First Wedding Video

thetvirus513

thetvirus513

Well-known member
Hey all,

Just wanted to post a link to the video I put together for the first job I have been hired for. Kinda just looking for comments, compliments, constructive criticism, etc. Things I know is that some shots the camera is shaky this is due to the ridiculous rule by the church that I could not use a tripod unless I was on the balcony. considering the only thing I could film from the balcony is the ceremony itself, it really affected a lot of shots. Secondly Lighting in the church was poor, and lights at the reception were off haha. So some footage is dark and grainy and I couldn't get around it. It was shot with a Canon HV20 and I didn't put the time into color correcting it because they weren't paying enough for me to put that time into it. Anyways I guess this thread is as a tool for comments on the video as well as to vent a little about things that went poorly as a result of things that are out of my control.

http://www.vimeo.com/1253925

Thanks for looking

-Lil B
 
I am not sure if this belongs here or in the User Films section. Maybe we should have that Wedding Video sub forum they were talking about...:D

I'll watch when I get a chance, although I am no professional with wedding videos.
 
yah, although I've seen posts on threads in the user film section saying that things like this should be in a clips section but I can't find that so, with no real direction I resorted to the ever resourceful and commonly viewed Cafe. But, if admins wanna move it im cool with that.
 
for dark shots try throwing it in black and white then the grain won't look so annoying, play with it a bit. And for weddings a 2 camera set-up is necessary i think. Also you should look at getting a better tripod for smooth pans, those ones were a quite stuttery.

As for not being allowed to use a tripod in most places, then use a Monopod. Clearly they can't argue about that.
 
Yah I didn't think about going black and white with it.......although that really should have occurred to me just for the wedding video in general. And yah I am putting the money from the wedding or at least some of it towards a new tripod I'm sick of mine (and the fact that over a few years I have lost some screws that clearly alter the functionality) For the two camera set up is one mobile and one stationary or how do you feel it works best? do you mean a two person set up as well? and next time if I run into rules like that again I agree that I should call them on their wording and pull out a monopod haha.
 
well, two camera men are much better than one. But even if you had a camera set up on the balcony to get coverage or from somewhere else beneficial then you would be free to roam around getting good close ups to cut to easily.

check out www.stillmotion.ca for great examples of wedding videos. No i don't expect yours to turn out like that until you buy a 35mm adapter a steadicam and have a crew but its a great example of what a good video looks like.

Maybe invest in a glidecam and then workout a lot so you can get some shots like that :D

I don't see how anyone could possibly object to a monopod and it will add a lot of steadiness to your shots. You can also get a kind of DIY crane shot by lifting up the mono pod, practice makes perfect.
 
I've shot so many weddings, I can't recall how many, here are a few tricks I've picked up over the years...

(1) If they won't let you use a tripod, see if you can use a mono-pod. It won't be perfect, but will help. Also, if you can move closer, you'll not need to zoom in as much and camera shake will be less.

(2) Check out the Zoom H2 $199 or the Zoom H4 $299 audio recorders. Both record to SD memory cards and are small and light weight. It becomes possible to slip it into the Groom's pocket and with a tiny external clip-up mike, you can record reasonably good audio. There are also wireless mikes that will give you good audio too. Try checking them out...

(3) If you can't have a second camera person to shoot a second view, you can have a "safety camera" in the balcony. This would cover a medium shot of the wedding and could provide a cut-away show if your camera doesn't get the right shot.

(4) Indoor receptions: There seems to be some unwritten rule that says that the light must be minimum. That's why I always have an on camera LED light. The light makes a major difference in the quality of the image. One of my tricks is to never bring the light to full power at once, it would blind everyone. I slowly bring up the light so people can get used to the change.

EDIT ADDITION: I had one reception so dark that the person shooting stills asked me to leave the video camera light on so she could see the shots she was trying to frame.

(5) Watch your camera movement, you seem to move the camera too quickly showing the front of the church and through out the video. ... Please slow down.

(6) You may want to consider a very soft transition like a dissolve between shots. You seem to have a flash between some shots and this is very rough to watch.


I hope this helps,


Bob Diaz
 
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When they don't let you use a tripod a spyder brace is a real economical way to deal with the jerky camera movements. It was really hard to watch with all of those errors and bad cuts. What comes into play is that this is your work and this is how you are judged. The thing called word of mouth is how you get more work.
No matter how little you got paid it will always be your tag to them and those who see it. If you let work like this out there you'll not make anyones short list in that circle of friends. It just makes you look bad everytime someone watches.
 
I thought you had some nice shots in there!! Another tip, WHITE BALANCE!! hehe, once you remember to look for it, you'll never forget!

The HV20 has a sharp look! Very nice.... For your first, I think this was really good! Hope they paid you enough, I've only done one (I normally do other events/commercials/music vids) and they are no fun!


Keep it up!
 
SISUMAN said:
When they don't let you use a tripod a spyder brace is a real economical way to deal with the jerky camera movements. It was really hard to watch with all of those errors and bad cuts. What comes into play is that this is your work and this is how you are judged. The thing called word of mouth is how you get more work.
No matter how little you got paid it will always be your tag to them and those who see it. If you let work like this out there you'll not make anyones short list in that circle of friends. It just makes you look bad everytime someone watches.
Click to expand...


I got a MultiRigPro for exactly these sort of "need to move instantly but be mostly stable" shots. IT works pretty well, jsut don't zoom all the way in or try to use it too much while moving (at least not with the shock pod on).
 
Moojangles said:
You can also get a kind of DIY crane shot by lifting up the mono pod, practice makes perfect.
Click to expand...

This technique can work in a pinch, gives you more altitude than any flyign setup but is harder than heck to get smooth. I'm still working on it. For me, I tighten up the shock pod on the multirig and then move the rear arm all the way pointing down and use the two points of contact for high angle shots. better than nothing, and occasionally useful, just be prepared to call it experimental and don't rely on it for "must have shots."
 
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