How to shoot a weddings?

E

ejdge

Well-known member
I'm shooting a wedding soon and was wondering how I go about doing this well. I am doing this for free (first time) and have the help of two others.

We'll be shooting it with an A1-XH and also possibly renting an HV20 for more coverage.

My main issue is sound. So far, I have a cardio and shotgun mic but feel we won't be close enough to get good sound... any recommendations?

Any shots I ABSOLUTELY should get other than the obvious ones?

Thanks.
 
Must gets: 1) father and bride down the aisle

1b) ring bearers and flower girls... kids make a video

2) "I do's"

3) Rings being put on finger

4) The Kiss

5) All first dances (w groom, w fathers, w mothers)

6) cake cutting

7) Father speech , Mother speech

Extra's maid of honour and Best man stuff

tips...always stay in tune with the wedding planner, get the printed itinerary and check in with her frequently, she'll save your ass more than once.

Set up a "speakers corner" during the party portion of the evening, just a spot where the guests can go to say a short message to camera to the couple...this is gold and always fills holes in a video.

If at all possible talk them out of the early morning breakfasts or the bride changing...or the groom getting his tux....this stuff is useless when it comes to the big picture and you'll be exhausted after it. You'll be spent enough after the big day is over.

Get the Bride and groom together to thank everyone and tack it onto the end of the video.

Don't forget to get copies of any slideshows or videos put together for the reception that you can add to your video. Never shoot these presentations from the screen in the hall. Nothing replaces the real deal.

If you catch any questionable stuff on tape...and you almost always will...do not think it's funny and throw it in without running it by the couple first.

bring lots of batteries and lots of water.

Don't assume you can jump in on the meal without consulting the wedding planner first. Even with the green light , find a quiet area away from the festivities to eat.

Get a line feed from the DJ or Live band...and test it...Nothings worse than stumbling over everyone to attach wireless mics to them

Most of all...............Have fun and smile alot

I've left out alot but my forearms are numbing good luck
 
Sorry, but every time I see the thread title, this picture pops into my head...
18820626.jpg
 
Thanks that post was really helpful. I have a few more questions.

What do you mean get a live feed from the DJ? How exactly should I connect the cables to get audio in the camera?

Also, should I focus on recording the event in its entirety or piecing together the important parts?
 
Forget cables. Get a wireless mic. ask the DJ where the LINE OUT or MIC OUT feed is on the board. Plug your transmitter into that (XLR connectors), LINE OUT is usually the way to go, however your cameras may not accept it, just do some tests, and roam around. Don't try to record the event in it's entirety. Don't think that way. Get the important parts, get a list of milestone songs from the couple, lay that under the video and you're done. You said you had 2 helpers? 3 people total including yourself? Toss two cameras at the ceremony. After, have one cam locked off or dedicated to speeches and one for covers.

Have fun
 
One more thing. If you plan on doing this for some extra cash, and don't kid yourself there's alot of dough in weddings. Have some cheapo cards made up..."ejdge productions" and toss them around a bit. Wedding planner for sure gets a couple and fire them at the wedding party...you never know. I've made tonnes of cash at weddings, affords you the luxury to do what you're passionate about. 1 big payday.

Good luck
 
Rentals depend on what your local dealer have available. Just tell buddy at the rental house what you are doing and he'll set you up
 
I think you just made a really good and heartful list.
There are more things, as ALWAYS , but getting started with that I think
you just gave the curious enoght perspective to go practice this.
 
just did my first wedding this weekend (for free) it was for a friend. Instantly I realizied how important light is. I was having to play with the shutter speed, which I didn't want to do because of that ghosting effect you get. I took tons of little cut away shots , food ornaments cake and decorations and stuff, that really helped fill in. ...I definatley learned from my mistakes.
 
I recommend a good camera light with diffusion (so it's not a harsh spotlight), take care with shooting (you only get one take!), and when it comes to videoing the bride outside in the daylight, see if you can add more gamma in-camera, or add it in post. Those whites blend in bright light, and the extra cine gamma can help out with that.

For the dark, use less cine gamma and black stretch, if your camera has it.

One more time, take care with shooting--you only get one chance/take! Some clients of mine would go out as PAs first with established and seasoned wedding videographers, to learn the ins and outs. It's a different type of videography, that's for sure.

You can rent wireless mics from all over the country, and just pay for shipping and the rental, and you can use some professional wireless mics. I also recommend trying out some mics and/or cameras before you buy.

Lastly, tape as much as possible for cutaways, especially if there's only one camera. Have batteries charging and plenty of tape stock. Shooting tapeless? Have plenty of cards handy and prepare to "dump" the footage to a laptop. An assistant can help with this, and possibly run a B camera, even if it's a small DV or HD camera with high quality imaging sensors.

One more thing, I just thought of: don't give up the raw footage. Most wedding videographers don't give away the raw footage. I'm sure there are some out there, but the wedding videographers I know usually don't.

Good luck,

David
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top