Filming a wedding tomorrow. Help?!

[TheBeastman13]

Hi, All.

I'm in need of tips and advice.

I'm filming a wedding tomorrow, first time ever doing so.

I'm using a Nikon D7100 and a b roll Sanyo Xacti fh1a video camera. The weather is supposed to be rainy/overcast. Outdoor shoot if it doesn't rain, tented ceremony if its rainy.

I have the kit lens(18-105) and a nikkor 50mm prime at my disposal. Two basic tripods.

I'm the only shooter so I have to work both cams in some regard.

Tips, pointers, suggestions

 

[Unami]

i'm no professional wedding-filmer, but i shot two or three for friends...

- don't miss the important moments !

get into position for these shots early, don't be to experimental (zooming in on the rings and having a shaky image instead of a boring but solid medium shot of the couple for example).

- if you got some audio equipment, place it near the couple/altar (i had a omnidirectional wireless mic on the groom the last time)

- establish the place (wide shot of scenery/ceremony), get some reaction shots from the couple's parents/friends

- you could place your 2nd cam static on a tripod behind/next to the altar/... and get a medium/medium long shot of the couple, so you always can cut to that....
(double & triple check focus if you're planning to leave the camera alone for some time)

- if there are professional wedding photographers, watch what they are doing, and let that "inspire" your motives

- keep the 180 degree rule in mind.

- do a manual white balance on the same white on both cameras

 

[TheBeastman13]

i'm no professional wedding-filmer, but i shot two or three for friends...

- don't miss the important moments !

get into position for these shots early, don't be to experimental (zooming in on the rings and having a shaky image instead of a boring but solid medium shot of the couple for example).

- if you got some audio equipment, place it near the couple/altar (i had a omnidirectional wireless mic on the groom the last time)

- establish the place (wide shot of scenery/ceremony), get some reaction shots from the couple's parents/friends

- you could place your 2nd cam static on a tripod behind/next to the altar/... and get a medium/medium long shot of the couple, so you always can cut to that....
(double & triple check focus if you're planning to leave the camera alone for some time)

- if there are professional wedding photographers, watch what they are doing, and let that "inspire" your motives

- keep the 180 degree rule in mind.

- do a manual white balance on the same white on both cameras

In regards to audio, I have a zoom h4n digital recorder.

And for the 180 rule, I'm shooting 1080p 30pfs at 1/60, because my dinky Sanyo only does 1080 at 30fps. I'd love to shoot 24fps, but it is what it is.

Should I use my 50 prime on my Nikon, or shoot zoom on the 18-105?

And by manual white balance... What do you mean by manual? I have presets in camera(cloudy,fluorescent, incandescent, etc) but I also can go according to Kelvin, but I've never messed with those, so I don't know which is best for a grey/overcast evening/night shoot.

 

[RCAFBrat]

Concerning the 180 degree rule, google is your friend (its about maintaining the consistency of spatial relationships):

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/180-degree_rule

Good luck with your shoot!

Cheers

 

[Captpegleg]

you can't be serious!
you're taking the responsibility of making video or photos for the couple and their families and giving them something that they expect to remember and cherish for all their married lives or several weeks, whichever comes first, and you've never even shot a wedding just for giggles?
i'm guessing the happy couple have taken a very serious fall and bumped their heads. quite possibly on the same thing you bumped your head on
good luck to you

 

[monokakata]

you can't be serious!

I think this is unfair. The OP said nothing at all about how this all came to be.

If it's been in the works for a while, and the OP is only now getting his act together -- then yeah. I agree with you.

But if it's something that blew up suddenly, it's a different matter.

Let us know, OP.

 

[TheBeastman13]

Concerning the 180 degree rule, google is your friend (its about maintaining the consistency of spatial relationships):

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/180-degree_rule

Good luck with your shoot!

Cheers

Wow, I completely misunderstood his remark. I thought he was talking about shutter angle in regards to which shutter speed to use in correlation to my desired FPS. Lol

----------

I think this is unfair. The OP said nothing at all about how this all came to be.

If it's been in the works for a while, and the OP is only now getting his act together -- then yeah. I agree with you.

But if it's something that blew up suddenly, it's a different matter.

Let us know, OP.

I had talked with my friend(the bride) earlier this year about filming the wedding.

I've been viewing wedding videos online these last two months, but viewing and doing are two utterly different things. I'm used to my film classes where we have prepped shot lists and organize what we want then do it.

This wedding setup is foreign to me. I just wanted to see how others have handled the sporadic necessity of covering an entire wedding shoot with only himself or herself to capture it all.

I'll admit I'm slightly unprepared with where to move about, yesterdays rehearsal was my first time seeing a wedding practiced, and first time here on location.

The weather isn't helping me either. It's rainy and cloudy, so the wedding may be under a tent this evening, making lighting conditions horrible for me. I tested 1250 ISO at an f 4 on the kit lens, still too dim! I'd hate to ruin the shot with grain by bumping in the 2-3k ISO range.

 

[Unami]

And by manual white balance... What do you mean by manual? I have presets in camera(cloudy,fluorescent, incandescent, etc) but I also can go according to Kelvin, but I've never messed with those, so I don't know which is best for a grey/overcast evening/night shoot.

there's a way to set your white balance manually on your cam (the symbol for that often looks like two triangles with a rectangle above them) - zoom in on some white/neutral grey thing (clouds, tent, bride's dress...) that's lit by your main lighting source (e.g. the sun) and set the white balance on both cameras to the same white.

if you're not sure about this, use the presets for cloudy/sunny/tungsten, etc.
this way, while your white will be slightly off most of the time, and both cameras will probably never show exactly the same white, it should work out nonetheless. don't use the manual kelvin settings, unless you know what you're doing.

if it's grainy, it's grainy - can't help that if there's not enough light. you can either use the grain and for some artistic, desaturated look or try to get rid of it in post with something like the neatvideo plugin.

good luck with your shot, you'll be fine !

 

[TheBeastman13]

I was so busy yesterday I didn't see your post until this morning.

I ended up using the "auto" setting for both the d7100 and the Xacti fh1a.

I'll try to blend the colors together in post.

 

[handsome pete]

I was so busy yesterday I didn't see your post until this morning.

I ended up using the "auto" setting for both the d7100 and the Xacti fh1a.

I'll try to blend the colors together in post.

For future reference I'd avoid using "auto" (for any setting really). The problem with auto white balance and video is that the camera is constantly adjusting its color temperature reading based on what you're shooting. For example, say you're shooting in a large room with interior lighting but also a large amount of ambient sunlight coming in through the windows. Your camera will try to decode what it thinks the best representation of white is between those light sources. As you move throughout the room the balance between the exterior and interior lights will shift and the camera will adjust accordingly. Same for any environment really. Since you aren't specifically telling the camera what you want it to do, it just constantly adjusts to whatever it's seeing in the frame. For still photography this isn't a big deal since you're capturing a single frame at a time, or a handful in burst mode. But with the continuous capture of video you will see the camera adjust itself often, which could end up being highly visible to the viewer. And it will also make color correcting in post more difficult because you're going to have fluctuations throughout your shot. Hopefully that isn't a problem with your footage.

The presets are usually pretty good, and it will give you a constant temperature setting. Manual will always be your best bet though, especially if you're trying to match cameras. But I'd also look into the science behind color temperature itself. That way you'll understand what your camera is doing and you could set custom profiles using the kelvin scale.

 

[TheBeastman13]

Thanks for the tips, Pete. I'll have to tinker with the settings next time.