Hi All,

Would it be possible to get a top 3, from anybody who reads this, in terms of lessons learnt from the first wedding you captured. Realise the long term memories might be faulty at this stage, but do your best ;-)

Anything at all, from accessorise you wish you had, positions you wish you hadn't taken up, angles you wish you had covered, shots you accidentally missed & why, what you would have done differently with your audio, equipment you wish you'd left behind on the first shoot ... dot, dot, dot .

I think it would make for interesting reading for new comers, & it would be interesting to see what lessons learnts could be avoided, for people like myself who will have to experience the big stage shortly..

Thanks in advance you kind DV INFO people.

P.s Unfortunetly, I will not be offering any prizes for the best and worst lesson learnt.

Rgs,

Joe

I'm trying to think back to the day I shot that first wedding on SVHS . . . I was the guy up in the balcony, the cutaway camera. I learned some very important things that day.

1. Press record. I forgot this one, and missed the first half of the ceremony.

2. Less = more. Less camera movement, less zooming, etc.

3. Just because people are drunk at the reception and funny to you, doesn't mean they are funny to the B&G and/or their parents.

Check your record button. I had mine in reverse. The record was ON when the camera was not in use and OFF when I thought I was recording the ceremony. Now its almost second nature to me, check record before anything else.

Most definately!!

Under no circumstances trust the MC or the running sheet!!! After promising faithfully that the bouquet toss would be at 11:50pm ..I heard the "single girls song" playing at 10pm while I was in the toilet..pants around ankles and no hope of getting to the dance floor in time.

Lesson??? Be prepared for anything to happen at any time..it's a wedding!!!

BTW: That was the one and only time I got caught out but when you gotta go, you gotta go!!!

I got away with that but very serious lesson learnt very early on was have two (or more) of everything ...if you can have a backup for the backup too!!!

Chris

My first was about 3 years ago but here it goes...

I shot with two unmanned consumer cams locked down on tripods and one prosumer cam that I manned for the closeups and cutaways. The consumer cam at the rear - for the wide shot and recessional - didn't record because I didn't push the button hard enough and verify it was recording.

Then guests began arriving late and standing at the rear blocking my movements from the left side of the venue to the right and back again causing me to miss some important closeups. I now make it a rule to keep the rear isle clear. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't.

After that wedding I only shot with one or two cameras but have since gone back to using three. One locked down just off center isle for the B&G and minister, one locked down at the rear for the wide shot and recessional (place it as high as you can), and then one manned for the close-ups and cutaways. As of the last wedding I shot I used two H.D. cams (and one S.D.) but now have a third H.D. cam and will not use anymore S.D. cams.

For microphones I now use 2 lavs into digital voice recorders (be sure to verify they are on), one Azden shotgun atop center isle cam, and one Rode Stereo mic atop the wide angle cam.

The record button seems to be featuring alot :-) .... I shouldn't be laughing ....

Just this year I had a complete brain freeze when it came time for the brides name. Don't ask me why, I could pass it off as getting old but honestly my mind had a meltdown and for the life of me I couldn't remember her name and I was standing in front of her talking to her. The best part is her name was Kelly and she was the 3rd bride in a row (in 2 weeks) with that name. Talk about a dunce (me).
Yeah the good old red button can be a killer. The first time that happened to me was about 20 years ago and luckily it has only happened once or twice since then and fortunately not at a really important time but those one time shots would have been nice to have.

- Watch out where you place your camera for the ceremony. I didn't think beforehand and ended up placing my camera facing the side of the church that the sun was shining through. Clear blue sky so I was fighting backlight during the entire ceremony:(

- Have a back-up camera rolling. Invaluable. On top of that, have some kind of audio back-up. No such thing as too much back-up!

- Make sure to time when you change cards/tape. Don't want to miss anything important, like I did during my first wedding:(

- Make sure the batteries are charged and that you test them out beforehand. I had fully charged the batteries, but one was faulty. Luckily I got through the ceremony and was able to change before the signing of the register.

Hmm, lets see. My top 3 lessons from my first shoot or two would definitely be the following:

1) Every stands for the bride processional. (Silly mistake I know, but will kill that awesome shot you spent time setting up.

2) Sorting through hours of dancing footage gets old really fast. No point in shooting the same thing over and over. Since then I have reserved time during the dancing to get some water, detail shots, and mingle with guests. Sometimes I even dance some. Haha.

3) Cutaway shots are absolutely vital. Details, reactions, locations, artsy shots, and more are all incredible vital to improving the overall look of your video. Take some time to get shots of moms, dads, grandparents, and bridal party during the ceremony.

I learn something new every wedding, but I think these have been some of the few that have stood out most in my experience. Great thread and this is absolutely a learning business. If at any point you feel you have stopped learning, then you need to recheck yourself.

Haha, Chris, good story.

Lets see, stuff I've learned.

1-First wedding, realized that I needed to stabilize better.
2-Learned to insert a fresh cf card for the ceremony. Took to many shots at the getting ready and the card got full as the bride came down the aisle.
3-get to the ceremony 30 minutes before to setup. Don't get in the limo with the bride and have to setup in 5 minutes.
4-Press the 'on' button to get the h4n out of standby. Don't stick it in the corner by a baby.
5-Don't just focus on the bride. She probably cares the most about the dvd and wants to see the groom.
6-things break and fail, roll with it.

I have tons of lessons learnt. Some I learnt the hard way. But these might help you:

1. Simplify your shooting.
I got excited with glidecam, slider, pull focus, etc at start.. forgotting to nail the basics first, which is the most important.

2. Charge a decent price.
I've been burned with some deals that I charged too low because I was being nice. Charge what its really worth and be clear of what services you provide. Make sure you make earning and not loss. Of course, this is not the case in your first one or two wedding where you only starting to build a portfolio.

3. Always have a backup.. audio/video etc
There's nothing worst than losing a video or audio. Trust us, things will go wrong in a wedding. Even the most experienced make mistakes. Having a backup means you are ready for that.

Probably the most fatal error has to be the red button syndrome!!! It's one that you just cannot recover from ...you can't recover/correct anything if there is no footage.

A mate of mine (his first wedding) was shaking so much he "double-pressed" the record button so the camera (yes, it was a single camera shoot too!!!) simply went back into "pause"

Why he never looked at the LCD or EVF beats me but it does make sense after hitting record to look thru your EVF and make sure the red record light IS on and the counter IS counting!! At least you know that you are recording. With tape I could have a quick peek also at the cassette thru it's window and make sure it was actually turning!! With card cameras it's even easier as on my Panny's there are TWO tally lights (front and back) and the card access light flashes while recording.

To make sure you don't get caught out, hit record and then CHECK that it's actually happening before breathing a sigh of relief!!

Chris

I've got a few more than 3, but here goes - minus the already mentioned need for special attention paid to the record button:


The best laid plans are frequently compromised by the unpredictability of stressed out and/or drunk people. Be prepared to be surprised.



If you shoot with multiple cameras, and leave one or more unmanned, you will no doubt get there early to secure the BEST angles. These are the best angles for a reason, and when the cameras become unmanned, others will demonstrate those reasons by compromising the efficacy of your unmanned cameras, standing in front of them for extended lengths of time, or even moving them aside to set up their own inferior gear for personal use.



Become extremely familiar with the standard flow of a wedding ceremony in general, and if possible, of the client's wedding ceremony in particular.

On that note: Do not assume you are being clever by secreting a small wireless microphone or recording device in the bride's bouquet as a means of getting awesome audio of the couple's vows. The only time you will need anything from that mic happens to also be the one point that the bride hands the bouquet to her maid of honor, nullifying its efficacy for audio capture of the vows.



If there are other service providers whose presence and actions will affect the way you do your job, get to know who they are and how best to work with or around them. Communicate your needs while attempting to appropriately accommodate theirs. Think of it as an orchestration of teamwork.



Have fun. It's a party (usually). And if all goes well with how you do your job, it will ultimately be through your efforts that they will best remember a very special occasion.

-Jon

1. Always have a backup battery(s) On one of my first shoots, I tested my camera in the morning, to make sure everything was working ok. I forgot to turn it off. When I got to the site, my battery was dead. Fortunately, I had a spare so everything was ok, but it would have been catastrophic if there was no backup.

2. The above also applies to videotape or media. You could accidentally record 2 hours of footage by mistake and not know it. Then suddenly, you pick up the camera only to discover that your tape or media is full.

3. Always get to your location on time. Earlier is better. No explanation needed.

A quick extra bit of info on Warren's post !!

Make sure that the spare battery is OK!! Nothing like swopping a battery and it dies 10 minutes later!!!
and yes, it has happened to me too BUT I had another 2 spares.
On two cameras I have 2 x 2600mah batteries and 4 x 4500mah batteries!!!

Chris

I was and have been paranoid about that red button to the point that I was constantly checking to make sure I'm recording. Over time (the handfull of weddings I've done) I've relaxed about it.

1) Positioning - get closer! Don't be shy about getting in the way of guests at times. During my first wedding I positioned myself in the church where the priest told me to stand. When the bride came in and everybody stood up I had no view, so ended up scrambling and raising my entire tripod in the air to get the shot! Made the same mistake upon the B&G entry to the reception hall.

2) The importance of camera movement.

3) Shoot with more than one camera.

4) The importance of lighting.

5) The importance of recording good sound - I recorded via Rode NTG2 with my xha1s during the reception and picked up a horrible humming noise from one of the hall's speakers during speeches. Luckily have bought a h4n since then.

I shot my first wedding last year after resisting it for a long time. I don't think I'll be doing it again.

Lessons:

1. Like any other shoot, audio is critical. You have got to mic the couple and the presider at least. There's just no way around it. I used a good shotgun mic along with a house audio feed recorded separately which was a whole adventure in itself. It all worked properly but I was not satisfied at all with the track even after a lot of work in post. Way too much room noise.

1A. If you have a soloist singing or cantoring, mic them as well. Knowing about it ahead of time helps as well. The trouble I had here was the house system uses crappy mics and he just wasn't recorded well. The music in general is an issue all its own. It's important to people so you have to do the work to get it recorded properly.

1B. Lighting was not an option. The pastor said no lights of any kind. I did the best I could. Fortunately the Z7U is a fine camera.

2. I didn't miss any shots at the wedding but I was humping my HVR-Z7U around on a Bogen tripod and it was all I could do to get the shots. A 'B' camera is really needed. I still ended up shooting more handheld than I would have liked at both the wedding and the reception.

3. The reception will be a bear. I was warned about that by people who know. They were right. They do not go as scripted. I worked with the DJ/Emcee who was running the thing. He was fine but people still get their own ideas during the event. They added in having people talk at a podium and I was completely unprepared for it.

4. Make sure you work with the people. Make sure they understand the limitations and make sure you understand your limitations. I gave myself a barely passing grade on the job.

My overall observation is that what you're doing with wedding videography is using documentary techniques to shoot something that really should be staged for video. There are lots of tradeoffs to be made and you're documenting something that is a very emotional moment for your client. I've never watched a wedding video that I liked and I include mine in that. Fortunately I was paid far below market since it was my first time and I did a good enough job so the client was happy.

Like I said, I don't think I'll be doing it again. Not my thing.

Speaking about extra gear...Yes, extra CHARGED batteries are critical. I use Sony 970s, 1 on the camera 2 in the bag (A camera). I change batteries before the introductions even though I know the battery has enough juice to get thru them, the cake cutting, the toasts and even the first dance but why take a chance. I keep 2 970s in my B camera bag. Before every job they get charged.
Yes, I still use tape and I keep about 8 to 10 in my bag. I know going in that my B camera will use 1 sometimes 2, I keep 1 in my A camera, (obvious) 1 in my pocket for a quick change and another ready to go in my bag. That one usually gets changed to before dancing starts. So by that time I have 3/4 tapes, 1 from my B cam (another from my C cam if used) a 2nd tape to finish the ceremony (Catholic Mass ceremonies), post ceremony stuff reception B roll cocktail hour. I would rather waste 10, 15 or even 20 minutes of a tape than be caught short.
All of my audio gear uses AA bateries. 12 in all, and I keep a ziplock baggy in my bag with 12 more. You never know when a cattery can die on you. Of course if it's during the ceremony and a body pak goes out (I use 2) I cn't fix it. Oh well, it's never happened and hopefully never will. I use 1 set of rechargeable AAs in my light and keep another fully charged set in my bag. I have only had to change during the reception perhaps once or twice.
As for receptions being a bear, yeah they can be but after the first 20 or so weddings you have a really good idea of whats going on and of course I always take a few minutes when I arrive there to talk to the DJ/planner to get the skinny on what's taking place and when. Of course as I've always said, a wedding is like a news event. It happens fast, it happens once and yo've got to be on your toes, ready for anything.
I equate it to when I was in the army 45 years ago. Hours of boredom, moments of terror.
The thing about weddings, you either like doing them or you don't. IMO ther's no in-between.

I just thought of another thing. If you don't know what's going to happen next, shoot wide!

Attend the rehearsal if there is to be one especially if it is a venue with which you are not familiar. Don't try and just wing it on the day. This may also earn you bonus points with the officiants which you may need to cash in.

You'll learn where the couple will be positioned and when, where the readings will be made from, the feasibility of moving your position during the ceremony and so on. And you may meet with some resistance to micing everyone up if you're not in the USA so you can spy out the best places to hide miniature audio recorders close to the action; devices like the Zoom H1 which you can syn in post easily using Plural Eyes.

If the ceremony layout is so restrictive of movement you may even need to think about shooting from a position in which you are "trapped" having taken up that position a few minutes before the start. For example many older churches do not have layouts that enable you to get good profile or forward shots of the couple so think about getting a place well forward such as hidden in the choir pews. Its your position as well as your expert use of your equipment that will separate you from the best efforts of a camcorder wielding guest shooting from a couple of rows back.

Pete

1. Don't use cheap generic SD cards bought off ebay for ridiculously cheap. I know, I know, sounds obvious. And it is. But I fell for it anyway. I tested the card before the wedding and it worked fine. About 30 seconds into the wedding the card goes nuts and shuts down the camera being operated by my inexperienced friend. So I had to lock down the camera I was running, run up to the balcony and swap out the cards and get it going again. I was kicking myself for that stupid mistake.

2. Always be aware of how much record time you have left. I was shooting the B&G cutting the cake and just as they were about to put the cake in their mouths, little blinking letters popped up, 'Card Full'.



Oh, and one time I was assisting another videographer and had his camera light in my pocket and it fell out and shattered on the dance floor. Not cool.

Most of the things I would say are covered (back ups for everything!) but..

1) Find clear lines of sight for the ceremony. We attend the rehearsal and figure out camera placement then and use some painter's tape (have never had an issue with a venue since the tape comes off easily) to mark where our cameras will be. This also allows us to chat with the bridal party to let them know to be aware of where the cameras to the side will be.. alleviating them from accidentally blocking our view. We also try to have a back-up position for each camera if unforeseen circumstances occur - such as a rather large wedding guest sitting in front of the camera or a fidgety/noisy child is near (but mostly to avoid the types of photographers who come with an entourage to tote their lighting gear around).

2) When using multiple cameras, make sure to stagger tape/media changes so that everyone is not changing at the same time. We typically use three cameras and have a five minute window between the first camera and the last changing tape. Corollary: Start the ceremony on a fresh tape and battery.

3) At the reception, don't worry about capturing much of people eating. It's usually boring and we've yet to have a bride/groom ask for more than the few seconds of it we put in. Now we use the dining time to get some food, ensure batteries are being charged and clear out some of the gear to the car. We take turns paying attention to the crowd to capture anything interesting, but beyond a child being cute or a nice sunset view it is rare there is anything going on during the meal.

Bonus lesson: For the dancing, get out there on the floor with the camera. If you shoot from the edges of the dance floor, typically all you have is people's backs. Amazing how much they warm up to the camera and enjoy it if you are out there with them.

All,

Thanks for taking time to respond. I've collated all your lessons into a top 10 type checklist, which might be of benefit to other newcomers out there.

To dive a little more into the nitty gritty detail, could i ask anyone for lessons, that they may have learned about certain 'SETTINGS' that they'd like to share, after the first wedding:
- If you did a timelapse for it, what did or didn't work, with interval settings, shutter speed, F-stop etc
- If using 7D or 5D, did you have problems keeping focus, on any particular type of shot. Did footage turn out less 'cinematic, than you might have hoped.
- If using Zoom H4N did you get any interference on any particular mode, i.e. Stamina mode. What did you do to avoid it?
- If using Wireless Sennheiser Lavs, did you get out of the box results, or did any defaults need to be changed.

Thanks,

Joe


=================

(1) The red button syndrome. Verify It’s actually recording on cameras & audio recorders.

(2) Make sure to time when you change cards/tape, especially with multi cameras.

(3) Know the running sheet.
o Be prepared for anything outside of the expected, at any time
o Get to know other service providers, & hoe best to work with or around them.
o Communicate your needs while attempting to appropriately accommodate theirs.

(4) Backup
o Have a backup camera rolling
o Have a backup for the backup too!!!
o Extra CHARGED batteries are critical

(5) Always strive to be personable & remember the Bride’s name (Thanks Don) …. :-)

(6) Placement of camera for ceremony
o Be careful of backlight
o Find clear lines of sight for the ceremony, & factor in that guests WILL stand for bride processional, & may block movement, & view at rear of isle.
o Place B camera high when necessary

(7) Cutaway shots are absolutely vital. Details, reactions, locations, artsy shots, close ups, are all vital to improving the production value of your work.

(8) Get shots of moms, dads, grandparents, and bridal party during the ceremony.

(9) Less = more.
o Less camera movement, less zooming, etc.
o Simplify the shooting & nail the basics first,
o When experienced, gradually add glidecam, slider, pull focus etc.

(10) Audio is critical.
o You HAVE to mic the couple and the officiant at a minimum. There's just no way around it.
o If you have a soloist singing, mic them as well. Confirm this ahead of time helps.

There's a lot of good advice in this thread but I think we should be clear that while some techniques/methods can serve a new wedding videographer well, they can get in the way for someone with more experience.

Here are some quick examples (and perhaps my biggest lessons learned when starting out).

1. The more cameras the better was my mantra when I was starting out, but now I'm perfectly comfortable using only one camera if that is what the client has budgeted for.

2. Attending rehearsals regularly is a great way to get acclimated to weddings in general and of course the one at hand, but I can't recall the last time I needed to attend a rehearsal.

3. Carving out lots of extra time during the day specifically for setting up at each venue is a good idea to start with, but once you have a routine pretty much set, you can cut this setup time down and use those minutes to get some shots that you might not have been able to capture otherwise.

Alec Moreno
Wedding Art Films - Southern California - Los Angeles - Orange County - Video (http://www.WeddingArtFilms.com)

Hi Alec

Agreed apart from the rehearsals!!!
I think it's pure courtesy to meet the priest at the rehearsal and go over what will happen...unless of course it's the same Church and same priest from last weekend and a standard ceremony!! We seem to have different priests going to the same Church so more often than not the resident guy isn't doing the service! If the one I have done before then I skip it. It's not a BIG deal to go to a rehearsal!! Only 30 mins in the evening and another benefit I have found is I get to know the rest of the wedding party and family too which helps a lot on the day as we all know each other!

Chris

For a newbie, IMHO, I think the most important thing for your first wedding is the old KISS adage: Keep it simple!

I say this not to frighten you but to prepare you: Trust me, you're not gonna be prepared for the excitement that's gonna hit you as the guests begin to roll in, the groomsmen begin to show up, the moments just before the beginning when the musicians start to play. I think most of the guys here would agree: Everything you planned for will go right out the window.

Trust me, you won't be thinking of timelapses, jibs, steadicams, or slow mo. Everything will be moving so fast, you'll be pointing that camera every which way, camera and hand shaking, hoping the bride will like this...or like that...or not notice this or that. Forgetting about things here and there (you'll see how easy it is to forget about things in the moment).

Keep it simple...and stress-free. Get there about 45-1hr early to give you MORE than enough time to get your feet under you. Any sort of backup helps; an additional camera or even cameraman would be great to take even more pressure off of you. Just be concerned about capturing the action, however you have to do it. In time, you'll get comfortable and experienced enough to start adding some flare to your product.

But don't stress yourself about it now. When those groomsmen walk in and those bridesmaids start walking down the aisle, flare will be the last thing on your mind.

Great posts, guys. And good luck, Joe....


p.s.
There is a big red sticker on the back of my 60D with "REC!" on it.

I usually don't go to rehearsals. Instead, I go to the ceremony location a little early, then scope out positions then. I also talk to the officiant and groom/bm, and ask them where everyone will be positioned. If I need to shoot over the bm shoulder, I tell him to be aware that I'll be right there so if he could take a step to the side, that would really help.

The reason why I don't go to rehearsals is because there are no flowers. I used to go to the rehearsal, mentally make notes of what I'm going to do, and when I show up on the day of the wedding, the big floral arrangements throw everything out the window.

I have yet to charge money for a video project, so I guess someone would say that I'm not a pro, but I hold myself to professional standards of quality so much as it practical.

Anyways, my first wedding was the reason I took the plunge and actually bought my first camcorder (Canon Vixia HF-11). I'd been interested in videography all of my life, and had taken a class on it in middle school, and had helped out on the church team and such, but now it was time to do it on my own.

My goal in this case was to record a quality video, and edit and give it to the couple as a wedding gift.

Anyways, I learned three lessons that day (some of which were more reinforced than learned fresh)
1) Single-camera shoots stink.
2) Rehearse and try to anticipate all of the details.

Every movement makes it to the final video during a live event on a single-camera shoot, and when mistakes happen, there's no alternate angle to switch to to cover it up. For example, the position I'd chosen (at the back of the church just to the right of the center aisle) was excellent at the rehearsal the night prior. I'd practiced through the rehearsal and felt pretty confident.

When the bride walked in during the real thing, however, everyone stood up, including the folks in the two rows in front of me. These folks entered my frame, and blocked a significant part of the bride's entrance, requiring some rapid (and less than smooth) adjustment on my part to try to rescue the shot.

What I should have done was move the left just a bit to partially enter the aisle, or block off part of the immediate two rows in front of me, to prevent people from sitting there.

3) Dress cool if you will be running around a lot.
I was part of the family, so I was wearing a black suit. The layers added up as I was running around trying to get shots, and I was pretty hot by the time the reception started.

4) Insist on communication.
I figured out that they were about to start speeches, and got my camera into position and rolling, but not until about halfway through the best man's speech. This meant that his speech was not usable in the final video.

5) Insist on getting what you need to get good quality results.
Family members were running FOH, and they got a bit huffy when I insisted on putting my laptop in the booth and getting a feed from the board. Boy was I glad I insisted on it and got the audio. It made all of the difference in the final video.

Oh, and as soon as I was able to afford to, I bought a duplicate camcorder on Ebay. It is very refreshing to have multiple angles. I am now doing research to decide which camera will be my first "real" camera. Maybe a nice shoulder mount so that people will take me seriously, even though my current cameras get amazing results?

1. Find out EXACTLY where EVERYONE is going to be standing during the ceremony and remind the officiant to immediately tell people "you may be seated" after the bride gets to the end of the aisle.

2. Become best friends with the DJ during the reception. He/she has the schedule and will know exactly how long you have between major moments.

3. Expect the unexpected. No wedding has EVER gone as I thought it would. Adapt or FAIL!

Jordan,

Forget what the camera looks like. Simply get one that works well for you. That's what really matters.

It sounds like you put a lot of good effort into that wedding. Now, you'll need to push through the next ones and believe that they'll get easier...far, far, far easier with time. To help reassure you of this, here's my take on the items you mentioned.

1) Single-camera shoots stink.
Actually, I prefer them in many ways. They're a lot of fun with less gear to manage, less shooters to coordinate, and less obtrusions for the guests. Although the look of a single-camera shoot can be very different from multiple-camera coverage, the final film can still be a high quality piece. The only prerequisite is that you have to know your stuff.

2) Rehearse and try to anticipate all of the details.
Every wedding is a rehearsal for the next as long as you keep your mind open to a continual process of learning. There are many miniature routines that take place throughout the day that make up the entire wedding when strung together. As you become accustomed to these routines, you grow a keener sense of alertness for those times when something is either planned out or by chance happens to go down differently than the way it would normally take place. This is the very process of anticipation...and reaction.

3) Dress cool if you will be running around a lot.
Right on, as long as it's appropriate. Be aware that some clients will expect a certain type of dress.

4) Insist on communication.
What's critical here is "who" you're communicating with and "how." There are a lot of nuances to this, but here's the basic idea... Depend on no one to alert you when things are going to happen. Make this your responsibility, but by all means garner as much help as you can from the other vendors in being prepared for the events as they happen. Courtesy and professionalism will carry you a long way in all aspects of this business.

5) Insist on getting what you need to get good quality results.
Careful with this one. If your way of doing things seems to consistently cause problems from wedding to wedding, then it's time to evaluate your methods and see if they can be streamlined, altered, or eliminated. There's definitely some flexibility required of competent shooters...and that's where your experience and ability to anticipate and correct problems will come into play.

Alec Moreno
Wedding Art Films - Southern California - Los Angeles - Orange County - Video (http://www.WeddingArtFilms.com)

Hi Alec

That's a neat summary for new shooters!!

When I'm doing shoots alone there are many times where I use just one camera!! Sometimes that's all you need. I always use two at the ceremony....shoot tons of cutaways to cover guests, the bridal party and mostly the photog walking in front of the camera. Also during speeches I use a 2nd cam to shoot lot's of cutaways...relieves the boredom of the FOB's 15 minute speech and also it's a nice touch when the FOB thanks Aunt Mary for the beautiful cake you can cut to a shot of her.

I insist (nicely) on a running sheet from the bride and then also liase constantly with both the MC and the DJ regarding timing!! You do have to be on the ball!! I went to the toilet once and missed the bouquet toss!!!

Chris

Hi Alec

You do have to be on the ball!! I went to the toilet once and missed the bouquet toss!!!

Chris

Chris,
What? No Astronaut diapers ;-))))

Hey at our age maybe not a....no, forget I mentioned it

O|O
\--/

Hey Don

If the MC had been on the ball it wouldn't have happened!! There was no running sheet and a "I've never done this before" MC (a relative too!!) As always I did ask about the bouquet toss as it was 10pm already and I was busting to go!! She spoke to the bride who announced that AFTER the farewell circle at midnight she would toss the bouquet and then leave. During my "trousers around my ankles" phase in the "gents" I heard the "single girls" song and by the time I rushed back into the ballroom the bouquet was already on some lucky girl's table!! The drunken bride apparently changed her mind and wanted it NOW!!

In 20 years it's the only time I have ever missed the event and she was way too drunk to even do a dummy one for me!! They did apologise and tell me not to worry about it!!

The same wedding, funnily enough was also the first wedding where the groom was really late!!! In fact the whole wedding was organised chaos!!

We really need to be on our toes sometimes don't we??? Even austronaut pants wouldn't have helped this one but the point is you DO need a running sheet and constant liason with the MC and DJ as they often switch roles!!

Chris

Joe, I'd really love to hear your experiences with your first wedding shoot. Let us know how everything went when you can.

Two accessories I wish I had back in 1992 would be a GPS and a cell phone. Brides used to hand write the directions to her house and it would be like "Go 14 traffic lights and make a left". I'd lose count after the 4th or 5th traffic light. They never knew the name of the streets around their house. I'd have to find a pay phone to call them and find out where I was.

Two accessories I wish I had back in 1992 would be a GPS and a cell phone. Brides used to hand write the directions to her house and it would be like "Go 14 traffic lights and make a left". I'd lose count after the 4th or 5th traffic light. They never knew the name of the streets around their house. I'd have to find a pay phone to call them and find out where I was.

I've actually had clients who didn't know the name of the street they lived on. Probably the worst case involved a client who had lived in their house for a number of years, and had no clue what her address was. The conversation went something like this:

Her: "You turn left at (such and such as store name) and just go for a little while, but watch out for this thing in the road - people drive crazy there and get confused. But then I'm on the right."

Me: "What is the name of the street?"

Her: "Why? That's the one you turn left at the store."

Me: "OK. And then your house is on the right hand side of that street."

Her: "No, I don't live on that street. You turn right onto my street."

Me: "OK, I turn right at which street?"

Her: "I don't know the name of it."

Me: "But it's the street you live on?"

Her: "Yes, You go down it a few houses...like 2 or 3, and that's me."

Me: "What's the street address?"

Her: silence

Me: "What the house number?"

Her: "I don't know."

Me: "OK, can you do me a favor and step outside perhaps to your front porch or the front of the garage and look for the numbers that are posted up there."

Her: "awwww, do I have to go outside? I don't really wanna...."

Me: (realizing that this was only going to give me a house number but no street name, I changed course), "Hold on, forget that, sorry. Do you have mail sent to you, that you have in the house?"

Her: "Yes. I've got some right here."

Me: "Can you read to me that address written under your name on the outside of the envelope?"

She then read the address, and after she noted the street name, her voice tone changed to that "coulda had a V8" tones as she said.."Oh, duh....yeah, THAT'S my address. Hmmm, I'm just so used to driving to my house, I never have to look for my house number, so I just couldn't remember. Sorry."

True story. Sometimes I just completely wonder how some people get through the day without starving to death because they can't figure out how to open the cereal box.

-Jon

OK that is officially the funniest thing I've read all day!
It's a good thing some people don't have to think about breathing!

O|O
\--/

Jonathan, my wife and I had a good laugh reading your post. THAT is some funny stuff....

Hi Jonathon

That is truely the best yet!!!

In fact even with a GPS and a cell you STILL wouldn't know where to go except maybe knock on doors and asking.. "Anyone getting married in this house"

I did struggle with one house last year....yep, I had the address but the GPS couldn't find the house number and driving slowly down the road I passed 1, 3 5 and then it jumped to 13 !!! I figured the only option was to knock on the door and ask for the bride and hope it was the right house!! A New Zealand guy answered the door and said "Nope, not our house" and I continued looking.... as I was walking (I had abandoned the car already and was doing the street on foot) A lady came out of the very same house with the New Zealand guy in it and shouted "Hey, Chris looking for me????" Yep, it was the bride and the guy that answered the door was her fiancee!!!! I asked him later if it didn't ring any bells that I was wearing a Company shirt with the name on it, that I just MIGHT be the videographer they were expecting??? "I guess", he said!!

That was also the last time I forgot to ask new brides for a cell number!!! At least with a cell you can walk down the road, talking to the bride and say...come out onto the porch and wave!!!!

Yours was still the best by a long way!!

Chris

True story. Sometimes I just completely wonder how some people get through the day without starving to death because they can't figure out how to open the cereal box.

-Jon

I'm so grateful she's not MY wife!

Hi Edward,

You did ask for a report following this first shoot, so here goes.

I think everyone will come out of their first shoot, saying to themselves that they need to;

(1) Work on their positioning plan for camera A or B or both
(2) Become more compact, organised & lightweight with the gear, especially at the ceremony, and especially if you're a "1 man shoot".
(3) achieve professional standards with audio
(4) hunt down the PHOTOGRAPHER, and tie him up, and bury his lenses
(5) define checklist of standard or required shots & subjects that need to be captured per event.

Working from bottom up (#5), I made the mistake of not getting adequate coverage of all required subjects, with the finished piece somewhat one sided or unbalanced. This mental checklist will come with experience i guess, but i realised after the event that i had very little coverage of the bride's parents, who were both extremely quiet, with the FOB not even making a speech. Also, as there was a wedding the night before, in same hotel, & I found that many of the guests from this wedding stayed on for an extra night, & it was hard to distinguish between the two parties, who were both formally kitted out. Very rare occurance i'd say.

Like everyone else, I had to edit out the photographer more often that not, and would be interested to hear how people work best with photographers, and what requirements you ask for, and how you try to accomodate them getting their shots too. For instance, for the recessional, I had to endure the photographer doing a backwards moon walk, and only got 3 seconds at the end, once he realised i was there. For my next wedding, i will try get photographers phone number in advance to discuss both requirements, but would be interested to hear what standard practice is, and how the two professions can best work together.

When jotting down lessons learnt, following the event, i found that most improvements would require further investment, and i bought all i could afford prior to event. My audio was a bit of a disaster to be honest, and think i do need a H2 for the lecturn, and another mic that i could put up against a speaker, such as a drum mic. Would be interested to hear if H2 is best form of DVR to get for readings only on lecturn, and if putting DVR on, or up close to speaker in church is recommended? Is the RODE Video Mic Pro, better or worst than shotgun mics during ceremony.

Starting out as a one man shoot is not easy, and you really need to be compact, organised, and lightweight for run 'n' gun style shooting, & to remain discrete. I definetly didn't feel compact, organised & lightweight. Next time, i think i'll leave slider & monopod in car during ceremony, and just concentrate on two tripods + 2 camera bodies. I think a Pelican brief could be the way to go, and a shoot sac comes highly recommended, to keep all your lenses on you when floating, spare memory cards, batteries etc. Easily solved, but further investment.

Lastly, and more importantly, my positioning plan did not match up with the lenses in my kit, and I quickly realised that having all primes in my kit, did not exactly match my style of shooting, and do think adding zoom will allow me to remain even further back, and more discrete. There is a serious lack of detail in my end product, and i think the long term fix is a 70 - 200 f/2.8 II. I was conscious of this beforehand, and rented a 7D because of it's crop factor, but really would like ability to get in close from both Camera A & B.

All in all, relatively happy. Some nice timelapses, a story was told, but a busy Autumn ahead, before the next wedding, which is in a Castle. Might share the clip, when complete, for further constructive feedback.

Thanks

By the way, Karma is a biiitch, and I really shouldn't have laughed at Corey and his failure to press the 'big red record' button, because i ended up doing same on H4N, and thought that it was recording, when in fact it wasn't. Tut Tut Tut. It happens to the bets of us :-)

Since the BRB (big red button) is such a problem, don't do what I did. I researched and bought a new shotgun mic. Tested it ahead for time to ensure all worked ok.
Funny thing about mics... If you don't TURN THEM ON, they don't record so well.
I did that at my son's wedding where a friend was running the cam for me. She didn't want to wear headphones. I said, no problem. My fault.

One more thing...
My nephew had agreed to run my B cam for the ceremony. I gave him a mid morning reminder and he agreed to arrive an hour ahead of time. Ceremony came and went and the nephew was a no show. Lesson learned?
Volunteer help can be hit or miss.

Picked up the vows etc from my digital recorder on the groom. Interviewed the B&G next day in the studio and got their thoughts, etc. on audio for a VO for a video of guests arriving, chatting,etc. prior to the ceremony. Worked out well.

I make an absolute habit of turning both Rode Mics on before I even leave home and they stay on all day and all night!!

A little 9v battery is cheaper to replace than telling the bride.."Oops you have no audio!!!" It's also worth having monitoring turned on on your camera so you can see that audio is coming in!!! It doesn't hurt to wear a headset too...just to make sure you are getting audio!!

My radio mics also have a "standby" switch ..a priest once was fiddling with his audio and presumed my transmitter on the lectern was part of his setup and turn it to standby!! I now have a piece of gaffer tape over the switch!!

Chris

I'm in much the same situation as Jordan Nash (i.e., an amateur with high standards). I've recorded two weddings now as a guest, the second of which I'm currently editing in order to give the couple a dvd as a wedding gift. I knew going in that the editing process would be time consuming but I had NO idea just how much! But I am a bit of a perfectionist and I'm learning to use the software at the same time. The editing process is where I am fully realizing the rookie mistakes I made on the shoot because now I have to find creative ways of hiding them. Here are some of the many things I have learned the hard way already:

- keep "rolling", even when you don't have a good shot. Otherwise you won't be able to react fast enough when the shot does present itself. Also, in my case since I had only the audio from the camcorder itself (no external recorder) turning it off meant I created gaps in the audio. Doh! Turning off the camcorder is a habit from vacation shooting, to extend battery life. Must unlearn! Fortunately I kept recording through the entire ceremony and vows, but that's all from one vantage point in the second row, shot in between the heads of people in the first row (who I kept out of the frame, for the most part).

- if all you have is the camcorder's mic, don't talk, even to answer questions and don't laugh at jokes during the speeches! You have to stay emotionally unattached. That's pretty hard to do as a guest, but I would guess not a problem for a pro covering the event.

- shoot lots of reaction shots. Not only do they make the final video more engaging (a wedding is all about emotions, after all) but you can use them to cover up other mistakes in the shoot. And they can be used to fill in gaps in the time line and/or to simulate using more than one camera. For instance, the wedding was outdoors and I recorded the bride and her father coming toward the gazebo. But I had to reposition midway through, which resulted in a few seconds of missing time. I used a shot of people looking in their direction before they started the walk to fill in the gap. With the audio running continuously from the walk there in no way to tell that the reaction shot is out of order. Unfortunately, there are other moments I could not correct in that way because I failed to get the reaction shots.

Maybe it's presumptuous of me to list my rookie mistakes and some of them just don't apply for pros, but if I can't discuss it here then where else?

Joe, that's the downside to the DSLR for run-n-gun...especially if you're a single shooter. It's definitely possible, but you definitely need to incorporate a second camera and/or shooter. If you're a single shooter with a bag of lenses, you're setting yourself up for major problems. Zoom lenses definitely are the answer, however you lose speed, and thus a bit of your desired "shallow depth-of-field" look. Then you might as well be using a video camera.

As far as the photographer thing, it's best to meet up with them prior to the ceremony, get a good rapport with them, and discuss each other's strategies to best suit each other's needs. The photographer generally gets a little more leniency in positioning since the couple is typically more concerned about their photos. This doesn't mean, however, that they are to dominate the perimeter. If you're a single shooter, it's best to "join the photographer at the hip" in this case. Stay close by to them, that way you're equally getting the best shots without getting into each other's way. Good photographers, if they see that you know what you're doing, will typically share the perimeter with you, as there's a mutual understanding and knowledge of what the other is doing.

It definitely would help to place an audio recorder at the altar, if the situation allows. I've always just used audio from my shotgun mic.

Less is definitely better, on a number of levels. An overload in both gear and thought can divert your attention from what really matters.

Nevertheless, I'm glad everything for the most part worked out.

Hi Edward,

Point taking regarding Photographer. And I intend to receive a running order of events plus vendor contact detail prior to events

But regarding your first point, I really do know the importance of a second camera & shooter, which is why i bought a second tripod prior to the event, and rented a 7D. But my problems on the day, really did stem from the rented 7D, which i wasn't used to & prevented me from dialling down the f/spot during ceremony, and caused card write errors during reception, so i was prob substituting lenses more than i intended.

The other major problem was bad positioning on my part, which meant i was stupidly using a manfrotto during ceremony, hence all shaky footage.

Here's the clip anyway. I've ordered a couple of H1's since, and a 70-200, which will took a huge hit on the bank balance, but you underestimate the importance of close ups & detail, when trying to convey emotion.

I've also posted this in the relevant section, incase anyone would like to offer suggestions on how i can avoid the flickering, and what i should be doing (in camera), when the speeches are in front of a window

Brenda + Julian, Dingle, Co. Kerry on Vimeo

Also, let the long talky bits in this clip, (i.e. the grooms's speech) be a lesson to other newbies out there, and a reason why you should have that second camera, or ideally a third camera. It's long and boring, but as I'd only a single camera at that stage, i really don't have any other appropriate footage that i can use.

Hi Joe

Nice footage!! I really dunno how you guys with DSLR's find the time to get the right content AND adjust exposure and focus at the same time!!!! At pressure times like these when you already are stretched to your limit I still like the fact I can snap my cam (or both of them) into full auto and concentrate on what I'm shooting as long as the circumstances permit!!!

Windows can be a curse and really, the only sensible thing one can do is go in for a tighter shot and expose for the face ..the window will be washed out of course ..otherwise if there are curtains I just close 'em!! Doing longwinded speeches with one cam is tough!! I usually have one cam on the speaker and then use the second cam for cutaways...when the best man thanks the bridesmaids viewers actually expect a cutaway of the bridesmaids!!

The windows might have been a curse but they also gave you light for other shots..something that's usually severely lacking at receptions!! Each wedding will have a new challenge for you that you will need to figure out and get right..that's what makes it interesting!!!

Keep up the good work

Chris

Hi Christ,

Thanks a mill! Already looking forward to the next one. Also sorry about your loss to ireland in the rugby world cup today :-)

Some good advise there. I definitely put emphasis and focus on the view, which was a sensational setting, and wanted to convey this in the piece, rather than just the standard function room, which it may have looked like, had the curtains been closed. One thing is for sure, in ireland anyway, there would have been first degree murder, and the Irish wedding market would have been one vendor less, had i closed those curtains.

I have a 70-200 on the way, which I can't wait to play around with. The wife is going to get no attention for the next few weeks :-). I think this will improve the mentioned mistakes, allowing me to frame better, and get in close on the speaker, especially if there's a bright window behind. I did assume though, that i would have been able to fix in post production, as long as the background wasn't overexposed.

Unfortunately, I encountered write errors on the memory card with the rented 7D during speeches, so the one camera setup for speeches was not by choice, believe me :-)

A second shooter really would make things so much easier, as in all honest, it's impossible to get creative, and capturing|telling the story is a job in itself.