Audio for weddings???

CacheMoneyVideo

CacheMoneyVideo

Well-known member
im just starting a videography company and could anybody suggest if it would be better to use lavs for the wedding vows? 1 for the groom, 1 for the wife, 1 for the priest? or would it be just better to use a boom mic? or a shotgun mic?
 
At the very least you should have a lav on the groom or priest, and a shotgun on camera. You're probably not going to be putting a mic on the bride, but the lav on the priest or groom will pick up her vocals fine. A lot of videographers will also use a portable recorder in addition to the camera mics. I don't think you can have enough sources. Even an omni as well to pick up all the sounds in the church. Give yourself some options for editing.

With the DVX100a I record the groom with a wireless lav on track 1, and my on camera shotgun records on track 2. I also use a shotgun on my Second camera. Then I have a small miniDV camera in the balcony getting a wide shot mostly as a safety net.

I don't do a lot of weddings but this setup works fine for me. I'm sure others can recommend some different set-ups that will help us both out. Good luck.
 
When my company use to film weddings we used an omnidirectional wireless lav for the groom. It was black and it did not show up well on the camera. You should try to be as invisible as possible during the wedding. Nothing is more annoying during a wedding then the videographer or the photographer moving around like its a photoshoot at glamor shots.

It's a wedding. Treat it as such. Be conciderate about the audience as well.

If you have to move around, or you're making the rush for the bride and groom's exit, make sure that you either have a wireless system that can be mounted on the camera's shoe, or a dedicated unit that sits in the back of the church that can get audio.

I dont have the wireless lav anymore, but I believe we had a 500$ microphone system from Shure. It operated on a freequency that didn't recieve much interference. Don't get ones that operate on 2.4 GHZ, just because so much technology runs on 2.4 ghz (phones, wireless internet, wireless controllers, all consumer wireless devices). You'll get nothing but static.
 
planning on getting the sennheiser UHF unit. also plan on getting the smooth shooter...now question about when the bride comes down the aisle...should i shoot her at the far end of the church on her right side (the head's of the people on pews will serve as foreground, but bride will be the focus) how is the smooth shooter when you are zoomed in? is the slight movement still a problem? i plan on following her zoomed in...so i will move horizontal on the far end of the pews. and yes i will have a stationary camera as well to get wide shots.
 
I use a lav on the priest but be careful. Sometimes the couple writes their own vows and the priest walks away and then you have no audio at all!

Try and record audio with a mini disc or some other recording device because that way you have uninterrupted audio that you can cut in if needed. This took me a while to figure out, especially at receptions where there is a live band and you cannot just add in a track from a cd in post.

Also, how does the smooth shooter work at weddings? I have one but found it a little big to maneuver through crowds and such.
 
Many guys use a monopod for mobility (and extra height above the crowd), and save the stabilizer for wide-angle artsy shots before and after. If you had enough experience with the smoothshooter to use it while zoomed, you would probably know the answer to the question. My advice is KISS.
 
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