Wedding Video (HD and non-HD)

if you shoot in HD then HD it is - i don't think you can mix HD with SD on a dvd ?or HD DVD

You could shoot in SD on the HD camcorder and then everything will work well.

HD doesn't work quite the way you think it does.

You can't have a film that is half HD and half SD as the final product.

You would either have to downconvert the HD to SD when you were done or upconvert the SD to HD (which would not look good)

Hope that helps.

You money would be better spent on quality, 3CCD DV cameras. A prosumer MiniDV camera will create a nicer looking SD image than a consumer HDV camera.


Lethal

Do not waste time and money on HDTV yet.

Dont buy an HDTV.

Dont buy an HD camcorder.

Until they are the ONLY thing you can buy, most people wont have access to equipment that can even view your work.

As it stands right now, HDTV is reserved for Million Dollar companies, not weddings.

but if you plan on doing something for a fee, dont waste THEIR time and THEIR money on a single CCD camcorder.

A 3CCD camcorder with MANUAL settings is all you need.

There is nothing professional about a video that changes exposure levels when you swing the lens in front of a window or lightbulb. Etc etc.

Manual settings = Pro

Footage shot with 1CCD looks far different from stuff shot with 3CCD, the colors and stuff are usually way different, and the most obvious is the "noise" levels in 1CCD, lots of grain.

You can of course shoot something here with 1CCD and there with 3CCD and mix in the editor, but dont shoot the same scene (location) with 2 different camcorders, it will be hard to edit them seamlessly.

Canon XL/GL are awesome, though a tiny large.
Sony TRV-950 (i have the 900 it replaced) is small and sweet.

Wireless mics are good too, but Mics (like the camcorder) are very important.

You wouldnt spend $1000 on the video and $10 on the audio would you?

Some camcorders have nice mics, but they usually arent removeable.

Boom mics are of course best, but way too expensive.

A clip on mic is great for spoken stuff, and a wireless one makes it alot easier on you.

A $1000 mic cant make the sound it captures better though. So always think before you shoot, AND always wear headphones jacked into the audio out of your camcorder or mic so you know what is actually being recorded and can adjust/move/mute stuff as need be. There is nothing worse than having an awesome 5 minute scene shot, take it home and find a nice Air Conditioner hum throughout the clip.

ps: the best looking video footage was shot like film. Which means you throw WAAAAAY more light onto your scenes than you know you need. The only thing seperating a nice amateur shot from a professionally shot is usually the amount of "noise grain" (look at nightime footage shot by anyone, the black is a sea of colored static, not flat black) in the darker parts of the shot. If you have a brightly lit scene, it disappears and looks nice n smooth.

Get yourself a used GL-1 and a couple wireless mics. Go to the practice wedding and tape it to get a feel for where everyone is and where to be, as well as figuring out lighting and audio problems that might come up. You only get one shot and if you mess it up, the couple that spent two grand isn't going to be too happy. Also, try getting two other people with 3 chip cameras to help cover the event. The timing of tape changes is also essential, I filmed a high school graduation last year and we practiced a couple times and had gone to the site several times before and still ran into a few small issues. You may think it's funny to put that much planning into it, but once your filming the real event, you'll thank yourself.

-Cory

wireless mics

For wireless mics, the Azden 200ULT has worked out well for me. Ain't cheap though. Gives you 2 seperate channels from one reciever. Sounds great too.