Wedding Videos (What could go wrong/Why would you do that?)
- Stephen Boot
- Mar 24, 2017
- 3 min read
When I tell friends and peers that part of my video business I film wedding videos I seem to get a mix of opinions and facial expression. From the "I could never do that, what if something goes wrong" to "that must be very boring" or "are you not sick of weddings by now then", none of which ever seem to be positive. But to be honest these are some of the most rewarding work you can do. You are not making a music video that will see existence for just that month or a corporate promo video that will be on their website for a year then be out of date. You are making something that for your clients will last a lifetime. When they are in their 80s and look back on the day you have filmed, memories will come flooding back of their special day and how happy that day was. You will get the best reaction from these clients to as to them this is the most special moment of their life’s and thanks to you they can re-watch it and see what they missed. In the case of how hard can it be to "what if something goes wrong" the old proverb of ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ is very true. Before the shoot, check the locations and do a recce to know where to stand, the lighting and sound issues you will face and then you can over come them. Try to hire or buy cameras that shoot to two memory cards at the same time, if one corrupts it wont matter as you will have a back up card. Take a spare camera; this doesn’t have to been comparable to the pro cameras, even take a go pro or consumer HD camera. Its better to have the spare if one goes down than be stuck with two cameras for a three-camera shoot. Always take three cameras for the ceremony, speeches and first dance. Two manned, one static/safety shot, that way you always have something to cut to when someone walks in shot, a child decides to stick his face in you camera (yes this happens) or you both change shot at the same time.
I personally use a DSLR or Cannon C100 for the montage parts of the wedding (the opening and between ceremony and speeches) as a DSLR does get the best cinematic shots for this style of shoot but for the actual live three camera shoots I would always suggest proper video cameras. Why - The batteries last longer, no over heating issues, they wont stop recording and you can trust them to capture everything, even if the quality isn’t as good as the DSLR footage. The client will be happier with the whole ceremony captured that it looking cinematic.
Do not panic when shooting either, if you miss something, move on, there will be plenty to capture and one moment will not matter when you captured the other fifty.
Weddings are long days where you will be filming for 4 – 5 hours straight with out a break then wait four hours for the first dance with nothing to do. Take a laptop and begin the edit in the bar or quiet area if this happens other wise you’re wasting your time. Weddings can be a 13 – 14 hour day; just be ready, take food and drink you will need it.
And that’s is it. Experience is key to this; if you want to start in the wedding video business, get some work experience with established videographers such as myself or film friends weddings for next to nothing. That’s how I started and now it is an integral part of my business. And yes I do actually enjoy it. It’s better than being behind a desk all day.
Stephen Boot.
www.theorymediaproductions.co.uk
Comments