The evolving wedding videographer
 

We all strive to be better, I just want to gather information as to what changes you have adapted since joining DVI.

I consider myself a Traditional wedding videographer. For 15 plus years I never made changes to my shooting style, for those old enough. The shoots I have before was animating the rings, asking the bride to do a piroutte with robe, cut, ask bride to do the same with gown, intercut them so the Bride changes dress from Robe to Gown. It does not cut it anymore. For a while I thought I was at the top of my game until I joined this forum an saw the works of Jmags/Still Motion/Von Laken/ SiChung/Ian Lim/Travis, etc, etc, etc. Made me realize I was stuck in the 80s.

So my questions for those who want to share.

What shooting style are you moving forward to? I tend to gravitate towards Cloud nine, slower pace but beautiful camera work.

What changes have you made? Here is mine:

1. No more dissolves as much as possible.
2. Shoot close-up/medium/wide.
3. Mic the groom. Tap into the PA system at reception. ( Bad audio = Bad video). It is pain synching in post but it is worth it.
4. Saturate videos in post. Play with contrast.
5. Just bought a Stabilizer (Steady Tracker). So far I have shot 4 weddings with it.

I still light the reception, I guess I'll never kick this out of my arsenal.

Well, since heading out to forums in general, I have noted how exceptional and beautiful wedding video can be. Having come from a film school, I was well aware of the do's and dont's of the video industry, but I was also instilled with the stigma that wedding videos suck.

After joining forums, I have been exposed to everything but bad wedding videos. Sure they still exist, but the community as a whole is moving toward a much more polished product. I am sure this is due to the reduced costs in equipment and the widely available sources of training.

My shooting is definitely heading toward an innovative art form that treats the B&G as if they were a part of a movie production. I want to be able to put the B&G into the shoes of an actor for their wedding day. Transform their day into a polished film that is on par with A movies.

This of course means using more tools at our disposal, such as steadicams, sliders, and cranes. Of course these tools are used sparingly, but when used correctly, really up the value of a film.

Some things in my workflow that have changed are utilizing voice recorders. These little guys pack a huge punch for their low price. The ability to have backup backup audio is really comforting.

The other change I have made is doing extensive color correction utilizing Apple Color. This really ups a videos quality and allows me to really set my own style through the use of color.

And of course, who could forget the HDSLR revolution. I was incredibly skeptical of DSLRs being used as video cameras, but it has really been proved on multiple forums and video posts. Not only that, it is really easy and convenient to receive help with any issues that I may encounter when using these cameras.

Wedding video is absolutely evolving to a new level and I am really excited to be a part of that. Just hope I can keep up.

What's up Noel...

This forum has been a blessing to say the least, just being exposed to the level of talent here made us strive to get better in our craft. In the beginning we thought we were ok with the slow mo and the use of 1,000 cross dissolves until 2 years ago when my aunt showed me her friend's wedding video from the Philippines filmed by Sir JMag ..I'd say that was the end of our "slow-mo dissolve videos" :) nowadays, we absolutely love Susanto's work, Mayad, Bob Nicolas and Threelogy.

Some of the changes we've made

1. Fast music, fast cuts, time shift edits.
2. Multiple cam set up
2. Color correction and grading
3. Better audio and lighting (we light the ceremony and reception)
4. Buying a glidetrack and steadycam and learning how to use them properly.


We have found our own style so we just try to incorporate little bits and pieces here and there to complement it. Although i must say its hard to keep up :)

Regards,

Kren
Vertical Video Works | www.verticalvideoworks.com

I couldn't agree more. This forum is what makes me so motivated in the first place coming into this industry. The amount of support and encouragement in this forum is overwhelming!

Some that I learnt throughout the year:
1. Be adventurous with song choices. Off with those Celine Dion style music.. try something new, modern, even with artist that are not in the top charts billboard
2. Incorporate original audio in the footage. Speeches, comments etc.. the point is to tell a story rather than previewing a story
3. I reduce the use of zooming & panning and replace with steadicam & slider shots
4. Be creative with angles; I have seen creative footages where the object doesn't have to be in the middle, reflection from a mirror, shooting from behind objects (door, glass, etc etc).

I have not perfected these techniques but I am hoping I can use and improve it in my next projects. :)

Cheers!