Wedding Filming Tips (.02)

greeches

greeches

Veteran
I'm just starting the wedding gigs, but my business partner has been doing them for a decade. What tips do you experienced ones have to offer?

:laugh:
 
I've never shot weddings, but a friend of mine did it for a few years. From hearing him ***** about how customer's always wanted something different, I would offer this advice:

Take the time to set the customers' expectations before the big day. Watch a demo DVD with them and get their feedback. And if Mee Maw or Uncle Jed has to be interviewed and featured, you want to know that ahead of time.
 
# If at all possible visit the location beforehand to assess the layout, lighting, powerpoints for recharging and to be nice to the priest/officials. Check out the parking access to enable a quick getaway from house to church to reception. See 7) below.

# Have a checklist for the Big Day, so you don't forget a single thing. Don't use new untried kit on the day.

# When shooting, shoot lots. Remember, this day will never come again. Much easier to edit down your master tapes than to lengthen them.

# Dance on your toes. Stay very alert. Concentrate on keeping the camera still (unless you're adept at tracking). Get big powerful closeups. Shoot people, all the people. A bit of the location, but go back and shoot more people. Remember we're all here because people like looking at people.

# Check over your kit very carefully. Check whitebalance, exposure, focus settings are all as you require, and are happy with.

# Check with the bride if she's asked you to do this film. Ask exactly what she'd like you to record. I had one bride who insisted that I never let the camera stop even for a second. They called me one-shot tom for months afterwards.

# Try to be in two places at once. (see 4 above). Wear unobtrusive clothing, take a brave pill and move amongst the guests, filming and smiling graciously.

# Decline alcohol (difficult one this) as drinking time is lost filming time. You can't do 2 things well, so concentrate on getting the footage. Don't be tempted to shoot stills; it requires a different mind set.

# Edit ruthlessly, you hear me? Keep the original masters for sure, but if possible get the happy couple to see your edited masterpiece before they see the long version.

# Remember your video camera is a sound recorder that just happens to record pictures at the same time. If you stop recording mid sentence the conversation will be nonsense wheras the pictures may be fine.
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Just appending what i can find for others!!
 
can you narrow your question down?

shooting? pre, ceremony, recep, post?
shooting as a 2nd camera?

editing?
dealing with the clients? the ladies?

pick one ( at least for me) though i can't asnwer for awhile, going out the door
 
anything you have to offer. I think this could be a useful one-stop resource for people doing the same.
 
Well I never shot a wedding, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn once. Doing a search of this board and the other main ones will yield more info on shooting weddings than you can possibly absorb in a month.
 
indeed, I just thought it'd be convienent for a one stop location for tons of wedding video'n tips, as I'm sure many users here will find them of interest.
 
# Remember your video camera is a sound recorder that just happens to record pictures at the same time. If you stop recording mid sentence the conversation will be nonsense wheras the pictures may be fine.
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I'm not sure I could disagree with this more. Your camera is a picture recorder that happens to pick up sound. Certainly you want complete sentences, but if you stop recording mid-sentence, the sentence was probably some blathering nonsense that no one wants to hear anyway.

The point of you being there is to record pictures. Get the sound, but concentrate on pictures.
 
Having edited a few amatuer shooters weddings lately I can tell you few things. Number one - absolutely don't miss the important stuff - the vows of course, the toasts, the first dances, the cake cutting. I've had two tapes come in recently where the shooter ran out of tape during the toasts - MAJOR FOUL! The bride says "I'd just like to thank..." tape runs out. If I were that bride I'd be pretty pissed.

Pay attention to what your doing and how much tape you have left. You have to anticipate things. Better to switch a tape out that has 15 minutes left on it than to have to switch out in the middle of an important moment. Bring plenty of tape, it's cheap.

Shoot for the edit. Especially if this is a single camera deal. Get there early and get some beauty shots of the place. Stuff you can cut to.

As stated before - keep your moves mellow and easy. Hold on to your shots. I see too many lame shooters just panning and zooming all over the place and never really focusing on anything for too long. Makes for a real *****-fest in the edit room! I know it's tough with a single camera, you'll never capture everything.

I'm sure there's more but that's all for now. Good luck!

BB
 
here is one for now, mentioned because it rarely is:

work well with the photographer and go out of your way to allow that to happen.

I used to call him/her before hand to introduce myself, but I began to have less time for that and cut that out. Sometimes I at least still want to..and I remember that the ones I did contact appreciated it. what did I say..hello, some of my own background info., how I work, etc. basically wanted to make sure they knew not to expect a video dufus and that we really try to be mindful of all the cameras. and that I am not "point and shoot" videographer, so let me know if I get in your way..kind of thing..

stay OUT of they way of the family photosessions. good time to pick up year equipment around the church after the ceremony.

let them know where you will be before the ceremony starts, if you will move somewhere that may end up in their shot. prep them about that.

talk to them about where you will be and how you shoot first dance, etc. I HATE iT when there are too many cameras moving around the couple in their first dance. it is horrible PR for everyone and so NOT romantic for the couple. if you watch sports videographers, they do not run all over the field, they wait for the players to come to them and grab the shot.

if you will be using the photographers work in your DVDS, ask them beforehand if it will be okay ( I do this on the event day). Most are totally cool with it, but the fact that you've asked them, is said to be appreciated.

in general, you will be treated like crap if they think you are crap. basically, if you look like you don't know what you are doing, they will pick up on that. If you don't really know what you are doing, just lay low and stay out of the way until you do.

I don't advise you use a shotgun if it is huge and hangs off the camera. in tight quarters, this will piss everyone off ( well, just the photographer and anyone it hits in a small room) and in church it is a visual distraction ( just my opinion. I have a $$$$ mic that I don't allow myself to use on camera anymore because of this). use several recording sources and you will not need the shotgun.

Stay cool and mentally prep yourself that the photographer is part of the day, part of the scenery and WILL be in your video. yes, avoid having there in key parts, but for the most part, the more you focus on them "getting into your shot" the worse off you will be. worked up and not able to focus on more important things like the live event happening in front of you, what is around you, batteries, tapes, clean lenses.

now, if you know the couple has paid $5k+ for their photographer, respect their decision to invest in that and be mindful that their expections of the photos and the photographer will be high. in such situations, I generally am cool with "taking the back" seat, yeilding camera time, space, etc. That said, I have done shoots where the couple has clearly placed more value on VIDEOGRAPHY than in photo. which is appreciated!
 
very good pooh. I had a conversation w/ a wedding photographer the other day and he was complaining on how the "video guys" take his shots. He'll setup the lights and such and take a pic and the vid guys will steal his work. He was a lil drunk, but I got his jist...
 
agreed. and once you videographers starting creating shots, controlling the light, directing, you will know how that feels. best you can do in such a case is have shots to "steal" from EACH OTHER. I do know some photogs who really try to resist that though, as if doing so will concede you have a good shot in the first place :).
 
I think videographers should document the "formals" process, and photographers should document the video process. After all, both of you are part of the day.
 
BTS of your wedding docu? Hilarious! Actually, I'm shooting a wedding this summer for a friend of my wife. She's seen my work through the documentary channels and wants her video to be on par with the images she's seen.

For me, I'm putting as much time into pre-production as possible - setting a shot list with her in advance. Her mother, thank the Lord in Heaven, is not involved in any part of the process. At any rate, I'm planning to do this with one person and two cameras.

I have a couple ideas and questions for those in the know!

What is your experience 30 minutes prior to the ceremony beginning? Do you spend some moments with the bridal and grooms parties getting shots and soundbites? I don't wish to compromise the ceremony for what I envision as being extraneous footage up front.

I'll grab shots of the congregation shooting toward the alter with one camera prior to the event actually starting. Some audience candids and people talking.

Once the ceremony starts, I hope to have a shot straight down the aisle from behind the arbor or chuppah. The second camera will already be locked-off - what shot makes the most sense here? I'm imagining a reverse angle bride / reverse angle groom for a/b edits, but would not, at that point have any shot of the minister? I don't want to be moving around up there, but have no expectation that a nervous bride or groom will be able to hit and remain on marks of any kind.

I'm shooting without DOF converters, and will want to be on the long end of my lens for these shots to compress as much as possible. Naturally, there is little wiggle room and no master to jump out to... ideas?

Anyway, thanks to Greeches for starting this thread - it gives me another resource for my friend's project!

e
 
Overland, You should really ask the people over at VideoUniversity.com That is where the experienced wedding people mostly hang out, and you will get plenty of opinions. I suspect you really want to have 3 cams to do the kind of coverage you describe (2 is a minimum coverage, three gives you options), and will rework your entire shooting plan after talking to them for a bit. I think most two-cam shooters put the locked down one in the back for a pseudo-master shot to cut to. Then they are on stage panning camera around, getting minister, audience, groom, and of course lots of bride. You also did not mention sound, and that can be a bigger deal than you might think if not done right. Many of them push the wireless vows mic into the master-shot cam, since that rolls continuously. Sound at reception can also be a challenge. Don't count on a shotgun mic. I don't do weddings, but I know that you will be 10x as busy as you think you will be and will be out of position all day if not careful.
 
Thanks for that link. Yeah, I've earmarked Sanken COS11s and AT897s for now. I've planned a mixdown to the a-camera from a discrete shotgun at the arbor, plus a lav on the minister. If I can score it, I'm hoping to bring a 4-pack of AT UHF wireless mics just for the ceremony.

Sound on this one is anything but secondary!

e
 
If your locked-down cam is going to be on the altar, I'd point it over the minister's left shoulder. The video is about the bride, so you'll want her to be the centerpiece.

Your chief obstacle, I think, is going to be exposure there. You can't see what the camera's seeing, and bridal growns positively shimmer in even a little bit of light. Blowouts are VERY possible.
 
Hey all,

I will be shooting my first wedding with the DVX soon. Is it possible to isolate the Left and Right audio channels on the DVX to obtain 2x the audio with wireless mics, or do they have to be hard wired mics into the XLR inputs...for example if the bride and the groom separate I'd want to follow the bride, but I might want to capture the audio from the grooms conversations to incorporate in the video somehow.

I might bring my cheap $400 vcr/minidv camera set it on a tripod for the ceremony etc for extra footage. Does anyone have any suggestions to make this $400 footage look somewhat on par with the DVX stuff so in post everything flows better?

Also does anyone have any suggestions on what kind of wireless lavs to use? Best bang for the buck? What are some other good options for recording audio to a device other than the camera?

Thanks -Kevin


edit: I found the answers I was looking for on the site metioned above.... http://videouniversity.com/wedaud.htm
Thanks galt
 
If your business partner has been doing weddings for "a decade" why not ask him/hersome question?
Just a thought.
 
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