Another Registrar Moan

[Peter Rush]

So I'm waiting to film the bride arriving - 5 minutes to go having set all my gear running and I'm tapped on the arm by the hotel manager - 'the registrar want's to see you - she says it's urgent' so I dashed all the way across the hotel (now thinking I'm going to miss the bride arriving) and when I get there the registrar, with a face like a slapped arse, is holding my H1 that I had secreted in the table flowers - "It's been recording while we were discussing confidential matters with the groom - I want you to rewind it" she says - "Well I only want the audio for the ceremony, anything else on there is not used" I say. She then says "Not good enough I want you to rewind it" So angrily I grabbed it off her, stopped it and then held it up to her so she could see -FORMAT' as I wiped it. I then made a show of starting it up again and putting it back in the flowers. Fortunately the bride was late so I caught her arriving - It totally pi**ed me off though!

Now I'm thinking how much power these people think they have vs how much they actually have - as it was the groom's personal information (let's face it I think it's just the names of his parents and their occupations) and he was stood there listening to this I could have asked him if he minded - after all it's not her information. And then I remembered a few weddings where the registrar has told me not to move during the ceremony and have heard them telling togs not to use flash.

Surely they are just there yes to conduct the ceremony but primarily to ake sure the correct words are said and make sure the paperwork is filled in correctly - they should have no say in anything else - we all know about not filming the register signing as (apparently it may contain information from other couples) but I once asked if I could film the signing from below the level of the table thereby not getting the register in and was told firmly NO - completely unreasonable - Can they do this? We all assume they can but Can they?

As you can tell I'm annoyed!

[Noa Put]

We should have a "rant" sub category here, plenty of stories to tell :)

It appears the UK is not a fun place to be shooting in churches or working together with registars. I am not sure I would have erased the recording, if it contained other recordings you could not format it and I don't want to accidentally delete a wrong file while being timepressured, the thing is ofcourse you don't know how far the registrar will go into forcing you, she might treat not to start the ceremony if you don't delete leaving you with no other choice, even if it is not legal what she is requesting. She is just misusing her position. I probably would tell her I would delete it right after the ceremony and she could see me doing it, I"d just use the excuse that deleting takes a while and that I needed to shoot the brides arrival now, then after the ceremony I"d tell her I won't delete it so she at least cannot make any potential treats anymore that might disturb the ceremony.

[Peter Rush]

She was really insistent Noa, even though she said she wanted it 'rewinding' which made me chuckle - with the bride's arrival imminent I had no choice I always have fresh media for each wedding so no chance of deleting anything from a previous wedding. She was a proper dragon and I didn't want a scene.

[Peter Rush]

Apparently the register is a public document anyway - jobsworths! I do get the point about them being distracted by the cameras and making a mistake however.

In my instance she was having a go because my gear recorded her interview with the groom - which is basically checking spellings and the details of his parents etc.

It's rare this happens in a church however - only a few times have I been asked not to film the signing.

Why Government killjoys are trying to ban wedding day pictures | Daily Mail Online

[Roger Gunkel]

Hi Pete,

As a matter of course, I never record anything of the conversation between registrars and couple before the ceremony, as it can be construed as personal information. In addidition, recording any conversation between people without their permission and foreknowledge is stepping into dubious legal territory. The discussion between the parties before the ceremony is part of the legal process and is another reason not to record it.

The filming of the signing of the register has acquired urban myth status over the years. I discussed this in depth many years ago with a Senior registrar after he asked me if I would like to film the signing of the register. After I picked myself up off the floor in amazement, I said that I thought it was illegal. He very carefully and adamantly assured me that there was no such law, and the register was a public document and available to all who wanted to see it. As such, it made no difference whether it was filmed or not as nothing secret or private was being disclosed.

There appears to be confusion over the application of the data protection act in this situation, but to the best of my knowledge, the data contained on the register does not fall within the remit of the act. Because they are as confused as anyone else, registrars just stop you filming it because that's how it has been for years.

It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has the legal knowledge to confirm or otherwise.

Roger

[Peter Rush]

Interesting Roger, however It is not possible for me to fire up all my equipment just a few minutes before the bride arrives, I'm sure none of us do that do we? - just not possible as there is not time to correct anything that might arise. If she had noticed my cameras running and insisted I 'rewound' them as well I might just have refused as the bride was about to arrive and the guests were queuing at the door - the only reason they were still interviewing the groom is that they themselves were late and again - it was only the interview with the groom she had a problem with.

[Roger Gunkel]

I think it depends on how you work, although it is very unusual for the registrar to be talking through the legal requirements in the ceremony room five minutes before the bride arrives. The guests must have already been in there which is hardly conducive to a private conversation. I would have expected at least that they went into a side room.

I always switch my sound recorder on when I take my position with the main camera and turn any other cameras on at the same time with the remote control.for them.

Roger

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

If she had noticed my cameras running and insisted I 'rewound' them as well I might just have refused as the bride was about to arrive and the guests were queuing at the door

I"m sure if you just had pressed the record button to put the recorder in standby and then randomly pressed some buttons on the side of the recorder and told her "there, it's deleted now", she wouldn't have a clue it was gone or not, since she asked you to "rewind" meant she didn't have any technical knowledge and because you could be showing her that the counter on the h1 screen was not running anymore you could have easily fooled her. I do think that outright refusing to delete might cause her to rewind into attack mode and make your life difficult, especially when you would encounter her again at another wedding. Just pressing some buttons which don't have any effect on the recording would be sufficient, she never will know and she has no way to check.

[Paul R Johnson]

When a newspaper records covert audio and uses it they are pilloried by everyone. MI5 get slagged off for b urging phone conversations or reading emails, and indeed we even have laws that control these things - how would you defend recording audio covertly? Of course you won't even listen to it, let alone use it - but you did do it? The official is 'at work'. They are fiercely protective of their documents being read by unauthorised people, and many object to their spoken word being recorded anyway - I can imagine how I would feel, finding a 'bug' in the flowers? Is this some kind of newspaper or TV scam uncovering? Are the bride and groom illegal aliens? You must be able to see the person who has been bugged being pretty annoyed about it.

Did you tell the registrar it was there before recording them?

We have huge numbers of people now telling us what we can record, and what permissions are needed - where we can shoot and where we cannot. Privacy is very important. It is also feasible that by recording a conversation about certain things, there could also be a data protection aspect.

[Steve Bleasdale]

Clergy, registrars etc are a nightmare this year, i prepped the registrar yesterday!!
The isle shot with dad is one i would really like clear from any heads bodies etc, I SAID. Do you mind Miss.?
No problem she says, what does she do? purposely comes right across to take the brides flowers way way way to early resulting in a very large lady taking flowers from the bride and walking back down the isle like a bride, so i will just have to put her in the footage...Simple, any thing said, sorry i did say to her keep clear.

[James Manford]

A little ass kissing goes a long way with registrars I find.

I get in there and compliment them in any way I see fit just so they make my life a little easier. But in reality I hate their guts with a passion.

[Paul R Johnson]

I was at a wedding in California and they have an extra type of wedding. Religious ceremony - like ours, or a civil one - NOT like ours, take a seat in the town hall at a desk with a judge judy style person the other side, pay your money, a bit of hand waving and that's it, done. No guests or facilities, just the license and you are out. They have a middle one, which is great. They swear you in as a solemniser! You have to promise to uphold the constitution of the United States, and have to use the phrase "by the power vested in me by the constitution of the united states, and the state of california, I now pronounce you man and wife" (or very similar). The actual service must not mention god in any shape or form, but you can make up your own ceremony. So you can be married by your best friend or anyone - even an English anyone. What a nice wedding it was, and no rules on what you can or can't do!

[Ralph Gereg]

Paul, please pardon my confusion... but wouldnt the Mandatory phrasing and complete prohibition of God from the ceremony be construed as rules controlling what you can and can't do in the ceremony?

[Rob Cantwell]

Thats nonsense eh? A little bit of power AKA making up rules as you go along!

I've had largely positive experiences in my neck of the woods thankfully. One registrar kindly arranged flowers around the certificate so I could photograph it for the couple.
The attached is a screen grab from last week (church wedding), it doesn't seem to be an issue around here

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/members/...picture921.jpg

[Jeff Harper]

If I complained every time someone made me angry at a wedding I'd be posting every week.

This stuff happens, we all go through it. It's part of the business. It goes with the territory.

A friend of mind tells me to put on my "big boy pants" and stop whining, which always makes me laugh, but also reminds me that I need to let go of petty annoyances and just deal with it.

There will always be something to complain about, don't let it get to you.