![IN[FOCUS]](http://www.infocusvideoevent.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/IFTiny.jpg)
Wedding filmmakers have a big job on their hands. It is up to us to capture a couple’s day in a way that it packed full of emotion.
I believe raw emotion comes directly from the subject’s eyes. We’ve all heard the expression “Eyes are the window to the soul” and in the bible (Luke 11:34), “The eye is the lamp of your body.” I believe you can control the intensity of that emotion by placing the camera close or far away from those eyes. A good close-up will fill the screen with emotion, and pulling away to a wide angle shot will often disperse that emotion.
It’s rather simple to gather beautiful close-ups during prep. It seems acceptable at times to break through someone’s personal space and get a close-up during prep. What about the rest of the day when we can’t get a camera right in someone’s face? What about the ceremony, or the dances, and of course…the toasts?
While shooting the toasts, we need to strive to capture good close-ups as well. The closer the subject’s face is to the viewer, the closer you feel to the subject. Any emotion that the speaker is experiencing will be amplified dramatically. I love seeing dad’s watery eyes as he talks about letting his little princess go or a sister who is overwhelmed with joy to see her older sister make that big move. A close-up shot will highlight the emotions of these speakers into a super-emotional spectacular!
Getting good toast close-ups requires good planning. You need to already know where you’re going to stand, what lens to use and on which camera. Lighting is important as well. Even a little side lighting with highlight the persons eyes especially when they are fighting back the tears.
Remember, get those cameras in there, get those zoom lenses on because there are tons of wonderful emotions ready to be captured. And it’s your job to do so.
Jet Kaiser
Jet Kaiser Films
