first wedding grabs

pfista

pfista

Well-known member
Well I did my first wedding last night! For the ceremony I just used the dvx and then at the reception I put the sgpro on. I'm starting to think that it was a big mistake because of how dark it was in there. Focusing was pretty much impossible. The groom said he wanted to edit the video, so I'm just giving him the two tapes, but I'm weird and have to edit the footage for myself too. As far as adjusting the really dark shots, what are your suggestions (which is basically most of the reception)? What's the best way to do it while keeping the grain down? Also any tips in general for weddings would be nice.

Here are some uncorrected grabs, I was at 6db gain most of the time

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Looks like in this case the adaptor has ruined your shots. Without the adaptor you would of been f1.7 no gain, maybe running 1/24th shutter,,,,but we can't dwell on whats happened can we. I've never been in this situ yet with the DVX and hopefully never will be,,, I had some footage like this that I shot of my cousins engagement with my old 3ccd camera, 18db gain,,,,,,,,,,guess the rest.

Anyway I wasn't overly successful in fixing it. I managed to brighten it up a tad but the noise was real bad,,,, embarrisingly bad.
Good luck!!!
 
In my experience, using the levels filter is better than any kind of "brightness" setting. Brightness will brighten the blacks into grainy gray, but with successful tinkering in levels, you can keep them dark and brighten the part of the image you want a bit.
 
Drew Ott said:
In my experience, using the levels filter is better than any kind of "brightness" setting. Brightness will brighten the blacks into grainy gray, but with successful tinkering in levels, you can keep them dark and brighten the part of the image you want a bit.
Click to expand...

+1

and next time make sure you get an onboard light and you won't run into these issue's

Here's what I did in two minutes with "G Levels" in Final Cut Pro:

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Alright thanks for the help guys, and thanks for messing with the levels ryan. Anyone have any recommendations for an on board light?
 
I think to take a 35mm adapter to a wedding is "brave".

yeah you can get nice shots, but there is no do over if the focus is off.

maybe with the photo session, but for the church ceremony and reception, don't think it's the best place for it.

- Derrick
 
There's a bunch of options. Believe it or not, I use a Canon VL10. It's REALLY bright and can annoy people, but it's setup is fast, you don't have to haul around a battery pack, and it takes the standard canon video battery. Does the trick just fine for weddings.
 
No need to up the gain in-camera. Just deal with the darker images when shooting and do what you can in post.
 
Remember to ask the bride and groom if they are going to want an on-camera light. Some of them want the reception to be lit dark and will request that one is not used. If this happens, tell them (or better yet show them) how much worse their video will look if you don't get adequate light.
 
I really like the vintage film look of these images. A lot of grain, but that adds to the effect. I'm guessing they can be fixed in post?
 
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Well, I talked to the groom before the wedding and as far as the ceremony I got what he wanted. For the reception I told him about the sgpro and what it could do and he was like "yeah man just go crazy", but I'm still waiting to hear from him. So the reception I was going for more of a film look and artsy type of thing, and he knew that. Thanks for all the help guys! I'll be way more prepared for my next wedding!
 
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ryan brown said:
+1

and next time make sure you get an onboard light and you won't run into these issue's

Here's what I did in two minutes with "G Levels" in Final Cut Pro:

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Click to expand...

Ryan -- Care to share a quick 1-2 step on how you corrected this. I'd like to give it a try.. or point me to a link somewhere? thanks!
 
can I ask how much did you charge for this, how many cameras did you use, any FX added in post, what's the final product delivered on? just curious.
 
I only charged $100 and I just had my dvx. For the ceremony there was another hd consumer camera set up on a tripod for a cut away shot, but it wasn't mine. As far as final product I just had to give the groom the tapes because he wanted to edit them himself. So I don't have to edit anything, but I still like to.
 
I have a lot of experience with bad video... so let me offer this:

1. Run that thing through a noise reducer. A good one. I take my stuff through VirtualDub with the MSU DeNoiser. There are other good ones (maybe better) but this one was free and it works well).

2. Consider moving this to black and white. The grain may not be so objectionalble and you can stylize it a bit. That may not be what your friend wants though.


I will say this though. The DVX100 is a remarkably good low light camera. But ALL cameras, video or film, thrive on light. Deprive them of what they need, and you'll always end up with a mess.
 
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