It's not 2007 anymore...and Uncle Bob doesn't use a SLR camera anymore.

Hi, I'm an Uncle Bob, a friend of the wedding couple who vlogs as a part time hobby.

I have a theory, and this is it; today's Uncle Bob is good for professional wedding videographers. Why? Because today's Uncle Bobs are close to the quality of lower end professional videographers.

A high end wedding will want a professional studio filming their wedding, right? However, with so many low end videographers out there, the industry is saturated. Uncle Bobs are making videos that are not that bad. So Uncke Bob is helping prune the industry of excess videographers.

One week ago, I filmed my first wedding ever. I used my iPhone, iPad and my drone then edited on my iPhone with the free iMovie app. I have no professional photography or videography training. I did this for free for family as I was a guest who was asked if I would make a video. This video kept me busy that day so I didn't need to talk to those annoying relatives too much. :-)

♦️Are Uncle Bob's good for the industry? I say yes. What do you think?
https://youtu.be/fM3wzeT8ucs

Hi Doug

It's nothing to do with being an Uncle Bob or using an iPhone ... it's all about the person behind the camera NOT whether you are using a $10K camera or a $1K one. You have produced, what I think (also as a professional videographer) a video that is worthy of handing to the bride and nicely edited with good audio! They will be thrilled with it I'm sure! You should be very proud of what you have produced regardless of the fact that it was a freebie and wasn't charged for.

On the Uncle Bob and iPhone issue your video COULD have been a very wobbly affair, shot vertically (as so many phone users do) using just the audio from the phone ..typical of what guests tend to shoot so in answer to your question ..Uncle Bobs will always be out there, with camcorders and phones and some will be quite good and some will be awful but I honestly don't think that they will affect the industry any differently from what they do now. You cannot class yourself as an Uncle Bob as you are way above that !!

....You have produced, what I think (also as a professional videographer) a video that is worthy of handing to the bride and nicely edited with good audio! They will be thrilled with it I'm sure! ... You cannot class yourself as an Uncle Bob as you are way above that !!

Wow! :-)

Okay, I must admit you have be beaming with pride. Thank you Chris.

I don't do weddings, but I can imagine myself replying to Uncle Bob with "I've got the water-squirter thing that I normally use for the cat."

iPads have a big enough screen to be a fair target. Am I evil?

Andrew

Hi Andrew ... My weddings nowdays are restricted to a live broadcast with live editing where needed. I got tired of having to have cranes, sliders, stedicams and drones so we only do the simple thing now and stream it to family overseas.
I got tired of being at a wedding for 12 hours and then spending a full week just on the edit for at least another 60 hours getting it to look cinematic and artistic!! and then the couple cry when they have to pay $3000 for your effort! Do the math but after travel costs and consultations you end up making under $40 an hour

I can stream a 20 minute ceremony (and travel locally) and be done in an hour, and charge $250 and get comments like .."Wow that's so reasonable" ...

Thanks why I don't do "artistic" weddings any more!!!

Uncle Bobs are making videos that are not that bad. So Uncle Bob is helping prune the industry of excess videographers.

If your intention is to compare your film with the average uncle Bob you are definitely wrong, Uncle Bob doesn't take a drone with him to a wedding and a tripod, shoot with multiple camera's and take a direct feed from a mixer with a external recorder.

Although your video is not bad at all and even better then the average weddingvideographer's work in my country, it wouldn't prune the industry of excess videographers, it would only add to the lower end videographers which the market is already saturated with.

You have done a competent job with 'comparatively' limited equipment and I am sure the couple will be very happy with it. However, a true Uncle Bob would not have access to drones, sound recorders, multiple cameras and stabilisers. So as Noa said you are just adding to the lower end videographer pool.

A serious lower end wedding videographer would use cameras with much bigger and better imaging chips, manual controls, smooth zooms etc, so you are doing exactly the same thing with a much reduced image quality by just using a phone/phones. There is a noticeable quality loss in the lower light parts of the video, particularly noticeable when there is movement and also characterised by an overall lack of dynamic range in low light. One thing that bothers me is your use of the drone, because apart from the limited and basic shots, there is a shot where you are flying directly over the heads of the guests, which certainly In the U.K. and I assume in the US would be illegal. That would suggest that you do not have a licence to film in these circumstances as you would be aware of the limitations and also the need to have an observer.

So to sum up, your video is very competent within the limitations of the equipment and the couple are probably delighted. To actually start up from scratch though and emulate what you have done, would mean a considerable financial outlay and either a need to charge for the service or an independent income to pay the bills.

Perhaps you could get a couple of proper video cameras and do it more seriously as you obviously have a good eye.

Roger

It's not 2007 anymore...and Uncle Bob doesn't use a SLR camera anymore.

Hi, I'm an Uncle Bob, a friend of the wedding couple who vlogs as a part time hobby.

I have a theory, and this is it; today's Uncle Bob is good for professional wedding videographers. Why? Because today's Uncle Bobs are close to the quality of lower end professional videographers.

A high end wedding will want a professional studio filming their wedding, right? However, with so many low end videographers out there, the industry is saturated. Uncle Bobs are making videos that are not that bad. So Uncke Bob is helping prune the industry of excess videographers.

One week ago, I filmed my first wedding ever. I used my iPhone, iPad and my drone then edited on my iPhone with the free iMovie app. I have no professional photography or videography training. I did this for free for family as I was a guest who was asked if I would make a video.
Reading between the lines looks like you want to get into the wedding business and used a free friend's wedding as a trial to test filming with iPhones. It's good for your first wedding.

I wouldn't get to carried away with this "uncle bob" thing. Concentrate on your craft and the rest will take care of itself. A few areas of weakness: editing/ pacing and the lack of an optical zoom lens. You have all the elements and typical shots just need refine how the are blended together.

.... That would suggest that you do not have a licence to film in these circumstances as you would be aware of the limitations and also the need to have an observer.

Thank you for checking out my video & your detailed and positive reply Roger.

Just to set everyone at ease, I am in the USA, am a member of the Green Bay DUG a.k.a. Drone Users Group and operating under the far less restrictive "Section 336" rules & all club rules which I can do legally without permit so long as my videos are without compensation. I've even went beyond the legal required minimums as I'm FAA registered and have a liability insurance policy. Also my drone has my name, phone and FAA number on it, again, not required for Section 336 operators. The people were involve in shoot, informed beforehand and asked to relocate to the open garage if they had objections.

Thank you for posting your concerns Roger.

.... A few areas of weakness: editing/ pacing and the lack of an optical zoom lens. You have all the elements and typical shots just need refine how the are blended together.

Awesome feedback and thank you.

Any suggestions on where I can learn more about pacing?

As requested, here is a copy of section 336, which does not apply to professional wedding videographers, but does apply to me making a wedding video for free


https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/uas_arctic/media/Sec_331_336_UAS.pdf

You can watch well made wedding videos paying attention to how they put things together. For example drone shots are usually longer and often slowed down to open with to establish a beautiful venue. Your drone shots are choppy and abrupt. I didn't care for the shot looking directly down on the reception. Another choppy abrupt shot is of her wedding dress on the hanger.

You can watch well made wedding videos paying attention to how they put things together. For example drone shots are usually longer and often slowed down to open with to establish a beautiful venue. Your drone shots are choppy and abrupt. I didn't care for the shot looking directly down on the reception.


Awesome, thank you for these tips.

Thank you for checking out my video & your detailed and positive reply Roger.

Just to set everyone at ease, I am in the USA, am a member of the Green Bay DUG a.k.a. Drone Users Group and operating under the far less restrictive "Section 336" rules & all club rules which I can do legally without permit so long as my videos are without compensation. I've even went beyond the legal required minimums as I'm FAA registered and have a liability insurance policy. Also my drone has my name, phone and FAA number on it, again, not required for Section 336 operators. The people were involve in shoot, informed beforehand and asked to relocate to the open garage if they had objections.

Thank you for posting your concerns Roger.

Thanks for the reply Doug, it sounds like the rules are more relaxed in the US than they are on this side of the pond.

I also rudely forgot to add Welcome to the forum :-)

Roger

H Doug,

Just read through the relevant section 336 and I would add a word of caution. Although you are not filming weddings for any payment, you did say that you were a Vblogger. If using video in other forms is a part of your business that receives payment, it could be construed that the drone footage from the wedding could be used to enhance your profile, even if you declare it as hobby or leisure use. It could be seen that if you were filming and editing the video for a number of hours for a client, including the drone footage, even if no payment was received you could be stepping over a fine line.

If the client puts the video on YouTube for instance and a local commercial drone operator or wedding videographer using drones sees it, he could get quite disgruntled about it.

I'm not saying that it would happen, but forewarned is forearmed.

Roger

H Doug,

Just read through the relevant section 336 and I would add a word of caution. Although you are not filming weddings for any payment, you did say that you were a Vblogger. If using video in other forms is a part of your business that receives payment, it could be construed that the drone footage from the wedding could be used to enhance your profile, even if you declare it as hobby or leisure use. It could be seen that if you were filming and editing the video for a number of hours for a client, including the drone footage, even if no payment was received you could be stepping over a fine line.

If the client puts the video on YouTube for instance and a local commercial drone operator or wedding videographer using drones sees it, he could get quite disgruntled about it.

I'm not saying that it would happen, but forewarned is forearmed.

Roger

Thank you for welcoming me to the board Roger.

I don't monetize my YouTube videos. We could get way off track discussing this, but in brief, even if this was a paid gig, I'd still be okay without a permit after paying then passing the USA FAA part 107 exam.

I may soon get my part 107, not because I have to, simply because I enjoy the drone hobby.

Thank you Roger.

The drone stuff aside are you planning on turning this iPhone thing into a wedding business? Seems like a lot of equipment/time/effort for a hobby. Or is just vlogging equipment re purposed for kicks?

The drone stuff aside are you planning on turning this iPhone thing into a wedding business? Seems like a lot of equipment/time/effort for a hobby. Or is just vlogging equipment re purposed for kicks?



Hmm, need to put more thought to it.

Or...I could teach people how to make a wedding video with a smartphone. :-)

I've got to say I'm surprised at how lax these laws seem to be. If I'm reading this correctly it seems as though it is perfectly legal for a 55 pound drone (ie something big enough to carry a Red or Alexa mini) to be flown above a crowd of people, within restricted airspace, without a spotter - so long as it is not done for commercial gain.

This seems insane! The safety laws are put in place to protect people from user error or mechanical failure - surely accidents are not going to be less likely simply because it is recreational rather than commercial use. Imagine if the road rules only applied to commercial vehicles, and every one else could speed, ignore traffic lights, and do burnouts to their hearts content!

Thank you for welcoming me to the board Roger.

I don't monetize my YouTube videos. We could get way off track discussing this, but in brief, even if this was a paid gig, I'd still be okay without a permit after paying then passing the USA FAA part 107 exam.

I may soon get my part 107, not because I have to, simply because I enjoy the drone hobby.

Thank you Roger.

As you say, the drone use conversation could go way off track and I am sure you know the rules and regs for where you live. I have a Phantom drone with a GoPro on a gimbal and FPV screen monitoring. I love flying it and taking arial footage. As I am a full time professional videographer and photographer, I did consider taking some drone footage at weddings for my own fun and at no cost to the Couple. However, it was quickly pointed out to me that if I used it in anyway alongside my paid work I would require the full UK CAA UAV licence after taking the written and flying training and exams at considerable cost. That was inspite of already having a pilots licence, so I decided it wasn't worth the cost to provide a few seconds of arial footage or risk a big fine.

As regards teaching people to video a wedding with a smart phone, seems a little pointless because if they are going to put a considerable amount of time into learning about visual flow, colour correction and matching, overcoming problems, editing and how to get decent audio, they are going to want some money coming in from it. If that's the case then they are better off using a video camera that is probably no more than a decent smart phone and join all the other low level videographers. At least they will be able to offer higher image quality.

Roger

As regards teaching people to video a wedding with a smart phone, seems a little pointless because if they are going to put a considerable amount of time into learning about visual flow, colour correction and matching, overcoming problems, editing and how to get decent audio, they are going to want some money coming in from it. If that's the case then they are better off using a video camera that is probably no more than a decent smart phone and join all the other low level videographers. At least they will be able to offer higher image quality.

Roger
I agree with Roger's assessment. Just on appearances I can't see some one showing up to a paid gig with a phone. Besides are you going to try selling electronic gimbal lessons for the smartphone to uncle bob? Once you factor in all the other aspects of filming and editing a wedding... I could see this topic as good material for that dummies book series " iPhone Weddings for dummies"

Nice. Tilt down on the wide shot, but overall, good job.

" iPhone Weddings for dummies"

Thank you for your insight Roger and Pete.

There is a guy teaching iPhone photography. Here is an example. https://iphonephotographyschool.com/ipa/?utmid=6075415252342

I've yet to find anyone teaching iPhone videography.

But again, I'm not sure I would want to do it beyond a hobby. I do well at my carrier. http://www.linkedin.com/in/dougales

Nice. Tilt down on the wide shot, but overall, good job.


Nice tip Phil. Thank you

"iPhone Weddings for dummies"

Haha nice.

I'm actually in the process of writing a more general "iPhone Videography for dummies". It's 482 pages but every page just has the exact same text: "Hold your phone horizontally"

I think repetition is the key here.

Jokes aside I think there is a market for teaching smartphone video techniques - target it at journalists, PR, and social media producers, who are more and more being required to multi-task and generate content with their smartphones in the course of their regular activities. You might even get the odd 'uncle bob' signing up too.

BBC Academy - Journalism - Smartphone journalism: Video (http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/journalism/article/art20130702112133395)

Thank you for your insight Roger and Pete.

There is a guy teaching iPhone photography. Here is an example. https://iphonephotographyschool.com/ipa/?utmid=6075415252342

I've yet to find anyone teaching iPhone videography.

But again, I'm not sure I would want to do it beyond a hobby. I do well at my carrier. http://www.linkedin.com/in/dougales
Good to see you have a established career. Initially I thought you might be one of those people looking for an "angle" to make money. Like I said I could see it as a fun topic for an article , vlog, blog, book etc just not a pro wedding business model.

Or what John said there is a big social media market who might want to learn some of the techniques you used for non wedding purposes.

Ideas on their own don't succeed or fail it often comes down to how determined you are to achieve them. I remember when ebay first started I couldn't imagine strangers buying selling used stuff to each other online.