First Wedding Video

[cnp1606]

So I have found some people who are willing to let me do my first wedding video ever at there wedding, it really wasnt that hard since I am doing it for free so I can have a reel for when I actually start charging people. My question is how should I go about doing the video, should I stick to "protocol" or should I trust my gut and shoot what feels right and kinda make my own style video. I know I am doing this for free but I want it to look as good as possible for me and for the couple. Any suggestions?

[osbornes5]

Hey CNP, congrats on the big shoot! I have some good advice for you here and I know what I am talking about since I was in your shoes not that long ago. I was what lots of established videographers refer to as Uncle Buck. I was the go to guy in our family and church for videography. I thought I was fairly good at what I was doing until I began to get educated after I bought my first pro cam and decided to get into the business. I began to realize that there was oodles of stuff I did NOT know. After I scheduled my first freebie, it began to hit me that I was not Uncle Buck any more. When folks hire a pro they expect pro results. This is a once in a lifetime event (or it should be). There will be shots that will happen only once in these folks' lifetime! What you have taken on here is not a small thing. It is a very important and weighty matter and they will rely on you and only you to forever memorialize the day for them and their posterity. You should not take this responsibility lightly. YOU are the man!

Too many of us get into this thing for the wrong reason with the wrong motivation or at least without the right motivation. You should decide right now that you are going to do it the right way. You know, not take shortcuts, always give the bride what she paid for and then some, etc.

Now that I have given you the abreviated sermon on videographer ethics, let me say this: I live in Oklahoma and in Oklahoma college football is king of the jungle. OU is in need of a new quarterback this year and there is a big competition on here as there is almost every other year or so. Oklahoma's coach, Bob Stoops, is quite fond of saying we don't need our quarterback to win games for us, we just need him to not lose them. That is kinda the deal for you for right now. You don't have to go out and be a superstar Videographer, all you need to do is not lose the game. Don't try to re-invent the wheel here. Go with what works, and what is established. As I said before, I thought I was pretty good before I learned differently. Truth was that I stunk the place up. When I think of some of the things I did...ooooo boy, what a dork. Even if you think your "gut" will lead you in the right direction, don't follow it, at least not far, and not yet. There will come a time when you can get adventurous and try new things but take the new things in little steps so if it flops, you don't blow the whole deal, you only blow a little part of it.  

Have you watched demos from other videographers? You should. You should watch several. Watch full wedding videos. Lots of videographers will not send you a whole wedding as a demo because...well the because is a topic of its own. Get as many as you can and watch them. They will likely all have a different style. Pick what you like from each one and use it. Most importantly though HAVE A PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't just show up and assume that it will all fall into place. IT WON'T! It WILL fall apart. True enough, that is the reason you are doing this for free, to cover the learning phase glitches (by the way you are going to have them). But, if this thing flops, you will have nothing for a demo and you will be back at square one. Not to mention the fact that the bride will be devastated. Know what you are going to do in each portion of the wedding and how each portion will flow into the next portion. Begin forming that plan now and work it over in your head. Have it semi-perfected. Then attend the rehearsal. Don't even think twice about it. You will not regret it. Lots of your plans will change at the rehearsal. You might even be able to change some of their plans to make for a better video. Always attend the rehearsal and use it as a marketing tool. I always run some tape at the rehearsal and make a nice little montage out of it of about four or five minutes. Makes a nice little touch that many others don't offer.

One more thing (and I cannot even begin to stress this enough): know your equipment. Set it all up at your house just as you will use it and test it. Do it several times to become very familiar with it. Organize it so that you know where everything is and make sure it is there before you leave to do the wedding. Have a check-list and use it. Always start a wedding with new batteries in mics etc.  and make sure all camera batteries have a fresh charge. I went to my first wedding expecting to be there about three hours and was there for about seven. Thank goodness I had plenty of battery power. Are you adept at using your cameras manual controls, especially exposure? If not you need to be.

I will stop there and let you digest that. I'm sure there are others that will weigh in here with great advice too. One last thing: I leaned heavily on the advice of others not just in my early days but even now. You are off to a good start in that area but remember follow your advice alot and your gut only a little (for now).

[HankCastello]

Well, I can't top that post, but I will "second" every word in it.

As for what to shoot - here's what I generally do:

establishing shots - outside and in
preps  (hers and his & wedding party. you can sometimes get some really emotional stuff here)
ceremony, starting with seating of grandmothers (sometimes earlier, depending on what you learned at the rehearsal), until grandma is escorted out.  All cameras roll 100% through the ceremony.
sometimes there is a greeting line after the ceremony
photo session
reception hall - preferably untouched.  shoot outside estab shot then inside decorations, etc. before too many people get there.
couple's entrance (sometimes the wedding party is announced and makes a grand entrance, so shoot that if it happens)
first dances
cake cutting
toasts
bouquet toss
garter toss
exit (if you're not staying until the end, have them do a faux exit for the video).

Now that is the minimum.  Sometimes you add other things like a montage of growing up, love story or both.  Sometimes you shoot the bride & her maids at a spa, etc.  Sometimes the reception will have more or fewer events.  

Pay attention at the rehearsal.  Will there be communion; unity candle; singers; readers; homily; jump the broom; etc.   Mike every one who participates audibly (except the bride).

[HankCastello]

Right after I shut the laptop down last night (we're on a trip), I realized I should have mentioned short form style also.

Short form wedding videos are easier to shoot with a single camera and mic.  You still should mic all the audio action, but often times weddings are simple and the only audio action is the minister and couple.  In these cases, you may be able to get by with a single mic on the groom.

The vows can easily be time-slipped in both directions.  For example, maybe you have a song for the audio track for opening and preps.  Then you go to instrumental for the ceremony, so you don't have to worry about what part is toned down to allow the vows to be heard.  You can begin the vows wherever you wish - perhaps at the beginning of the ceremony, which is shortened so that the vows end at the end of the exit (doesn't work in all cases, of course).

Then another one or two songs for the reception and you're good - EXCEPT for the toasts, which should be miked, even if you're only using a snippet from each toaster.

I've seen a number of short form wedding videos where the bride had a string quartet and/or singer and/or readers and you never hear the quartet, you see the singer's mouth moving (probably the only close-up!) but a totally different song is playing, sung by someone else.

I do not consider this acceptable.  The singer (or whatever) is important to the bride, or she wouldn't have fitted this into her ceremony.  To not capture that audio clearly, is a disservice to the bride, IMHO.

[cnp1606]

Thanks for all your great answers I really appreciate people who are willing to help. I have to admit that when I started this I thought, "wedding videos! piece of cake" (no pun intended) but now I see there is a lot more to it and the learning process is very fun, Im glad I found this board.