Pre-wedding preps?

[Souvenir]

Another question for the pros...I heard it mentioned that I should be prepping the bride and groom by instructing them not to chew gum, amongst other things.  What are some other things that I should be discussing with them before the ceremony?  I saw either Hank or Adam say that it is the videographer's fault for the gum chewing, so I didn't want to make any similar rookie mistakes for other items.  

Can you clue me in to some of your pre-event consultation items so I can hopefully cover most of my bases?

[Forever Endeavor]

If possible, I will ask the bride and groom to speak loud and clearly when saying their vows, not only for the video's sake but for the audience to hear as well. I've heard that others will ask them to turn their hands when putting on the rings so as to get a better shot but I generally don't do that and usually have no issues getting the shot.

[HankCastello]

It is SO FUNNY that you quote me saying "it's the videographer's fault" - because, I did it last weekend!  

I don't know how, but I forgot (1st time in over 2 yrs) to give my "no gum speech" at the rehearsal, and YES there was plenty of gum-chewing at the ceremony & reception.  My fault - no question about it.

I also advise the groom (brides usually don't have a problem with this, or maybe my wife clues them in) to look into his bride's eyes and say the vows, not like he is repeating them, but like he is saying them and meaning every word.  Please note that I do not say, "loudly and clearly".  I could care less what the guests hear, it is much more important that they sound like they mean the vows.  My mic will pick them up whether they speak loudly or not.

And, yes, I do tell the couple - "Now if you forget this, it's OK, but if you can remember, try to tilt her hand just a little bit so that my camera can get a close-up of the ring going on the finger."

By the way, at the rehearsal, I try to video the actual practice run(s).  Once, when asked who gives his daughter away, a FOB decalred, "Her MOTHER does!" - which nearly brought down the house.  I always regretted that I didn't video that.

Talk with the best man and find out if there will be any car "decorating".  It makes for much better video when you capture the act and not just the finished product.  

There is more, but I'm just working on my first pot of coffee.

[osbornes5]

Couple of other things on this: First, ask the bride (and the first time you mention this should be far in advance of the wedding if possible but it is never too late) to assign you a contact person that will be responsible to make sure that you get all of the "good stuff" at the reception. Explain that you will be busy shooting other things as well such as guest greetings, your B roll, (don't call it that to the bride though), and other things. Explain that since the important events come at random intervals usually, you need someone to inform you before it happens. STRESS the importance of this big time. Then at the reception, do your best to keep up with it yourself by having good communication with your shooting partner through radios and headsets or otherwise. Maybe your partner can follow the action start to finish. Regardless, always get the contact person assigned by the bride. This person should preferrably have the "go/no go" authority as well so they can insure that you are ready to shoot the event before it actually happens. This will fall flat on its face sometimes. On my very first wedding the contact person spoke to me once right before the reception started and went over the "must get list" that I had requested. The next time I saw him he was quite innebriated and he never gave me anything else. Consequently, I very nearly missed the bouquet toss. Pure dumb luck that I got it. Last second deal literally. I finished a table greeting and turned around to see the bride about to throw the bouquet. I swung around just in time to get it. This will accomplish two things for you. It will usually help you get the shots but even if it fails, the ultimate responsibility is now off of you. Sounds like a crappy way to get out of being responsible but if you are going to shoot things such as table greetings during the receptions (and the brides will want things other than them standing for two hours with a drink in their hand) there is a chance you could miss something.

Next, remember that "must get" list? This is not a bad idea. It will usually be the same old things but there might be that odd wedding where there is something out of the ordinary that the bride wants. This, occasionally will be very helpful. It will also give you the opportunity to re-stress the importance of the contact person.

Also, ask them to have any material that they might want in the video ready for you at the rehearsal. I shot a wedding over a year ago and still have not received the material to edit the thing with. Course they haven't paid me either (this brings up an entirely different subject that I will not get into here) so this is not surprising.

I'll stop there. There are other things that are helpful but I think the contact person is a critical deal.

[HankCastello]

Great stuff, Ozzie!

Though, I don't generaly shoot table greetings - too much noise.  When possible, I setup in a room just outside the main room, where things will be a bit quieter.

Also - find out what kind of exit there will be, so you can be prepared to cover it.

[On a Roll]

I can't really add much to the stellar advice given here, but the one thing I will toss in is that you form a picture in your mind of what you want everything to look like on the video, and then look for stuff that doesn't look like that.

The gum chewing issue is a great example. You can give a canned "Don't chew gum" speech, and that works if they're chewing gum, but what if they're gnawing on their tongue, biting their lips, or grinding their teeth. These can all look just as bad on video as gum. The secret is really to be an observer of people's habits and mannerisms.

This is why I always go to the receptions, even if we're not taping it as part of our package. It gives you time to notice that the groom chews on gum, the best man has this weird habit of touching his elbow and then his pant pocket (yes, this really happened at one rehearsal. The guy just kept doing it, over and over!), and that the maid of honor jerks her head to look over her left shoulder every 30 seconds (again, it happened to me!).

Once you get that "perfect picture" in your head, and you see what people do that doesn't jive with it, you can gently pull the best man aside and tell him to restrain his hand movements, or tell that pesky bridesmaid that it would look much better if she quit sucking in her upper lip.

Live events rarely go exactly as planned, and so we have to be flexible with how we direct our talent. The canned warnings (don't chew gum, look into each others eyes, watch that bouquet!) are essential to every event, but 1,000 other little things can and often will happen that also detract from your mental image of the perfect video. We have to nip these in the bud to if we want a perfect wedding video.

Oh, and for what it's worth, I can't even count all the wedding videos I've done, and I still have yet to create the truly perfect one, at least in my eyes. I've had some darn close ones, but as long as you try to improve yourself with every one you do, you'll always move in the right direction.