For the wedding shooters amongst us.

Hi Nathan,

I generally don't use pre-rec. In my experience, it cuts down on the battery time. I try to start my camera running early and keep it running as long as possible.

Most of the time we're either a 2-man or 3-man crew. I've only worked alone on one wedding, which still turned out pretty decent. You can see the teaser for it here -- http://vimeo.com/85273667

But I do always have 1 or 2 cameras un-manned. (Except on the 1-man video I just told you about.) Those have to be longer "master" shots. The cameras up close and personal on the bride and groom have to be manned, so they can get medium and close-up shots and be adjusted for movements and changes in position.

If I do have to do a 1-man, I will have 3 cameras on "autopilot", so to speak. Coverage is important! And the camera I man will always be the one focused on the bride.

I also try to have plenty of audio redundancy -- every camera running audio, plus a mic on the officiant running to a recorder, plus another mic and recorder placed close to the action, if possible. And if there's a PA and sound board, I get a recorded feed from the board as well.
 
Thanks for your reply!

(apologies for sidetracking this thread)

I will most likely be doing a 1-man crew for my first shoots so this is really useful info. How do you go about getting decent 2/3-man crew? I expect those you would trust enough to man a camera would also be experienced enough to A) Possibly be a freelancer themselves or B) Expect a decent wage. How do you balance the two? (Hope you don't mind me asking).

I have heard a number of videographers also mic up the groom. I wonder if anyone has ever mic'd up the bride? Surely a white/cream lavalier would be enough to be discreet in most occasions. I would be concerned as to whether or not a mic on the groom would be sufficient enough to pick up the bride without having to adjust levels between the two speaking every time.
 
Yes, any crew person with sufficient experience will want to be paid a fair wage, and should be. If you're shooting weddings for free, then you're going to have to take whoever you can get to help you. But if you're being paid, then they should be paid as well.

I usually mic the officiant because the officiant, if they are a clergy person, is usually accustomed to wearing a mic. If the officiant objects, then I mic the groom. NEVER mic the bride! The bride has spent far more time, attention and money on her appearance than anyone else in the wedding party. She will NOT want some guy fiddling with her clothing and putting a mic on her -- or some girl either. A decent omni lav on the officiant or the groom will suffice. The difference in levels is nominal and can be adjusted for in post.
 
Here is one I recently shot/edited.


Here is what I do on these types of videos. I always shoot with 1 other person usually (sometimes 2). 1 person covers bride prep, 1 person covers groom prep. We have 3 cameras for the ceremony, including one unmanned camera usually in the back with a long lens. Thankfully I've never had to fight with a photographer, except last week one of them kept asking me to move during cake cutting. I always microphone the groom and officiant during the ceremony to get good audio. I use a Sony recorder, and a Zoom H1 paired with Azden lav mics.

Enjoy.
 
Yeah, Brandon's got the right idea. If the client wants the bride prep covered, then I have to have a female cam operator for that. Brides are much more comfortable with females-only in their prep areas, I've found.

I have as many as 5 cameras I can run. This most recent wedding was only 4. The more, the better.
 
David W. Richardson said:
Yeah, Brandon's got the right idea. If the client wants the bride prep covered, then I have to have a female cam operator for that. Brides are much more comfortable with females-only in their prep areas, I've found.

I have as many as 5 cameras I can run. This most recent wedding was only 4. The more, the better.
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That's funny, I've never had a female operator, and the brides have never had an issue with it. They know you're a professional and there to document their day, and normally no one has an issue with it. Just wanted to make sure everyone had another perspective on that. 5 cameras? Wow... I've NEVER needed that many... in fact, I've covered a wedding extremely well with 2 cameras for ceremony, and 1 for everything else. If you watched the finished product you would have no idea we had so few cameras.
 
Brandon Rice said:
That's funny, I've never had a female operator, and the brides have never had an issue with it. They know you're a professional and there to document their day, and normally no one has an issue with it. Just wanted to make sure everyone had another perspective on that. 5 cameras? Wow... I've NEVER needed that many... in fact, I've covered a wedding extremely well with 2 cameras for ceremony, and 1 for everything else. If you watched the finished product you would have no idea we had so few cameras.
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That's great! I'm glad it's working well for you.
 
David W. Richardson said:
I shoot weddings.

For me, first and foremost this is THEIR day, not mine. These are their friends, and they are sharing one of the most important events in their lives with their friends. They are not there for me to make a beautiful video for them. Although I've had the problem of people with not only iPhones but also iPADS getting in the way of my shots, I would never say or do anything to upset any of the people who are here for the happiest day of this couple's life. I'm there to document, not interfere.
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A couple of iPhones down the aisle isn't ruining anything.. but a dumbass shooting right beside / in front of you as if they were hired.. thats crossing a line. I don't care if the guests are there to enjoy the day.. they aren't my clients. period.

Nothing wrong with politely getting someone to move.

As for the still photographer, I've found it does no good to ask them not to step in front of my cameras. If I happen to be in the spot where the best shot is to be had, then they WILL want to be in that same spot. Typically the family is paying a lot more for their services than they are for videography -- which is usually just an afterthought for most of them. I have been told before that the still photographer has priority. So be it. They hire me, they pay me, I work under the conditions they set for me.
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That depends entirely on your client. Several couples I've done weddings for have valued their video more than their photos. To each their own though, really depends on what they value from that service.
 
Loki said:
I don't care if the guests are there to enjoy the day.. they aren't my clients. period.
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They are the dear friends, or perhaps beloved family members, of the client. I DO care why they are there, and if they enjoy the day, because THAT is what they're going to remember. I don't want the people they love to be telling them later about "that RUDE guy shooting the video!" (It doesn't matter how polite I may be, some people will take offense.)

The way I conduct myself and my crew is we try to blend into the background and be as unobtrusive as possible. I want the guests to barely notice that we are there. All the while getting the very best footage we possibly can.

We must be doing something right. Here's what our latest client posted on the Bliss Video Productions page on Facebook after viewing the DVD of the video we produced for her daughter's wedding a month ago --

"I just finished watching the Bliss Video Productions video of our daughter and son-in-law's wedding on June 14th and I am blown away! You captured everything about their special day in such a wonderful way - I am beyond thrilled! Thank you for your work and the professional way you went about it!"

Everybody is different. To each their own. But this is how I do it.
 
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