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

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

Grasshopper
 
NOA said:
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. :)
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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. :)

AloysiusK said:
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.
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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...
 
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
 
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Glad to know I'm doing it right!

Glad to know I'm doing it right!

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
 
Jason Ramsey said:
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
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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
.
 
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.
 
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!!
 
cecil995 said:
If i only had one camera i would shoot in the back up the isle, that would be the only place you could cover everything and get things framed right.
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I agree, but how do you manage this in a church with a "deep" isle? I've done one where I filmed the procession from the pew set about 6 back with my tripod legs collapsed, and facing rearward. After everyone was past me, I expanded the legs and set the tripod in the center of the isle. I repeated the maneuver at the end.

How can I best position two cameras to achieve the same result without all the camera movement and still stay out of the way?

I'm still fairly new to this (3 weddings) and still trying to figure out what works and what doesn't.
 
So what do you use as far as audio equipment? I got an old Sony wireless lav but I'm looking to maybe upgrade to something more trustworthy in the field. I've never done a wedding but I'm getting started. I figure you use two wireless lavs, but what is the best way to go without going in debt?

All help appreciated!
 
Renting is an option--not only is it cheaper, but it gives you a chance to try before you buy. Nothing worse than laying out a lot of money for something to find out that you hate it, or that it doesn't work for your situation...

JJK said:
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.
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I had one once that probably would've thrown me out if I'd tried anything he didn't like. :) The odd thing was, this was probably the youngest one I'd ever dealt with (and because of that I was assuming he'd be a little more tolerant), whereas older (and sometimes much older) ones have been far easier to work with. Weird.
 
JJK said:
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.
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Yes, ha ha, agreed.
 
A quick question for you guys, I've been thinking of getting into this wedding business also, but how do you go about your DVD authoring? I've authored some DVD's before, what I'm talking about is that when all is said and done, do you just hand the people who paid you for their wedding video a DVD-R with "wedding video" written on it? Or do you include say, professional duplicaiton of 25 discs into the package, something like that?

Also, what about music? Do you use royalty free tracks as part of your package for the montage/artsy stuff? (maybe build in a couple of hundred dollars to your package fee for the music to be used on the dvd?)

And also, what's a robust and reasonable price do you think for a package where you've done: Establishing shots/montage/motion graphics/ceremony/reception + editing + authoring? 1500$? 3000$? I have no clue where to start/what to ask.

If I decided to try my hand at this, I'd be shooting solo to start with, one DVX100b, and probably a lav mic and a fluid head tripod. Just trying to figure a workflow out before I invest my money to make some more money :)

This is an excellent thread, keep it coming guys :)
 
Thanks

Thanks

Hey thanks for the helpful advice. I have a couple questions though, what do you shoot in? Also would it be appropriate to use a steadicam merlin to get some more creative shots?
 
ZephyrStar said:
A quick question for you guys, I've been thinking of getting into this wedding business also, but how do you go about your DVD authoring? I've authored some DVD's before, what I'm talking about is that when all is said and done, do you just hand the people who paid you for their wedding video a DVD-R with "wedding video" written on it? Or do you include say, professional duplicaiton of 25 discs into the package, something like that?

Also, what about music? Do you use royalty free tracks as part of your package for the montage/artsy stuff? (maybe build in a couple of hundred dollars to your package fee for the music to be used on the dvd?)

And also, what's a robust and reasonable price do you think for a package where you've done: Establishing shots/montage/motion graphics/ceremony/reception + editing + authoring? 1500$? 3000$? I have no clue where to start/what to ask.

If I decided to try my hand at this, I'd be shooting solo to start with, one DVX100b, and probably a lav mic and a fluid head tripod. Just trying to figure a workflow out before I invest my money to make some more money :)

This is an excellent thread, keep it coming guys :)
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i guess i'll start and post a pic here so you can see how my dvd's are turned it to clients. This was a 1/06 wedding. Anyone else want to post their examples? example of dvd label.

http://photo.ringo.com/117/117886070O573813591.jpg
 
I've been booked for two weddings solo w/ the dvx100b... One in May and one in July... I have a few months to prepare for these shoots and I want to ask a few questions;

I own a Glidecam V-8, Should I use it and if so, during what parts of the shoot?
I really would like to shoot in 24p or do you think it would be a lighting nightmare?

Please, Best recommendations for an on camera light and lav-mic system? Anyone...?

I also own two Panasonic PV-DV852 mini-dv cameras that are consumer cameras, would it be at all inappropriate to set them up on tripods and just press the wireless remotes at different angles? I say this because I'm going to be a one man show. These shoot in 29.9 NTSC, without getting into a timeline discussion, have any of you tried something like this...?

Thanks in advance for any advice,
Len
 
NC17z said:
I've been booked for two weddings solo w/ the dvx100b... One in May and one in July... I have a few months to prepare for these shoots and I want to ask a few questions;

I own a Glidecam V-8, Should I use it and if so, during what parts of the shoot?
I really would like to shoot in 24p or do you think it would be a lighting nightmare?

Please, Best recommendations for an on camera light and lav-mic system? Anyone...?

I also own two Panasonic PV-DV852 mini-dv cameras that are consumer cameras, would it be at all inappropriate to set them up on tripods and just press the wireless remotes at different angles? I say this because I'm going to be a one man show. These shoot in 29.9 NTSC, without getting into a timeline discussion, have any of you tried something like this...?

Thanks in advance for any advice,
Len
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Here are my suggestions:
You'll probably need your tripod more than you might think - I doubt you will find much use for the glidecam.

I ended up using a tripod with some lightweight legs that made it easy for me to collapse and carry it around - I ended up using it like a monopod. A shoulder support could also work well for the reception and other activities; however I found that I ended up standing around a bit waiting for something (bouguet toss, cake cutting, etc). Having the camera on the tripod allowed me to quickly set up the camera and not lose any shots.

For a lav/mic set up, I would highly suggest the Sennheiser G2 100 - There is a system that includes a plug-on transmitter -- http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...ser_EW100ENGG2_C_Evolution_G2_100_Series.html

I used the lav for the ceremony on the groom and the plug-on was used in the reception on a hand held microphone. It made it easy to pass around the mic at a table to get guests comments.

As for shooting, I have seen some do 24P and ends up looking amazing, but the lighting has to be just right. Most of the time, the lighting is so low, it will make it difficult. It certainly would not hurt to set up your other cameras to get some good b-roll footage, and would be a little easier to match up your dvx if you used a different setting than 24p and change the look in post.

If at all possible, try to get someone to help you out. The biggest problem I faced when going solo was going from the ceremony to the reception - I needed someone to get shots of the bride/groom exit and to help quickly tear down from the church so I can get to the reception in time.
 
If you do decide to use the two little cams, you can shoot 24P and edit it all together without a hassle. If you have after effects, you can use andrew kramers frame rate converter to get the motion right, and then color correct the mini cams to look closer to the DVX. Jsut my thoughts...
 
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