On August 12th we'll be attending a family wedding ceremony and they would like it if I shot some video.

The only gear I've got along with me is an AX-53, AX-100, a Sennheiser ME-66, and a Tascam DR-44WL recorder, only one light-weight borrowed tripod plus a few miscellaneous parts. It'll be more like I'll be a guest walking around with a cam and not like a hired professional doing a shoot so my plan is to be semi-incognito. Hopefully I can combine getting some shots while at the same time acting as a guest, if that can be possible.

Rain is forecasted at the venue so it'll most likely be indoors with around 130 guests. I'm trying to get more information about the room it'll be in and the table layout (two rows of tables end-to-end with the cake table at the far end crosswise, or, large round table with about 8 chairs per table and not much of an aisle. My. guess, and hope is the former, with space between the walls and the tables for people and wait staff to walk.

Video
This is a very important event with the highlight part lasting only a matter of minutes. In the video, one would like to see the cake and the couple (faces), but how to do this without blocking the view of everyone else? Shoot, say, from the side of the room toward the groom while he cuts the cake, but then when he gives a piece to the bride one sees the back of the bride’s head. So shoot from the other side? Have a cam at the far end of the room and go with the B-cam handheld from the side of the room? How do single shooters do this?

Audio
A really tough problem. My plan was to put the mic with the recorder on the tripod. I made up a support to put the two together and run the recorder via wi-fi remote using an iPhone and the Tascam app. The app allows one to see the VU meters, turn the recorder as well as individual channels On and Off, and adjust the gain of any of the tracks on the fly.

In my first test with the mic I had the db average set at -12db but upon transferring the file to the computer it was found that the signal was way too weak. Then I increased the gain so it hardly ever clipped and the file signal was nice. After dialing in the VU levels before the shoot the plan is to engage the Limiter function to handle the peaks and then just concentrate on shooting the video. Recording set to *.wav format, 16 bit 44.1k mono.

The Tascam and the cams have their time codes synced within a second or two and fresh batteries in everything.

Tripod
This is a sad situation. I will try to borrow another tripod for the fixed cam to support the AX-100. The cam has a remote that can do a few basic functions but probably only useful for On and Off. Unfortunately, the little red light can't be seen very well from more than about 10 to 20 feet so don't know what to do there. Just be v e r y careful when using it? Or just let the cam run and cut in post?

It may be possible that a tripod might not be allowed at the far end of the room between the two rows of tables as the wait staff might trip over it. This is assuming it will be the two-row table setup. I'll need to think of a.Plan-B. The tripod I borrowed doesn't go up very high and if I buy a cheap one somewhere it probably won't go up very high, either.

Can't go home for more gear 'cuz it's too late. Renting anything is out of the question. So, what thoughts do people have about this approach? Open for ideas but time is running out.

The situation here is a little different as the B&G generally don't feed each other cake, it's very usual for the photographer to get them prior to the meal and do the cake cutting while it's quiet in the ballroom/dining room.

I usually tag along at this time and do a sort of fly past hand-held with a AX53 or similar, getting them to follow the cam with their eyes as it goes by and maybe kiss half way through. Perhaps you could get something that resembles the cake and set the shot up like that?

Your locked off cam will probably get blocked with people trying to capture with phones/tablets etc. so your left then in one position with the AX53

Other than that get out in front get the shot and apologise profusely to everyone after.

Are you recording the speeches? you'll need something other than hand holding to do that, it's very difficult to hand hold for more than a few minutes.

I use the Ctrl with Smart Phone feature on one of my AX100's for most events and once activated you can control with smart phone/tablet and turn on/off recording, monitor the feed and also control your zoom.

I've had success in locating a AX100 on the bandstand and it covered the top table nicely, all depends on the location obviously.

good luck anyway

You haven't mentioned a photographer, but I assume they are having one. If so, liase wth him/her to find out what they will be doing. Usually with the cake cutting, the photographer will want to be right at the front taking priority over the guests for the cake shot as he is being paid to get a good shot. He will then move out of the way for the guests, so a quick chat with him should enable you to work alongside him.

Speeches tend to be handled differently in the US, but I wouldn't worry too much about being towards the front, as a quick word with any guests you may block, will enable them to be able to move enough to see around you. They are always very obliging providing you chat to them first and look confident:-)

Roger

The situation here is a little different as the B&G generally don't feed each other cake, it's very usual for the photographer to get them prior to the meal and do the cake cutting while it's quiet in the ballroom/dining room.
Very interesting. I'm trying to contact a person at the venue to ask them questions. The weather forecast just changed from rain to sunny so everything might be moved outside and on the lawn.

I usually tag along at this time and do a sort of fly past hand-held with a AX53 or similar, getting them to follow the cam with their eyes as it goes by and maybe kiss half way through. Perhaps you could get something that resembles the cake and set the shot up like that?
Some good thoughts. Isn't that '53 good for handheld stuff?

Your locked off cam will probably get blocked with people trying to capture with phones/tablets etc. so your left then in one position with the AX53

Other than that get out in front get the shot and apologise profusely to everyone after.
Ahh ... I like that. In Ireland is that something like Mea Culpa?

Are you recording the speeches? you'll need something other than hand holding to do that, it's very difficult to hand hold for more than a few minutes.
Hadn't thought about that, actually. Given how much banquet time is allocated there probably will be some. Seems like a good job for the locked off cam and mic.

I've got enough AA batteries but for the cams only one OEM and one Wasabi "Power" battery each. The power is in quotes because while these were advertised as having more Ahr than the OEM, they don't. In fact, I'd guesstimate something more like half. Everything will be fully charged the morning of, and I'll have to come up with a shooting time per activity and see how it computes.

I use the Ctrl with Smart Phone feature on one of my AX100's for most events and once activated you can control with smart phone/tablet and turn on/off recording, monitor the feed and also control your zoom.
Seems to me I remember reading one of your posts about that. What is the "Ctrl"? Wasn't that a windows only app? There have been some really good apps coming out in the marketplace.
What a difference a couple years makes in video ... we're starting to get really wired!

It's a good option if you can do a staged cake cut etc. less pressure!

the BOSS system on any of the Sonys is great I have a AX53 and a PJ790 they're great for flying the cam hand-held at the wide end it's perfect.

:-) yeah it's Mea Culpa..... you get the shot and I agree with what Roger advises during the cake cutting just shadow the photographer.

with the speeches you can probably have the locked of cam for one angle and use the 53 as a B Roll for a few different angles.

To control the AX100 or the AX53 you'll need to download Sony PlayMemories Mobile from Google Play/App Store to your phone or tablet then you can select the 'Ctrl with Smartphone' Wireless feature in the camera's menu to monitor and control some functions on the camera.

Roger -
You haven't mentioned a photographer, but I assume they are having one. If so, liase wth him/her to find out what they will be doing. Usually with the cake cutting, the photographer will want to be right at the front taking priority over the guests for the cake shot as he is being paid to get a good shot. He will then move out of the way for the guests, so a quick chat with him should enable you to work alongside him.
Forgetting the Photographer? Mea Culpa und pardon moi.

Yes, there will be a paid photographer there and due to my lowly unpaid status I plan to do everything to stay out of his/her shots, and touching base early on is a good PR idea.

Thanks for the suggestion.

On the speeches, they'll probably be using a PA system given the number of guests and if it is moved back outdoors. I'm trying to get ahold of the wedding coordinator to ask questions but haven't received a reply back yet. Still trying to round up a second tripod.

How do you intend using your audio resource for speeches? if they're from a lectern I'd suggest getting the tascam on the lectern, you'll need to get a mic as close as possible to get decent audio or maybe see if you can plug into the venue's board.

The best way to keep out of the photographers frame is to stay a pace or so behind them.

cheers

Good advice from Rob and I would also add that taking a tap of the soundboard can be very good but can also be disastrous if the sound guy doesn't know how to set up the feed, something that is quite common with venue controlled sound. As a backup I put a separate recorder close to one of the PA speakers and always have a recorder with pzm or lav mic on the head table in the flowers, or on the lectern which I believe is more common over the pond. The other problem with handheld wireless mics is that many people either have it on their mouth and overload it or too far away and you can't hear it, so a table/lectern recorder will save it in those instances.

Roger

How do you intend using your audio resource for speeches? if they're from a lectern I'd suggest getting the tascam on the lectern, you'll need to get a mic as close as possible to get decent audio or maybe see if you can plug into the venue's board.

Well, the first answer to the question is "I don't know" because I hadn't thought about it before. The mic/recorder package will be on a tripod so maybe setting it up several feet in front of where the speaker will be, assuming they speak from the same location, would work.

I could watch the VU meters on the phone and adjust them for the different speakers if needed. If they [the speakers] move out of the mic "window", well .... that's tough. Maybe the safety track could help combined with some post recovery work but it might be too far away. By using the iPhone monitor the safety track could be boosted and since the Tascam mics are more omni that might help. It's good to be thinking of all of these possibilities before the big day.

On another subject but somewhat related, I was wondering what anyone thought about the recording settings for the ME-66 being set to *.wav format, 16 bit 44.1k mono and stereo for the safety track. There is only a small microSD card that came wth it as there hasn't been time to buy a new one. Also, I just discovered I forgot to pack the furry windscreen for it but do have a Rycote windshield softie for the ME-66.

How about something different like a shot from above with camera and mic on amonopod?

Jim - good thinking out of the box. The monopod is at home ... but, I have done something like that very briefly using the whole tripod. Have a K-Tek 9-ft pole at home that would be really good for that.

Just spent a lot of time today looking for a used tripod but it's a hassle. Decided to just buy a new one tomorrow, nothing fancy, just to hold the mic and recorder, then get on with the other details.

Update: Just took care of the need for a second tripod for the mic and recorder so just bought one. Picked up another memory card for the recorder so lots of file storage space there. I feel I'm covered on those fronts now.

Still no word from the wedding coordinator nor anyone else at the venue.

Quote:

"On another subject but somewhat related, I was wondering what anyone thought about the recording settings for the ME-66 being set to *.wav format, 16 bit 44.1k mono and stereo for the safety track..."

It is important to record at 48k, not 44.1k. Reason being that you will have syncing issues when you try to match up the recorder audio with the video clips in post if recorded at 44.1k. I can't really explain the science behind this, but that is what needs to be adhered to.

Does the recorder allow you to change the recording format of the main audio and/or the safety track?

Kind regards,

Bryan

Still no word from the wedding coordinator nor anyone else at the venue.

Welcome to the wonderful world of weddings. :}

Bryan -
Quote:

"On another subject but somewhat related, I was wondering what anyone thought about the recording settings for the ME-66 being set to *.wav format, 16 bit 44.1k mono and stereo for the safety track..."

It is important to record at 48k, not 44.1k. Reason being that you will have syncing issues when you try to match up the recorder audio with the video clips in post if recorded at 44.1k. I can't really explain the science behind this, but that is what needs to be adhered to.
Thanks for commenting on this. Sure don't need more "issues" so I bumped it up to 48k.

Battery operation time for 4ch (and I'm only doing 3ch), *.wav 44.1k and 16 bit is listed as 13.5 hours, and that is way more than I'd do.

Does the recorder allow you to change the recording format of the main audio and/or the safety track?
Read through the Recording section of the Reference Manual (download D01238020C) and couldn't find anything about being able to make different settings for channels 1 & 2 and 3 &/or 4. So it seems that one setting sets everything the same. There are a lot of menu controls and it takes time to sort through everything. This Manual is 62 pages long, small print, and has lots of "Notes" so it may be possible.

Every improvement helps so thanks very much for the reply on this.

Steven -

This is my guess. The 'no reply' may be due to the way my wife worded the email. She said that I would be doing photos and video (I don't do photos) but didn't know that a photographer has been hired. My guess is that the person that got the email to reply to has an agreement with the hired photographer. That's one scenario.

The other is that they just don't want to be bothered. Time is money. There is no contact phone number for the venue anywhere that I've been able to find so if one want's to communicate with them it's first via email and they can screen the messages.

We'll be staying at a nearby hotel tomorrow and the venue is about a 15 minute drive from there and in a rural setting, and the wedding is the next day. Initially I was really kinda fired up about doing this but due to the lack of communication I've lost a lot of interest but still hoping for a successful go at it.

A few days ago I did a shoot at the couples government official wedding with only a few family and good friends present (~20) and both the couple and their family really liked the video. The sister of the groom totally gushed over it. Well, I did do a lot of difficult editing trying to eliminate people who walked in front of the cam but still salvaging a precious moment on either side (used a Ken Burns effect on one for example), difficult audio parts, etc. Threw in a couple slo-mo parts. Not up to the pro wedding video standards but the story and the casting was great and the actors, especially the bride, did an excellent performance hamming it up. A bit over 3 minutes long from a lot of shooting.

Hi john, I'd say you'll do fine! just go in there like the photographer, like your supposed to be there! and have fun doing it.
Best of luck, let us know how it worked out in the end!

BTW I'll be in that neck of the woods soon doing a photography gig...small world eh?


good luck

R

Rob - Thanks for the moral support. It'll definitely be interesting.

The event is in Pezinok, Slowakei, outside of Bratislava (formerly Pressburg). The forecast is for moderate temperatures.

The northwest was blanketed by smoke from forest fires when we left and, based on last year, they'll be burning until sometime in at least September, or when there is enough rain to slow them down. If you can get upwind of the smoke it will be wonderful this time of year.

The mother of the bride speaks some German, better than me, so it'll be an interesting time communicating. Most of the people there will be from Slowakei and I don't know any Slowakisch.

Just found out who the photographer is and she is a very "artistic" type. Gotta run!

nice one, you'll be able to get in a few shots of the Danube and your not a million miles from one of the most beautiful cities in the world - Vienna.

I had a look at the fire map site for WA so the nearest one to where I'll be (Whidbey Island) is over 100 Km so it should be ok.

Enjoy your time there :-)

Got back home and trying to get caught up, so here is a quickie update:

You haven't mentioned a photographer, but I assume they are having one. If so, liase wth him/her to find out what they will be doing. Usually with the cake cutting, the photographer will want to be right at the front taking priority over the guests for the cake shot as he is being paid to get a good shot. He will then move out of the way for the guests, so a quick chat with him should enable you to work alongside him.

It's a good option if you can do a staged cake cut etc. less pressure!
:-) yeah it's Mea Culpa..... you get the shot and I agree with what Roger advises during the cake cutting just shadow the photographer.

with the speeches you can probably have the locked of cam for one angle and use the 53 as a B Roll for a few different angles.

The best way to keep out of the photographers frame is to stay a pace or so behind them.

Well, you guys were spot on. This is where experience definitely counts, learning through the road of hard knocks.

The photographer blocked a number of important shots and here are [pictures of] just two of them, one during the ring ceremony and the other during the cake cutting. With the ring ceremony, the guy with the cell phone was okay but while I was concentrating on my shot the photographer came up and blind-sided me. She was normally on the opposite side from me.

In the cake cutting, it was very similar. She was walking all around the table taking shots behind, to the side and in front of the B & G and the cake table. In this case she came over right in front of me as there was no one standing there because they were considerate and left me a space. Due to the very crowded situation I couldn't move either way because of people standing there. Wound up raising the cam over her head while continuously shooting and just did a one-arm overhead shoot.

Thank goodness for the BOSS on the AX53. Didn't think it would turn out that well but it was both framed well and not shaking hardly at all after supplementing the BOSS with stabilization in post.

By the way, I did meet the photographer but we had a language communication problem and she was rushed after showing up fairly late. Her daughter was supporting her with a second camera.

Edit: In the cake shot she backed up right in front of me. With a picture of that, one wouldn't even know it was a cake shot, only the maroon color of the back of her dress filling the frame. That's when I went overhead with one arm.

I always cover the cakecutting with my steadicam so I can quickly move when needed but with a ceremony at a venue I have 3 unmanned camera's pointed towards the action, one center and 2 on each side and I walk around with a 4th one handheld so even if a photog would block one angle I still can get away with another one.

If I only would have one camera I would talk to the photog before the ceremony just to get an idea how they plan to shoot the vows or rings, when I see something like in your framegrab that only means it's a unprofessional and not so experienced photographer who doesn't care about you at all. During such a ceremony you can't do that much about it anymore but I would have a talk afterwards with that photog to agree on some rules of cooperation.

Also the guy with the smartphone.. I get this sometimes at Italian/Greek weddings and I always tell them to move if they are in my frame. If the wedding is in a venue I always ask the person leading the ceremony if they can ask that no-one gets up to shoot video or take photos so that I and the photographer can do our job.

I agree looks like a novice phtoographer to do something like that. Especially an outdoor ceremony, how do they not have a zoom lens?? I can understand a catholic church where you're 15-20 aisles down, maybe its too dark if the zoom too far or they have a 24-70. Usually tho they ask me to move with them in those cases, knowing I can bounce to cam 2 in the edit I usually oblige. I hate that tho, I get them now & then outside where they want that closeup of the candles or sand ceremony and videographer be damned they're going to get it.


OTOH it helps to discuss with the photog you're plan & setup, especially reception where it's less formal & less restrictions than the ceremony. I usually inform them I plan on being center aisle and where the 2nd cam will be setup just so they don't accidentally stand in front of it for long periods or have an associate shoot important events in front of it (vows). Cake cutting too, I just tell the photog to select their preferred position then shoot it next to them. As Noa said I just move if they get in my way. It happens, weddings are so run & gun. A photog once called it 'Delayed Chaos'. You're told somethings going to begin (cake, intros), you plan for it, you wait for it, you position yourself, then it occurs in a completely different way then you were informed.

A little more background,
The schedule managed to get the day before the wedding was a follows:
Guests arrive at Hotel Rozálka @ 1:30
First shuttle @ 2:00
Reception @ 3:00
Wedding @ 4:00
Wedding banquet @ 6:00
Wedding cake cutting @ 7:30
Dancing with dance music @ 9:00
And a link to the wedding photographer’s web page: https://www.facebook.com/Mária-Zajacová-photography-514269122007929/

The venue was very nice and the setting was to be outside for the ring ceremony and inside for the reception. Their web site: Wiegerova vila (http://www.wiegerovavila.sk)
The weather two days before the ceremony was very hot with major thunder storms in the area (including Wien, or Vienna) and the forecast for the wedding day was rain and that would put a real dampener on the outside ceremony.

The plan quickly changed to move everything indoors but there was limited space for that option. The largest room was set up for the banquet with tables and chairs for a sit-down meal with long tables at one end for the speeches (often known as a roasting but fortunately not the type with a rotisserie with a skewer).

The logistics was terrible. The table and chairs were heavy wood construction so to move everything out, do the ring ceremony, then move everything back in …. Well, this would be a nightmare. The night before the wedding the weather forecasters started to predict a clearing spell but with high winds. The next morning it was a close call whether to spring for the outdoor ceremony on a soggy lawn with chancy weather and high winds, or go indoors. The decision was made to do it outside.

As it turned out, it didn’t rain but the winds were really strong. For sailboaters this would have been a double-reef day. The reception outside had tables and there was a bar service. Glasses were frequently falling over and often breaking. For the women who spent a lot of money at the hair dressers the day before this turned out to be a “natural wind-blown hair day”.

We got there the day before and stayed at the Hotel Rozálka because I wanted to get some video of the setting up and guest arrivals the next morning. We hired a taxi to go from Wien (Vienna) to the hotel because public transit would have been too much of a hassle. For the trip to Wien I had one suitcase, one carry-on, and one “ladies purse” equivalent which it and much of the carry-on was full with a limited amount of camera gear and the computer.

A couple days before I called plus sent an email to the venue, the hotel, and the sister of the groom, to try and seek information about what to expect. The only reply I got was the schedule above from the sister. (Afterward the sister said she didn't reply because I had too many questions. Arrrrgh!!!)

I hope this background helps to put the situation and my replies into context.

Noa Put (also known as “the man who can make people disappear”):

Yes, later I would find that it would be nice to make a few disappear, too!

If I only would have one camera I would talk to the photog before the ceremony just to get an idea how they plan to shoot the vows or rings,
I took three cams: AX53 for handheld, AX100 locked off on a tripod, and my wife’s Sony HDR-CX380.

The CX380 I gave to the sister of the groom to take preparation shots before the wedding ceremony and anything else she could. Had a large memory card in it and also gave her a spare battery (even though she almost has her Doctorate, lets face it, that doesn’t mean they know how to do steady hand-held shots. She is really good with a cell phone though.) and an introduction on how to use it and some tips about how to do shots. She did get some nice candid youtube-ish shots but not as many as I had hoped.

As for talking to the photographer, that was a disaster. She only spoke Slovakian and I spoke English, enough German to kinda carry on a conversation, and even worse French from my school days. It was not what I call a warm and friendly meeting, partly because I think she was stressed for getting there late and needed to get on with it. I definitely got the feeling that “cooperation” wasn’t in her vocabulary, at least not on that day.

I always cover the cakecutting with my steadicam so I can quickly move when needed but with a ceremony at a venue I have 3 unmanned camera's pointed towards the action, one center and 2 on each side and I walk around with a 4th one handheld so even if a photog would block one angle I still can get away with another one. That’s a good modus operandi.

The cake cutting was moved to the area where the outside bar service was, on the smallish patio and under a tent that covered the portable bar and the wind was trying hard to blow over.

Almost right after the ceremony, the wind seemed to pick up another 5 to 10 mph (~9 to 16 kph). The area was small and the door to the banquet room area was just off my left shoulder. People were gonig in and out all the time and passing in front of my frame. Nearly everybody avoided my cam either by ducking under the frame or waiting for my nod. Everybody else was trying to crowd around.

Except for the photographer. She got in my frame so fast I didn’t have time to talk to her and just went one-armed over her head. If I had said anything it would have been recorded in the audio and exactly at a bad time. Looking back, should have tapped her on the shoulder with my other hand and maybe ruined her shot but didn’t think of it in time. Ya gotta be a quick thinker in these situations! (Champagne is not your friend)

Also the guy with the smartphone.. I get this sometimes at Italian/Greek weddings and I always tell them to move if they are in my frame. If the wedding is in a venue I always ask the person leading the ceremony if they can ask that no-one gets up to shoot video or take photos so that I and the photographer can do our job.
Good plan if I ever do this again. Actually, and as of yesterday, I might. Hated to do it but I sold my old JVC HD7 cam and the buyer has a lot of gigs lined up. It pulled on my heart strings to see it go, and adding insult to injury, so cheap. After he saw my videos and gear, wants to team up but for me this is just a hobby but would be, I think, very interesting.

Confession time: This was technically my second wedding. A few days before the couple had a civil ceremony with only about ~ 20 of their closest friends and relatives. I did a short 3+ minute video highlight of it and at a combined family get-together watching it on TV they REALLY raved over it and that left me with a good feeling (I wasn't there, actually, we were leaving for the airport when the call came in). It wasn’t the pomp-and-circumstance type of wedding, just sport suit attire and low-key, but with a bit of the trimmings, you might say. Even though it was in HD, there was a Ken Burns or two (one to get rid of a person in my frame), and a couple slo-mo’s (kisses, or special situation), and it was all AX53. So, who knows? Might reconsider, especially if there’s good food and drink.

Below is a picture of the ceremony wide shot with the AX100. Was far back because the tripod was only on short legs so it wouldn’t blow over, and it was next to something. Unfortunately, somehow, it got slightly moved either by wind or somebody touching it, so it wasn’t exactly centered.

The photographer in the frame was the photographer’s daughter. Note how everything is being blown.
[Edit: P.S. c'est moi, third from the right]

David,
This was a totally new experience for me, more so because I was doing this for relatives and wanted something really nice for them.
I agree looks like a novice phtoographer to do something like that. Especially an outdoor ceremony, how do they not have a zoom lens?? I can understand a catholic church where you're 15-20 aisles down, maybe its too dark if the zoom too far or they have a 24-70. Usually tho they ask me to move with them in those cases, knowing I can bounce to cam 2 in the edit I usually oblige. I hate that tho, I get them now & then outside where they want that closeup of the candles or sand ceremony and videographer be damned they're going to get it.
If communication was better (English to English, maybe), I think things would work out much better. Especially if meeting ahead of time.

OTOH it helps to discuss with the photog you're plan & setup, especially reception where it's less formal & less restrictions than the ceremony. I usually inform them I plan on being center aisle and where the 2nd cam will be setup just so they don't accidentally stand in front of it for long periods or have an associate shoot important events in front of it (vows). Cake cutting too, I just tell the photog to select their preferred position then shoot it next to them. As Noa said I just move if they get in my way.
This is all good stuff if I ever do another gig like it.

A photog once called it 'Delayed Chaos'. You're told somethings going to begin (cake, intros), you plan for it, you wait for it, you position yourself, then it occurs in a completely different way then you were informed.
Nice quote! Only in my case I think the word "Delayed" could be taken out.

Picture of mic setup.

Because I didn't have any lavalieres with recorders I had to improvise. Below is a shot of the Sennheiser ME-66 with a Rycote windshield connected to the Tascam DR-44WLrecorder. Had it set under the table for protection from stray people, the wind, and hopefully for wind protection so it wouldn't get blown over. Away from the table the wind gusts were so strong it would actually blow it over even though it was so close to the ground. As it turned out, the location worked perfectly.

Ran the recorder via Wi-Fi via an app on the iPhone and the setup worked marvelously. It picked up the B & G voices and, surprisingly, the Priest's voice, but his was going though the PA system so maybe that was what the mic picked up. The audio was very clean of wind noise.

Syncing:
This was the biggest issue. The locked-off AX100 has terrific wind noise from it's built-in microphone but this cam was key in the ceremony as it ran continuously. The AX53 B-cam has the Røde Stereo VideoMic with a windshield cover so it's audio was quite good. Even with the high wind it was good.

The ME-66 being close to the ground and protected with it's windshield had the cleanest audio. Syncing the AX53 with the ME-66 track was really easy. Syncing with the AX100 audio track not so easy. I think my workflow was a bit backwards as the first thing I did was sync the AX53 with the AX100 and this was a lot of work. When that was done I brought in the Tascam audio track. Should have done this second and then the AX53.

For my arms and legs, this was a long ceremony. I found a chair so that helped but just holding the cam for various periods caused my arms to get tired. There was a large old wood table setup about 15 feet behind me and I sat the iPhone on it. Due to the distance I wasn't able to really monitor it as well as it should have been. The app allowed the recorder to be paused and turn On or Off, and the volume of either the safety track or the mic tracks to be adjusted independently. Really nice. There's an app update I haven't installed yet and Rob Cantwell mentioned about one for the Sony cams so I'll have to check that out.

The candle (seen on the ground) was put in a lantern for wind protection but even though there were small slits for air, the wind would snuff the flame out. The lantern was finally put on the ground to see if the flame would stay lit and it did. It was lit after this frame shot.

For this very windy day, the mic setup was a life saver.

The schedule managed to get the day before the wedding was a follows:
Guests arrive at Hotel Rozálka @ 1:30
First shuttle @ 2:00
Reception @ 3:00
Wedding @ 4:00
Wedding banquet @ 6:00
Wedding cake cutting @ 7:30
Dancing with dance music @ 9:00


That sounds like a holiday :)
I just got back from a wedding
07:30 start shooting at the groom (after 2 hour drive to get there)
08:00 shoot make up and hairdresser at the bride
10:00 groom arrives, first meet
11:00 legal wedding in town hall
11:30 back to parents house for family pictures and to eat.
13:00 church wedding
14:00 photoshoot
16:00 to venue and have first reception
18:00 new reception second group
19:30 couples enters venue and first course is served
20:30 2 speeches
21:00 main dish served
22:00 2 speeches
22:30 dessert
23:00 game organised by friends
23:30 first dance
midnight - I go home, again a 2 hour drive.

This is a average wedding planning I have to go though every wedding I shoot. 2 Weeks ago I had a Chinese wedding with doorgames, 2 theaceremonies and 19(!) speeches in the evening, started at 7 in the morning, ended at 30 min past midnight.

Noa ....
That sounds like a holiday :).
After reading your schedule I'd tend to agree (even though at the time I didn't think mine was.)

This is a average wedding planning I have to go though every wedding I shoot. 2 Weeks ago I had a Chinese wedding with doorgames, 2 theaceremonies and 19(!) speeches in the evening, started at 7 in the morning, ended at 30 min past midnight.
Two weeks ago you had one even worse than this? Is all the editing done on it?
Ya know …. looking at that schedule is a good reason to (1) NOT do wedding videos, and (2), as a groom, just elope! Can’t even imagine having to edit and re-live all that footage. (And 19 speeches ... yawn ... zzzz)


07:30 start shooting at the groom (after 2 hour drive to get there)
08:00 shoot make up and hairdresser at the bride
10:00 groom arrives, first meet
11:00 legal wedding in town hall
If it were me (as a groom), at about 11:30 I’d be for getting on with the rest of life!
(Maybe I shouldn’t write that in this Forum section?)

While we are on the subject, one of the clues for working with photographers can be, do they use primes or zoom lenses.

We have primes too so we understand, but many shots taken with primes can be taken with zooms as well. So if a photographer shows up with only primes, I can almost bet they'll be running up into my video shots. Unlike my wife and I who shoot, we have very nice zooms and she's able to shoot from a distance.

Just a simple observation, but it does help me to look at the photogs lens gear.

I understand that you had language problems with the photographer, but there has to be mutual respect which clearly the photographer didn't show you.

You have to make a decision when you are a wedding videographer about what you are trying to achieve. If the couple are expecting a video of their day and photographs of their day, then you have as much right as the photographer to be allowed to do your job. I often hear on this forum about working around the photographer, but when I am doing video only, I only work around the photographer when he needs to set up poses and groups. During the ceremony, speeches and cake cutting, the photographer has no priority over positioning and those times are essential to have a mutual understanding of each other's requirements.

In your instance with the daughter of the photographer standing infront of you, that is totally unacceptable and is not something I would take lightly. A second shooter is just that - second to the primary shooter and as far as I am concerned second to the videographer. I would also not accept the primary photographer walking directly into my shot in a non set up or non posed part of the day. Some photographers seem to feel that the photography is the most important and it doesn't matter about the video, but if you are there working for the couple, then there is no greater importance with the photographs. In certain parts of the day such as the vows or speeches, an uninterrupted shot on the video is vital and there is no need at any time for the photographer to dominate the moment.

As regards guests with phones, DSLRs, or video cameras, they are bottom of the pile and are taking shots for themselves, not the couple. I never give way to them, and a friendly word or gentle tap on the shoulder is usually sufficient, but a gentle 'accidental' nudge is also sometimes appropriate. More often than not they just don't notice you and are apologetic when they realise they are in the way.

As a company, we do video only, photography only and most frequently a combined package, so I am very aware that working together on both is extremely easy to allow space for what each discipline requires. Just make sure that you are confident enough to assert yourself :-)

Roger

While we are on the subject, one of the clues for working with photographers can be, do they use primes or zoom lenses. ....

Just a simple observation, but it does help me to look at the photogs lens gear.
Good point, Steven. It would have been nice to be able to converse with the photographer more, see what equipment they have and what their plan is, but it seemed as soon as she came from the parking lot (they had a shuttle going to town) it was all business (for her).

I had my cam with Røde mic sporting a windshield in hand and the "conversation" probably didn't last more than 30 or 40 seconds. End of discussion. The language barrier was certainly not helpful but she obviously wanted to get on with it, probably late for arrival.

Primes: Nice! I don't have any and looking forward to the day when I do, on a cam for video.

You have to make a decision when you are a wedding videographer about what you are trying to achieve. If the couple are expecting a video of their day and photographs of their day, then you have as much right as the photographer to be allowed to do your job. I often hear on this forum about working around the photographer, but when I am doing video only, I only work around the photographer when he needs to set up poses and groups.
At the civil wedding a few days earlier there was no photographer, just a few people who had their own cameras and smart phones, so this was a new experience for me. Maybe because I had a grey sport coat and tie on over a white shirt, the photographer considered me as a (lowly) guest? Frankly, I had discussed with my wife the option of wearing a black dress shirt but she vetoed that. Heck, the groom wears a black suit so why do I have to wear white? Well, the answer to that is (spoken with respect): "Yes, Honey."

Other options for the future: Wear a black shirt. If that doesn't help, wear a black shirt with a business name screened on the back and a badge. After that, add a skull and crossbones under the company name on the back. Last but not least I thinking: Battle fatigues! :-)

This could be an interesting sideline so we'll see what happens going forward. Just got back from the trip so trying to get caught up. Even further editing is on the back burner at the moment. Speaking of which... will probably be asking a question about what is typical later.

During the ceremony, speeches and cake cutting, the photographer has no priority over positioning and those times are essential to have a mutual understanding of each other's requirements.
I'm still burned up about the ring ceremony and the cake cutting.

In your instance with the daughter of the photographer standing infront of you, that is totally unacceptable and is not something I would take lightly.
I've thought of doing a Ken Burns on her derrière but that wouldn't be nice. (Doesn't keep me from thinking about it though).

As a company, we do video only, photography only and most frequently a combined package, so I am very aware that working together on both is extremely easy to allow space for what each discipline requires.
Just like in construction, it's a good idea to have a general contractor so there is no finger pointing (architects excepted, of course). It really makes good sense to have one person / company do both video and photographs.

Just make sure that you are confident enough to assert yourself :-)
Note to self: "Next time!"
Thanks Roger. I appreciated the post and all the nuance details.

That sounds like a holiday :)
I just got back from a wedding
07:30 start shooting at the groom (after 2 hour drive to get there)
08:00 shoot make up and hairdresser at the bride
10:00 groom arrives, first meet
11:00 legal wedding in town hall
11:30 back to parents house for family pictures and to eat.
13:00 church wedding
14:00 photoshoot
16:00 to venue and have first reception
18:00 new reception second group
19:30 couples enters venue and first course is served
20:30 2 speeches
21:00 main dish served
22:00 2 speeches
22:30 dessert
23:00 game organised by friends
23:30 first dance
midnight - I go home, again a 2 hour drive.

This is a average wedding planning I have to go though every wedding I shoot. 2 Weeks ago I had a Chinese wedding with doorgames, 2 theaceremonies and 19(!) speeches in the evening, started at 7 in the morning, ended at 30 min past midnight.

Damn Noa, that's intense. I've had the odd one like that, but certainly not every one. What are you able to charge? It'd better be high given your quality and that workload!

That sounds like a holiday :)
I just got back from a wedding
07:30 start shooting at the groom (after 2 hour drive to get there)
08:00 shoot make up and hairdresser at the bride
10:00 groom arrives, first meet
11:00 legal wedding in town hall
11:30 back to parents house for family pictures and to eat.
13:00 church wedding
14:00 photoshoot
16:00 to venue and have first reception
18:00 new reception second group
19:30 couples enters venue and first course is served
20:30 2 speeches
21:00 main dish served
22:00 2 speeches
22:30 dessert
23:00 game organised by friends
23:30 first dance
midnight - I go home, again a 2 hour drive.

This is a average wedding planning I have to go though every wedding I shoot. 2 Weeks ago I had a Chinese wedding with doorgames, 2 theaceremonies and 19(!) speeches in the evening, started at 7 in the morning, ended at 30 min past midnight.

I hope you charge a lot for that kind of dedication!

Not many videographers here stay until the last dance, which is often at midnight, but even at that I still don't leave the house for the ceremony until around 12 or 1pm. If you cover all that prep, I hope you're charging for it, and I assume you cut a LOT of that out in editing, otherwise you're looking at a 2 disc DVD.

Good point, Steven. It would have been nice to be able to converse with the photographer more, see what equipment they have and what their plan is, but it seemed as soon as she came from the parking lot (they had a shuttle going to town) it was all business (for her).

I had my cam with Røde mic sporting a windshield in hand and the "conversation" probably didn't last more than 30 or 40 seconds. End of discussion. The language barrier was certainly not helpful but she obviously wanted to get on with it, probably late for arrival.

Primes: Nice! I don't have any and looking forward to the day when I do, on a cam for video.

So just shot a wedding. A couple of days before the wedding I reached out to the photographer by phone. He mentioned that he was 'an aggressive photographer.' Now while I heard the words, it pales in comparison to what the actions looked like. Let's say I have a full understanding of what that means now. There's a level of professionalism you should have in your movements during a ceremony, not shoot it like you're shooting a wrestling match.

My latest joy....

like the photographer in this sketch!

prob not that suitable for work...

https://youtu.be/NzKfcaKCevk


:-)