2 camera wedding shoot .. basic question

B

Bender

Member
Would someone be so kind as to give me some tips or links to some articles ... I'm videotaping a wedding for a friend on sunday and Im using 2 cameras.

What is the general placement for the procession/vows, so that neither camera catches the other in the frame? Both cams will be manned, and both will have tripods available.

I know this is basic 101, and i did search google. I found some articles and tutorials, but still haven't gotten a clear answer to the above issue.

Thanks!!
 
well my idea would to have one camera at the top of the aisle zoomed in on the bride and groom a bit

and as far as the other one goes, i would take it portable and get low side angle shot or side shots of the couple
 
I tend to set static cameras up about three rows back on either side of the outside of the pews. With one camera on each side you can then cover the faces of both the bride and the groom. If I had a third camera, I would try to get it at the back of the aisle, up high if possible, for wide and straight on shots. You could have one set up at the middle and only one on one of the sides (probably the one to catch the bride's face).

For the processional in the last wedding I did, I had a camera up the front near the organ and caught the faces of the party as they came in. I then popped the camera off that tripod and moved down to one of the side positions I described earlier for the rest of the service.


It depends on the venue, of course. Make sure you check it out beforehand to see where cameras will fit.
 
For weddings, it all depends on the set-up of the church/venue, but I tend to place a camera at the back of the center aisle (I've found a surprisily nice shot is of the back of the bride -in focus- as she walks in, wide enough to see many people turned to see and the groom out of focus in the background). The second camera I usually let roam, even getting b-roll of the audience, close ups of the rings going on, grooms reaction when the bride enters, etc... Just some things to consider.

Also! I've found that when the go to take pictures use that time to get some great video of them posing together (great even for a custom DVD menu when framed well).

One of the last things I thought of originally but can kill you... AUDIO!!!! If they are using mics, see if you can get a feed from the audio board. If not, I run an XLR up one of the side aisles to a shotgun hidden up front.

Just a few tricks I picked up, hope it helps. Remember, it's a tough balance getting the best shots possible and not getting in the way or being distracting, a lot of pressure, but fun!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top