First Wedding Gig

[Aschu]

That...was...stressful. I don't want to say I will never do one again, but I definitely don't want to volunteer myself as videographer for a while.

It breaks down like this. I did this as a favor for the groom. I worked with him at the coffee shop for 2 years and he is just out of college, so money is still tight. I agreed to film it for free a year ago. I have never shot a wedding before meaning I didn't know what I was getting myself into..or even what to charge. At the time, free seemed reasonable. However, they did buy me TOMS (it was a TOMS themed wedding) and put me up in a hotel.

So the date is drawing nearer and I am awaiting hotel information. No responses from the bride or groom, until the day before. They said I have a room at the super 8 in traverse city. This is fine until I get to the hotel and they tell me there isn't a card on the room, so I had to put mine on there, because at this point there is no going back. I haven't had a chance to speak with the bride or groom yet, but currently I am still out $110 for this room that was supposed to be covered.

As for the actual wedding, I shot it on the trusty DVX100B. I brought plenty of tapes, power back ups and a Tripod (along with other misc. film equip of course). The ceremony was decent, except I forgot about the part where the whole audience stands when the bride walks in and didn't get too much coverage on her as she walked up the isle. In retrospect of the church setup, there wasn't really anywhere else I could have set up to get that coverage without loosing the main part of the ceremony.

The reception really was the hardest part for me. I didn't know anyone there except for the Groom and Bride. The entire party there seemed very put off by the video camera. I discussed with the bride and groom earlier about doing a few interviews, which they seemed very positive and excited about. But almost everyone I approached was hesitant and negative about talking to the camera. That being said, I consider myself as a friendly approachable guy. I didn't try to force anything and I felt as though I was acting as professional as possible, but it seemed as though I was viewed as a nuisance, which was rather discouraging. I am aware that this is part of the job, but I really was hoping for a little more interaction or at least tolerance.

I haven't uploaded yet so I am not sure what I have to work with, but three tapes worth should be enough to cut something worthy together. I chalk this up as experience and another way to learn things.

 

[Paunch]

Sounds like a typical wedding. Don't get me wrong, some weddings are more fun and easy than others but for the most part you're just "hired help" like the rest of the people working at it. After doing a few you'll feel a little more comfortable, get out there mix it up, theres always hot drunk girls at weddings, perfect time to pounce! As a rule I give it my best to mix in with the bridal party, film them doing funny stuff at the formals and just try to have a good time.

Doing it for free is a bad idea, I did one for a friend and he paid me 240 bucks, 60 less than he said and they kept fu*king hassling me about when it would be ready. My rate for ceremony+reception coverage & editing is $2000, I take 50% up front and the rest is due 2 weeks before the wedding. Paid in full before I shoot a thing, with a guaranteed turn around of 12 weeks. If you don't do this you'll end up like a few of my colleagues with finished wedding videos sitting on the shelf for 2 years because the client couldn't afford the remaining 50% after the wedding, or they just won't respond to your emails etc.

Don't worry about what you missed, A. you did it for free. B. they don't know what you shot and didn't shoot, so edit it to look good and it won't make a difference.

I don't usually do interviews because of the fact that most people don't want to talk to the camera and it really doesn't make for a better video. I don't really like doing weddings but will take what I need to pay the bills. Get in, get out get paid. Weddings are hack work and no matter how you spin it you're still a wedding videographer...and thats about the equivalent to being a mall cop.

As much as I dislike doing them, it is still a good learning experience and at the end of the day at least I'm doing what i love, filming and editing. It' just depends on where you wanna be in 5 years, personally I have my goals set a lot higher than weddings.

 

[Aschu]

Hey thanks for the response. This made me feel better about the whole situation.

Lesson learned for sure though. Never doing a wedding for free again. This is all really solid advice.

 

[xqzt]

Paunch is totally right. Give an inch, trust they'll want a mile. I'll only do interviews as a special individual request. It just adds extra work to think you have to interview everyone, not to mention trying to take care of your mic with drunks. Just be unobtrusive and film people when they don't know it, that makes for extremely candid footage that the couple will appreciate much more. Missing the aisle shot is the biggest no-no ever, don't ever forget: this is HER day!!!

 

[maranfilms]

Sound like the first wedding I did. The wedding party sat down to eat, and nothing was ordered for the photographer or us. We ended up buying our own dinners. Then when it came time to get paid, it was a runaround. Now this is a girl I went to school with. So time went by (years)( I just happened to keep the raw footage in a box minidv) And I get a message on facebook asking if I was ever going to deliver their wedding. my response was of course. "Are you ever going to pay for it". After the sob story of hard economic times. I just sent her the raw footage and said edit it your self. Looking back I shot it in 1997, and sent the tapes in 2009. 12 years later. lol The sad part was they couldn't come up with a 1,000 in 12 years.

 

[Knoxworth]

Film a free wedding for a friend = lose a friend.

On a side note, I am REALLY good at getting interviews during wedding receptions. Contradictory to what people have said in this thread, people are not just hateful toward the idea. It's all about approach. I have several tricks up my sleeve that I've learned through trial and error. First, I approach people with confidence. Second, I approach with my camera "in its holster" (tucked into my arm or pointing away from them). Third, I approach the entire table with a public introduction, "Excuse me guys."

I continue, "Obviously I'm filming for the wedding video. Just to let you guys know I'm looking for some 'words of wisdom' and well-wishing if you have any advice for the bride and groom. I know you'll need some time to think so I'll come back in 5 to 10 minutes. Just wave me down and we'll film something. Thanks."

Some folks will be ready immediately but it will be a short, stock phrase that's impersonal. You might even insist. "No, no, chew it around first and I'll be back." Sometimes I tease the guy that is obviously the "life of the party" and challenge him specifically. Everybody usually loosens up and it takes the pressure off of them. The less serious it feels, the better the results.

These tactics get the whole reception table talking and preparing. Talking about funny things to say, bouncing ideas off eachother. Some people even plan dialog driven sketches! Remember that weddings are fairly boring for everybody *especially* the random guests. They crave mini-events like this. The trick becomes ignoring people when you end up with WAY TOO MANY interviews and the cake cutting is about to begin. So you have to put it out there to everybody but then pick and choose. Again, confidence is key and perhaps my background as an actor helps. Cameras have varied effects on people and the more time you give them to prepare the better. These people are matching your energy and your enthusiasm. But some people still feel very nervous and exposed. Tell them "thank you" and "that was great" even if what they said was unusable.

*this process also clears your way for the dancing part of the reception. You've introduced yourself to most people and established yourself as someone who is *supposed* to be there, and now they figure you're a good guy. People will dance around and act like fools now without giving you any evil looks.

Hope this helps. Try it out yourself and let me know about your results!~

 

[justFRED]

Good advice, Knox.

I've shot a total of two weddings - one stills and one stills/video. For free, for friends. Both were a lot of fun, and my friends have some nice mementos. (Stills - medium format Mamiya film camera. Stills / video - Canon Rebels / DVX100Bs)

The only problem I had was during the video shoot and that was the clueless still photog that blocked my shot a couple of times till I put a stop to it.

And you need to think like Wayne Gretsky: it's not where the wedding action is, it's where it's going to be. And make sure you're in the right place at the right time.

Interviews?

Knox, you're so right about becoming part of the event by talking to people first. Asking for and remembering names helps, and getting people thinking about what they're going to say beforehand really works.

Having a two-person team is even better. It's the old reporter/shooter combination. The reporter's job is to get the interviewee to focus on the reporter, and loosen up, so the shooter can focus on the interviewee. Find a gregarious member of the wedding party - the person everyone knows, who knows everyone, and would love to be your reporter. Then you're basically just capturing content, rather than trying to generate it.

Cheers,
George

PS - While my wedding experience is small, I've interviewed 1000's of people on video, from brides-to-be to cops and criminals.

 

[Knoxworth]

Hmmm.

I never do the reporter/shooter combo. It's way too staged for my purposes. I just get folks to talk into my lens, preferably an honest exchange with the newlyweds. Silly is good too, but when you have that one guy following you around it really gets on my nerves. It adds unnecessary footage of banter and "hey guy get a shot of this". There are more false starts. Plus, there are moments when you are on a rigid schedule and being too familiar with the guests will trip you up.

I don't even like for the wedding planner to make suggestions other than where the blocking will be for the ceremony.

By the way, last night I got no more than 4 interviews because the DJ refused to turn down the "dinner music." He suggested I walk people outside instead. But the music was so loud I couldn't communicate that to these people, AND nobody could brainstorm what they would say in the first place. There are certainly conditions that work against good interviews.

Coming soon: Videographer Vs. DJ: The Movie

 

[jsvideoworx]

I film on average 5-6 weddings a year. I spend alot of time just like you guys filming and editing. 85% of the time people do not want to be interviewed, could be me taking the wrong approach. I film enough of everything else that when they watch my videos they don't really care to even wonder about interviews. I recently did a wedding for a friend. Still haven't got paid, nor does it look like I'm going to anytime soon. He isn't getting the videos until I get paid. On a up note it's just adding to my portfolio. Weddings are tough, but after doing a few I must say it gets easier to do after About 4 under your belt. It's all repetitive, and by me seeing it that way I can film and edit a creative video in under plus or minis 16 hours (is this a good to
E? . On average I make about 50 an hour. Just a guide for people want to get into this line of work. You lose your weekends. You will have stressed out evening. And things will go wrong. But at the end of the day, just make sure you film enough to make a story, the client has no idea how or what we film, just make it look good. Just my two cents.

 

[Knoxworth]

85% of the time people do not want to be interviewed, could be me taking the wrong approach.

I'd be curious what your approach is. I wouldn't be surprised if it was pointing to your camera and saying "Would you like to say something to the bride and groom?" The biggest trick here is to engage people's imaginations. Rather than expect people to be ready for a cold reading every time.


I'm not the biggest proponent of interviews but I do think of them as priceless. For the bride and groom but especially for myself. They are one of those rare moments in wedding videography where you get to create something unique. You build a narrative. Interviews keep the process fresh so you don't feel like suicide at the end of the day. Haha.

 

[modus]

A lot of people here are acting as if they're above wedding videography. It's not horrible work. Weddings are opportunities for doing what you love with your camera: Storytelling and documenting the events of a day. Weddings can be fun and when you shoot enough of them, you'll learn their format. Get this format down well enough and you can anticipate the major events, leaving more time to shoot more creative stuff.

You're also not there to be a creepy voyeur with a big obnoxious on-camera light, you're part of the day. So make small talk with the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Then when it comes time to get a few interviews (if that's part of your style/package), they'll be more likely to work with you a little bit. Bring the idea up to them without a camera in your hand (like Knoxworth said above). Do the same with the bride & groom. You won't get everyone to say anything, but don't push it. I shoot interviews 75 percent of the time and it usually depends on who I'm working for. Some production companies I work for mandate it. Others forbid it. If it's my own sale, I make a call based on the event. Lower-budget weddings get more interviews with drunk Uncle Charlie, higher budget weddings might just get parent interviews.

True, shooting weddings will take away your weekends. But it's good bread-n-butter work if you get your name out there. (There's always a bridesmaid who is getting married next year, find her and give her your card.)

And yes, get your cash and event details beforehand. You don't want to be bugging the bride the day of the wedding asking her when stuff will happen. She won't know.