Job help

Steve Laramie

Steve Laramie

Veteran
I am a videographer and I will be shooting a reception dinner next week. They want me there for 5.5 hours and they want a 2 hour long product. I cant even think about how I could possible make anything longer then halfe hour with a reception dinner any suggestions? I will be using an HVX200a with about 2 hours and 10 minutes of p2. I want to try some new things with the camera. My main concern is to keep this entertaining since it has so much potential to be boring. Help would be appreciated
thanks
 
what are the 'rules', e.g. are you allowed to talk to guests? Some mini-'interviews' or comments from important or interesting attendees would at least be a nice change from yet another boring speech. And maybe some behind the scenes stuff, e.g. food / venue preparation (and cleanup afterwards).

but maybe they just want a straight historical record with no 'weird stuff', i.e. a documentary

You need to talk to them about their expectations - e.g. if Uncle Kevin falls into the punch bowl, would that be a treasuured memory, or something to pretend never happened? Ditto if a dozen dogs run thrugh the venue, if the cake catches fire, or if a speaker completely forgets his speech. That should help you and them get a feel for just what they're really wanting.
 
The thing is. Its a pakistani wedding reception. I dont know the first thing about pakistani anything. What would you guys do to kill some time on video?
 
the most important thing to do is talk to them. Find out how long it will be, if they will be doing any of the traditional reception things like bouquet or garder toss, etc. or maybe they have something completely different since it's Pakistani. But remember, what could be a boring 2 hour wedding video to you could actually mean a lot to the couple.
 
It's not your fault if it turns out boring, it's theirs. Remember that regular people don't have the same eye for this stuff that you do, so no matter what you turn out, they will more than likely be very happy with it. I'm not saying you should slack the job...always do your best, but don't worry about whether or not it's entertaining. Worry about getting paid!:)
 
yea this wedding I think is more of a Garth brooks crowd

ask the family before hand about the culture, things they would love to have on tape forever,

Maybe find a little bother or sister ( any family members ages maybe 8 to 12)( cute factor) during the reception to interview family members in pakastani,
 
Wow I dont think you could get any cornier with an opening. Thanks for looking into this for me that video should give me some idea of what pakistanis do for this kind of stuff. Also Jason thanks for your imput that might be a good idea. I am actually wondering if the only person who speaks english is the person who is hiring me. Especially because I just found out she was a girl after thinking it was a guy from the name.




Wilshireblvd said:
Also...I did some research:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wblYQFuC3yY

Just whatever you do...don't start out your video with Kenny G like these folks did!!!

I think you might have fun with this project.:)
Click to expand...
 
Ask them whether there is someone reliable in the family who speaks good English and would like to be your assistant - they can explain the events to you and point out what to film (or not film). Seriously, there may be some aspiring film maker who would much rather help you than snooze through a tedious wedding. As Jason suggests, they may be able to help with interviews too.
 
Aaugh! You need to rent some more P2 or get an assistant who can download cards for you. Even animation doesn't come in at a shooting ratio of 1:1.

Also when there's dancing every time you stop the camera the music makes a jump cut. Wish you could have another camera on a tripod for continuous coverage. Otherwise keep rolling and move around. I loved the stepped, "trombone" zooms in the video. This could be real fun, and they will probably love you no matter what.

See how they used stills to fill it in? Ask for some childhood photos and other snapshots if you find you're running short. (Some clips from the Conehead movie would really be cool, but hey, our western culture's dancing looks pretty darned silly too).
 
It is basically going to be mosstly montage with their choice of overlaying songs. And its actually not a wedding. Its the after party of a wedding. Thats why I am concerned. Weddings can fill up 2 hours without to much trouble. But this is a 5.5 hour session of shnoozing and I guess some traditional stuff we westerners will never understand ha
 
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