Tutorial Part Three

Unit Goal: The goal of this unit is shooting and planning the event. The focus is on weddings but we will discuss other events as well.

Weddings typically follow a formula.  It is critical to have an in-depth knowledge of that formula while being able to capture improvisation as necessary. Weddings and many events can be easily shot with a single videographer or a small team.

The montage example below combines the key elements of a wedding day, highlighting key and special moments. Complete ceremony and reception examples are made available in this unit as well.

It’s time to act like a Boy Scout and be prepared! You can never do enough planning to be ready for a wedding or other live event.  Usually, there is some type of project or event coordinator.  Find out who that is and work with them to get the information you need to set your production up for success.

Always request the following items:

• Itinerary/schedule: Make sure you know what is planned at a particular event. Weddings tend to follow a similar schedule, so it is easy to start to feel overly comfortable. Never expect to “wing it” though. Always know the schedule beforehand. Most formal events from plays to concerts to birthdays to sporting events follow a typical schedule.
• Number of participants: For a wedding, this would be the bridal party. It’s important to know the names of your bride and groom, the key participants, and the immediate family. For other events, you want to know who your filming.
• Start and end times: Be clear about start times and end times. Don’t be caught off guard. These items are often listed in an itinerary but they are worth double-checking.
• Setup and strike times: Don’t just assume you can set up anytime you want and take as long as you need to breakdown. Many locations and events are very particular about setup and breakdown.
• Verify the location(s): Is there one location? Two? Three? Where are they and how long will it take to get there? Ask what the parking situation is. It is wise to even work these elements into a contract and be sure the client has written down the physical directions rather than just told you the location.
• Other Vendors: Know who the other vendors/techs are: For a wedding, you will need to work cohesively with site coordinators, DJs and photographers. It never hurts to reach out beforehand and let other vendors know who you are and you look forward to working with them. At other events, you will want to know who else you will be working with to insure each of you can do your job effectively.
• Site Visit: If possible, request a site visit to the location so you can go to the venue prior to the day of the shoot and plot out your setup for the day.
• Venue Rules: Many venues, especially churches and private residences, will have rules that you need to follow. Be aware of the rules and expectations from a venue before the day of the shoot.
• Insurance Requirement: General liability isn’t always required, but if you do not carry liability insurance, it can keep you from getting gigs. There are many venues for which it is required. And, if you are using a drone, you should absolutely have liability insurance.

The Two Camera Shoot
Most events, especially weddings can receive full and complete coverage with two cameras. In general, if doing a two camera setup, one camera should always be set to a wide “cover” shot, which covers the scope of the event. The second camera would be zoomed in with medium and medium to long shots. Be careful getting too close when shooting with only two cameras as people tend to move quickly making it difficult to edit close ups later on.

The Three Camera Shoot
For most events and especially weddings, we encourage a three camera shoot, especially if your team consists only of one or two people. The ideal scenario is to have one camera shooting down the back of aisle with the others on the edges to capture the faces of the bride and groom.  The three camera setup can be monitored by just one shooter but can easily accommodate a larger team too.  if the ideal shooting scenario (center and edges) is not possible, try to get one camera as close to the edge and operate two other cameras down the center with one remaining as a wide shot and the other for medium/close ups.

The Four Camera Shoot
Typical weddings will not require more than four cameras. That would be overkill in most situations. A drone can be used too, but the distance and coverage from a drone is so drastic that drones and action cameras should not serve as key camera angles but rather support shots.  Additionally, we advise against using drones if  you are a one person team. This should be a dedicated pilot.

Traditional Coverage
A traditional wedding ceremony has key events that always take place.  The most common ceremonies are variations of the church and non-church wedding. The following list of events are common in most weddings regardless of culture or religion. Variations of these events take place at most weddings.

A Traditional Ceremony Outline:

• Procession (this is when the bridal party walks down the aisle)
• Officiant’s opening remarks
• Singers/performers/readers/speakers
• Exchange of vows
• Exchange of rings
• Symbolic unity gesture (unity candle, pouring of sand, releasing of doves, etc.)
• First kiss
• Introduction of couple followed by the recessional
• Formal Photos

CEREMONY EXAMPLE: The following ceremony is a wedding ceremony shot with four cameras as well as a drone. This wedding was produced with a two person video production team. One camera was shooting down the center of the aisle with two others on the edges.  The forth was a Panasonic FZ1000 to give the production some shots with a cinematic quality.  Any of the shots with a shallow depth of field (blurred background)  were shot with the FZ1000 — this is a more of a photography camera which allows the production get this type of effect from it over traditional camcorders.

At the beginning of the ceremony, you’ll notice that two cameras are on the aisle, one faces the entrance where the bridal party walks in and the other is directed toward the aisle as they approach. This allows for a nicer look and greater variety of shots. After the procession, one of the cameras was moved to the edge, returning to our traditional three camera setup.  The drone was not used during the ceremony — only before and after. Drones can be very loud and distracting so we don’t typically recommend using them during a ceremony.

Four different audio elements were used on this shoot. There was a bluetooth wireless mic attached to the Officiant’s binder. The binder is used because it picks up the voices of the Officiant as well as the Bride and Groom cleanly. The digital recorder was plugged into a mixing a DJ’s mixing console.  There was also a shotgun mic, and, as a backup we always have one camera using the on-camera audio.  For the final mix, the primary audio was the wireless mic with some of the other elements mixed in.

In the “Post Production” unit we will walk you through the editing process for this type of wedding with an instructional video but for this portion, watch the wedding looking at usage of cameras, types of shots and the capturing of sound.

The Traditional Wedding Reception:

Most receptions, like the ceremony, regardless of culture or religion tend to follow a traditional timeline of events. The “Other Wedding Events” tab has additional detail from specific cultural/religious wedding events, but here is a list of typical and traditional events you will find at most wedding receptions.

Key reception events should be covered with at least two cameras to insure complete coverage and a variety of angles. It is relatively easy for one videographer to operate two cameras within close proximity of one another, keeping one on a wide shot and the other on a medium shot. For non-traditional events, such as the party and the guest dancing, it is okay to move to one camera to document.

Typical/Traditional Reception Events:

• Cocktail hour
• Grand Entrance of the bridal party
• First dance
• Family dances (usually mother/son and father/daughter)
• Toasts/blessings/cheers
• Dinner (we don’t cover too much of this, people don’t tend to want a lot of “eating” footage
• Bouquet and garter toss
• Cake cutting
• Dancing and the party
• Last dance
• Exit/Send-off/farewell

This reception example uses three cameras on most of the key reception events. This was also in a relatively dark setting. You can see as the night sets in that newer cameras handle the low-light condition very well without video noise or the need for additional lighting. This reception contains elements of all of the traditional events listed above. Notice the use of “beauty shots” in the beginning of the video too to capture the site and setting.  The audio here is a combination of a digital recorder plugged into a DJ’s mixer along with a shotgun microphone.

Clients often want some of the in-between,  or pre-ceremony elements covered. There are many nice videography opportunities when bridal parties and families for  capturing special moments.  It’s not that you necessarily need to edit these into a grand production, but they make for nice elements to add to a finished video or a montage, or even if you are giving the client the raw footage, they appreciate having these moments professionally documented.

THE FIRST LOOK is probably the most popular of these. This is when a couple sees one another for the first time prior to a ceremony. These moments can be very special to a couple.

Additional Traditional Events:

In general, it is a good idea get at least some pre-ceremony coverage of people and places as well as some of the activity happening around the formal photos. Make a point of capturing what you need but shadowing the photographer rather than interfering.  It is perfectly acceptable to request a setup for a shot during this time; be sure you build a rapport with the photographer so he/she will be inclined to assist you with this too.

• Hair and makeup
• Groomsmen getting ready
• Family coverage
• Arrival of guests
• First looks
• Formal photo taking

Additional Religious / Social Wedding Elements:

• Catholic weddings follow most of the traditional events but will include a full mass including a communion and there could be multiple readers/speaker and musical performances.  Be prepared for a longer ceremony.
• Jewish weddings might include additional events including the Ketubah signing. This is a contract of marriage signed in front of witnesses and kicks off the ceremony. Another ceremonial moment is the “breaking of the glass” which concludes the ceremony but can happen quickly and unexpectedly if you are not ready for it. A Jewish reception will usually have a grand entrance followed by traditional dancing (the Hora) — this is a circular dance and the point where you might see a couple raised in the air on their chairs.
• Japanese weddings might have a tea ceremony (common in other Asian cultures) as well as gift giving elements where the groom will provide gifts to the bride’s family prior to the ceremony. There are usually multiple wardrobe changes throughout the day too.
• Different religions and different cultures will also add various elements, dances, blessings, etc. Some cultures have weddings that may occur over multiple days as well. And, many cultures have wardrobe changes throughout the event.

It is good practice to inquire well beforehand if anything non-traditional or unexpected will be planned. As you quote weddings and prepare for shooting, be sure to ask plenty of questions to make sure you are not setting yourself up for surprises.

Quinceañeras, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and other birthday/coming-of-age celebrations often follow a format similar to weddings. Some of them have ceremonies and receptions almost identical to weddings. Others are more like covering a reception with a big party.

Fashion Shows are a common type of event that can be covered easily with one person or a small team.  This event was covered by one videographer with a four camera setup. There is an extreme wide shot from the back, a wide shot and wide/medium shot — all from the back.  Additionally, there is another camera, an action camera at the edge of the runway, capturing the models from a very unique vantage point. This was shot entirely in 4K video. The audio is from a shotgun microphone, picking up the ambient music and sound from the event.  As you watch the video take notice of the shot variety.

This saxophone quartet performed at a museum with limited room and no audio support from any other technician. This is another event with a single videographer. The digital audio recorder was set near the stage and is the primary source of audio. The shoot used three cameras set in typical wedding set with one down the middle and the others on the edges. There is some camera movement, but it is minimal. Overall, this is a very “safe” setup and production to insure professional coverage.

The types of shots and technique will set apart the amateur from the professional. This is one of the reasons we highly recommend using tripods as well.  A shooter doing handheld shooting is often invasive at the event and more often than not, the footage is bouncy and unprofessional in appearance.

EXTREME WIDE SHOTS: These set the scene and introduce a location and/or crowd.

WIDE SHOTS: The wide shot will typically cover the action with a full body shot. You should always have a wide shot as a safety net to insure you are capturing the event. This is your most important shot.

MEDIUM SHOT: In editing, you will most likely spend most of your time here, capturing a combination of action and emotion.

CLOSE UPS: Be careful with close ups. In general people don’t want the camera to be extreme with close ups. Get a nice shot of a face that still includes part of the body, giving a high degree of emotion without focusing on every detail and/or flaw.  Objects can be shot much more closely!

Watch the ceremony again. Note the types of shots used, the movement, the zooms. We are careful and methodical in our shots making sure we have complete coverage and minimize anything that would appear amateurish.  Camera shake happens occasionally, that is to be expected. But shake and movement can be minimized. Zooms should be slow and purposeful. Pans and tilts, likewise, minimal and for a reason. Don’t move the camera just for the sake of moving.  Give yourself long enough on each shot to be able to edit later too. We recommend staying on a shot for at least 20-30 seconds in most cases.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Study the Ceremony

Choose a three (3) minute segment of the ceremony video below.  Watch the video and do the following:

1. In that three minute segment, how many times does the shot change? Count the cuts in that three minute segment A cut is each time the viewpoint changes to a different shot.
2. Identify the start and stop time of the three minute segment you are viewing.
3. In that segment now, describe each shot and its purpose.s
4. Do you notice any flaws or questionable shots? If so, explain.
5. This wedding uses four audio sources (wireless bluetooth on the officiant, shotgun mic from the left edge camera, on-camera audio on the down the aisle camera, and a digital audio recorder plugged into a mixing console). We primarily pulled audio from the bluetooth microphone. As you watch and listen, explain why you think we did this.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Study the Event 

Break down the montage and do the following:

1. Identify each shot
2. Identify when each shot takes place (ceremony, reception, other)
3. Which shot do you think is the “first look”?
4. There are many candid shots in the montage that are not in the ceremony or reception video. What is the importance, in your opinion, of including them here?
5. Identify three shots that stand out to you. Why do these shots catch your attention?