A Guide to Wedding Videography

Weddings are special, and many brides love the idea of an amazing, romantic video of their special day. The truth is, though, that many wedding videos shot by family and friends, while special, could be much better. Here are a few tips and ideas to help you create a video that they’ll want to watch over and over again. It can be hard work but it’s worth the effort!

1. Bring the right gear, and know how it works.

   

   If your budget allows, it’s best to have two cameras, especially for ceremony coverage. If you can't afford the equipment at this time, try using a video camera rental. I typically set one camera up in the balcony or in the back of the venue to capture a wide shot of the stage area, and one camera on the right side of the venue, as close to the stage as possible without being blocked by the groomsmen (usually back two or three chair rows from the front). The right side gives you the best view of the bride, and especially her face. As long as you have the wide camera running in the back, you have a little freedom to re-position if someone is blocking your shot and you need a better angle.

   When you choose the cameras you’ll be using, the camera in the back with the wide stage shot is not too critical - any camcorder will usually be fine. For the camera you’ll be running on the right side of the venue, you want a camera and tripod that will be steady, easy to zoom slowly and steadily, and a good pair of audio inputs. I find the Canon XH-A1 to be a good camera to shoot with, as well as a good sturdy tripod with a Bogen 501 head.

   You’ll also want to have a wireless microphone or a standalone audio recorder wired on the groom to pick up the vows. Don’t put a mic on the bride - wires are usually black, and you don’t want to mess with the dress anyway. Just mic the groom. Usually they’ll stand close enough that your mic will pick up the bride’s voice too. If you have a spare mic, you might ask the officiant if you can mic him/her as well.

   I like to also have a shotgun mic mounted on my camera to record the room sounds - cheering, live music, and the venue’s sound system. Any external mic will be better than the in-camera microphone, and it’s worth the investment if you can afford it. I split the camera audio inputs left and right, and run the shotgun mic into the left channel, the groom’s wireless mic into the right channel. Depending on your camera’s audio input you may need a Beachtek adapter to do this.

   If you have time before the wedding and it’s your first time using the gear, do yourself a big favor and set it all up and test it. Make sure you understand the settings and familiarize yourself with the cameras and mics. Weddings don’t wait.



2. Shoot steady when it counts!

   

   The first sign of an amateur video is unsteady camera work. You need a steady tripod for starters, but you also want to think about where you’re going to position yourself. It can help to get close to the action. Don’t zoom in and out quickly or whip the camera. Steady and calm camera work, even if it isn’t perfect, is much more enjoyable to watch later.

   If you have a good wide angle camera as a backup shot, that will help cover up camera mistakes made during the ceremony, and also help during the processional.

   I do a lot of handheld camera work during a wedding, but the ceremony, speeches, and first dances are always shot on a tripod.



3. Sound is critical.

   Test your audio settings. Sacrifice your great hairdo and use those headphones! Don’t just assume that because you can see audio levels on the camera, that you know what’s going on. Your shots can look amazing, but horrible audio distortion or no sound at all can ruin a great wedding video.

   Here are a couple of audio things that can cause trouble if you’re using external mics.

   • The groom’s wireless mic is off or on mute. Do not let the groom feel like he needs to change mic settings. I give them the mic about 20 minutes before the ceremony and tell them it’s not live in the house, and I will edit out all the audio except for the vows.
   
   
   • Camera settings: you want to make sure that you are recording from your external mics, not the in-camera mic. Just because you see levels on your camera doesn’t tell you what you’re recording. If you’re using two mics, make sure they are split so one goes to the left and one to the right. If they are mixed together, you’ll have trouble editing out the groom’s mic before the ceremony.
   
   
   • Mic settings: Make sure you check any dB pads, input levels, etc and test your levels before the ceremony. Fresh batteries are also important.



4. Know the important events.

   

   Make sure you know at least a rough schedule of the day beforehand, and know what the bride and groom expect. Here’s a basic run-down of what I typically shoot:

   • Pre-ceremony: Bride and groom getting ready, shots of the venue, decorations, guests arriving, professional photos, and on-the-spot interview footage with bride and groom or other key people.
   
   
   • Ceremony: I shoot the ceremony all the way through with two cameras. You’ll see the processional, bride’s father giving the bride away, sometimes a sermon or speech by the officiant, vows, ring exchange, maybe some special music, unity candle, scripture readings, final presentation of the new married couple, first kiss, and then the recessional.
   
   
   • Post-ceremony: It’s good to get some shots of the receiving line if there is one, and the bride and groom escape if there is one. I usually shoot the escape handheld, since it happens fast and there will be a lot of people around if you’re trying to move around with your tripod. Just keep it as steady as you can, and keep your camera zoomed wide.

     Also it can be fun to shoot the professional photos, especially outdoor photo sessions. Don’t try to copy what the photographer is shooting or it’ll be boring. Get people laughing, goofing off, shoot some of the photographer -- remember that you’re not taking pictures, you’re shooting video, and those are two different things.

   • Reception: There’s the grand entrance first, then everyone has a different order of events. Main events to think about are the cake cutting, toasts, prayer before the meal, first dances (bride and groom together, bride with her dad, groom with his mom), and then usually open dancing starts.

     I don’t shoot people eating as a general rule, but before the grand entrance I do try to get a few shots of guests having fun, laughing, drinking, etc. I would recommend shooting everything at the reception on a tripod until the open dancing starts, and then maybe shoot that handheld.

     My technique for better audio at the reception is to take a wireless mic and set it up so that the mic dangles in front of the DJ’s speaker. If you do this, you have to make sure you adjust the mic’s settings so that it can handle the high volume levels, but you’ll have a nearly direct feed without the hassle of plugging directly into the DJ’s board. No matter what you do, the most important thing at a reception is to use headphones and be sure that your audio is not distorting because it’s so loud.

   
   
5. Editing takes time

   

   Plan for plenty of editing time. If you shoot just the ceremony and main reception events, you can expect to spend a fairly full day editing, more if you don’t have a lot of editing experience. The more footage you shoot, the more time it’ll take.

   When I finish a DVD, I deliver three separate video tracks - a full wedding edit, a long reception edit with full toasts, full first dances, etc, and a fun 10-15 minute highlights edit that they can easily sit down and watch with friends and family, or post and share online.

There’s a lot to think about, and it’ll be a challenge, but hopefully it’ll also be a fun experience and will mean a lot to your bride and groom. You can do it, and they’ll appreciate your work for many, many years to come.

Here's a sample video shot by Center Street Productions.