Wedding Videographers?

connectivitygroup said:
This is a great thread. I hate shooting video for weddings. I don't know what it is but I really don't like it. Now wedding photography on the other hand I really enjoy. Maybe it's the not having to think how it will all cut together into a video that I enjoy. Maybe it's also that I don't like shooting documentary which is what it seems like most folks like. I did just do a still shoot a couple of weeks ago though and the couple was super laid back and we got to try some stuff we have been waiting to try for a while and it was a nice change of pace.

Stills:
http://lunaartandmedia.smugmug.com/Weddings/jtwedding

Video:
http://www.vimeo.com/5725190
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I 100% agree with that... I ENJOY the pics. I shoot those pretty often, but my best wedding video wasn't as "fun" to shoot... as my worst wedding was for stills.

Dude! I rest my case! Click those links... look at the pics... look at the video. Both are EXCELLENT... and the guy says "I hate shooting wedding video"... and yet the results are fantastic. Somebody may be able to make a video that good... and say they had fun doing it, but I'll be really surprised if they aren't lying... or calling really hard work "fun".

Wedding videos are hard... and a ton of work... you have to be in several places at once it seems, constantly throughout the day. It's more run'n'gun then chasing a news story.
 
Thank you for the compliments.

I was thinking about the other reason why I don't like to do video for weddings and I think that it has to do with the tripod. I am not a fan of much handheld work and I always like to have stable shots. Could you imaging shooting stills at a wedding primarily on a tripod? The thought makes me shutter (no pun intended... well maybe a little) :) The video that I showed I didn't mind shooting that much though. I think the main reason is because I rented a steadicam flyer for the shoot and was able to move around a lot more freely. Now I'm not great with a steadicam but to me it's better than going handheld and being able to walk and shoot with some stability made things ALOT easier (aside from wearing the rig for like 6 hours).

The other thing is since I am a one man band I have to haul all the gear everywhere and that gets old. Plus having to find a place to put it and worry about it getting stolen so you check on it often.

I do think that you are 100% right when it comes to planing and being on time. Your final product only suffers if you are running around trying to get stuff setup at the last minute and then you don't normally have the time to do some of the fun more "artsy" stuff that might make things more enjoyable and to me relaxing.

I think that it's also hard for good wedding videographers to get the money they deserve. Good ones are not just setting one camera up at the back and laying off a DVD and most people have no idea of the work that goes into the piece after it has been shot.

But despite it all I still do them occasionally because a little money is better than no money and after a week or so the pain from the last shoot has started to wear off and I think "It wasn't really that bad was it"? It normally was :)
 
Writing all that reminded me that the photographer (who hired me) for the video shoot took some pictures so I looked back at them and it reminds me how heavy that rig felt at the end of the day...

Makes you respect the guys who fly real rigs for shoots all the more.
 

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Looks good John. The steadicam really adds some life to your shots. I need to pick one up in some capacity.

Regarding the potential of stolen gear, I would hope people are at the wedding to have a good time and not make off with a lens, but I know what you mean. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
I didn't mean it to come out like that at all... I've had some nightmare weddings that turned out alright. I just have a good feeling when we shoot weddings where the couples are happy and everything's happy. It takes off alot of the stress. I've had one who the entire time the priest was talking the bride was cussing out the groom for not picking up diapers that morning. Editing around that was fun. Then i've had a few were they want shots of them getting ready but when you get there they, like you said, act like we're paparazzi and tell us not to shoot till they're ready...

http://vimeo.com/13721152
This one was fun overall... haha

I've been shooting them for about 2 years almost three. I do it as something on the weekends just for fun. I know some people hate it or whatever but i just like the overall atmosphere. We just always have problems with photographers. I'm 22 and they treat me like i don't know what i'm doing. Now i'm still learning not saying i'm pro or anything close but it's just a fun hobby i do. I don't even run anything like website or vimeo i normally just go shoot and edit some of them. My friend came to me about it when he first started and i was like ok. So honestly i've never dealt with the couples before hand or with contracts or anything like that.
 
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connectivitygroup said:
I think that it's also hard for good wedding videographers to get the money they deserve. Good ones are not just setting one camera up at the back and laying off a DVD and most people have no idea of the work that goes into the piece after it has been shot.
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Very true. I've seen companies get away with charging a lot for doing hardly anything, while others bust their asses and create really nice videos but have to settle for lower pay.

It is kinda due to that from were I live and work, the photographers and the big wedding companies (the ones that offer photo, video, and DJ services) have the local market nearly soaked up. It is nearly impossible to get enough work if you don't offer the other two services. Throw in the current recession, and many couples don't have a big problem with not getting video, or trying to get one for next to nothing.

connectivitygroup said:
But despite it all I still do them occasionally because a little money is better than no money and after a week or so the pain from the last shoot has started to wear off and I think "It wasn't really that bad was it"? It normally was :)
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Yep, it really can be painful a few days later. Ugh, which reminds me I have to shoot a double this weekend.
 
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#8 from my list:
The bridal prep will always start early and the reception will always run late. And the ladies just keep getting hotter and hotter!

I'm gonna start rattling them off like Coughlin's Law's.
 
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Wedding Interviews: AKA The Dreaded Trip Through Hell's Jawbone

Knoxworth said:
Film a free wedding for a friend = lose a friend.

On a side note, I am REALLY good at getting interviews during wedding receptions. Contradictory to what people have said in this thread, people are not just hateful toward the idea. It's all about approach. I have several tricks up my sleeve that I've learned through trial and error. First, I approach people with confidence. Second, I approach with my camera "in its holster" (tucked into my arm or pointing away from them). Third, I approach the entire table with a public introduction, "Excuse me guys."

I continue, "Obviously I'm filming for the wedding video. Just to let you guys know I'm looking for some 'words of wisdom' and well-wishing if you have any advice for the bride and groom. I know you'll need some time to think so I'll come back in 5 to 10 minutes. Just wave me down and we'll film something. Thanks."

Some folks will be ready immediately but it will be a short, stock phrase that's impersonal. You might even insist. "No, no, chew it around first and I'll be back." Sometimes I tease the guy that is obviously the "life of the party" and challenge him specifically. Everybody usually loosens up and it takes the pressure off of them. The less serious it feels, the better the results.

These tactics get the whole reception table talking and preparing. Talking about funny things to say, bouncing ideas off eachother. Some people even plan dialog driven sketches! Remember that weddings are fairly boring for everybody *especially* the random guests. They crave mini-events like this. The trick becomes ignoring people when you end up with WAY TOO MANY interviews and the cake cutting is about to begin. So you have to put it out there to everybody but then pick and choose. Again, confidence is key and perhaps my background as an actor helps. Cameras have varied effects on people and the more time you give them to prepare the better. These people are matching your energy and your enthusiasm. But some people still feel very nervous and exposed. Tell them "thank you" and "that was great" even if what they said was unusable.

*this process also clears your way for the dancing part of the reception. You've introduced yourself to most people and established yourself as someone who is *supposed* to be there, and now they figure you're a good guy. People will dance around and act like fools without giving you any evil looks.
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Another tip. This time about your relationship with the photographer. First ... be hired by the photographer. As a pair you guys will learn each other's workflow and grow comfortable in each other's space. This is also a great way to get hired since everyone figures they MUST HAVE wedding photos and they'll purchase a string quartet, a DJ, a live band, and "groom's cake" before they even consider videography. So skim craigslist for photographers and work out packaging options and explain how this will give them more options to offer the bride and groom, which will increase their sales.


Most likely you won't know the photographer. It is important that you seek them out during the downtime and introduce yourself. Smile and make a small chat, preferably about positive things (AKA: not how much weddings suck) and exchange cards. Don't do the middleschool thing of avoiding them until you guys are bumping into each other on the dance floor. (haha) I notice time and time again, I will pick a really obscure angle and begin shooting. The photographer will end up shoulder to shoulder with me, as though this was the last angle on earth. It's odd but there's some weird energy there. They see you shoot and say "what's that guy seeing that I'm not?"

Seriously though, make the first move and be friendly so that there's not some weird tension going on. I don't know why photographers feel intimidated by videographers or vice versa. We do 2 completely opposite things. But be the better man and say "hi" before they do. Also, always say hi to the DJ in case you need to ask him for a favor later (watch your gear, turn the volume down, plug me in etc) It's easy to trick yourself into thinking you're not invited but it's all in your head. Nobody knows everybody at a wedding and they all are hoping to meet new people.
 
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i probably shoot 30 weddings a year and I'm on the verge of making the leap into DSLR video (panasonic AF100 as main cam, with a 5D as 2nd) but I am so worried about it. I'm worried that if i don't make the jump I'm just going to get left behind. My videos look awful compared to some of the DSLR 24p stuff so I really am confident that I need to change to keep up, but I'm worried that I generally dont set anything up, and the narrow dof doesnt make for easy run and gun style videography.

Also for those with a 5D what is the low light capabilities like for during the first dance? I've been told that in order to compete with my larger chip FX1, a 5D will need really narrow dof to get enough light in. Do you guys find you can shoot on say f4 with enough ISO to not look grainy but also not look like a black screen?
 
Deep, that was great! The part about the photographers was pretty spot on. Makes me not want to do any more weddings, but that's a long time out before that happens.
 
Scott that made my morning... Seriously everything was spot on. And definitely the photographers part.
 
Thanks guys. At this point, the ONLY reason I still do them is for the benefit of our two little ones.

Makes me not want to do any more weddings, but that's a long time out before that happens.
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LOL Hawk, that'll always be the dream!
 
I've done a grand total of two weddings - one pro bono for a friend to get my feet wet a few years ago (mistake) and the other for a pretty cheap price since they just wanted me to tape the ceremony. Spot on about the photographers though - at one point during the ceremony of the latter wedding the photographer spotted up next to me to snap a few pictures and looked at my DSLR rig as if it was emitting some pungent odor. We did not speak at all, haha.
 
Also, regarding the toasts:

My first wedding, the brother of the groom elected to do his toast via song and verse. Problem? He could barely play guitar and he couldn't sing worth a damn. It was probably the most uncomfortable threeish minutes I've ever had to film as he kept precariously glancing at the camera as sweat beaded from his brow.
 
Wedding-photographer/videographer attitude can be amusing. I was once at a cousin's wedding, and (unfortunately) everyone in my family always says hey, Karl works in Hollywood, give *him* the camera (conveniently ignoring the fact that I only very rarely work as a DP). So I ask the hired videographer where he's setting up, for the express purpose of staying out of his way, and he starts laying down this whole rap about how he's a professional and he's an expert in production and he's the one who knows what he's doing and he's done hundreds of weddings, and his last project was the biggest wedding in town. I decided not to mention that for my part I had done many thousands of hours of professional studio feature and network broadcast work, and that my last project had been a Michael Mann film.

Like I said, amusing.
 
i just hate being that family member who can't go and enjoy a wedding without someone expecting me to film it. really i thought i was invited as a guest?
 
Sad Max said:
Just f*ck it up badly enough, and they'll stop asking.
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Just shy of two years ago, my wife's sister got married. It was a small wedding, and they asked me to film it (for free of course). I told them I'd rather go to a wedding for once and not have to worry about shooting it. Well, after months of begging, I shot the wedding on one DVX for free.

I still haven't edited the footage. The longer I take the more likely this will never happen again.
 
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