advice for shooting a wedding

[bigmajik]

someone just hired me to video their wedding saturday. the original videographer had to back out for personal family matters. the grooms friend was at the event i video taped last month and recomended that i might be able to do it. we met, and we talked and i told him that i have never video taped a wedding before. he aske me what type of camera do i have? i told him panasonic dvx 100a. he asked to see it. i showed it to him and he said you are hired. then he put $300.00 in my hand and said just do the best you can.

so my question is what do i do from here?

what do i need to know about video taping a wedding? i do think i may want to slow some stuff down.

whats the best in camera settings to use?

whats the best speed to shoot at? 60i 30p 24p 24pa and the best shutter settings

if you can think of anything else i may need to know please don`t hesitate to fill me in

thanks

 

[infinite design]

Hey Bigmajik! I shoot weddings fulltime on my DVX100b. There's really no hard facts on how to shoot a wedding. Everyone does it differently. It also depends on how long you plan to be shooting. I average 8 hours on a wedding shoot and go through 4-5 tapes. Here's what I do:

Get shots of the bride and groom getting ready before the ceremony. Pay attention to details, i.e. a close up of the groom putting on his tie, cufflinks and shoes. Also the bride putting on her dress (tastefully of course!) Don't be afraid to get into the action. You'll miss the good shots if you stand in a corner and don't engage in the action.

For the ceremony, again look for the details. CU's of the flowers, chairs, other details. Don't forget wide shots of the ceremony site.

When it comes to the actual ceremony, find a spot, and stay there and occasionally change your composition so you have options when you edit.

Then for the rest of the night, you're a documentary shooter. Be aware of your surroundings and don't be afraid to get on the dance floor to get the good shots!

Take a look at my blog http://infinite-design.blogspot.com and look at my work for examples. I hope that helps!

 

[Jordan_S]

[...]he aske me what type of camera do i have? i told him panasonic dvx 100a. he asked to see it. i showed it to him and he said you are hired. then he put $300.00 in my hand and said just do the best you can.

lol

[...]whats the best in camera settings to use? whats the best speed to shoot at? 60i 30p 24p 24pa and the best shutter settings?

Shooting 30p will keep your options open later while avoiding an obvious video look. Keep your shutter at 1/60. Use autofocus. Set white balance so it won't shift. Let the cam pick the aperture but change it to manual so it won't shift in each scene. Shoot flat; this will give you the most color information with which to work in post.

 

[SPrimeau]

30p is great.

Me, I avoid using the autofocus. It is usually better to learn to use the manual focus. Zoom in rapidly, focus, then zoom out. You can take note of the focus number.

Also, sound is important. I always use a wireless transmitter and a shotgun on the camera. With the wireless, I take the output of a sound mixer. When I can't do that, I put a lavalier mic in a strategic place in front of the audience when the speaker is, or on the preacher.

I also have a on-camera light. It is really important during the reception.

 

[Dvvx]

I would recomend you borrow some kind of camera from a friend to setup on a tripod for maybe time lapses or those large genral broad shots. Good b-roll if you need to "fill things in"

 

[bigmajik]

When it comes to the actual ceremony, find a spot, and stay there and occasionally change your composition so you have options when you edit.

Then for the rest of the night, you're a documentary shooter. Be aware of your surroundings and don't be afraid to get on the dance floor to get the good shots!

where would be my best spot? dead on, off to the side, or at a distance or all the above? shooting like a documentary just might make this a little fun cause i get to get a little more involved with whats going on .

Shooting 30p will keep your options open later while avoiding an obvious video look

the clients want their finished video on dvd. will 30p look good on dvd? how can i obtain the best look for dvd? codecs ect. i will be editing & authoring in cs3.

Also, sound is important. I always use a wireless transmitter and a shotgun on the camera

i have the rhodes ntg2 shotgun mic. nothing wireless, just recording mics i use in my recording studio. i was planning on making a make shift boom pole to attach one of my studio mics to so i can capture their vows clearly.

I also have a on-camera light. It is really important during the reception

i do have the r-50 led panel on camera light with a few gels.

I would recomend you borrow some kind of camera from a friend to setup on a tripod for maybe time lapses or those large genral broad shots. Good b-roll if you need to "fill things in"

i don`t know anyone with a camera even simular to mine. i live in south jersey & the closest pro video store to me is B&H Photo which is in Mahattan NY.


another question, how should i set my master ped, detail coring, ect.

maybe i will be able to afford the dvx book soon so i can learn about this stuff.

 

[Kevmo]

Check craigslist to rent a lav or rental houses

 

[Alex of Sparta]

i use my dvx100b to "follow the action" of the wedding ceremony (bridal party entrance, vocalist when singing, etc) and a consumer minidv panasonic to get that panoramic shot mentioned above. i just take the con. panasonic, put it on a tripod, extend tripod to maximum height, and set it up in the back of the church, setting, whatever and make sure it's somewhat out of the way since i won't be able to keep an eye on both my dvx and the other cam. i'd say no to the boom mic since that's just really obvious if you'd be holding it over the bride and groom. the guests would feel like they're at a hollywood lot instead of their best friend's wedding. if the audio doesn't turn out too nice then ask the couple for the ceremony script and add subtitles and if you go with this route make sure to choose a classy font like Lucida Calligraphy or some clean handwritten font from dafont.com or 1001fonts.com.

back to your positioning with the dvx...
pick a spot where you don't have to worry about picking the camera up and holding it in the air when the bride walks in (cause everyone will stand up, completely block your shot... you'll feel like throwing up from embarrassment and un-professionalism). if you end up using a second panoramic cam then don't worry about this. just make sure you get a shot of the groom's expression when he sees his future wife in her wedding dress for the first time ever. sounds a little lame but the family will love it.

best of luck! let us know how it goes.

and i just saw the date you posted this and i'm guessing you shot the wedding today... hope it went well.

 

[kgimedia]

All these suggestions are rock solid and very good advice. The one thing that I would add if you decide to do this in the future is ask for more money. At $300 dollars you start to get into the $8-10 an hour range even on a modest edit.

Almost everything else is preference. I for one always do 24PA unless I know for sure I want smooth slo-mo. Then I have a 60i scene fill just for that. I also almost never use a light. Some people think I'm crazy, other love the natural look and not being blinded on the dance floor. I would recommend not trying to shoot the speeches hand held. You never know when Dad and Aunt Jane are gonna go on and on for 30 minutes. Also fresh tape for Ceremony and fresh tape for introductions. You can not yell cut.

 

[bigmajik]

i thank you all for yall advice cause i had no clue what so ever. any way i think every thing went well at the ceremony and the reception. i think i did fairly well over all. i`ll post some footage as soon as i get a chance.

The one thing that I would add if you decide to do this in the future is ask for more money. At $300 dollars you start to get into the $8-10 an hour range even on a modest edit.

when get better and more comfortable with this i will definitly ask for more money.

 

[Shaneuk]

If you want to shoot weddings.

My advice would be,

* Plan. Planning is everything, make sure you check out the venue before the event, have meeting's with the Bride and Groom asking them want they want, Eg, Song for the video what they want captured.
One thing that is essensial is to make sure you have the coperation of the guest's at the event. Always remember to be nice, and don't be obnoctious.

Do a few Weddings for free.

This is a partiularly important point. Whether you do them for a friend as a favour or what not, do some for free. So you can gain experience without the risk of looking a fool on your first shoot.

Don't just think about the money.

This is a sure sign that you are an amateur. Work out some base prices, so the cost of tapes, labour, etc. This way you are doing what the Bride and Groom want when they are talking to you.

Hope this helps.

 

[sideside]

Yup, I did my first 2 for free, the next for 300, now i charge 800 and up.

Get all your settings worked out first. you don't get a 2nd take at a wedding. and if your fumbling around for even a few seconds you can miss something important.

Also have a 2nd battery and tape in your pocket ready to change FAST.. I've had speeches that you think are going to be quick and end up a hour long.

If you don't have a wireless lapel mic, get one. there cheap.

This is optional, but shoot $hit loads of b-roll footage, tapes are cheap, and people Really like seeing as many memories as possible.

The wedding party always offers you free drink tickets, Don't take them unless your sure you've got everything you need already done

God there's so many tips I could go on forever, but just have fun with it.

 

[bigmajik]

If you don't have a wireless lapel mic, get one. there cheap.

how cheap is cheap? are these camera wireless mic systems the same as the wireless mic systems that you would hook up to a PA system? cause i bought a samsom wireless headset for my wife a few years ago. she would use it when she preached at church. now i`m wondering if i purchased a wireless lapel mic and transmitter if i can use that with my dvx.

 

[David Jimerson]

Shooting 30p will keep your options open later while avoiding an obvious video look.

Hmmm. 30p closes off a number of options, including conversion to 24p and a 24p DVD. And if you use a shutter speed of 1/60, you lose your light-gathering advantage over 24p (at 1/48) as well, as the exposure will be about the same at the same aperture.

I really can't think of an advantage 30p gives you other than just preferring the look of it.

 

[bigmajik]

Hmmm. 30p closes off a number of options, including conversion to 24p and a 24p DVD. And if you use a shutter speed of 1/60, you lose your light-gathering advantage over 24p (at 1/48) as well, as the exposure will be about the same at the same aperture.

I really can't think of an advantage 30p gives you other than just preferring the look of it.

i shot this wedding at 30p 1/60 shutter. so you mean this will look horrible on dvd? cause this is what the clients want the finished product converted to.

 

[Jordan_S]

[...]I really can't think of an advantage 30p gives you other than just preferring the look of it.

You know this already, but slowing 30 to 24 in post gives footage a subtle but powerful dramatic quality. Slowing down 24p footage will require Twixtor or its equivalent and it won't be as smooth. More importantly, as an inexperienced wedding shooter, he'll wind up with more footage in focus and less that suffers from the effects of quick camera movements than if he shoots in 24p. More usable footage in post means more options.

He's shooting a wedding—a 24p release is probably unnecessary. If he said he was shooting a movie intended for theatrical and/or DVD release, I'd agree that 30p would be disadvantageous.

 

[David Jimerson]

Yes, you can do very nice slo-mo with 30p at 24p, but it only works if you're using a general 24p timeline -- which you can't do with 30p material (the footage will end up generally stroby and ghosted). Otherwise, on a 60i or 30p timeline, you pretty much have to slow 30p to 50% to avoid the same interpolation issues to which you refer, and that doesn't look all that different from 24p slowed to 50%.

I would agree that 30p is easier for a beginner to shoot with, but I wouldn't want to leave the general impression that 30p gives you more options. Once you've been at the game for a while, you see how it limits you -- UNLESS it's the aesthetic you really want, which is, of course, your first concern.

But if you do want the 24p aesthetic for a wedding (and I've done this for family, though I'm not a wedding shooter), 30p really isn't a substitute.

Again, I stress, if 30p is the aesthetic you want, go for it. I'm just referring to "options."

 

[bigmajik]

please tell me that video shot at 30p will look good on dvd!

 

[kgimedia]

It will look fine, it just won't be very "filmic". If you use Final Cut try using the G film 30p to 24p plugins. They can help. Your client will not notice only you and the people on this board.

 

[Jordan_S]

Again, I stress, if 30p is the aesthetic you want, go for it. I'm just referring to "options."

I happen to think 24p is more aesthetically pleasing; however, I also believe for a first-timer covering a wedding, slower focusing—or relying on one's nascent manual focusing skills—and strobing definitely do not contribute to higher aesthetic standards. Therefore, when I refer to options, I'm primarily referring to being able to use acceptable footage in post. One's options are severely limited if one has poor footage. I know that conventional wisdom has it that [sic] 30p is best for the web and I saw the recent thread in which you clarified this issue.

please tell me that video shot at 30p will look good on dvd!

It will look fine. Not as good as 24, but fine. And I really do believe you wound up with better footage than if you had shot in 24p.