Anybody film these? I quite often do (when they have them - they seem to be becoming rarer - especially at small weddings) as they are a 'key' moment of the day after all - but then am at a loss as to how to edit them interestingly - I've gone down the 'speed-up then slo-mo' path which is sort of OK but still - there must be a way to make them more interesting. I also feel that by including the receiving line then I should show it in it's entirety - in case I miss someone important out :/

Pete

It is boring part of wedding. When I shoot the receiving line I record short clips and change angles very often to make it more interesting. If the whole thing took 10 min in real time, after editing is less than 1 min.
For me the beginning is the most important (close family), after that pick and choose.

It is boring! I shoot it with a locked off camera on high with a wide lens - looks ok when speeded up and then get at the end of the line between the wedding party and guests - and then get close ups of handshakes/hugs/kisses - slo-mo and edit it in - I guess I've been doing it this way for so long I'm bored of it - my couples like it though!

Down here, if I am getting the facts right, we call it the congratulations (We are talking about after the ceremony are we not when all the handshakes and kisses are dispensed?) Yep it is boring and if you have 200 guests all wanting to have a little chit chat to the couple it's even more boring so those need to be edited out ... Some here go fast enough to be tolerable with a quick kiss and outa there but most linger. I did have one couple who decided to have "high fives" only for 70 guests and it when by in a flash but those are rare! Most brides like the whole sequence on record sadly but a little bit of pre-organisation also helps ...I get the couple to stay in one place and organise the guests in a line and hurry them thru and it usually works a treat!!

Chris

I never shoot the whole of the receiving line, but it is an important part of the day for the couple, so I take lots of shots from different angles to capture a mix of close up and general shots of the receiving line greeting their guests. The idea is to capture the atmosphere of lots of hand shaking, kissing, laughing etc. I also have lots of 'Meanwhile' shots, showing the guests going to their tables, looking at the table plan, sitting at the tables, then more 'meanwhile, back at the receiving line'. This way you get most of the guests, but the cutaways enable you to shorten the line time down by perhaps 80% as most of the guests spend a few minutes each in the line anyway.

I never find the line up boring, as it is a challenge to keep it shorter but visually interesting. It may be very boring for people who are not family and friends, but some of these people may have come a long way to the wedding and it might be the first and last chance the couple have to see them for years. I include all guests somewhere in the video, and try to treat them all as making a small cameo appearance.

The wedding is not about the videographer and what we find interesting, it's about the family and the people that are important to them. We rarely know during filming what people's relationships are, and it can be a real risk to dismiss something as uninteresting, because it means nothing to us, especially if you are doing a documentary style wedding as a record of their day, rather than a romantic cinematic overview.

Just my opinion of course :-)

Roger

Hi Roger

Great minds think alike! To us it may be boring especially as you say in a romantic cinematic film but being somewhat isolated in the world and strong family connections to the UK, I have a lot of overseas visitors at weddings so they become an international affair so I'm careful to include everyone too!! If Aunt Mary decides to hold up the line and have a 2 minuter natter to the bride then I might stop the camera while they talk and then start again as the next set of guests move in. I also try to find out who the overseas or long distance guests are so they are always included.

I guess with "wedding films" it's not so much as a big deal as with documentary style?

Chris

Hi Roger

I guess with "wedding films" it's not so much as a big deal as with documentary style?

Chris

I think that is absolutely right Chris! A short form cinematic wedding film is very much about being creative and imaginative in an overview with a big impact, whereas the long form documentary is likely to be viewed for many years and is a piece of family history. They both have their place.

Roger

I'm with you there Roger, I've always thought it important to remember that I'm there to capture the day on behalf of my clients and not to avoid happenings that I consider uninteresting. There will be an obvious divide of opinion between the docu'ists and those providing an 'artistic interpretation' but even those who've shot docu' for a few years get slightly jaded and feel that parts of the day they originally thought to be important become 'boring'. Whilst we may have seen it over and over again it's important to remember that this is the couple's day and the only time (perhaps) that they'll do it and that everyone who's been invited has some part in their life, the receiving line is the part of the day when there is an opportunity to capture everyone.

I place a locked-off camera if possible just above head hight and behind or to the side the couple so that it gives something of their pov, you can see the guests' faces - a small handycam or a GoPro set at narrow angle. If that position is not possible then at the fall-off point of the line, looking up to the couple with a profile shot of the couple one side of the frame and the guest the other. I mic the couple, or place a mic very close. I then include that full section as an un-edited chapter on the DVD. They then have an individual congratulations message from everyone.
During that time I dip in and out between the line and guests taking their places to give a couple of minutes 'flavour' of the welcoming in the body of the main DVD.

I agree guys - it can be a tedious affair and i was really commenting on my own treatment of it - I guess after 5 years of weddings i may be in a rut and was fishing for some inspiration - i also get the 'meanwhile' shots and have a locked off camera (I work alone) capturing the wedding breakfast room as guests enter from the receiving line - it makes a nice little sequence but i want to freshen it up a little

You guys in the UK work a little different to us as we don't have a receiving line at the reception venue..the bridal party simple enter amongst cheers and clapping a pair at a time and take their seats at the bridal table and the reception begins.

Here the couple exit the Church or at outdoor civil venues move to a chosen spot on the lawn and then are congratulated by the guests. In rare cases the bridesmaids and groomsmen also join them but most cases it's only the B&G ... During the reception a couple might go from table to table or may stay at the bridal table only.

End of event does have a sorta receiving line with a farewell circle on the dance floor and the couple reverse roles and move from guest to guest thanking them for coming and that can also terminate in the traditional archway for the couple to run thru and leave the venue. The farewell circle can also be boring if the couple take their time but also a relief for us video people cos we know the end is near to trudge wearily homeward!

Funny how things are totally different in other countries!!

I did a big Irish wedding last year with over 200 guests - the receiving line was in a long thin corridoor with nowhere to put a tripod/light stand and it was pretty much a scrum so i had no choice but to film hand-held. Bride/Groom/Parents/Bridesmaids/Best Man/Ushers - I kid you not! - talk about backache afterwords!

I guess after 5 years of weddings i may be in a rut and was fishing for some inspiration

5 years Peter? After getting on for 30 years, I think I fell in the rut, wallowed around in the mud for a while and finally pulled myself out. I may be sad, but I really enjoy weddings now, seeing every one as a chance to give the couple something they will cherish for years.

Roger

Funny how things are totally different in other countries!!

Chris I think that even in the staid old UK, the lines are beginning to blur, with many influences creeping in from other cultures. Even simple things have changed over recent years, where for example speeches would always traditionally be after the meal, whereas it is now quite common to have them before. cake cutting was always after the speeches, but now frequently right before the first dance after the evening guests have arrived.

More American ideas have crept in with bouquet throwing, chief bridemaid's speech, unusual wedding venues etc all becoming more common. I even filmed a non Asian wedding recently where the girls had a henna party beforehand, which is very much an Indian custom.

Roger

5 years Peter? After getting on for 30 years, I think I fell in the rut, wallowed around in the mud for a while and finally pulled myself out. I may be sad, but I really enjoy weddings now, seeing every one as a chance to give the couple something they will cherish for years.

Roger

Plus 25 years in commercial/education video production Roger - I do love weddings but am always striving to give my couples better (or is it just for me as my testimonials are glowing) which is a challenge as a solo shooter - beats working though :)

Peter, I film the whole of the welcome line with the hfg10 slightly wide enough to capture the lot and a decent angle, then i use the dslr for that kiss close up bokeh and swim around getting various messages from the line and it works a treat, so i get fun, tears, joy and personel message montage also. Then when i edit i fast time lapse some of the boring but steady flow and mix with the other dslr stuff i get. Then if the client wants the full welcome line (rarely) then i give them a seperate disc with the full ceremony speeches and welcome line, but stick to my 45 min film...Steve

Stop giving them everything only because you THINK that they'll be unhappy if you don't. You are the only person responsible for setting your client's expectations.

I personally never shoot the full receiving line and my couples never expect me to. They always watch my films before they hire me and I take time to walk them through the way I work so there is no surprise.

I leave it to the photographer to document every person's face and stick to my own style of shooting.

Why force yourself to do things you don't like? You are your own boss and have the power to make your own rules. Clients who agree with those rules will be happy to do business with you, those who don't can always hire someone else.

Hi Long

It also depends on what you offer in a package. I wouldn't expect to see it in a wedding film which is short form but in my package description I specifically say I will film the congrats (our version of the line) and my brides expect it ..I see no issue in leaving it out if you don't specify to the bride that you do it and if you feel that it wouldn't add anything to your production then there is no sense in doing it.

Contractually I say I will cover it so I do ...I don't add anything extra to to day unless I feel it should be there and we all offer different coverage ... I spend a mere 10 minutes with the B&G after the ceremony and do a stedicam shoot and then I'm outta there .. I'm sure you would spend a lot more time with them at that stage to create cinematic shots for your type of production.

Chris

I totally agree with you Chris. If your package includes it and you are happy doing it, then it makes perfect sense.

My comment was directed to those who are reluctant to shoot something but still offer it in their packages.

I find that very often, I see people trying to GUESS what their clients want and end up doing things they don't enjoy simply because they are scared that their couples will be unhappy otherwise. What many don't know is that if they remove certain items from their packages, or at least make it much shorter, chances are clients might still book them.

That being said, I will gladly shoot a full receiving line if my clients want me to but they will have to specify it beforehand and it will normally incur extra fees because it is something that is not included in my normal package.

I see people trying to GUESS what their clients want

I am also a full-time photographer and I design and supply high end albums for my clients and for clients who come to me direct - their weddings having been shot by someone else.

All clients get as much input as they want into what images and design techniques are used and have an unlimited number or revisions. This is possible because I design totally freehand using Photoshop CS6 rather than being limited by design software. I do not offer input into video editing as I don't think its really practical.

This gives me a unique insight into what clients regard as important. Their opinion often changes after their wedding. Beforehand they are usually very much into low key, informal, storytelling, reportage. But when it comes to album design things change. Many more posed formal even traditional style images find their way into the albums.

How does this relate to the question? Well I can say that the receiving line is a low priority to most clients as indicated by their image choices for their albums. Add to that the fact that receiving lines are often shot in hostile lighting conditions in cramped spaces, well the results are seldom going to be works of art.

So if you need to break off from the receiving line perhaps to finish establishing shots of the room before the guests invade or finish setting up ready for speeches if they are at the start of the wedding breakfast - well you are probably safe to do so :- )

Pete

Stop giving them everything only because you THINK that they'll be unhappy if you don't. You are the only person responsible for setting your client's expectations.

I personally never shoot the full receiving line and my couples never expect me to. They always watch my films before they hire me and I take time to walk them through the way I work so there is no surprise.

I leave it to the photographer to document every person's face and stick to my own style of shooting.

Why force yourself to do things you don't like? You are your own boss and have the power to make your own rules. Clients who agree with those rules will be happy to do business with you, those who don't can always hire someone else.

Good point Long but this year i have booked 17 on line without seeing me!!! Way to go these days, people haveno time to hang around a videographer when their time is valuable...

Beforehand they are usually very much into low key, informal, storytelling, reportage.

Totally agree Peter. The amount of times i have shown my work and they choose long or short form, i can guarantee after the short form and shown only bits of the line, the bride has rang me and said hey my mum wants the family welcome line. Its not on the DVD and my mum wants to see uncle .... and so on...No matter how many times you show your work it goes out of one ear into the next. Now you may say well its not in your contract and you argue but then will they then recommend you.. No!! Because in their mind they will feel let dowm so thats why i cover myself and just give them the disc as well as the full ceremony and speeches the same...

I used to shoot them 20 years ago but then figured out it completely kept me from getting to the reception in a timely fashion. (Our receiving lines are at the church as the guests leave.)

IF I were to do them today ... I would skip it during the edited version and make a "Bonus Chapter" at the end of the DVD where they could sit and watch 200+ individuals go through the receiving line at their own pace. It just would not be an edited piece for me.

I used to shoot them 20 years ago but then figured out it completely kept me from getting to the reception in a timely fashion. (Our receiving lines are at the church as the guests leave.)

IF I were to do them today ... I would skip it during the edited version and make a "Bonus Chapter" at the end of the DVD where they could sit and watch 200+ individuals go through the receiving line at their own pace. It just would not be an edited piece for me.This is exactly what I have just done for a difficult client who intensely disliked the speeded up receiving line. I had in fact had a locked off camera capturing the whole 30 minutes plus so this is what they got as an extra chapter basically unedited with just some musical tracks dubbed on.

I think that the receiving line is the videographic equivalent of the group shots for photographers & shall make sure in future to establish whether it's a big deal for the couple. I have no problem giving them an extra chapter that requires close to zero editing.

I used to shoot them 20 years ago but then figured out it completely kept me from getting to the reception in a timely fashion. (Our receiving lines are at the church as the guests leave.)

IF I were to do them today ... I would skip it during the edited version and make a "Bonus Chapter" at the end of the DVD where they could sit and watch 200+ individuals go through the receiving line at their own pace. It just would not be an edited piece for me.

Co-incidentally I had one this weekend where they were due to have a receiving line in the church (very rare over here) - immediately after walking down the isle - well this proved a logistical pain as it was, and I'd resigned myself to having to use a monopod - no time to reposition one of my static cameras - when lo and behold they decided to hold it in the tiny alcove on the way out of the main room - with the bride/parents in the shade and the groom actually outside in direct sunlight, and me having to film with my camera held over my head at arm's length - good job the EA50 has nice stabilization - needless to say it doesn't look great - passable but not great