ian.

A Valais video producer who also films weddings

ian. is the business of Ian Kalbermatten, an independent videographer and photographer based in Savièse, in Valais. His about page says he is originally from Upper Valais and describes him as passionate about advertising, video and entrepreneurship. Most of his work is promotional: advertising spots, company and image films, social media content, recruitment and product videos, explainer and animated videos, real estate films and event aftermovies. Weddings are one line on a long services menu, and the site treats them that way. The wedding page itself is short: it asks whether a couple is ready to marry and only missing a videographer, and promises that Ian will adapt to their wishes and preferences to make the video they have in mind.

For a couple, that means hiring a producer whose main trade is commercial video rather than a wedding specialist. The upside is a strong grounding in planning, editing and post-production; the catch is that the site shows little wedding-specific detail, so most of what matters has to be settled in conversation.

How a project runs

Across his services pages, Ian presents every project in the same stages: concept, filming, editing and distribution. The process menu splits this into pre-production, production and post-production, and the post-production page, headed "Le moment ou l'on donne forme à votre idée" (the moment your idea takes shape), lists editing, music, motion design and color grading.

His starting point is planning. The services page makes the point with two lines aimed at advertising clients, "Tourner une vidéo publicitaire, c'est bien. Avoir une stratégie derrière, c'est mieux." (shooting an advertising video is good; having a strategy behind it is better). Applied to a wedding, the practical meaning is that the brief comes first: what the couple wants to keep, which moments matter and how the finished film will be used.

The free coffee consultation

The consistent offer across the site is a free first meeting. The services page describes it as a coffee plus half an hour of his know-how, in which the aim and audience of a video are defined, followed by a tailored proposal that can fit different budgets, "car le coût d'une vidéo peut être variable" (because the cost of a video can vary). The wedding page repeats the invitation: couples marrying soon are asked to get in touch, and he offers the coffee.

For couples planning from abroad, a coffee in Valais may not be practical, so it is worth asking whether the first meeting can take place by video call. The site does not say.

Equipment and network

The about page lists his standard kit: a Sony A7iii camera, a Ronin M stabilizer, a DJI Mavic Pro drone, Aputure lights, a Rode microphone with two lavalier clip-on microphones, and a green screen. He edits in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects and works on photos in Lightroom and Photoshop. Lavalier microphones matter at a wedding because they record the vows and speeches cleanly, and the drone allows aerial shots of a venue, though the site does not say whether either is part of a wedding booking by default.

He also writes that by working with a network of other independents, he can provide audiovisual solutions for any type and size of video project. For a larger wedding, that is the route to a second camera operator or extra help; the site does not name the people involved or say what they cost.

Photography sits on the same menu, both as a separate services entry and in his description of himself as a videographer and photographer, and drone filming is listed as a service of its own. A couple who wants stills and film from one supplier can ask whether he covers both on the day, or whether the photos would come from someone in his network. The site does not show a wedding photo gallery.

Background

His about page notes that he wrote his bachelor's thesis on the success factors in designing and producing video advertising on YouTube, commissioned by YouStream GmbH in Zürich. That, together with the services list, shows where his experience lies: in video built to communicate a message. A wedding film is a different product, but the same discipline of planning a story before filming carries over.

Prices

The site publishes no wedding price. The only figure it gives is for events: an event video of about 1 minute, from CHF 1,999. The event page describes the same process of concept, filming, editing and distribution, and gives as an example a video for the Martigny tourist office. It pitches the service to anyone who wants a filmed memory of an event, an aftermovie or a simple summary, and says ian can take care of everything from concept to filming, editing and distribution. That price is a reference point for his rates, not a wedding quote, since a wedding film is scoped separately after the first meeting.

What the pages do not settle

The wedding page gives no package, no hours of coverage, no film length, no delivery time and no wedding examples. The portfolio shows videos without labels, and none is identified as a wedding. The site is written in French, and although the about page says he comes from Upper Valais, it says nothing about working in German or English. It lists town names (Sion, Martigny, Brig and Visp) only in a keyword footer, so it does not define a service area or say whether he travels outside Valais or charges for travel. All of this belongs in the first conversation.

Contact

Contact is by email at info@ian.ch or by phone on +41 78 658 73 64. The address is given as Savièse, Valais. The site also links to general terms of sale, a FAQ and a blog.

Who this suits

ian. suits couples marrying in Valais who like the idea of a filmmaker from the advertising world planning their film with them, and who are comfortable agreeing scope, coverage and price face to face rather than choosing from a published package. It suits less well couples who want to see a wedding portfolio before making contact, who need to know the price in advance, or who need confirmation in writing that the work can be done in English.