Hi IN[FOCUS] Readers,

Well, Corbin and I hope part 1 of this series has helped you prepare for your Perfect Super 8mm Highlight, and that you’re now ready to learn some of our day-of-strategies that help us obtain that perfect Super 8mm Highlight (or at least get as close as possible, lets face it, rarely does wedding filming reach perfection).

Here I am describing the shots we choose, and why we choose them:

And now what you’ve been waiting for, a shot list for The Perfect Super 8mm Highlight: (all ceremonies and receptions are different, so this may not be the perfect list for every wedding highlight)

  • establishing shots of the ceremony location (remember you’ll want a still shot over which to put the bride’s and groom’s name)
  • detail in the bride’s room to establish it (her bouquet is always a good choice)
  • the bride smiling and/or laughing
  • a wide shot of all the bridesmaids
  • establishing your groom (maybe entering his room if possible)
  • detail of the groom’s room (jacket hanging up)
  • a wide of all the groomsmen
  • the groom smiling and/or laughing
  • establish the ceremony location (a wide of it with no guests or a shot of the program)
  • 3-4 ceremony detail shots (you’ll use these as cutaways during the ceremony, so be sure to shoot mids or close shots)
  • guests mingling and greeting one another
  • the groom walking into place for the ceremony
  • groom’s smiling (remember to get it in-between the bridesmaids coming down)
  • a wide of entire wedding party in place (not shown in film)
  • the bride’s entrance (remember to try and get 2-3 shots of her entrance)
  • the bride’s father giving her away
  • unity candle or any other unique ceremony event
  • vows and/or ring shots
  • the kiss
  • the couples exit
  • 1-3 shots of couple right after ceremony as they look at their rings.
  • reception establishing shot
  • 2-3 reception detail shots (we no longer film the cakes, since we show them during the cake cutting)
  • the couple’s reception entrance (only film the bride and groom’s entrance and not their entire wedding party)
  • 2-4 shots of the couple’s First Dance (the groom twirling his bride is always a good shot, as is the dip and/or kiss at the end)
  • 2-3 shots of the Father/Daughter Dance
  • 2-3 shots of the Mother/Son Dance (the beginning and ends of the dances seem to be the best moments)
  • cake cutting (again, all receptions are different, so just do your best to get all the major moments)
  • family members and wedding party dancing (do your best to get both sets of parents and grandparents)
  • bride and groom dancing
  • anything unique to the bride and groom’s reception (photo booth, candy bar, etc…)
  • bouquet and garter toss
  • the couple’s Last Dance and/or exit

Corbin and I hope this helps you create the Perfect Super 8mm Highlight and look forward to seeing your films!

Happy filming,

-Dave

Christina and Clay’s Super 8mm Wedding Highlight from Soulbox Productions on Vimeo.

Hi IN[FOCUS] Readers,

This is Dave with Soulbox Productions. Corbin and I have been producing Super 8mm Wedding Highlights for the past 4 years and we want to share with you what we’ve learned in this two part series.

So you just purchased your refurbished super 8mm camera from Du-All Camera and you’re ready to film a wedding, right?…not so fast.

First, you’ll need to make sure you and your camera are ready to go.

Let’s start with the film, since you’ll need some to test your camera. Shooting at 24fps, each cartridge has 3 minutes of footage. We film a highlight using 3 cartridges, but your first time out, you’ll most likely want to use 4. If the Pre-Ceremony and Ceremony are well lit, buy two 200 speed cartridges (one for each – but you can always get two 500 speed and be ok). And assuming the Reception will be in low light, buy two 500 speed cartridges for it. We buy film from our processing company Spectra Film & Video. The price of their 4 pack of film (with processing included) is $259.

If you want to be confident of your camera’s workability on your client’s wedding day, you’ll want to do some tests at home first:

  • you’ll need an extra cartridge of 200 speed film
  • check to make sure there are no hairs are dust particles where you insert the cartridge (use a toothpick to gently remove any unwanted hairs)
  • use measuring tape and measure out 5 feet and place the meter on your camera at 5 and begin filming
  • we always like to test our cameras both by their meters and by our eyes to make sure both techniques are in focus (make notes as you test your camera, you don’t want to forget which technique you were trying when your test footage comes back from the lab in a few months)
  • don’t forget to test both outside in bright light and at night for low lighting situations (see our post on an inexpensive super 8mm lighting trick)

There is a way around the extra costs and time by doing a home test. You can simply jump right into filming with super 8mm. For Corbin and me, it just so happened that one of our friends was getting married, so we surprised her with the super 8mm highlight. Don’t have a friend getting married anytime soon? Simply ask one of your upcoming clients. However, I would be very cautious about charging a lot (or anything at all) when testing an unproven camera.

Below is our first attempt at a Super 8mm Highlight, testing our camera for our good friends Mike and Misty (please note that Spectra Film & Video did not do the processing).

Misty and Mike’s Super 8mm Wedding Highlight from Soulbox Productions on Vimeo.

Okay, so the footage came back and the camera is ready to go! Well, besides your camera and film, here’s what else you’ll need for your first shoot:

  • a bag
  • batteries for the camera (and extra batteries)
  • a light (unless everything is outside, but even then, it might get rained back inside)
  • a belt clip (so you have easy access to the next three items)
  • a lens wipe
  • a marker (to number your cartridges, so your processing company will give the footage back to you in order, this saves time in post production)
  • a small flashlight (so that you can read how much footage you have left during a dark reception)

Corbin and I hope this helps you get ready for your first Super 8mm Highlight. Next up in Part II, a shot list that will help you perfect the Super 8mm Highlight.

Cheers,
Dave and Corb

Mistakes to Avoid to Succeed in Wedding Video Get Adobe Flash player

Matt Davis with you. As “The Head Coach of Wedding Videography,” I was privileged last month to be joined with Chris Jones of Mason Jar Films, and co-founder of IN[FOCUS] on a conference call with almost 500 videographers providing them free information on some trade secrets and lessons that we have learned over the years. We had such a great response from that.

With the new year approaching, some of us need to ask our selves if what we are doing isn’t working. Some of us need to write down the things that did work for us in 2009 so that we can emulate that success in the coming years. But regardless of whether you are a seasoned veteran or just starting out, I believe we can all appreciate some tips that make such a hectic situation as a wedding day that much easier.  Above you’ll find a segment from our webinar “Mistakes to Avoid in Order to Succeed in Wedding Video”.  This 10 minute audio clip covers some tips and techniques that you can begin using on your next wedding that will not only make you more profitable, but will save your sanity. Here are some things you’ll learn in the audio.

  • How To Create Immediate Synergy with a Photographer
  • Getting the best audio from a wedding (non hardware specific)
  • Multiple Shooter Communication
  • Making the edit more simplified and profitable by doing things on the wedding day
  • A very necessary tip to help you with your post production ideas

Enjoy! Also, for those interested in further help, more details and strategies on how to grow your business, we are now enrolling for a very unique opportunity for event videographers. You can sign up for our 2010 coaching online webinar entitled “Sales & Marketing 101: What Most Videographers Don’t Know About Making Money”. Check it out. First session starts January 27th,2010.

See you in Austin!
Matt Davis, Lifestage

Light – the most necessary of things for a cinematographer, and just as it is necessary, it is equally as unpredictable and sometimes difficult to control.  Even with the introduction of the low light champs Canon 5D MarkII and the Canon 7D, there is still a need to maximize available light, and utilize artificial light.

Before we go into any shoot, we always consult with the client about their wedding and we discuss light and how we will use it.  Understanding as much as possible about the environment we will be shooting in will allow us to make decisions on the front end to head off any problems.  It is also important for them to understand to what extent we value and use light and to also know about the tools we use to make it happen.

We typically do not have an opportunity to light each scene but there are many things we can do that will increase the image quality.  Our lighting tools include:  Arri 650, Lowel Pro (3 light kit, 250w), LitePanels Micro, and the Canon VL-10Li II.  How we use each one of these depends upon location restrictions and how we need to enhance the scene.

For pre-ceremony, we always take a look at where the hair and make up will take place and what available light we can use.  Many times, I will offer the makeup artist our Lowel to help with her job.  They love this – score for us- and it also gives us a nice light to work with.  We can then use the barn doors to choke the light down or use diffusing paper to help spread the light around.

Typically, most churches in the U.S. will not allow us to light the sanctuary, so we are forced to use the available light.  As we walk in, we observe the lighting setup for unused lights and ask to have them turned on “to see how the light enhances the scene.” So we work our diplomatic skills (rather than being too pushy), and most of the time, people work back with us!

We once walked into a beautiful church and the lighting, even at its maximum, was not sufficient for proper exposure.  All of the windows had shutters, though, on both sides of the room.  I opened them up, and it changed everything.  It transformed our exposure from something that looked very dim and flat to a nice, rich, colorful contrasty texture.

Reception locations are usually dark and quite a challenge to film.  We always light the dance floor with the Arri 650 (which also has barn doors).  This light has a lot of punch but is evenly spread.  We get this light set up before the guests arrive so that they have an opportunity to acclimate to the lit environment.

If you don’t have an opportunity to set it up beforehand, you can purchase a dimmer that will allow you to gradually increase the power throughout the evening (remember the ‘boiling the frog‘ anecdote – well, it’s not quite the same, but similar).

We also use our Lowel kit to bounce light off of the floor or ceiling.  Using lights high and away creates a more dramatic and even spread of light.  We rarely use lights directly on the camera because it draws attention to the camera and we would rather have people not being aware of us.

With additional crew, we use the second or third person to point the Lowel at an angle to the subject. We also use the Canon VL-10Li II light or LitePanel.  Experiment with this technique.  There is no ‘one’ way to do it.

Our first fear of using lights at the reception was that it would annoy some guests. We reminded ourselves, however, that we were paid to document this milestone for our couple and if a few guests got cranky for seeing spots, that is a risk we were willing to take.  But we are cognizant minimizing light that might spill into the audience, so we use it discriminately.

Don’t be afraid to use additional light.  It never hurts to ask.  Sometimes you have to push the envelope.   Be open to changing or adjusting the lighting, whether by turning a light switch on or off, or by opening up window, blinds, or curtains.

Your clients will love seeing the light!

I’m interested to hear in the comments section how you perform your wedding day lighting.

John Moon(light)
Northernlight Filmworks

Thanks to Sonicfire Pro for the background music for the presentation (above).

To reiterate, even though these kids are in the wedding day attire, these pre-shoots are done days, and sometimes weeks before the wedding.  It’s not uncommon for LDS (Mormon) couples to see another in dress and tux well before the date .

But for your couples, it may be more likely that you can build a relationship with them using a different kind of pre-shoot,  and(e)ngagment shoot or a save the date video.

Regardless, the advantages of (1) choosing the time of day to shoot, (2) shooting during the week, and (3) entering the wedding day with a deeper connection to the couple apply.

Here is the final product from one of the pre-shoots featured in the b-roll above:

Beau + Sarah Preshoot from David Perry on Vimeo.