Guide to shooting weddings (not really dvx related, sorry)

[AloysiusK]

I have been doing weddings for almost five years now, and it's interesting to see someone elses manifesto on their workflow.
I agree with alot of what was said, but I have to say that I don't think there are things that anybody should never do.
Particularly in regards to not being to show other things beside bride, groom, and officiant. I find that the most moving shots during a wedding ceremony are usually reaction shots from attendees, family members, and the bridal party. I think a incentive for couples to get video of their wedding is that they want to see how others experienced their day. I know my favorite parts of my wedding video are how the audience members reacted to personal vows, etc. A subtle reaction shot can really liven up a static composition.
Not to say that the majority of the edit shouldn't be spent on the couple for the ceremony, but reaction shots and cutaways add to the richness of memory, and the overall production value.

I find that if I had to constrain my composition to talking heads for the whole time, I would limit my imagination and creative contribution. Mixing it up with subtle, poetic cutaways(nothing gratuitous or unrelated) help to separate myself from other videographers.

My general rule for shooting is to try and capture as much personality as I can from the day(the couple, the attendees, the spirit, the location, etc.), and stay true to that in post. Style should always evolve from the substance and never ovewhelm or disguise it. I find that my best videos are the ones where the stylistic flourishes are invisible to the people watching, yet they elevate the production.

SO many wedding videographers online demos look like they were cut and pasted from other vendors(the twisting cameras, the heavy diffusion filters, overcooked music that suffocates the down-to-earth personality of the day).

Furthermore, being a good observer can go along way in getting the great shots. Sometimes at weddings I can get really overwhelmed by the speed at which I have to react. It is good practice to make sure that I don't fall into habits and procedures that can deaden my alertness to other things that are going on. Each wedding is completely different than the last, so I try to find new positions that fit each wedding individually.

[j]

Wedding videographers don't get enough respect. You guys work hard under very constrained circumstances. Tip of the hat to those of you that do it for a living...

[mcvideo]

my vote for a wedding home on the dvx site.

[aw grasshopper]

Great information! I will be shooting a wedding soon and plan to review the information presented here to improve my shoot.

Grasshopper

[Captain Pierce]

Furhermore I also made a chatbox which is quite popular, it's a box containing a harddisk recorder, a camera and a tv, the guests can say their best wishes into the camera (they can see themselves on the tv) and the recorder records from about 20:00 in the evening untill 6 in the morning, because it records unmanned people are very "loose", I have the most fun editing this when I see people being very polite in the beginning and acting out absolutely rediculous in the middle of the night when the beer starts working.

That is a neat idea. I've seen people do the same thing with a mobile camera and handheld wireless, but I think you're right about the unmanned station letting guests be more loose.

My general rule for shooting is to try and capture as much personality as I can from the day(the couple, the attendees, the spirit, the location, etc.), and stay true to that in post. Style should always evolve from the substance and never ovewhelm or disguise it. I find that my best videos are the ones where the stylistic flourishes are invisible to the people watching, yet they elevate the production.

Good advice for any event work, and something that I try to do myself but had never been able to articulate that well. I always try to make sure that I'm shooting whatever people's attention is on in the room. I actually got a compliment on this when I was doing overflow-room video for a large funeral, which was a little odd...

[Jason Ramsey]

Thanks for that write up, RC. Now it just needs a home

I was in Indonesia last month and shot a wedding on the HVX... One thing they don't do is record continuously. They are always starting and stopping. Whether it is a one, two, three camera shoot, etc. doesn't matter.

The final product basically becomes a two disc 'highlight reel' of sorts. There is almost a long montage of each part of the wedding day, and then a separate disc that is what they call the 'art video'. Usually 15-20 minutes and an 'artistic montage' of the whole day. This second disc is usually the selling point there. One company there charged by the minute for the 'art video', and that was how they set their pricing. Weddings in Indonesia are usually filmed from around 4am (starting with makeup of the bride), and go until 9pm-midnight or later, depending on whether they are going with a traditional indonesian style wedding or a chinese one. Indonesian style weddings are filmed over 3 days to a week for a few hours each day.

Anyways, I definitely find that it is good to have at least one camera continuously rolling, and for that camera to be hooked to your audio equipment, or the mixer, etc. If it is a two camera shoot, and there is some freedom of movement during the ceremony, I don't necessarily find it mandatory for the 2nd camera to be rolling continuously, provided it is not capturing sound as well. But in most cases in the u.s., movement during the ceremony is not allowed. In Indonesia, they are all over the place, heh.

Concerning 24p... Personally, I think 24p is great for weddings artistically, but can be a technical nightmare. Folks wanting to shoot 24p for a wedding need to keep in mind the added level of difficulty it creates. Not being able to auto focus, etc. So, if shooting 24p, make sure you know where everyone you will need to film is going to be ahead of time. Mark the distances, write them down, remember them, take a picture, whatever. You will have to manually focus in 24p during a wedding if you want most of your footage to be usable. Learn to manual focus. Once you are comfortable with it, it will open you up to more creative choices. We had a shot in indonesia during the ceremony that was a nice shift of focus from groom to bride. Nobody else is doing that kind of stuff. It's a selling point. It's an added level of difficulty, but a necessity, and in the end allows a better final product, and a higher sell price.

Wedding folks in Indonesia don't use tripods during most of the wedding. They are constantly moving about. I brought along my dvtec multirigpro, and it was a godsend for that kind of situation. Used it primarily in the shoulder mount position with the support rod during the ceremony. Allowed me to get rock solid shots and control zoom, iris, and focus manually without any nudges to the camera.

Anyways... didn't mean for this to be that long.

Thanks for the write up RC.

Later,
Jason

[AevnsGrandpa]

Even though it was an old thread, it was good to read through it all. I've been video weddings since about 1985 on and off on the side and it was nice to see all the things I do listed by another.

I've got one this Saturday where I nede 2 of me since I only have one camera. Bride an her father are arriving at the church in a horse drawn carriage and will walk right up the isle for the ceremony. Don't really feel like running ahead of them to get back up to the front of the church!!

Hello to all the other wedding videographers out there!!

Jeff

[mcvideo]

Concerning 24p... Personally, I think 24p is great for weddings artistically, but can be a technical nightmare. Folks wanting to shoot 24p for a wedding need to keep in mind the added level of difficulty it creates. Not being able to auto focus, etc. So, if shooting 24p, make sure you know where everyone you will need to film is going to be ahead of time. Mark the distances, write them down, remember them, take a picture, whatever. You will have to manually focus in 24p during a wedding if you want most of your footage to be usable. Learn to manual focus. Once you are comfortable with it, it will open you up to more creative choices. We had a shot in indonesia during the ceremony that was a nice shift of focus from groom to bride. Nobody else is doing that kind of stuff. It's a selling point. It's an added level of difficulty, but a necessity, and in the end allows a better final product, and a higher sell price.


Jason

I'm a 2 week old owner of a new hvx. I'm planning on using it in our next wedding for test shots and will serve as cam-2 as i get familiar with the recording and diff formats to use. The above comment made by Jason talks about 24p and a must know note-to self of manual focus is important when using this format. I did not know this and i'm still reviewing the BOOT CAMP dvd's for how to do stuff.

So, my question is, what formats are best used for weddings recorded both inside and outside using the hvx? Is it wrong to record using one format? I realize that if i wanted to get a good slow motion clip to use a higher frame rate. Prior to the new hvx we used Sony VX2100.

Open to suggestions
.

[JJK]

I used to shoot weddings here and there. A couple of thoughts:

1) Some churches have very strict rules on what videographers can do. I've been told by more than one wedding planner that they've seen a priest stop the ceremony and toss the company out for violating the rules. You don't want that. My advice is to have the BRIDE learn the rules well in advance of the wedding date, and have her lobby the priest for any amendments you'd like made. It's worked very well for me in the past.

2) I always mic the groom, and in 100% of the weddings I've done, he PEES with the live mic (thankfully I had separate audio tracks). But that, and the conversations he has with his groomsmen prior to the wedding, is priceless footage. I would make it a special feature, and just use a still image over the audio. The bride always loves that.

3) I also tried to interview both the bride and groom prior to the ceremony. Get their thoughts before the weddings, and predictions. More importantly, see how nervous they are!

4) If the ceremony contains a communion ceremony, keep an ear out for (and camera on) the discussion between the bride and groom. The hard part is over for them, and their conversation is usually quite funny. It makes a really nice special feature on the DVD.

5) We always set up lights and an interview area at the reception. It's fun to see your drunk friends giving you wild dedications. And it might be the last chance to hear from grandma and grandpa, not to mention letting the future children see what their parent's parents looked like when they were young. I make the bride and groom come on and make predictions too.

6) Lastly, charge plenty. Wedding prices are inflated as it is, and a well produced video is the most valuable item anyone can take away from the day. So price it as such.

That's my two cents.

[mindzeye]

thanks for sharing... great work ethic. I've heard so many horror stories about wedding videographers. I once heard of a wedding videographer finally finishing a long awaited video in time for the couple's divorce. true story. i've done wedding videos for 3 years in SF and LA. I learned ALOT. Especially how to meet deadlines and how delicious energy drinks can be 3 in the morning. Weddings taught me that service is everything and how to hurry up and get that shot!! Magic only happens once. It paid off my video equipment too!! hey thanks again!!