You may ask why should we help you to make your own wedding video? Well, we think that you will regret not having a good video of your wedding. It is a once in a lifetime occasion and with the technology so easily available it would be a pity not to record it so that you, your family and friends and maybe your children can re-live the day. If you can’t afford a professional and would otherwise not have your wedding filmed then we think it is better that you do it yourself than not at all. I have been ‘filming’ weddings for 26 years and have recorded may hundreds of events starting with gigantic cameras, separate VHS recorders and battery packs that would probably start a car! Some things have got easier (like good auto-focus and image stabilisation) but many of the problems that I had to solve in the eighties are exactly the same now! Here are my tips:
1. Buy, hire or borrow the necessary gear. You will need a proper video tripod with a fluid head so that you can get those smooth pans; a lightweight or photo tripod will not cut it. Always use the tripod for the ceremony and speeches. Make sure you have enough batteries and media (memory cards or tapes) for the whole day. These should be sufficient to record six hours minimum comfortably. Don’t rely on being able to charge batteries – many hotels now insist that any mains equipment is PAT tested so you may not be able to use that charger. A camera top light is useful, especially if you are intending to record in the evening, first dance, etc. If possible, acquire a separate portable audio recorder and a tie-pin microphone and make separate sound recordings during the ceremony and speeches. Position the mic on or near the groom. I am not going to recommend any particular camcorder but any camcorder purchased in the last five years or so should give reasonably good results.
2. Practice with your camcorder. Get used to all the controls. Practice using manual focus – even modern auto-focus is sometimes fooled especially in low light. Practice using the backlight or manual iris so that you can cope with back-lit situations where there is strong lighting behind your subject, e.g. if there is a window behind as will often be the case in church or during the speeches. If possible go along to another wedding beforehand where you will not be expected to produce the video – this will help you get an idea of the usual sequence of events. Practice keeping the camera as steady as possible, while hand-held shooting – sometimes it is useful to brace yourself against something solid whilst shooting.
3. Get to the venue early – about an hour before the ceremony. Make an effort to speak to the official photographer, explain what you are doing and try to keep out of their way. A co-operative photographer can be a good ally but an annoyed one can ruin your shots!
4. Speak to the vicar, priest or registrar well before the ceremony and make sure they are happy with your intended position. Don’t wander around during the ceremony or make any noise – try to stay unobtrusive.
5. Keep your finger off that zoom! Yes it’s a great novelty and tempting to zoom in and out but really, don’t. Watch TV and see how many shots include a zoom. Obviously there will be times when you do need to zoom but they should be mainly to transition from say a close-up shot to a wide. And please, please don’t zoom in, then out, then in again – the same goes for pans – use them only when needed and don’t swing the camera back and forth or you are likely to make viewer feel sea-sick.
6. Try to thnk about continuity. How did the last shot end and what would make a good follow-on shot? Avoid successive shots of same scene with different people – when cut together it will appear as a ‘jump-cut’ where people will seem to magically appear and disappear (unless this is what yiou want!) Make cut-away shots of a different subject e.g. flowers, the congregation etc.
7. After you press record, always check in the display that the record indicator is actually on. It is very easy to get out-of-sequence with your stop/start and you will end up missing vital shots and have lots of floor instead! Also check the display for any unexpected indicators – it is quite easy to turn a feature on or off without realising it which can affect the quality of the recording.
8. Try to get as much right as possible in the camera as you shoot. This saves lots of time editing – you can’t edit in good quality if you have shakey, badly composed shots.
9. Don’t be scared to get in close. Obviously you don’t want to be in people’s faces but when you are nearer you can be more zoomed out which make it easier to hold the camera still, focus is less critical and sound will be picked up better.
10. Good luck and if this all seems too daunting, give us a call, text or email and we’ll be glad to chat through the options for shooting and editing etc.
