docu vs cine wedding

Since almost no-one is posting anything new here I"ll give it a go because of some nice words from my only fan; Steve :) -> (http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-...ml#post1943892) and where he wants to know what it means to me to be a documentary style shooter as he doesn't necessarily thinks I fit into that category.

I always deliver a 5 min film for online sharing and a 20 min highlight that is only shared with family and friends and not online, the last wedding I shot a few weeks back is a very good example of what I consider documentary, the longer 20 min version shows that even more but unfortunately I cannot show that one online. I also deliver the full ceremony and speeches separately.

In all my years of shooting I have never been a trendsetter but also not a trendfollower, I always tend to do what I like and what feels best to me, I do pick up a trick here or there by watching from others but I never just copy/paste but make some small changes so it comes something more unique and less recognizable. I also try not to watch too many weddingfilms from others so I don't get influenced too much but one of my favorite videographers is Rob Adams who's work I mostly watch.

A few things that matter most to me are spontaneity so trying to be that fly on the wall while capturing spontaneous moments but I also like when people look straight into my camera.

Composition is also important, there are different ways to compose your shot and it often means the difference between boring and interesting, here I think my approach is different then the average docu shooter, we both want to capture as it unfolds but I am thinking where the best spot would be to make it look more interesting, I don't always succeed in this but I always try to make it look better.

Sound, like the general chatter in the morning during bride prep, I often put a small sony tx650 near the bride when they apply makeup and then I move back when I have my "beauty" shots and wait for something interesting to happen, that can be the bride who says something funny, or the bridemaids talk about the groom, if I manage to capture the right moment it's gold, like a few weddings back where the bride calls her groom during brideprep in the morning and she puts him on speaker, I used that moment to start the film and she loved it.

I jump through hoops to get good sound, especially good ambient sound but this doesn't work out everytime but I keep on trying.

Music, or the "right" music is also very important, I cut back all my music to make it fit or to emphasize important moments, this takes most of the time to get the timings right.

Unlike all cinematic videographers I don't mind that the photograper is in my shot, he was part of the day as well.

I don't like special effects and if I have to use one then a dissolve is my favorite one :), below wedding however has some special effects works applied during the photoshoot as I thought it was appropriate but to be honest, I hate doing this because I"m not good at it and it takes up so much time.

So back to my last wedding which best shows my current style, it's chronological edited and it contains every single event that happend throughout the day. I only used the interviews I shot after the first dance throughout the evening part.

Fun fact:
I gave the bride one of my sony handicams and asked her to capture them both the day of the wedding when they just woke up to share what went through their minds and used that at the start of the film.

The dancepart was not shot by me (only 2 shots where), I gave my panasonic gx80 with a laowa 7,5mm wideangle lens to a bridesmaid and asked her to take it with her while dancing and capture some of her friends and guests on the dancefloor, best footage I ever got :)

Let me know if you cannot view the film, if it doesn't work here I will password protect it and provide a direct link to vimeo

Vimeo

[Steven Digges]

Well....For me at least, I consider that a wedding film extraordinaire. Yes you documented the day in order but that is about all it has in common with a straight doco style. The way you transition from all of those events in five minutes is brilliant. The visual story telling is so good I did not even have to speak the language to understand it all. The VW bus segment was perfect use of classic film technique. Establishing shot, money shot with the old motor bike that matched VW buss style, transition out to what is next with kids down the road....PERFECT. It could be a big film trailer.

The only luck involved in this film is when you let go of your cameras. Getting handycam footage back as usable as that is rare as gold!

I don't argue labels and semantics much. So in my mind I will continue to think of you as a photographer. I mean that as the highest compliment. Not in the way still shooters are often spoken of in this part of the forum ;-)

Kind Regards,

Steve

[Noa Put]

Being a photographer at a wedding would be interesting :) 2 camera's, 3 primes and a flash, that's all I"d need tough not sure how appealing m4/3 photography would be to clients, especially because full frame is still king in those area's.

I would stick with video though, it's much easier to seperate myself in my country, for photography though there is so much talent I would not even get noticed.

Your right you need to be lucky to get back usable footage when you hand over a camera but this one was a 7,5mm lens or 15mm full frame equivalent so it's more forgiving when it comes to composition, I"m not going to try this trick at every wedding but it depends on how the mood is and what kind of people I"m dealing with, I have had weddings where there was hardly any dancing so there it wouldn't work. I do still shoot the dancepart myself and used that in the longer version as I don't want to rely on what I get back but when it works out then I don't mind in using it.