Preparing for first wedding

[Rebecca]

Hello all: Today I am preparing for my first wedding shoot. I am both nervous and fairly confident about the sequence of events. The wedding is 4.5 hours away so I am packing every bit of electronics I can possibly think of... just in case.

I am going to have soooo much footage to sort through as I have been asked to cover the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, the guys golfing, the bride's prep, groom's prep (if time), ceremony and reception (of course), and interviews from family and friends.

Now I am just finalizing my checklist to make sure that I have all the equipment I need for the job... goodness, I think that this will completly fill the back of my truck.

Well I am just rambling now.... I will share how it went when I return on Sunday.

[Mike Downey]

Good luck! I am sure you will do very well! :)


Mike

[Rebecca]

Good luck! I am sure you will do very well! :)


Mike
Thank you Mike

[vegas06]

Good luck Rebecca, I remember how nervous I was for my first shoot.
I think I went through my checklist 10 times over.
Luckily the only thing I forgot to bring was my step stool...No big whop as a chair worked fine. :)

[Chuck_e7]

Good Luck, I remeber my first one, get there early, take more stuff than you need, backups of everything, B R E A T H E, smile , and ACTION!

[Bonsai]

Good luck Rebecca, I remember how nervous I was for my first shoot.
I think I went through my checklist 10 times over.
:)

I still go over my check list 10 times each wedding!

Best of luck, and please let us know how it goes....

[Rebecca]

Thanks everyone!

I have just finished packing up every cable I own, three tripods, one monopod, two iRivers and mics, wireless combo unit, three cams, gaffer's tape, an extension cord, blank tapes, lots of batteries for each cam, sunscreen, business cards, dvd player for montage at the rehearsal dinner (just in case the FOB's player has issues), and bringing my husband to carry everything for me :icon_biggrin:

Next purchase will be one or two large cases for all this stuff instead of 6 small bags.

[redmikeu2]

Next purchase will be one or two large cases for all this stuff instead of 6 small bags.
How about a luggage cart dolly, too. A cheap one can be had at Wally Mart for about $20. I use it at my work at least once a month for covering court to carry cable reels, a fullsize tape deck editor, and a mult box.

Good Luck and Enjoy the feeling of pulling it off.

[AndrewMSV]

Thanks everyone!

I have just finished packing up every cable I own, three tripods, one monopod, two iRivers and mics, wireless combo unit, three cams, gaffer's tape, an extension cord, blank tapes, lots of batteries for each cam, sunscreen, business cards, dvd player for montage at the rehearsal dinner (just in case the FOB's player has issues), and bringing my husband to carry everything for me :icon_biggrin:

Next purchase will be one or two large cases for all this stuff instead of 6 small bags.

I'm kind of lazy when it comes to packing all my stuff. I used to be like you - be prepared for every possible contingency, right? But not so much anymore. I take care of my end of it. Cameras, tripods, batteries, tapes, wireless mic and accessories, that's about it. If I have a video presentation at the reception then I bust out all the cables and audio adapters and such. I like to travel light so I don't even keep my camera bag with me most of the day. It stays in the car (except for at the ceremony and reception where it stays in a safe corner.)

I think as you do more of these, you'll start recognizing which items are life-savers and which items are overkill.

You will also start to shoot less and less until you pretty much get a good feel for what footage you leave in and what footage you edit out.

For a 10-hour wedding day, I'll come home with 3-4 tapes per camera. That's about it. I now know what shots I won't include in the final cut so I don't even bother shooting it anymore. When backlog is your number one enemy, smart shooting becomes your very best friend.

Good luck on your shoot!
Let us know how it goes, Becca.

Cheers! :asmiley:

[Mike Downey]

You will also start to shoot less and less until you pretty much get a good feel for what footage you leave in and what footage you edit out.


It is a very nice thing to know what shots you are looking for and how to shoot them. I always keep my eyes open for something good that I do not normally shoot but for the most part I shoot less footage then when I first started. :)


Mike

[ppatton]

Best of luck to you. You'll do just fine.

paul

[D4rK F0CuS]

Best of luck to you. You'll do just fine.
I disagree.

A lot can go wrong on a first wedding shoot:

- thinking the camera's recording but it's actually in pause
- and not finding out until after the vows are over
- not bringing enough batteries or tape
- tilted tripod shots
- bad color balance
- drifting focus and exposure
- falling over killer plants
- riff raffs stealing your balcony camera
- losing directions
- flat tire
- thieves breaking into your car / accident
- forgetting deordorant
- iriver acting up, mic gets unplugged from minidisc
- static-ky wireless because it's on the same channel as the house audio
- photogs getting in the way
- realizing you're wearing sneakers, not dress shoes
- etc.

[ppatton]

I disagree.

A lot can go wrong on a first wedding shoot:

- thinking the camera's recording but it's actually in pause
- and not finding out until after the vows are over
- not bringing enough batteries or tape
- tilted tripod shots
- bad color balance
- drifting focus and exposure
- falling over killer plants
- riff raffs stealing your balcony camera
- losing directions
- flat tire
- thieves breaking into your car / accident
- forgetting deordorant
- iriver acting up, mic gets unplugged from minidisc
- static-ky wireless because it's on the same channel as the house audio
- photogs getting in the way
- realizing you're wearing sneakers, not dress shoes
- etc. I didn't say nothing could go wrong, but All the negativity in the world isn't going to help her. If she thinks like that, all that can go wrong will. A little positive carma can go a long way.

[bmitchell]

- realizing you're wearing sneakers, not dress shoes


Guilty. Once.:icon_redface:

[Mike Downey]

I disagree.

A lot can go wrong on a first wedding shoot:

- thinking the camera's recording but it's actually in pause
- not bringing enough batteries or tape
- forgetting deordorant
- static-ky wireless because it's on the same channel as the house audio



Been there done that :snork_lach:



- falling over killer plants


:laughing-smiley-014



Mike

[D4rK F0CuS]

I didn't say nothing could go wrong, but All the negativity in the world isn't going to help her.
Yeah, I know you were trying to give off positive vibes. I am just being an ass. :snork_blin:

[Bonsai]

Yeah, I know you were trying to give off positive vibes. I am just being an ass. :snork_blin:

Are you kidding? That was an awesome list of things that could go wrong. Nothing assy about it. I don't know if Rebecca read it before she left, but I think it's a wealth of information.

And who would ever predict tripping over a killer plant?? (Oh, wait, that was the photographer):snork_lach:

[ppatton]

i know better, that things CAN go wrong. my first wedding someone had removed a connector from my remote PTZ camera, which I usually leave connected to the camera, and the wedding was 400 miles from home. So I couldn't control the camera, Had to use it as a stationary instead. Made a whole lot more work in post to get the same effect I wanted to use the camera for.

Haven't tripped over the killer plant yet though

Paul

[JC/DV]

Good luck, and most importantly HAVE FUN! Walmart has these black 3' long "trunks" but they are plastic. They are in the automotive area for only $15 each. I have 2 and work great! Excellent for tripods and cables!

[Mike Downey]

That is a good idea... Thanks! :)


Mike

[ppatton]

Good luck, and most importantly HAVE FUN! Walmart has these black 3' long "trunks" but they are plastic. They are in the automotive area for only $15 each. I have 2 and work great! Excellent for tripods and cables!
i use milk crates for small cables and water hose reels (Square, if I can find them) for speaker and mic cables and tackle boxes for misc. connectors and adapters

[Chuck_e7]

Thanks everyone!

I have just finished packing up every cable I own, three tripods, one monopod, two iRivers and mics, wireless combo unit, three cams, gaffer's tape, an extension cord, blank tapes, lots of batteries for each cam, sunscreen, business cards, dvd player for montage at the rehearsal dinner (just in case the FOB's player has issues), and bringing my husband to carry everything for me :icon_biggrin:

Next purchase will be one or two large cases for all this stuff instead of 6 small bags.

Lucky him!:laughing-smiley-014 Get yourself a couple of Pelican 1650's, that should do the trick. and if you travel with them, be sure and get the TSA locks for the airport weinies..

[Rebecca]

I disagree.

A lot can go wrong on a first wedding shoot:

- thinking the camera's recording but it's actually in pause
- and not finding out until after the vows are over
- not bringing enough batteries or tape
- tilted tripod shots
- bad color balance
- drifting focus and exposure
- falling over killer plants
- riff raffs stealing your balcony camera
- losing directions
- flat tire
- thieves breaking into your car / accident
- forgetting deordorant
- iriver acting up, mic gets unplugged from minidisc
- static-ky wireless because it's on the same channel as the house audio
- photogs getting in the way
- realizing you're wearing sneakers, not dress shoes
- etc.

This is a good list of things to watch out for this evening...thanks

I am currently killing some time at the hotel while waiting for the time to head out to the church. I met the photogs last night and they are great to work with... we have gone over where we will be during the ceremony so that we won't get in each other's shots.

I remembered my deodorant... but forgot my conditioner... so my hair is soooooooo frizzy with the humidity here :eek:

[Rebecca]

Thank you everyone for the comments! I just got back from the golf course and have a three hours to kill before I meet the girls at the church.

Last night, the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner went well. The minister was cool with where I want to place my cameras and will wear one of my lav mics during the ceremony. I met with the sound guy and verified that the house frequencies are different from with my wireless. Small church plus large bridal party equals Thank goodness I have a tall tripod to see the bride over the groomsmen's heads for my side angle shot.

They showed the photo montage (17 min. long) at the rehearsal dinner and it was a hit. The groom's mom kept hugging me and telling me how much she loved it. She cried throughout most of it. The photogs were impressed as well. (side note: I thought that the montage was horrible... there were sooo many pics that I just slapped them in "Photo to Movie", adjusted a few of the keyframes, added a few titles, and called it done)

I have recharged all my batteries, prelabled my tapes, and cleaned all my lenses.... I think that I am ready for this evening :icon_biggrin: This is a little stressful.... but so much fun!

[Mike Downey]

This is a little stressful.... but so much fun!


Welcome to the club!! It is so much fun but you are right... Stress City!! :snork_lach:



Mike

[D4rK F0CuS]

Shooting weddings isn't stressful... well at least for me it isn't. If it's stressful, then you ain't experienced. And that's not knocking anyone, but once you do enough of them, you find you can shoot them half-asleep and even while drunk. This is one job where you won't get fired for being totally wasted while on the job.

And you can edit in the safety of your own basement or studio, while completely naked and feel comfortable about it.

[Mike Downey]

I do not agree... I have shot over 300 weddings and they are still stressful... I am just the type of person that stresses about getting each shot as perfect as possible. :)


Mike

[Rebecca]

Well, it is 1am and the reception is over..... what a great day.... I am still wired and can't sleep. Everything went as planned and the little things that happened were no big deal. The groom left the church with my wireless mic still on... but I was able to retreive it at the reception. The photogs were great to work with.... we chatted during the down-times and will probably work together in the future. While I was stressed out earlier... once I started recording... I was cool, calm, and collected.

Well... I had better try and get some sleep as I have a long drive home in the morning.

Bye and good night!

[AndrewMSV]

I do not agree... I have shot over 300 weddings and they are still stressful... I am just the type of person that stresses about getting each shot as perfect as possible. :)


Mike

Mike makes a good point: The unscripted aspect of event videography will always be stressful to a degree. The more things go as planned, the less stressful it is and likewise, the more experience you get, the more you know how to handle the unplanned events and the less stress you will feel. But don't kid yourself that it isn't a stressful job!

Granted different people handle stress differently and some handle it better than others (some just hide it better) but for me, there is always that slightly sick feeling that something precious is going on somewhere and I'm missing it.

:asmiley:

[AndrewMSV]

Well, it is 1am and the reception is over..... what a great day.... I am still wired and can't sleep. Everything went as planned and the little things that happened were no big deal. The groom left the church with my wireless mic still on... but I was able to retreive it at the reception. The photogs were great to work with.... we chatted during the down-times and will probably work together in the future. While I was stressed out earlier... once I started recording... I was cool, calm, and collected.

Well... I had better try and get some sleep as I have a long drive home in the morning.

Bye and good night!

Great work, Becca.
Log back on when you get some rest and tell us all the gory details. I'd love to relive the first-shoot-jitters again. Those were exciting times!
Congratulations.

:asmiley:

[ppatton]

Mike makes a good point: The unscripted aspect of event videography will always be stressful to a degree. The more things go as planned, the less stressful it is and likewise, the more experience you get, the more you know how to handle the unplanned events and the less stress you will feel. But don't kid yourself that it isn't a stressful job!

Granted different people handle stress differently and some handle it better than others (some just hide it better) but for me, there is always that slightly sick feeling that something precious is going on somewhere and I'm missing it.

:asmiley:Any type of event videography can be stressful. You have no control over what other people are going to do and when. We produce a lot of stuff that is aired live on TV, and there is almost always someone that decides that they won't use a mic and just starts talking to the audience, forgetting about the TV audience. Also with this type of setup getting all of the audio feeds going to the right places takes time sometimes right up until showtime. ot so bad if the event is just being recorded for later showing, but live TV stuff you don't have the luxury of beig a few minutes late starting.

[ppatton]

Well, it is 1am and the reception is over..... what a great day.... I am still wired and can't sleep. Everything went as planned and the little things that happened were no big deal. The groom left the church with my wireless mic still on... but I was able to retreive it at the reception. The photogs were great to work with.... we chatted during the down-times and will probably work together in the future. While I was stressed out earlier... once I started recording... I was cool, calm, and collected.

Well... I had better try and get some sleep as I have a long drive home in the morning.

Bye and good night!congradulations on your first pro gig. Hope you got everythig you wanted in the shoot. Now down to the editing!!!!!! Good luck.

Paul

[Mike Downey]

Well, it is 1am and the reception is over..... what a great day.... I am still wired and can't sleep. Everything went as planned and the little things that happened were no big deal. The groom left the church with my wireless mic still on... but I was able to retreive it at the reception. The photogs were great to work with.... we chatted during the down-times and will probably work together in the future. While I was stressed out earlier... once I started recording... I was cool, calm, and collected.

Well... I had better try and get some sleep as I have a long drive home in the morning.

Bye and good night!


Congrats... I am glad it went well for you. Now is the hard part.

When you get home you need to make a schedule for yourself. Capture the footage as soon as possible, you need to edit this wonderful event you just recorded.

MANY videographers end up with a huge backlog because they relax after the shoot and the days go by without editing.

I have done this on MANY occasions. If you are new to editing give yourself 2 to 3 weeks to finish but start NOW. If you know how to edit give yourself a week.

That way you will not fall behind and your bride will be VERY happy! :)


Mike

[ppatton]

I'll agree with Mike, here, 100%. Always try to stay ahead of that dreaded backlog. I usually put in a lot of late nights, to get my editing done relatively quick. I hate holding up a projects completion.

paul

[Rebecca]

Congrats... I am glad it went well for you. Now is the hard part.

When you get home you need to make a schedule for yourself. Capture the footage as soon as possible, you need to edit this wonderful event you just recorded.

MANY videographers end up with a huge backlog because they relax after the shoot and the days go by without editing.

I have done this on MANY occasions. If you are new to editing give yourself 2 to 3 weeks to finish but start NOW. If you know how to edit give yourself a week.

That way you will not fall behind and your bride will be VERY happy! :)


Mike
I will start capturing the footage when I get home this evening. I am looking forward to the edit and wish that I was able to start now instead of killing time at my day job.

[Rebecca]

Well... this will be a long drawn out post:

While I was very nervous leading up to the wedding, apparently I hid it well as the groom's mom commented several times "how are you so calm?"
The wedding was in a very small church with a large bridal party of 20 (not counting the preacher and the bride and groom). I had three cams and at the last minute, my husband offered to man the balcony cam as I was going to be stuck shooting over the groomsman's shoulders for most of the ceremony. (Good thing I purchased a tall tripod so that I could get a good view of the bride's face and also some shots of the family in the front pews) I can't wait to review the footage from my husband's cam... he said that he was able to get some good shots for me. We had a good system of watching each other and not moving our cams at the same time.

Ended up with 9 tapes (four of them are about halfway full). I know that I shot too much footage, but I found my self shooting things in several different ways so that I could decide later what looked best and what to try again in the future. Quite a bit will end up being cut because if shakyness or not proper for a wedding vid. I was mooned by a groomsman ("hey CameraLady... watch this"), flashed by the bride (I'm not modest... see?"), and heard the groom using the restroom right before the ceremony started (was recording some shots of the guests arriving and the wireless was already on)

After hearing about all the photog horror stories... I was very happy to meet a couple of great photographers. We each just did our jobs with little interference. I tried to stay out of her shots and she gave me the same curtesy. By the end of the night, we exchanged business cards and will probably refer clients to each other. She also asked for a couple of copies of the wedding video so that she can show it to her clients when they ask for a local videographer

I will post a clip when I get something edited.

[AndrewMSV]

She also asked for a couple of copies of the wedding video so that she can show it to her clients when they ask for a local videographer
I will post a clip when I get something edited.

Hey Becca,

Thanks for recapping your day. It sounds like you're a true pro!
I can't wait to see some of the footage you collected/edited.

Just as a side note: Your contract probably allows you to do whatever you want with the footage, but I would try to confer with your bride about sending a copy to the photog. I always try to let the bride know about other people who want copies before I send them out. (Unless I really want to send it but think she'll say no. Then I'll just do it without notifying her. :icon_redface: )

Cheers!

[Mike Downey]

It sounds like you did very well. I agree with Andrew it is just nice to confer with the Bride (Even if you think she will say no) before sending any copies.

Enjoy the editing, let your sense of what you would love to help guide you through the process. My wife is a great editor on weddings... way better than me and it is because she feels it as much as edits it. :)


Mike

[Rebecca]

Hey Becca,

Thanks for recapping your day. It sounds like you're a true pro!
I can't wait to see some of the footage you collected/edited.

Just as a side note: Your contract probably allows you to do whatever you want with the footage, but I would try to confer with your bride about sending a copy to the photog. I always try to let the bride know about other people who want copies before I send them out. (Unless I really want to send it but think she'll say no. Then I'll just do it without notifying her. :icon_redface: )

Cheers!

Got that covered... bride and groom gave the ok to use any of their wedding footage as my demo and are fine with their photographer getting a copy or two.

Just got off the phone with the groom... he wanted to say thank you and also said that he and his bride did not notice either me or the photogs all night... which was a good thing :)

side note: don't know how common this is, but all of my communication was through the groom... he brought over all the photos... let me know what type of coverage they wanted... etc...

[Rebecca]

Enjoy the editing, let your sense of what you would love to help guide you through the process. My wife is a great editor on weddings... way better than me and it is because she feels it as much as edits it. :)


Mike

Thanks... that is exactly what I am planning to do and also how I shot most of the footage. I just thought about what types of things I wanted to see on my wedding day and made sure that I covered all of the important parts of their day, their family & friends, and the pretty things like flowers and cakes.

[ppatton]

Sound like all in all everything went well for you. Glad to hear it. also sounds like you have already got a good idea what story your finished vido will tell.
It's nice to have a game plan. Good luck on the edit.