A Wedding Disaster...

O

Orpheus

Active member
...is something I would like to avoid. And to do so, I need YOUR help! So here's the situation. I'm going to be shooting a friend's wedding in a few weeks time and I will be using a DVX-100, and a consumer level Sony Handycam and possibly another consumer level camera if I can borrow one from a friend. I am trying to work out the audio situation in the audio forums and have had a little help there from JordanBlock, but could always use more people to weigh in with opinions. It's the thread "Experienced User Opinions Needed."

Anyways, as I'm working through the audio my next concern is that I haven't shot with a DVX before and although I will have some time to use it and test it out before the wedding, I need some advice on settings and general preparation tips.

I basically would like to get some good video out of the DVX, but will also be using footage from the consumer level Sony Handycam. I don't want to have conflicts when I put the footage from the DVX and Hanydcam together in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, which is what I will be using to edit. Also, it would be nice if I can get the footage to somewhat match up, at least as best as I can.

What basic settings should I use to make sure I don't run into problems in post production? E.G. I don't think I should shoot in 24p...So I should shoot in?

What settings should I be checking right before I start filming the wedding?

Please let me know if there is anything I should be looking into, checking out or testing before the wedding day. I really don't want to screw this one up!

Thanks for your time everyone!
 
Weddings really aren't the venue to be learning new cameras and testing workflows. If you want to avoid disaster, you need access to the equipment you will be using at the wedding so you can figure out beforehand where the snags are. All the helpful forum posts in the world can't do that.
 
Personally I think everyone has to start somewhere and if your friend is aware of the fact that this is your first wedding and thus could fall victim to an unexpected catastrophe then I say what better way to start off? If you are prepared then everything will go great!

I'd shoot 30p on the DVX if I were you. Since you're relatively new to the camera I recommend using the autofocus over manual. Off the top of my head, before you start shooting I would check to make sure that autofocus is on, that the white balance is set properly, that you aren't over or underexposed, that you have audio coming in from the mic and that the levels are set properly, and then you should be good to go!

Have fun at the shoot!
 
My wife and I were asked to shoot a wedding for a friend tomorrow, as well. I will be using my own DVX100b which I bought a couple of weeks ago, but have been using for a few months while finishing up a degree in Broadcasting, so I'm not exactly a noob with the camera. (I will also have my Canon HG20 setup on a tripod for cutaways and other stuff). My biggest worry up to now is making sure I get good audio, but I'm also interested in seeing what suggestions people have.

I'm curious about what you said ctb1010, though about frame rate. Why 30p?
 
Oedipax,

Firstly, I will have the camera a few weeks in advance to test out, and figure out how to use it. Secondly, if I have two other cameras there besides the dvx, then it can be no worse than the video and audio I ended up with when I did my second wedding. What I am trying to do is to bump up the overall quality of my video work without spending a fortune. You are right, it is not the best learning environment, but worst case scenario I still have footage and audio to piece together into something usable. Did you have anything constructive to add besides your previous comment?

ctb1010,

That's exactly right. This is no professional show here or they wouldn't have asked me to do it. They would have paid someone a decent chunk of money to make it professionally, but in this case I'm going to do the best I can and work with what I can make out of it.

I'm possibly doing three angles, but at least two, and if I can make the audio sound OK, it's going to be a HUGE value to my friend. We haven't worked out compensation, but I do need lots of practice as this is only my second wedding that I've shot, and the first one doesn't even count.

So, anyone else have any other suggestions?
 
I just got back from shooting the rehearsal for this outdoor wedding, and while I haven't ingested the tape yet, what I got on the camera itself looked and sounded pretty good. I'll have a 3 camera setup with my old Canon Elura 100 MiniDV somewhere in the back to have a looking down the center aisle view (which I may or may not use anything from, depending on how hard it will be to integrate 60i footage); a Canon HG20 on a low tripod on the left, to get a wide shot from behind the bridesmaids and centered on her family for cutaways; and me with the DVX100b on the right and partially down the outside aisle to pan the entrances and exits and faces during the ceremony and whatever else I can grab on the run as needed.

For audio, I used onboard ch.2 for ambient sound, and I have a cheap Pyle Pro wireless VHF mic connected to channel 1, and I clipped its transmitter and mic onto the arch where the couple will stand. It's hidden under some moonflower vines. I know the very idea of using such a cheap mic will give the more professional guys here fits, but honestly it worked like a charm, at least for this rehearsal. Probably having it stationary and not actually on the groom made a huge difference in the quality of the audio I got. I got it on ebay several months ago for $20-ish. Ideally, I'd have a Sennheiser G3 setup, but I'm making do with what I have. I was wearing some Sony headphones to monitor sound and was amazed at how clearly I was picking up voices from all over the place with that setup. Make sure you use a pair yourself so you can keep tabs on your audio, and not just rely on the meters, in case you need to dial it down or cut out some background noise.

Only other thing I can think of is watch other wedding videos posted here and on Vimeo, and go in with some shots in mind that you liked from others' work.
 
Glad you will be able to capture some good audio! Camera placement is something else I'm going to have to think about. I should probably see if I can visit the church soon to think it over before the rehearsal. If anyone else has any ideas, feel free to post them. Where would you place three cameras?
 
Not all cameras can shoot 24p, so if you are mixing footage with the DVX100 I would recommend going with 30p unless you know the other cameras you are using can shoot 24p. Additionally shooting in 30p means that you don't have to deal with pulldown in post. You also won't have to deal with the possible strobing effect if you pan too quickly in 24p.
 
OK so here are a few more hopefully useful suggestions.

Don't use auto focus. Use manual focus. Practice and get used to it. Auto focus is not that responsive on the DVX unless you're shooting 60i. Besides if you use auto and say for instance you're focused on the bride and someone walks through frame, the camera will hunt for focus -- not the pro look-- There's a little button on the back of the camera labeled EVF DTL. Press it once after you power on the camera (every time you power it on). It will add edge enhancement detail to help with focus.

Use a good shotgun mic on the camera. The internal isn't that great. Also put a wireless lav on the groom.

Use OIS if you are going to hand hold the camera (but not if it's tripod mounted)

It's also advisable to go with manual iris for exposure. That way the exposure won't shift around during a shot. Use zebra stripes to help set exposure. I use 100% to show me if anything will be blown out in the shot. 80% is useful for getting proper exposure on skin by allowing just small areas of the face to have zebra stripes. This method will possibly allow other areas of the shot to get blownout however.

Remember to pan and zoom s-l-o-w-l-y and tuck your elbows to your chest for stability and move your torso for a pan. Hold the shot for longer than you think. Better to have fewer usable good shots than lots of bits of unusable ones.

Test your post process before the shoot by ingesting and putting shots from all your cameras on one timeline. You may want to adjust your DVX to better match the characteristics of the other cameras. Possibly even shooting interlaced if that's what the other cameras shoot. What's the aspect ratio? 4:3 or 16:9? Consider Squeeze mode if your shooting 16:9. I say this because the camera will crop for you when you shoot and you don't have to do it in post. Some people like the flexibility of shooting full frame and cropping later, but I like squeeze mode - what you see is what you get.

There's tons more
good luck
 
Thanks for the tips Stuart! I may have to make due with autofocus and such, but hopefully I will be able to cut between cameras if there is a really noticeable focus problem. I'm going to learn what I can before the wedding and just make the best of it.
 
My tip is more of a heads-up: be very, very prepared to make adjustments on the fly and be prepared for the unexpected.

I've shot maybe 10 weddings now and it never fails: unexpected things happen and you have to make adjustments in-the-moment. No matter how prepared you are, no matter how early you get there, no matter how much you talk to the bride, groom, photographer, DJ, the flower girl - the **** hits the fan!!!

It happens every single time, especially for us videographers. Why??? Because during a wedding we are always recording! Photographers have it made. Something goes wrong? No problem, take a moment to solve it. Video? Problem, because we are rolling!

I can't tell you how many times I've talked to the photographer and he/she still ends up totally parked right in front of my second camera! They just stand there, like complete mindless people. (Don't get me started with photographers).

Or the bride and groom ends up standing somewhere totally different than where they rehearsed or told you they would stand. Or the groom "accidentally" turned off the lav.

It happens and that's my tip - be prepared. And guess what? When something goes wrong - IT'S OKAY!!! That's what keeps me going rather than think I totally messed up and suck. Video is always running, which means the mistakes are caught on tape.

However, the thing that often saves me is my knowledge of my DVX. So, if you don't know your cameras in/out, then your response time is going to lag. If all of a sudden the lights are turned off and you're in daylight conditions, do you know where the white balance switch is??? Do you know how to reset it???

If the audio begins to peak or the groom is speaking incredibly loud while the bride practically whispers, do you know where the audio levels are?

If someone stands right in front of you (who wasn't "supposed" to be there), do you know how to quickly take the camera off the tripod and initiate camera stabilization?

So, more important than where to put the camera and the audio and all that is KNOWING your cameras. Believe me, that will save you in the moment when things totally change up on you. It's like the soldier dismantling and reassembling his/her gun a hundred times - you gotta know your tools.

That's my "tip."

Peace...
 
You bring up some good points Macphilia. I will learn everything I can before the wedding, unfortunately I've been sick for about the past week and haven't had more than 5 minutes with the camera. But, I'm not too worried because I will have (hopefully) three, but at least two cameras rolling at all times so that way I have a shot to cut to should something go wrong on one camera. And, two audio tracks, however crappy the audio may be, it will still be better than no audio.

So, I'm going to have to download the manual (didn't come with the one I purchased) and take a look at the settings. I'm definitely going to do some test shooting with both cameras to see what image quality comparisons I can make and see how closely I can match up the look of them.
 
I recommend getting one of these: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/651253-REG/X_Rite_MSCCPP.html

Scout the church location to determine what the lighting is going to be for the time of day the wedding occurs.

Use the x-rite set to white balance, color match and set manual exposure levels for your cameras in the church under the actual conditions you will be shooting. Worth the 100 bucks for true peace of mind and the "pro" way to tackle this. There is also a mini-macbeth chart for $55. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/465287-REG/X_Rite_M50111.html
 
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Here's what I'd be most concerned about since this is your first DVX100 gig:

1) Lighting and camera setttings. If you get there and realize it's too dark to get a good picture, make sure you know what adjustments you can make without introducing too much noise. I'd stay away from using gain if possible (you should test this so you know the difference). Learn how to adjust the iris, but don't go crazy changing this or you'll end up with some harsh lighting changes. It's probably OK going from one "scene" to another, but especially for the key shots (try to nail your settings so you get the bride walking down the aisle and the ceremony without having to adjust too much). Still, if you need to adjust, pick a moment that's not that important (i.e. don't decide to change the iris when they are about to kiss). Learn the camera and try to do a test where the wedding will be. Another option you have is shutter speed but best test this to ensure you know what you'll get. Don't think that just because you're shooting with a DVX100 it will look great -- the lighting is the key to the quality of your footage. When I first got my DVX100 my early footage was awful because the lighting was poor.

2) Audio. If you're going to do an edit with a music bed, you really just need to nail down WHAT audio you want to be great. Usually this just means the ceremony and vows - a reception normally if people are doing speeches they have a mic or speak loudly so not as much of a concern. The best bet IS to get a wireless LAV kit and hook it up to the DVX100 and let that record on one channel and use the shotgun or onboard for ambient. MAKE SURE YOU GET A GOOD PAIR OF HEADPHONES AND USE THEM. Get used to adjusting the audio levels as needed too, but same caution about too much adjusting.

3) Focus - I'd agree with the idea of using AF for this one. Best to get a good idea of how it will work and what to do if for some reason the camera is having trouble in lower light. You MIGHT need to switch to MF if you're about to miss something important.

4) Shaky footage. Try to shoot as much as you can on tripod, so you don't have to deal with jerky footage.

5) Trying to do too many things and missing the key shots. I've worked several cameras at once before, and sometimes it makes things worse. Lock down some camera angles and use them for cut aways when needed, but shoot with the DVX as if it's your only camera. You can do a great job with a single camera, so it's good not to overdo it. If you plan to use mostly the DVX footage, the other cams you can always use for fill in and you can apply effects sometimes to mask the fact that they are different cameras...and make it look like it's intentional.

6) Wrong camera settings. Double and triple check your settings so you don't end up with letterbox or squeeze footage on the DVX100 if you don't want that. Don't switch back and forth before your gig...

7) Make sure you have enough batteries, and ALWAYS bring the charger and AC cable. You sometimes think you will be safe and then if you don't have a charger because you thought you didn't need it - you won't have any options. Make sure you understand how long the ceremony will be so you don't run out of tape or battery before the key shots. Take wrappers off new tapes and write protect tapes after you've shot with them.

Hope that helps - good luck!
 
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Definitely good points Steve. I'm going to be going through and making some notes after I re-read some wedding posts, including this one again. I like your idea of shooting with the DVX as "the only camera" but having the others as good coverage and backup. I will actually have a friend running the other cameras so I will just focus on the DVX.

I'm going to basically have to hope the lighting will be enough and hopefully I will have a little practice with adjusting settings to get a decent picture.
 
i've had my dvx for 2 years now and didnt know about the EVF DTL button. man all the times that would have come in handy lol
 
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