The one man wedding challenge! What do you do?

M

Mavoz

Well-known member
Here is the challenge...

You're filming a friends wedding and trying to do the best job possible...you are alone...the wedding chapel is tiny with just enough room for the wedding party at front..filming from rear is your only option...the reception later is dimly lit and also tiny! There is no audio out feed possible from the venues hand held mic system. It is...in short...not ideal conditions!

You have the following 'toys' to utilise as needed...

Canon 60D with Tamron 24-70 2.8 IS lens + Canon L70-200 f/4 and 50 1.8
Panasonic Consumer HD cam...hdc-hs9
Panasonic HVX200
Zoom H4n Audio recorder with onboard mics
Rode ntg2 shotgun + Rode Video Mic Pro (for DLSR)

Which bits from your arsenal do you use and which bits do you keep in the kit bag?
How do you get good audio?

This is my challenge this weekend! Would love to hear your thoughts...

My thinking is for all the pre wedding/post wedding photo shoot just go with Run and Gun HDSLR with onboard Rode mic ...maybe a bit of HVX(they aren't too worried about audio for this...probably just compile a montage)

But the wedding in a tiny Chapel and dimly lit Reception is another story!

My thoughts are to forget the HVX200. As good as it is for doco/film work...the low light performance seems appalling compared to the other cameras...and it is also big, bulky and obtrusive.

I think I set up the Consumer HD cam on wide angle in both venues and just let it roll...just to give a second angle.

I then focus on getting as many good shots with the DSLR as possible.

But audio is the last challenge....

Do I stick the Zoom H4n somewhere near the front and just leave it rolling with AGC or something?
Do I plug a shotgun into the Zoom and just try to get what I can from the rear in order to at least monitor it?

Would really value anyone that can offer some tips on facing these kinds of challenges!

(running for the hills is probably an acceptable answer:)

Thanks.
 
Mixing HVX and 60D is going to stand out like sore thumb, or put limits on how you shoot with both so that they better match. (ie. keeping HVX200 in extreme wide shot, or zoomed in all the way to get a depth of field a bit closer to 60D sensor)

By the way before I start with the advice I also shot a friend of a friend's wedding recently and used a 60D and had a second shooter with a 7D. We both used 24-100mm lenses for the extra reach which is worth it if you can get your hands on one. We also used a Rhode, Zoom H4, so I got plenty of advice for you:

Chapel:
What I would do in your case is get a second DSLR and get an assistant or someone to help you shoot a second camera at the chapel and possibly the reception. They don't need to be experienced. Just give them the easy task by setting them up on a tripod to get medium-wide coverage and keep recording when the camera stops every 12 minutes.

Since you are more skilled in shooting, you can then use your 24-70 to get close up shots of the bride/groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and don't forget to get some shots of people sitting in the pews which can be used later in editing as reaction shots which double in saving your arse incase you need to cut away from the main ceremony for any reason. This is assuming you can be positioned at the front of the first row of pews and right behind the bride/groom.

The Rhode is good but for a ceremony I suggest you get a G2 or G3 wireless lav and feed that into one of your DSLR's and put the lav on the priest/minister not the groom or bride. You can then also use the H4 close by off to the side incase you have wireless issue and hey man its a wedding, anything can happen and go wrong. :)

Yes get lots of insert shots and cutaways, even if you are feeling lazy or not sure you will need the shot. Just shoot it. ie. wide shot of chapel when you first get there, flowers on pews, other decoration, people sitting smiling laughing talking, people walking into chapel, etc..

Reception:
24-70 f2.8 is going to be ok for a dim reception plus you can cheat if you need to by lowering your shutter to gain more light if needed. The biggest problem with a reception hall is depending where you aim your camera there are going to be pockets of darkness. That's just the way it goes and there is not a lot you can do about that other then avoid pans across from very bright to dark areas.

For the reception I shot I brought 3-4 750w Lowel Tota lights and put them in spots where I know I would be shooting mostly. Aim them at the ceiling so you're not blinding anyone and it will help pick up the ambient light levels. I left mine on all night and no one even knew they were there. Good spots to put them at are the head table, entrance if the bride/groom are going to walk in with music when the MC announces them, and lastly somewhere near the dance floor.

For sound you can use the zoom H4 to record a feed from the DJ / mixer. This will give you awesome sound later of the music, MC, speeches, etc.. For the reception I shot my assistant forgot to push record twice on the H4 so I didn't get any sound from the board which is why its important to also record sound on your DSLR in the best quality you can.

I know you probably volunteered for this, but see if there isn't anyway you can get a 2nd person to help you. You will need one to grab your stuff while you run off and get shots, and they can help you in general setup and take stuff down - not to mention man your 2nd camera for you and just take your instructions as needed.

As you know two cameras will also give you WAY more to edit with and keep the finished product from getting boring. Also it will prevent recording live zooms which are ok on a EOS lens if you have practice doing so.

Did I mention to try and get a second shooter?


Editing:
If you do end up shooting with two cameras, do yourself the biggest favour in the world that is going to practically edit all your footage for you with the click of a button. I'm serious. Once you've shot all your footage organize it into folders separately for the chapel, pre-reception (ie. park pictures of cocktails), reception and keep all camera A footage in its own folder versus camera B.

Download a free 30 day trial of plural-eyes and drop your clips from both cameras that you know you shot at the same time with two camers. Click SYNC. Poof ! All your footage from both cameras is now synced up by audio and you can export this as XML then import into FCP, Premiere, etc.. and from there just chop stuff up as needed or add your inserts, etc...

This will save you from having to sync camera footage up manually and is a serious life saver for the ceremony, speeches, and other parts you want to include in your final edit that was shot using two cameras.

Good luck man, next time ask for money. Weddings are a pain and lastly, did I mention to try and get a second shooter?
 
If you can rent, beg, borrow, you should try and find a way to wire up the bride and the groom with lav mics. I've used very small Olympus audio recorders that can take a 3.5mm lav mic input, and then let these recorders run wild during the whole ceremony. Audio is a big deal but you have to be discrete, so hidden lavs are usually the way to go.
 
I don't really see wiring up a bride as being practical for a few reasons, so usually in the past I would wire up the groom only or as mentioned in my post if only using one lav I just wire up the priest/minister so the sound is more equal between the bride and groom.
 
You don't have to wire up both the bride and groom. A lav mic on one of them will likely suffice for covering both, and the officiant too. In fact, you might consider rigging a mic on the officiant. For safety, rig both the groom and the officiant. Then pray.
 
They'll soon get worried about the audio if it's not there. If the Chapel is THAT tiny, just the RODE on board will do it.

The officiant is usually loud enough, but stick your H4N up the front for the couple, and back up.

The most important thing at the reception is the speeches, if the wedding party is THAT small, the voices will be low level they might not even have a mic.
So tie your H4N to a stand, and take enough storage for it. If you have them, take some spotlights on high stands.
Put a mic near a speaker for the dance music.

Get there early and stay off the sauce till the couple have departed .. good luck.

Cheers.
 
Thanks so much for all the excellent responses...your time taken in writing this is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I've managed to borrow some wireless lapel mics today after reading your replies....is the hefty meant for the PA room variety...but will do the job nicely. (assuming groom and/or priest is happy to be miked)

I've also borrowed an extra H4n from my school where I teach. So might even just throw one of those down the front under a pew or where I can find a hide...and leave it recording.

I love Plural Eyes too...so shall be using this to take care of audio sync.

Camera wise I'm still debating between the HVX and the cheap Panasonic HDC-hs9 as reviewed here:
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/camcorders/212358/panasonic-hdc-hs9

I really have no other option for a second camera besides these...what I have is what I have....

After your posts I realised I can use my wife as the second camera op though....just instruct her to get a more general view.

My testing shots with the HVX in my office has me concerned because it just shows a dark image...I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong...but for whatever reason the little Panasonic seems like it will cope with low light better.

I love the suggestion of just shooting as much B Roll as I can with the DSLR...I figure the Canon 60D just has to be my bread and butter...and I use the wide angle on the other cam to just get me out of trouble.

Thanks for all your help...and the suggestion to pray is duly noted!
 
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