Search
Site Stats
User Stats
Wedding Video Tips
Bride & Goom's Tips
Try to get at least 2 people to video your wedding. This eases the responsibility of one person to get everything and with a little planning you’ll get the best footage and sound of your day.
If possible, ask people who are good at using their video. It may work better if they’re not closely involved in the wedding so they don’t mind being available to video.
Talk to them about what you’re looking for in a video, the plan for the day and how much you would like them to film (from Bride’s house, to ceremony, photos, speeches, dancing and through to the last of the reception).
If they don’t know your families, make sure you tell them the important people to film like parents, grandparents and siblings of the Bride and Groom so they can include them in the video!
Lastly, give this guide to your videographers to help them get organised.
Wedding Video Do’s
Go to the wedding rehearsal to see the setup and plan the best places to stand. Talk to the minister / priest / celebrant and the bridal couple about the plan for the ceremony so you can capture the important moments (Walking the aisle – both ways!, flowers, “I do’s”, exchange of rings, passages to be read, signing the register etc).
Use a tripod or a monopod when you film – this is really important! The steadier the shot, the more professional it looks.
Show people arriving at the Church/garden. It helps to establish the scene in a video and in a few years time it’ll be fun to look back on the people and fashions of the time. Don’t forget to get some video of the reception when people are arriving as well!
To get the good angles watch where the still photographer stands.
If there are 2 people filming, make sure one stands near a speaker and that both people don’t stop filming to ensure the whole ceremony and any music is captured. Including before and after the ceremony. Music at the ceremony can then be used as a soundtrack to the video.
At the reception, get to know the DJ or MC so you know what will happen and when. Get them to give you 5 minutes warning before cake cutting / bridal waltz / speeches etc
Try to capture the details like the bride’s flowers, lapel flowers, the bride’s dress (pan slowly up from the bottom), any hair pieces, the church/garden, the signed marriage certificate, the rings etc.) Take around 7 to 10 seconds on each and hold that camera still!
Talk to the wedding guests and ask them for a special message for the happy couple. It gives your video a wonderful personal touch that can’t always be captured by strangers.
Coordinate with anybody else filming (and the photographer). If possible, one person can be stationary in a front and centre position whilst the other is roaming around to get the best angle and audience reactions.
Take some footage to finish off the wedding, such as the garter/flower catch, the couple leaving or the guests leaving.
Wedding Video Don'ts
Unless the Bride & Groom request it, don’t film guests at the reception tables. Leave it to the still photographer because it generally doesn’t make for
exciting video.
Don’t use your camera’s special effects options. These are better achieved through the digital editing software used by Home Video Hits.
Don’t get stressed! Digital editing can edit out many problems. So don’t be afraid to film a scene, or do that pan or zoom again if you feel you could improve on the footage you took.
Camera tips
Please, please, please each camera needs to use a tripod or a monopod. Keeping your camera still is the single biggest difference between amateur and professional footage.
A few weeks before, check your camera is working. Film a few minutes then play it back on a TV. Check the backlight isn’t on, the audio is clear etc. Get it fixed if it isn’t!
Have enough tapes and batteries. Take at least 3 or more tapes for each camera and 5-6 hours of batteries. If possible, number all tapes before and make notes on them as you finish eg ‘grooms house’, ‘photo shoot’ etc.
Start a fresh tape at the beginning of the service. That way, you shouldn’t need to change tapes in the middle! Don’t stop filming in the church – get everything!
Get to know the controls on your camera. If you’re zooming, stay within the optical zoom range rather than going into the digital zoom. In other words, don’t zoom in too close – if the picture gets ‘blocky’ you have gone too far with your zooming.
Don’t overuse your zoom - so many people zoom in, out, then in again and all points in between! Only go in one direction at a time. Film a scene for a few seconds, then slowly zoom, then pause at the end of the zoom again. Try not to start or stop mid-zoom.
Walk closer to your subject and film, rather than stand back and zoom in. When you’re trying to get a close up shot from far away, any tiny movement of the camera is magnified and the footage is very bumpy as a result.
Don’t go back and forth panning across the scene. Only go in one direction and move slowly. Try as much as possible NOT to wave the camera around!
If you can, turn off the red recording light at the front of the camera. It helps people to act more naturally if its not obvious you are recording.
Sound is just as important as what you see. Protect the camera’s microphone from the wind – it plays havoc with the audio quality. If you have an external microphone, make sure it’s turned on and you have plenty of batteries, because you don’t want a silent film instead of a wedding video!
Lighting issues – try not to film into the light – whilst your eye can see it well, the camera will have more difficulty with it. Be careful of low light situations. If you can, borrow a lighting attachment for your camera or get closer to your subjects. Cameras featuring ‘Night vision’ are often limited to within a couple of metres and the colour is washed out and can appear black and white so use sparingly!