How to video weddings

"I've been asked to film my sister's wedding in May and I have never filmed a wedding before. My uncle is a TV cameraman and he tells me they are the worst films to shoot".

In the last 10 years, wedding videos has come a very long way, and a lot of videographers now, are making wedding films better than most TV programmes. So how do you film a wedding?

There is an awful lot of work involved in shooting a wedding day. Here is a list of typical shooting tips and techniques used by us. Please don't expect that you will always get all of these shots at every wedding you attend, but if you do manage to get a good selection of them, you will surely be ready to edit a wedding video / dvd that will be appreciated by the family.

So, the couple is thinking about having their wedding day filmed?

This sounds like a very good idea. When the big day is drawing closer and everything is in place, it will seem like a long time since the initial idea. You will probably have spent a fortune by now from securing the venue, buying the dresses, the catering, hiring the car, the entertainment, and of course - the photographer. Is there enough money left for a videographer? I have approached couple's at wedding shows and they usually tell me, "I don't like being on video" or they explain, "Well, my uncle Harry said he will video it for us".

IIf you are depending on a first time wedding videographer you must realise that it will be a huge undertaking to film the biggest day of a couple's life. This momentous occasion being captured forever in one take depends wholly upon the skills and judgment of this volunteer in knowing where to be in the moment. It will take more than "luck" for the dvd to turn out the way you had hoped. There are many things involved in this challenge that should be considered when you're planning your wedding video whether you're the one behind or in front of the camera. This task could be very daunting without enough practice, experience and careful planning.

Plan this job very carefully
Having a good plan to follow is the best way to go about filming a wedding, whether you attend them frequently or not. Just imagine how you would like your idea wedding film to look like and how quick on your feet you will have to be to match this vision to the natural sequence of events that quickly unfolds on the day.

Preparations
For the plan to be effective there are a number of things to do before the day. Meet the happy couple well in advance of their wedding and discuss with them what they want in their ideal video. This allows you to assure them that all will be well on their day and to build a rapport with them. We like to take the couple out on a pre-wedding shoot for an hour or so and this short film is a nice way to start the dvd.

Attend the rehearsal to get a good idea of what is going to happen, where your cameras will be positioned and how you will pan the camera. It is best to bring your camera gear and shoot this. You can include it as bonus material for the DVD.

High definition video cameras produce excellent pictures but most models do not perform too well in low light conditions, such as churches. We use a Sony pd150 standard definition camera for the ceremony which is excellent in low light, and a Canon A1 or Sony XDCam for well lit conditions. These cameras cost somewhere between £2000 and £4500 when purchased brand new, and this does not include the batteries or accessories. However, if you are getting started it might be wise to renting one for the occasion and see how you get on with it. If this is not an option either, and you are filming the event as a favour, then you can still do a good job with a smaller consumer camera with careful planning and a dedicated attitude.

Check that you have the sufficient supply of tape and spare battery power. Your batteries should be new, fully charged and of maximum running time. Have tape for every hour you will be there and extra if you have more than one camera. Remember to "black your tapes". Record from start to finish with the lense cap on so it writes time code to the tape and makes editing easier to manage.

Invest in a decent tripod. You don't want to shoot a wedding with a handheld camera from start to finish.

You don't want to be changing tapes during the vows, nor do you want to run out of battery.

Invest in a good unidirectional external microphone to avoid poor quality sound and monitor the sound levels with a set of stereo headphones for your camera.

Filming people
In the camera menu settings there should be an option to disable the red light. If not, cover it with some black insulation tape. If people do not see the red light, they will not know you are filming - if you pretend not to be.

Most people are self-conscious of a video camera being aimed at them and this must be expected and respected at any event - before the wine is handed out, usually. If you are asked to "go away", it can be annoying to the videographer who has been asked to do a job, and it is also a good indicator that he is not being discrete enough. In a crowded room it is often a very tricky situation. If you stand further back you can get some great shots using your zoom every now and its best to use a tripod rather than hovering around people.

Count to ten before switching angles. What sometimes might seem like a long time to film a person in the moment, will often not be long enough in editing; allow an extra ten seconds from switching on record. Use a tripod or monopod for the important shots.

While most of your shots during the ceremony will be taken from a tripod, and a good steady tripod shot will always look more professional than a shaky handheld one, you should also be prepared to take handheld footage before and after the ceremony, and at the reception. Your video will have much more interest if you can learn to do smooth handheld camera moves, as well as steady handheld non-moving shots. We recommend the use of a monopod. With a small camera like the PD-150, a monopod can serve as sort of a makeshift steadycam for tracking shots. Hold the monopod loosely just below the camera. Here's an example of a moving shot taken when the Bride and Groom are about to enter the limo: Start low, walk from the back to the front, pan up and over the hood, come down the drivers side to the open door and see the Bride and Groom entering the car from the other side.

We advise you to wear a black or dark grey shirt as opposed to bright colours that will make you stand out.

5. Before the arrival of the Bride, take the opportunity to film the nervous Groom and guests. Makes for good background footage and gives you a final check on your microphone, tripod and earphones..

6. Return to your plan and film the bride walking down the isle and the wedding service itself. Keep your camera as static as possible and only zoom for a specific reason (not just because the camera can do it). For example you may want a very slow zoom stopping at the close up of where the Bride (or Groom) says, 'I do'.

7. Avoid 'panning' (moving camera from side to side) during the vows. The reason for this is as the camera moves so does the microphone. Therefore you run the risk of losing, or diminishing the audio quality of the vows (This also applies to the speeches). The use of headphones should confirm that the audio is good!

8. This part of the wedding ends as the happy couple leave the wedding to depart for the reception. Take this opportunity to replace your film and check your batteries. Whilst the stills photographer is busy outside the wedding venue, make your way to the reception venue in good time and repeat the checks you made on exposure at the reception venue.

9. Usually at wedding receptions there is a huge break between arriving and serving the meal. Use this opportunity to film the principal guests. Simply ask them to record their best wished for the happy couple. This is best done without the knowledge of the bride and groom and adds a lovely and welcome touch to the finished video.

10. Typically the last main event of the wedding is to film the First Dance, take care to get uninterrupted coverage of this. Pick a good uninterrupted view to ensure that your filming is not interrupted by the usual Wedding Paparazzi! Also, take a note of the First Dance song, you may want to use a CD copy of this at the editing stage.

If you take some time to plan carefully, you will likely end up with a good shooting plan. Here is one recommended by us.

A two minute video montage of photos of happy couple as babies, children and then a couple. This, of course will be produced later in editing.

Before the ceremony:
Bride and bridesmaids dressing (keep this a clean family film!) While you're there, you may be able to get coverage of the family and plenty of detail shots.

There are plenty of traditional wedding detail shots to be found where the bride is getting ready. You could request that you discretely film the bride putting on her make up, or getting her hair made up. A close up of the shoes and dress prior to being put on is always expected. Grab these shots immediately upon arrival, especially as the family will be self conscious of you being there. Also, consider making the most out of your macro lense to capture the smallest of details, such as the jewellery or flowers if there is time. Try carefully moving the camera very slowly along an arrangement of the flowers. You could trying the slow zoom out to reveal the shot.

You could get the family to sing a song or ask them a few casual questions if they seem too aware of the filming. After a few minutes of this they will forget about the video.

The groom getting ready, is usually going to play out a lot faster than the bride and there will not be as much rushing around. An hour is usually sufficient to capture the scene, unless you have a second camera operator there to document things. Make sure you get a shot of the groom putting on his tie in the mirror and perhaps ask him some questions about the night before if there is not much activity. You can try some staged shots here for humour but please do not make it too "silly" or "slap stick". Make sure the best man has still got the ring in his pocket

The Wedding ceremony
Starting with the arrival of the bride through to vows.

Arrive an hour before the guests do to allow time to film the exterior of the church and to get plenty of detail shots.

Exterior of the church. A popular shot is to start at the top of the church steeple, then slowly pan down to reveal the entire building. You definately need a decent tripod for this and it might require several takes to get the perfect pan. If you are not very good at panning, opt to take simple static architectural shots at an angle. If there is extra time, you have an extra camera on a tri-pod, and if the clouds seem to be moving, you could try an interesting time lapse shot. Simply aim the camera up at a low angle so the clouds are filmed moving over the roof of the building. Leave the tape run for five minutes and speed it up in editing. Also, find a nice depth of field shot by focusing on a nice tree or flowers at the end of the yard and then change focus to the building.

Guests arriving at church:
Try and get the very first guest to arrive and if possible, set up a camera on a tripod in the agreed position iit will be for the ceremony. By this time your sound and white balancing settings should be taken care of. Leave the camera on a continuous roll and, of course, you will change the tape shortly before the bride enters.

If you have a second camera operator, he can film the bride and the bridesmaids leaving the house in their limo. If this is not possible, make sure you are standing by to capture their arrival. You will work with the photographer to get some great steady shots. Keep the camera on record and supported by a monopod if possible, otherwise hold the camera long and steady and make sure you get the bride slowly getting out of the car without anyone else in view. There is only one take on this and it only takes a little bump for the shot to be ruined.

At the Ceremony:
Double check your battery and tapes and keep the spares close by. You should wear a camera bag around your waist, if your trousers do not have deep enough pockets - should you wish to carry a separate lense, etc.

This is always the most nerve wrecking part of the day for the videographer (not just the bride and groom). There is a lot of pressure on this moment because the camera will be on a continuous roll and there will be too little room for the camera to wander for variation of shots. Ideally you should use two cameras of the same model on the same white balancing and shutter settings. There are some techniques you will likely discover with years of practice, as your confidence grows. It is advisable to have the second camera discretely hidden at the back of the ceremony or near the aisle to cover any errors you make, or unexpected bumps and glitches during the filming of the vows. It covers the disaster of a camera or sound failure because if this happens, the wedding video is ruined by the most important chapter being cut too short.

You might choose to start with handheld, positioned on the bridesmaids' side of the aisle and let the bridesmaids walk past your position. After the bride arrives on her father's arm, there might be too little time to position the camera on a tripod, so it is best to use a monopod the entire time, unless your camera is already on the tripod just when the procession starts. The tripod should ideally be placed behind the minister and on the groom's side because the bride will be the centre of attention. This gives the best shot of her during the vows. Although wedding videographers are now the norm at churches, more so than ever before, its still often necessary to attend the rehearsal and check on your movement with the minister.

Don't make every shot a full pan. You really don't need shots of people's backs as they walk past the back camera so let them walk in and out of frame.

Be prepared for any special touches in the ceremony, such as a solo song or the unity candle lighting.
You will need some reaction shots of the bride and groom's families, but you might only be tempted to do this if you have a second camera incase you miss something. The detail shots of objects and windows are useful for editing in later if you make a mistake.

Signing of the register. Some churches do not allow you to film this for some reason, so check with the man in charge. If this is not permitted, use this time for finding more reaction shots.

Discover an interesting depth of field shot - For example, the soloist in focus with the Bride and Groom in the background out of focus, then gently shift focus to Bride and Groom. You will likely need extra confidence to perform this trick on your first wedding video.

When we attend a wedding rehearsal, we like to ask the Bride and Groom to stop a few feet in front of the camera as they come down the aisle at the recessional, and to kiss.You should stay ahead of them and go outside the church to film their exit, or else you might be trapped behind a crowd all eager to make their way to the free refreshments.

Video Montage of shots:
After the vows, photographic opportunities of confetti being thrown, couple's departure for and arrival at the reception in their limos, including footage of the formal photographic shoot. you can liven up these poses by ending each one with a cut to white simulating a camera flash, followed by a still image of the last frame of the clip.

Couple arriving at reception, and wedding party getting out of their limo. If you do not have an assistant it might be tricky to get to the reception ahead of them because you will be rushing to carry your gear from the church to the car.

Establishing shots of the reception venue and especially if it is all photogenic. If there is plenty of light during dinner, you can get these cutaway shots at that time. This might include shots of the architecture, statues, flowers, and immediate surrounding scenery, etc.

Wedding party entering reception. We recommend using a monopod or tripod for these shots.

The speeches
You need two cameras on a continuous roll. One camera should ideally be placed at the back of the room aimed at the head table and the second on a tripod or monopod for coverage shots; depending on the size of the room and how often you need to keep moving to get your shots of the guests at their tables. We like to plant a radio microphone on the head table wired to the second camera and a shotgun mic on the main camera.

Cutting of the cake.
Cut aways and detail shots - the presents, decorations, napkins, table layouts, flower arrangements, guest list, the DJ or band, etc. Anything unique you can find and shoot a detail shot through the glasses. Get a shot of a dinner plate being served. If it is a buffet, you could perhaps truck or zoom back to reveal the buffet.

Never shoot people eating or people backlit by windows. You should spend ten minutes or so looking for opportunities such as close ups of the wine being poured and the meals being served. Then go outside to get establishing shots of the venue, and take a rest because you will need one by this time.

This is a very important dance to shoot. We like to use a monopod walk around the couple dancing once, maybe twice with a closer shot. During the wedding party dance, it might be too crowded to film everyone, but this is generally not expected on a wedding dvd. You can get some good shots using the monopod to simulate "crane" shots if there is not enough room to move.

Father dances with the bride. This one can be a real tear-jerker if planned beforehand. We tend to take a close-up with one camera, and then do a full shot of them with a second camera. In editing, we then apply slow motion to the close-up and dissolve the shot in to about 30% or so, over the full shot.

Special dances at the reception. You'll see stuff like the Chicken Dance, conga line, Hokey Pokey, and the other popular ones at discos. You will rarely see a strip dance at the wedding but if you do happen to get the opportunity to shoot one, we do not recommend you include this on the edited wedding dvd. It is also not a good idea to include any shots of drunks you might get, fights or arguments. You are producing a timeless masterpiece suitable for all.

Interviews with the guests. Best Wishes (Interviews with the guests wishing the happy couple well) You could arrange to have your own little "video messaging area" set up in the corner of the room so people can voluntarily contribute to your video. Let them find you by displaying a sign on the wall. You could announce this opportunity after the speeches. It will make for some interesting dvd content.

Interview with the bride and groom. There will be so many demands on the Bride and Groom's time and attention and if you truly wish to interview them even for just five minutes, it is best to pre-arrange this and remind them. A good time might be after the speeches and before the first dance. We at Alisby Films consider this to be one of our "must have" chapters on the DVD.

Romantic / cinematic moments. Depending on your enthusiasm, style and if the couple is willing, before the wedding day you might like to discuss possible posed video scenes exclusive to your creative vision. You must know exactly how you will stage these shots as not to stall the couple in the moment and to move as quickly and as efficiently as the photographer does. Some examples might include them walking hand in hand towards the camera, embracing against a scenic backdrop, dancing to a song you will dub in later, or whatever you can think of that will compliment the final edit. The ideal time for this shoot is when the photographer has finished with his formal posed shots of the couple. Some photographers object to the videographer being around them.

If the weather is fine outside and you do get the opportunity, get a shot of the Bride and Groom kissing against a sunset. You can shoot this twice; once exposed to put them in silhouette, and once with your on-camera light to give them a romantic orange glow as they kiss.

Children: Shoot from a low angle and not down at them. Encourage them to stage a scene or leave messages for the couple. and the shots of the bride with a child can be very touching.

Interviews:
Interviews at a wedding can be easy if you have your questions prepared and politely greet the guests with a friendly smile. Do not startle them and shove the camera into their face, allow them to relax and adjust themselves. We like to place the camera on a tripod at an angle and speak to the guest directly so they are less aware of the camera - just like a TV reporter would.

We like to interview the bride and groom individually, and then together. We will ask each of them the same questions. Some standard questions might be:

General tips throughout the video
1 . Keep filming because video tape is cheap, memories take a moment and last a lifetime so please don't miss them.

3. Check your sound with headphones as often as possible when you are using external microphones.

5. Clean the lense with tissue in case there is dust or water that will be magnified on the TV screen later.

6. Take every shot three times, if you can. You should make the first one a clean, solid shot and then do a close-up and a creative one.

So after the filming completed it is into the edit suite. You must have the skills to do both, as this is where you will make the footage even more amazing by complimenting it with appropriate music the couple have provided which, of course is personal to them. With the sequences cut perfectly so they flow so the viewer becomes unaware and immersed in the film. The music is the completion of the emotional element.

1.There is a lot of hard work and intuitive decision making involved in assembling all the raw video footage into a watchable film. The sound levels must be consistent, as does the picture quality. Professional wedding videographers will use industry digital video editing software such as Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro , with various plug-ins or filters to colour correct the picture. Finalizing these edited sequences can take up to 15 hours, depending on the processing power and the amount of frames to render.

2. The creativity can take a long time and short sequences like the "video montage" can take a couple of days to complete. The only advice to give about a montage is that it is a matter of choice and taste. What works best to suit the DVD? Perhaps the chosen music will inspire a snappy montage or slower emotional music will suit slow motion and b/w shots. Typically choose very short clips, the best moments, and match these clips to suit the tempo and style of your music. Go light on the transitions, ultimately they are a distraction to the viewer and should be used sparingly for a specific purpose. Don't use all of the cool looking effects just because your software allows you to.

3. The presentation of the discs should be to your own artistic style and personal taste. Alisby Films likes to use motion menus on the DVD with chapters, while other companies do not. You could then produce photographic covers using the stills from the video, or place in leather or tin cases.

Whether you are a professional videographer or not, remember that filming anyone's big event is an honour and a privilege. It truly is the best memory a couple can invest in and as the years pass it will become more valuable and more precious.

If you have been handed the responsibility of shooting a wedding, it really is a rewarding experience. You will work very hard during the wedding day coordinating both your cameras and sound equipment to the sequence of events as they unfold, thinking one step ahead each time. Be as discrete as possible, do not stress out and enjoy the day!

How to video weddings

One good wedding video will lead to another and another.