Amateur at wedding video-please help!

RockToLoud - I applaud your desire to learn to do this right, but I have concerns also -

I wish that every couple who was thinking about having a friend or relative shoot their video would first look at a few professional wedding videos or demos. At least then they would know what they're going to be missing. My fear is that some couples (and some friends with camcorders) don't realize that there is a tremendous difference.

I would strongly urge anyone that before they accept money for a wedding, you spend time studying the wedding video craft from the Internet (there is a link to some excellent info on one of these boards), from books and from reviewing other wedding videos and demos from your area and others.

You will learn, among some of the technical things like where to position cameras, that you cannot do a decent wedding video with only one camera and that you need to have a 1 Lux 3CCD cam and be good with your NLE as well as your camera handling.

Then, and only then, should you seek some FREE wedding jobs. And only after completing the last two or three with complete success should you begin to charge a fee.

Well, that's a lot of verbiage and I didn't even answer your question. I see from the number of posts you've made that you probably have the video experience (thankfully). Find that post on these boards (I don't remember where it is) with the links to wedding video advice. It should give you all you need. It will print out to about twenty pages or so.

Compusolver,

Thanks for your resources and your concern. I really appreciate it.

Any other information anyone???

You can't put an entire book into one of these little posts, and Brian is right, to a point, but I would caution that the bride & father is not going to be the first group coming down that isle and those people are going to need to get past you without tripping over a tripod leg - and there's often not room for a tripod in front of the altar - in fact, in my experience most people do not want you to be that visible.

Further, you cannot do justice to a wedding with just one cam. It takes two at a minimum and three is much better. If you have a cam at the back, you don't want either cam to be in shooting view of the other - which is another reason not to park a tripod in front of the altar. (I just spent the other evening taking a tripod leg out of about twelve hundred frames of video, using Photoshop - a dreary task, indeed!)

While Brian shows going either left or right, I would go left (from perspective of this drawing) to get the best view of the bride, who will be to the right, from this perspective.

PS - Rock, get some demo videos from people who are in this business. That'll get you going.

One last thing -

A major problem in many chapels would be your Lux rating. While an XL-2 is a great cam (one that I would hesitate to leave unmanned without the National Guard standing by), it is not a 1-Lux cam. Go several days before the wedding, bring cams and check lighting, cam positioning, etc.

I only use 1-Lux cams at weddings.

I've done 2 weddings (by myself), for free for friends or relatives that were not going to get a videographer anyways, so in other words, low expectations. While there are a few obvious professionals already giving you teriffic advice, I have just a few recommendations, from a fellow amateur:

1. The more cameras the better. I used 3, one of them set up inconspiculously behind the altar on a mini-tripod.

2. Pay extra attendtion during the rehersal and put down tape strips on the floor to mark where the wedding party should be standing. This way you know how tight you can zoom in and not risk missing the couple in an unmanned shot.

3. Wireless for sound (seems like you've got that already)

4. After the ceremony, take advantage of the picture time that typically follows and get some extra shots. For example, get a ring exchange close up, get a walk-by of the wedding party standing up. Basically, any shot that you probably couldn't get during the ceremony without being very intrusive.

5. Reaction shots from relatives are great. Try to sneak up close to the right or the left to film the parents, or set up an unmanned camera that films the congregation. This is much easier with a handheld, though.

Those are the little things that I can think of at the moment.

Have fun!

Thanks for all your help, guys!

Just an update: I shot the wedding, and everything went great! One thing I do on my premium wedding package is a 4 minute overview of the wedding set to music at the beginning of the video.

Since I really respect you guys as professionals, I want your honest opinions about my overview.

Check it out!

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