Wedding advice needed!!

wadespencer99

wadespencer99

Active member
Ok...so I'm not a wedding videographer, but I hope that I can get some advice from some of you who are.

I work for a company called Kingdom, Inc...we sell audio and video equipment, and have a video production department (very small...I'm the only one here lol). The bosses daughter is getting married on Saturday and I just found out a week ago that I am to videotape the wedding ceremony and reception. I sort of saw this coming when I heard she was getting married, but they never asked about it so I figured I was off the hook. I was wrong. :shocked:

I've thrown together as much of a production as I can...I have two people with very little experience to help me out, but they have enough common sense to do a decent job I hope. By the way, they won't spend any money to hire any others with experience for this...imagine that.

We'll be shooting with 2 Canon XL2s, 1 DVX100, and 1 JVC GY-HD100U. Like I said, I know nothing about shooting weddings, but after looking at the church yesterday, I think I've decided to put the unmanned DVX high up on a tripod all the way in the front looking back towards the couple, one XL2 on either side of the church, staggered, and I'll probably roam with the JVC handheld in the balcony that runs the entire way around the inside of the sanctuary.

Can I use 24p on this? Is that recommended or not recommended for a wedding? Or is all preference? Any reason to not use it?

Does everything else sound ok? I own a mobile DJ business that DJs about 25 weddings a year, and I've really grown to hate weddings...lol. I never see the ceremony (I'm always setting up equipment to DJ the reception).

I have nothing but respect for the people that do the wedding videography...you produce some amazing stuff, and there is no way I could ever get myself to do it of my own free will. Any input/advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated. :beer:
 
Weddings are very stressful and most of the happy couples have no idea how to produce an event like this, so their expectations can me a little all over the place.

The setup you describes sounds fine. Since you have not met with the happy couple and had the chance to determine what they expect I suggest keeping it as simple as possible. I think it might be easier to match the cameras if you don't use 24P. Although it will look more like a video than a film it might simplify your life and I doubt the bosses daughter will notice a difference.

Just remember that weddings are all about the people who attend them. The wedding day is usually a blur for the bride and groom so they love to watch their wedding for the first time to see everyone who attended and what they were doing. A few beauty shots thrown in to help transitions etc is always a good thing. Lock off one of the camera's on a longshot of the cerimony for protection so when you find the other cameras are moving and zooming you always have a safe shot to cut to.

If your going to try to get artsy just try to make sure that the rack focus has people in it. I can't tell you how many people do a wonderful job at photographing the setting - the flowers, church, stained glass, etc but there are no people in the shots. Also, try to tell a story of the wedding day, don't just document it - they are generally long and boring.

Good luck, weddings can be a lot of fun but a lot of pressure. Oh yeh, watch out for the still photographer - I bet they are paying for the stills so the photographer usually think they are the king of the hill and undoubtedly get in everyone of your shots and you in his/hers.
 
I recently shot my first wedding with two cameras, one operator, so take my advice for what it is worth! During the ceremony, I ran one camera locked off on the aisle floor and carried a second handheld unit for cutaways and audience reactions.

Of paramount imporatance was leaving both cameras running continuously once the ceremony started - there were absolutely no breaks from the moment the wedding party started down the aisle to the moment I led the bride and groom out the front door.

This way, both cameras have every second of audio from the wireless units for editing purposes.

This was a Catholic ceremony - 50 minutes in length - so I loaded new stock in both cameras once the last attendees were seated.

During the rehearsal the night before, I grabbed 15 - 30 second shots of the church interiors and cutaway specials: saints, crucifix, altar, stained glass windows, the empty hall, the facade and gardens. Doing this work (at magic hour) the night before allowed me to jump right into post-ceremony photos with the wedding party and the move to a reception hall six miles away.

I spent the full day with the bridal party as they had make-up, hair and other work done before the ceremony. This was all done handheld - concentrating on tights (CU / ECUs) of the bride as she went through her day. As she was getting the dress on, I sensed her stress and moved to a quick three question interview with her parents in the family backyard. Other than those two more formal sitdowns, the entire affair was little if any staged.

Oh, [edit here] I did shoot two days prior to the wedding with the bride and groom at a local outdoor bar overlooking the harbor near Long Beach. They're very pragmatic and down-to-earth people, so I asked them what they would normally be doing if I weren't around. Instead of staging long walks on the beach or in a park they've never seen, we chose to film them at their favorite watering hole talking about their day.

I did sneak in a few Dateline shots of them walking to and from the restaurant along the waterfront, but I mostly pulled ECU hero shots during this shoot. Audio was on-board only for this because I know it'll end up in a vignette at the tail end of the ceremony footage where credits might normally reside. I've told her that it would be "supplemental" footage to show their kids what they used to look like out of the formal wedding environment.

Technical was 24p (6) on both cameras from start to finish. The reception footage will be useless because the bride refused to bring lights up or allow a light kit. I gave up at 18db and had a drink. We got good stuff at the cake cutting, and both toasts looked okay if not a little too run-n-gun for my personal tastes.

I'm starting to cut the thing next week on a brand-new standalone edit system at home - wish me luck!

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