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Tips for Filming a Wedding
Kamera Express
Tips for filming a wedding
Your brother is getting married and has asked you, an enthusiastic videographer, to film the wedding. Or perhaps you want to start working as a freelance videographer. Either way, you naturally don’t want anything to go wrong on this unforgettable day. With a few handy tips, you’ll be well prepared and deliver a video that will be watched again and again.
Preparation - Get to know the couple
If the couple are people you already know, you already have a head start. If not, make sure you meet them before the big day. This will help the couple feel more comfortable with your presence, and it will also give you an impression of the kind of people you are dealing with. This is also the perfect opportunity to discuss expectations. Are there any special wishes or things that should not be filmed? Make a careful note of this and include it in your preparation. No connection? Then think carefully about whether you should take on the assignment.
Scout the location
Whether the ceremony takes place in the local church or it is a full Tuscan wedding, make sure you know the location inside out. During your preparation, go and see what is possible for you. Is there space to work with a telephoto lens? Are there places where you can position a fixed camera? Is there enough natural light? This is your chance to think up a few shots and camera positions in advance. Avoid a lot of stress on the day itself and scout the location beforehand
Make sure you receive the schedule
A wedding is not complete without a schedule. Contact the master of ceremonies and ask whether you can see the schedule in advance. Based on this, create your own plan so you know when you need to be where. Are there several locations? Make a careful note of all addresses. Also save the contact details of the master of ceremonies, so you can reach them in emergencies. Ask him or her to keep you informed if any important details in the schedule change.
Check your equipment
You really don’t want to think about taking your camera out of your bag at the location only to find that it no longer switches on. Or worse, that it stops working during the vows. That’s why you should check all your equipment a few days in advance. This way, you still have time to repair or replace anything that is not working.
The big day - Arrive well in time
Make sure you leave home well in time. Take possible traffic jams into account. You don’t want to be rushing to set up your equipment while the first guests are already arriving. A stressed videographer is not pleasant for the couple either on what is already an exciting day.
Use several cameras
If you have several cameras, you can use these to make your video more dynamic. You can blend the different shots together nicely later in the edit. So place one or more cameras on a tripod and let them run. Some cameras have a maximum number of minutes they can film in one go. In that case, you may need to start a new recording in between. Keep this in mind and set yourself a silent (!) timer.
In any case, make sure you know the camera you use for handheld filming inside out. You don’t want to be searching for a setting during the vows. For stable footage with your camera, it is also advisable to use a stabilisation system.
For example, you could choose to have a wide shot and a close-up of the couple at the altar. Or are the parents guaranteed to cry? Then you can also point a camera at them. The more emotion, the better. The tear!
Don’t forget the audio either
Of course, visuals alone are not enough. The audio is at least as important. Your camera itself also picks up sound, but this audio is not sufficient for a professional video. That’s why you need to use microphones.
For example, you can choose to use a microphone to capture general sounds, a shotgun microphone aimed at the couple at the altar and a number of lavalier microphones for important people who will be giving speeches. You can read more about the characteristics of each type of microphone in this article. You can carefully level all these audio tracks in the edit.
Do something different, grab that drone
Do you want people to keep talking about your video for a long time? Then capture some footage with a drone. Provided the location allows it, of course. Especially at an outdoor wedding, this is a stunning addition that also captures the surroundings beautifully. If you have never flown a drone before, make sure you practise first. Naturally, you don’t want to accidentally fly into the bride’s or groom’s head.
Don’t get in the way
It may go without saying, but don’t get in the way during the big day. After all, everything revolves around the couple. You want to draw as little attention to yourself as possible. If the guests constantly have a camera in their face, you will only get unnatural footage.
Whatever you do, don’t miss these key shots
On the big day, there are a few important moments that you absolutely must not miss. Think of the moment when the bride and groom see each other in their outfits for the first time. You want to see the emotion bursting from their faces. There are also several moments during the ceremony. What about the vows, the “I do”, the exchange of the rings, the kiss and the signing of the marriage certificate? Finally, you must not miss the cutting of that beautiful cake either. Make sure you capture these well and the foundation of your video is there. If you miss a few shots of the party, nobody will notice, but a wedding video without the vows is not complete.
Afterwards - Make a backup
It’s done. After a long, stressful day, it’s best to let the material rest for a while, so you can edit the video later with fresh eyes. What you can already do is secure the footage. Transfer everything to your computer and make at least one backup of all the raw material. Follow our tips for making a backup. This way, you can at least be sure that everything has not suddenly disappeared, leaving you to head towards the newlyweds with a heavy heart.
Edit in stages
Once you have been able to take a little more distance from the day itself, you can start editing. You can first select the best footage and set it aside. This makes your work much clearer. The couple will probably want to see the final result as soon as possible, but it is more important that you deliver beautiful work. So work at the moments when you feel creative, and do this in blocks. It is better to spend four times two hours on it than to do everything in eight hours. By working in stages, you avoid sloppy mistakes and can look at your earlier work with a fresh perspective each time.
An important part of the edit is the music. It needs to suit the moment and lift the footage to a higher level. Be aware that the music can make or break a scene.
The customer is king
If all went well, you discussed the expectations during the introductory meeting. Now is the time to implement them. Perhaps you love a fast-paced edit, but the couple want a calm video without too much fuss. In that case, remember: the customer is king. But don’t lose sight of your own style either; after all, you want to be able to add the video to your portfolio with pride. Find a good compromise here.
What equipment do I need?
We have selected the best gear for your assignment as a wedding videographer. From cameras to post-processing software and everything in between.
Sony A7 Mark III
The Sony A7 Mark III is highly suitable for video for several reasons. It delivers excellent noise performance thanks to a full-frame sensor with a ‘limited’ number of megapixels, namely 24.2. This means you can also work well with the Sony in difficult lighting conditions. In addition, it is equipped with internal stabilisation. With no fewer than 693 autofocus points and face detection, you can keep faces pin-sharp in the frame. The camera shoots in 4K at up to 30 frames per second. For atmospheric footage, you can shoot at up to 120 frames per second in Full HD.
Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA
This prime lens has a beautiful focal length for weddings. Not too wide-angle and not too telephoto. Thanks to the large f/1.4 aperture, you can work with stunning bokeh to give your video extra flair. The advanced focusing system (Direct Drive SSM) is highly accurate and also exceptionally quiet. Thanks to the Zeiss T* coating, reflections are suppressed and you enjoy excellent colour reproduction. Should the Tuscan outdoor wedding be completely rained off, this water- and dust-resistant lens will simply keep working.
DJI Ronin-S
The DJI Ronin-S is a stabilisation system designed for DSLR and mirrorless cameras. It lets you shoot stable and smooth handheld footage thanks to SmoothTrack technology. This greatly enhances the viewing experience of your wedding video. After all, there is nothing more annoying than watching shaky footage. Thanks to the innovative framework, your camera screen always remains visible, allowing you to check your image at all times. The Ronin-S is intended for larger cameras in combination with heavier lenses. Do you have a smaller camera? Then choose its little brother: the Ronin-SC.
RODE VideoMic PRO+
The RODE VideoMic PRO+ is ideal for attaching to the camera you walk around with. Thanks to the supercardioid pickup pattern, it captures the sound of everything happening in your frame. Background noise is kept to a minimum by a two-stage high-pass filter. That is especially useful during moments when everyone is listening attentively to a speech. The RODE is also very suitable for outdoor weddings because of the wind protection around the microphone. This way, you do not have to worry about the vows being drowned out by distracting wind noise.
DJI Mavic Mini
For those extra dynamic shots, use a drone. To fly around as unobtrusively as possible, choose the DJI Mavic Mini. Despite its compact size and low weight of 249 grams, this is still a powerful drone. Thanks to three-axis stabilisation, your footage is also extremely stable. This makes it easy to create a stunning overview shot of the wedding location, for example. You shoot at a resolution of 2.7K at 30 frames per second. You control the drone with the controller, with your smartphone serving as the monitor.
Adobe Premiere Elements 2022
With Adobe Premiere Elements 2022, you can turn your material into a stunning film. The programme offers many automatically generated creations and intelligent editing options, making it highly suitable for beginners. Of course, more advanced editors can also enjoy the many features. You can let your footage transition beautifully, add stylish titles and provide the whole video with suitable music. Adobe’s AI technology is also smart enough to filter by, for example, faces.
