly licensed, and we love hearing what sounds like the two of you. Send us the songs that feel right and we will take it from there.

When will our films be delivered?

Real film takes real time to develop, scan and edit, so we confirm the delivery window for your season when you enquire. Your agreement states a real date, not an optimistic one.

How do we receive the films?

Private online delivery: your films in a personal gallery you can watch, download and share.

Do you provide raw footage?

Yes, as a paid addition: supplied without audio, by private digital link, priced when you enquire. The Bardo collection includes its complete raw archive.

Can we add more coverage?

Yes, $500 per additional hour: earlier preparations, cultural and family events, golden hour, or the late end of the dance floor.

How do we book?

Enquire with your date and venue. If we are free and it is a fit, we talk, then a signed agreement and deposit holds your date. The exact deposit and payment schedule are set out in your quote.

How many weddings do you take each season?

A limited number, on purpose. Every film gets a proper edit, real film handling and our full attention. When a season is full, it is full.

Do you offer photography too?

Yes. Jonny Scott works alongside BARDO as a documentary photographer, shooting more of the day on real film. A bundle discount applies when you book film and photography together, and one enquiry covers both.

What is a Social Clip?

A short, energetic, vertical film cut specifically for social media: built for phones, ready to post. Signature and Bardo include one; ask us about adding one to Core.

Can our film include interviews?

Yes. Core and Signature can include up to two short interviews where the timeline allows. The Bardo collection carries a more developed interview component, with additional interviews planned into the day; a second filmmaker is recommended for that, at $2,400. Interviews need dedicated time, a quiet spot and an audio setup, so they are arranged in planning, never improvised on the day.

Can we request changes to our film?

Yes. One round of revisions is included with every package. Send your requests together as a single list within 30 days of delivery and we will work through them in one focused edit. Further rounds are quoted before any work begins, and changes to the agreed creative direction, music or film structure after approval are scoped separately.

What if our wedding plans change?

Talk to us early; dates can often be moved where the calendar allows. Date-change and cancellation terms are set out plainly in your agreement.

Tell us where the day is taking you

Date, place, and one true thing about the two of you. A real human reads every enquiry and replies within 24 hours.

hello@bardoweddings.com

What happens next

01We reply within 24 hours, once we’ve looked at your date, location and plans.
02If we’re available and it feels like the right fit, we can arrange an optional call to talk through your plans.
03A signed agreement and deposit holds your date. After that, we're yours.

Prefer email? hello@bardoweddings.com