Your wedding budget is starting to get a little high and you need to cut a few corners to save some cash and so you ask your buddy to get behind the camera. Wrong move. Never let your friend, be it your best friend or even a close family member, run the camera at your wedding. There are a few reasons for this.
First off, there is so much more involved in capturing a wedding on video than your friend will think about. Sound, lighting, positioning, framing, storyline, style, each of these broad categories has numerous tiny little elements where if one is off the whole thing doesn't look or sound right. Normally a friend will wait until the last minute to get equipment and then not know what they need usually showing up with a less than quality camcorder and only a built in microphone. Batteries, tapes, they don't think about these things. The less they know, the less they will show up with.
Secondly, holding a camcorder and capturing a wedding and reception isn't like being there enjoying the moment, It's work and you need to concentrate on what your doing such as how the shot looks, sounds, where you need to be next, iris, focus, and a bunch of other little nuances. That lends very little time to enjoy the wedding and the people involved which is what you want your family and friends to do while they are there.
Lastly, if something should go wrong it could possibly ruin a friendship. It's happened many times before and will happen again, a friend wants to be involved with the wedding and only shoots a little bit of footage and not good video because he wants to get that part over with. Or, he forgets the sound, or he forgets to hit record, or he's out of focus or he just doesn't know where to be and when, all in all the video recorded isn't good and most of your wedding is unusable. This will definitely put a strain on any friendship because a wedding video is very important, avoid this potential hazardous situation and hire someone, outsource the videographer, it's your best bet.
1. The best time to meet with the bride and groom to discuss what they want captured (videotaped) at the wedding is
a) six months before the wedding b) the day before the wedding c) one to two months before the wedding
2. Which of the following pieces of equipment should you not be caught without at the wedding?
a) light kit b) tripod c) boom microphone d) JumboTron
3. True or False? Its ok to skip the Wedding Rehearsal.
a) True b) False
4. True or False? You should place your video camera as close to the minister, bride and groom as possible.
a) True b) False
5. If you expect the wedding ceremony to last one (1) hour, how much videotape do you need to purchase
a) 60 minutes b) 90 minutes c) 120 minutes
6. True or False?: The still photographer is glad to see the videographer.
a) True b) False
7. At the reception, what type of narration should you provide while you are taping?
a) announce the name of each person as they appear in your viewfinder. b) announce the arrival of the bridal party c) provide a play-by-play of the cake cutting ceremony d) none
8. Which of the following are not important to capture (videotape) at the reception?
a) cake cutting ceremony b) bouquet/garter toss c) first dance d) none of the above
9. Fill in the blanks: At the end of the day, you will know you have done well if you are _______ and _________.
a) dazed and confused b) tired but satisfied c) drunk and disorderly d) sobbing like a little girl
10. When the wedding is over, what do you do with all the footage?
a) send it to America's Funniest Home Videos b) present the newlyweds with the raw footage c) edit the footage yourself d) locate and hire a professional videotape editor
Answers 1. Correct answer: c - one to two months before the wedding
This is close enough to the wedding that the couple will have a good idea about the who, what, when, where and why of the wedding and what parts of it they want videotaped.
Six months before is too soon as the wedding plans have not come together enough that the couple will know what they want. If you wait until the day before you won't have time to gather necessary equipment and people will be too busy with final preparations to give you any direction.
2. Correct answer: b - tripod
A tripod is one of the most important pieces of equipment you will be using during the shooting of the wedding. A tripod ensures that your shots will be stable while giving you controlled flexibility to perform smooth and simple zooms and pans.
Most churches/wedding venues have sufficient light for videotaping so a light kit is not necessary. A boom microphone is overkill. And even though the church has an organ, this is not a hockey game, so forget the JumboTron.
3. Correct answer: false
It is very important for you to attend the rehearsal. This is your opportunity to scout camera positions, and check out all operating systems including cameras, lighting and audio before the actual event.
4. Correct answer: false
Before setting your camera up anywhere, introduce yourself to the minister and let him know where the camera(s) will be positioned and make sure that it meets with his approval. Its important that your presence at the altar doesn't interfere in any way with the ceremony or block the view of anyone sitting in the audience.
5. Correct answer: c - 120 minutes
Weddings tend to run long. You want to have enough videotape to cover twice the length of time you expect the event to be. This will also ensure that you have enough videotape to cover the reception.
6. Correct answer: false
It is a well known fact that wedding photographers grudgingly tolerate wedding videographers. So BEFORE the wedding starts, be sure to introduce yourself and any other videographers to the photographer and assure him that you will stay out of his way and not interfere with his job.
7. Correct answer: d - none
Resist any temptation to narrate as you are shooting the video. This is very unprofessional and you will regret hearing your off-camera comments when you view the raw footage.
8. Correct answer: d - none of the above
These are all part of the "must get" shots at the reception. If you miss any of them you could have an angry "Bridezilla" on your hands.
9. Correct answer: b
If you're tired but happy at the end of the wedding day, then you will know you've done well.
10. Correct answer: d or e are both correct
You can edit the footage yourself. Editing programs for PCs and Macs are becoming more and more commonplace. Even the more complex programs are user friendly.
You can also hire a professional editor. They can be located through the Yellow Pages or even through your local college or university.
Presenting the couple with raw footage is like having a wedding cake without the frosting or decorations. The cake batter may be baked but its definitely unfinished...and detracts from the elegance of the wedding.
Send the footage to America's Funniest Home Videos only if you have a $10,000 clip
How did you score?
8 - 10 Correct: Congratulations. You are ready to produce a professional-looking wedding video. 4 - 7 Correct: Expect some serious challenges. We recommend reviewing the questions that you got wrong. 0 -3 Correct: Yikes! You might want to rethink your role in the wedding. (see: flowergirl)
Both Shawn Hickman & Olivia Romero are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Olivia Romero has sinced written about articles on various topics from Reverse Osmosis, Wedding Bells and Health. Olivia is an independent video producer with over 15 years experience writing, producing, directing and editing. Olivia and her partner, Tony Jones, teach couples how to save substantial money by producing their own professional-looking wedding video. It. Olivia Romero's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.