Wedding video

[CodeDuck]

I've been asked to do some video at a wedding a few weeks from now, they are not expecting anything special really special but thought it would be fun to have a some video of the big day (a least that’s what I was told by the bride – my cousin). It's a medium sized wedding; the ceremony starts about noon, about 90 guests will be attening the reception (I guess slightly less will make it to the brunch the next morning). It’ll be indoors in an old barn so I have absolutely no idea about lightning, but it probably won’t be very good.

I would love have some advice on what to do (and what not to do). I’m sure you’ve got some experience to share.

I plan to borrow some equipment, probably a Sony PD-150 or something like that, as the quality of my old HI8 isn’t the best and I would like to avoid having many hours of analogue capture.

I thought about getting a second cam on a tripod near the altar (I plan to check in advance for rules about filming in the church) to get the vow, is that a good idea?

Any tips on how to have a good time and still getting some quality footage?

What about sound? – My access to mics are rather limited so if I need anything special I probably have to start working on it now.

What shots are absolutely essential and what should be avoided?

And of course any links to resources on the net would be nice


- Aske

[KRSESQ]

Get your hands on as many camcorders as possible, analog or digital. Position them in as many potentially interesting locations (including the alter) as you can. You'll be glad for the coverage when you start cutting it all together and have to make the visuals look interesting during those interminable musical interludes when nothing is happening except the bride and groom gazing dreamily into each other's eyes (get a camera on the soloists too).

Get on the minister's good side early on so you can work out with him how the sound and lighting is going to be handled. Don't be too pushy, however, as many ministers resent the ceremony being turned into a "production" (turning it into a "production" is the mother-of-the-bride's job ).

See if you can plug at least one of the cameras into the minister's sound system. He will almost certainly be wearing a wireless mic and getting good audio on that one is probably the most important. If you can scrounge a second wireless, hang it on the groom. This will insure that you get good vows and good blackmail material if they threaten not to pay your bill.

Most important of all, test EVERYTHING the day before and make sure all batteries work at full capacity. I had a camera go dead 5 minutes into a ceremony because the battery had developed a "memory" and would only hold a full charge for 5 minutes. Thank God I had plenty of other cameras rolling.

Also thank God I had a mic on the groom because on another occasion it provided the ONLY usable audio for the entire wedding!

I finally got out of the wedding video business. PC tech support is SO much less stressful!

Kevin

[dchip]

****** long, wordy post alert ******

CodeDuck, I was going to suggest searching some videographers websites to get some ideas, but decided I would take a stab at it myself. Keep in mind, I am only an amatuer at wedding video. I am sure there are many here with much more experience who can add to or correct me on my points. Also, keep in mind that I speak from U.S. tradition. I always feel that if something is worth taping, then its worth taping in such way that you can use the video to tell the story of that event.

First and foremost, if there is a wedding coordinator then you want to get with that person and learn the flow of the event. Learn what time everything will happen. It's not enough to be there when it starts, you have to be there well beforehand. Attend any rehearsal and start thinking about where you want to position your cameras and yourself on the big day.

As you said, the lighting will likely be bad. Barns don't tend to have a lot of windows so you might want to tell the couple and minister beforehand that you need to use lighting. Have yourself a good 20 watt or so on-camera light, if it is not possible to set up larger lights on the perimeter. If the couple rejects having any extra lights then you'll have to go with what light is there. Learn how to adjust the exposure on your cameras to compensate for the low light. That camera you will be borrowing should work decently in low light. Check the lighting in the reception spot too. Thats where you will want to get some really candid shots.

As for sound, a camera like the PD-150 should catch all the sound you need. Keep in mind, that camera has a mono zoom mic. Very powerful but mainly on picking up the sound it is pointed at. If you feel the couple would like a more panoramic sounding track, then you will need to take off the zoom mic and stick a quality stereo mic on the camera. If you can, position a camera in the back or up on any loft that may be in the barn. Those wide angle shots will be very useful later when you put the video together.

If the lighting is extremely bad, you might want to consider using manual focus on the main camera. It will make the shoot a lot harder, but at least you won't end up with to many shots where the auto-focus mechanism is searching and searching for enough contrast to lock in. Compensating for low light might be your toughest call on that day. Prepare for it.

I have far-below professional skill in wedding videography, but, to me, some shots that must happen will be shots of the exterior setting, a panoramic view of the barn and surroundings with a gradual zoom in on the barn with cross-fade to interior. That will be a nice beginning to your edited video. If you can arrange it with the coordinator, a few shots of the final beauty preparation of the bride and also shots of the groom in those final waiting minutes are good. Later you can edit these shots into some sort of side-by-side or picture-in-picture, if tasefully done. If the barn is empty when you arrive, get some empty barn shots too. That can help tell a nice story later too. Then begin to make some clips of the ushers ushering people in. The Mom and all those folks. The little kids and flower-bearers and all. Capture some things that most people fail to notice but will help you accentuate your finished product.

The bride entering will be a crucial clip. You absolutely have to get in position for that clip. The guests will have to stand at that point. Don't get yourself caught in a sea of people and miss that shot. On that shot you need to zoom on the brides face as she enters and then quickly widen the shot and let her come to your camera. The long flowing gown, right down to the floor should be in most of that shot. It should be the most perfect of all the scenes you film that day.

If you think you'll get tired and have to put your main camera on a tripod, only a tripod that lets you control the camera from the handle will do. That Sony cam should have a LANC jack, so you might want to arrange to have a remote control tripod.

Pay close attention to your shots of the vows. Don't do a lot of needless zooming. Listen to the words, there will be moments to to go wider and moments to zoom. If the couple has written their own vows, you will need to zoom in more and capture their facial expressions. Zoom in on the I DO's and the big kiss. If the couple is holding hands (very likely) get a couple of shots of the hands and of course the exchange of rings. Use your own gut feelings. What would you want to see on film. What moments show the feelings of the moment? Closeups of the couple gazing lovingly at each other are good. Just be sure to have enough shots that show the whole scene at the altar. Your seperate camera will help you a lot on that.

When/if the after-service photo shoot is being done, you might go ahead and get some video pictures then, too. Great chance to get all the participants in some really clear footage from a great vantage point. Don't interfere with the still photographer.

Reception time should be fun time when the videographer gets to let down a bit. Nope. It will be a flurry of activity and you have to be in the center. This is when you will need to be a tad more aggressive and take key positions to capture the first dance, cake-cutting, bouquet, garter and all that stuff. Remember, I'm talking a lot of U.S. tradition here. Be sure to get all the key dances and then shots of the guests dancing. If you're feeling really aggressive, go around and and get candid shots of the guests and ask them to say a few words of wishes to the new couple. New couples seem to like those shots a lot. Get good shots of the couple in the reception as they continue to exchange all the expected little affections. The story is about them.

Get yourself outside before it's time for the couple to depart because another critical shot is upcoming.... the couple coming down through the rice or bubbles or whatever they blow or toss these days. If they are departing by limo or horse-drawn carriage get yourself up front where you can really shoot that entry and then get some good shots of the departing vehicle, which might end up being your final scene.

All weddings are different and shooting them can be hard work, but it can be fun too if you have planned ahead. Find out from the couple if there are some special shots they want to have. I have worked a couple of weddings (again strictly amatuer) and I worked out several shots with one of the couples beforehand. One such shot was a beautiful slow waltz outside in the courtyard of the reception area in perfect sunshine light with a green mountain/pasture backdrop. Later, on the computer, I applied a speed control to that clip and slowed it down and put in a beautiful music track I got off of a SmartSound CD. It looked great in the edited video and became the shot that got me the call for the second wedding.

There are no shots to "avoid" except ones that waste valuable film and battery. People milling around, etc. Don't be afraid to use the pause button or even turn the camera off if there's nothing important going on.

Well, that's just a "few" words (actually more than I have ever put in one post in this place) but as a final thought I want stress again that preparation is what will end up making a good video. If you have no idea what is going to happen, or when, then you will spend all day reacting and trying to play catch up. It sounds like you want to impress this couple (PD-150, wow) so get yourself ready. After you do this masterful job, you'll end up dong a lot of wedding work amongst your friends and family. Good luck. Hope it works out well.

[Frank Marshall]

Just a few thoughts:

You should try to get at least two cameras there. One camera should be located near the centre aisle to get shots close to square with the bridal party (you *may* be able to move the tripod into the aisle after the procession but you'll have to make sure its gone before the recessional!). The other camera should be on the same side of the room and up near the alter, off to the side. You should be able to capture everything from these two angles.

Try to find out whether the couple will be facing towards the congregation or away from them during their vows/ceremony. This will help you to determine which camera is most important for the formal proceedings, and therefore which camera you, as the senior videographer, should be operating. Modern couples tend to *let the crowd in* rather than show their backs to the congregation so chances are the aisle-side camera is the more important one. If this is the case, you'll want the other videographer up near the alter to take some cutaway shots of the crowd during non-critical passages of the proceedings. You'll use these shots during editing to again *bring the guests into* the event.

Extra lighting can be harsh and intrusive so you should discuss this with the couple if additional lighting really is necessary. If the ceiling is low you may be able to bounce the light off the ceiling. You could lessen the severity of direct lighting by clipping some spun (a heat-resistant tissue-like substance) to the "barndoors". Use wooden pegs and only proper spun to avoid starting fires!

Try to use shot-gun mics if you can, especially if the location is near a busy road, etc. Cars and trucks passing by and even congregation creaks, coughs, and sniffles can be irritating when the bride is whispering her vows from under the veil.

Look to get in tight for the vows (close-up), fitting of the rings (extreme close-up) and *the* kiss (close-up). That kiss, if it's a good one, can often be used as a way of either closing out the final edited video or can at least be included in the summarising montage that one typically finishes a wedding video with.

On the topic of zooms, try to keep them to a minimum and preferably slowly so that they aren't as noticeable. Lots of zooming in and out is amateurish and distracts from the subject.

You may consider walking out the aisle-side camera in front of the couple during the recessional. It's quite a dramatic effect that's often perfect for slow-motion rendering in post-production. Although the camera should be held as steadily as possible, a bit of movement is inevitable and natural so don't worry too much about it. What is just as important is that the operator make sure they don't trip over anything as they walk backwards. Best to have the zoom set fairly wide and the camera held away from the body a bit so that the operator can occassionally glance around to see where they're going.

If you can get down to the location for a reccie so much the better. It gives you a chance to assess ambient noise, lighting, look for power-points (you may need to run extension leads) and discuss things with the celebrant. Ideally, you should go to the rehersal to get an idea of what to expect.

All the best with it...