Wedding videography with inadequate gear.

[pgriz]

How about as a gift to the B&G you hire a videographer to shoot the ceremony?

Actually, that's a very good idea, but we've already gave a rather expensive gift, and I just don't know if I can find a good videographer at such a short notice. If I had been asked this, say 2 months ago, it would have been a very different scenario. As it is, wedding is on Sunday, and the entire resort is being taken over by the wedding party and invited guests. So I don't know if anyone will even have access to this place from tomorrow onwards. I think I was asked because the bride has been at our house all her life and has seen my stuff, and has got it in her mind that she wants ME to shoot something. While I appreciate her confidence, I know that my gear isn't up to it. On the other hand, I have done some video shooting and production about 10 years ago, and the results were good enough at the time. I'm hoping I haven't forgotten everything. Well, I'll see if I can rent some better equipment, and go from there.

 

[kathyt]

How about as a gift to the B&G you hire a videographer to shoot the ceremony?

Actually, that's a very good idea, but we've already gave a rather expensive gift, and I just don't know if I can find a good videographer at such a short notice. If I had been asked this, say 2 months ago, it would have been a very different scenario. As it is, wedding is on Sunday, and the entire resort is being taken over by the wedding party and invited guests. So I don't know if anyone will even have access to this place from tomorrow onwards. I think I was asked because the bride has been at our house all her life and has seen my stuff, and has got it in her mind that she wants ME to shoot something. While I appreciate her confidence, I know that my gear isn't up to it. On the other hand, I have done some video shooting and production about 10 years ago, and the results were good enough at the time. I'm hoping I haven't forgotten everything. Well, I'll see if I can rent some better equipment, and go from there.

Or you could always just tell her you don't own the proper equipment to do this for her, and then go enjoy yourself?

 

[Derrel]

Can't you just shoot it, burn it to a few DVD copies, and present it to her? She wants the video of the event, and her emotional attachment to the event will probably override any quality issues. What is the shutter speed on your camera's video at the frame rate you plan on using? Is it 1/48 second or something like that? Maybe that would be okay,light wise and ISO-wise? I think home video can get by with much worse performance than still photos.

 

[pgriz]

Get a small audio recorder, put it in groom's suit with microphone pinned to the jacket. Merge the audio later.

Not a bad idea IF I knew how to do that. But I don't, unfortunately.

Or you could always just tell her you don't own the proper equipment to do this for her, and then go enjoy yourself?

That's the exact advice both my wife and my daughter gave me a few minutes ago. "We want you to be there, not somewhere on the periphery worrying about the light." Kinda hard to argue with that logic.

Can't you just shoot it, burn it to a few DVD copies, and present it to her? She wants the video of the event, and her emotional attachment to the event will probably override any quality issues. What is the shutter speed on your camera's video at the frame rate you plan on using? Is it 1/48 second or something like that? Maybe that would be okay,light wise and ISO-wise? I think home video can get by with much worse performance than still photos.

The way this is turning out, the distaff side has already nixed renting additional equipment, so I'm just going to go with what I have and hope that it works out OK. I'm thinking, Derrel, that you will probably be right - they don't have any great expectations (I think). The bride is the sweetest person you could possibly hope to meet, and she makes everyone she comes into contact with feel that they are the most important person in the whole world. Very hard to say no to her. But with 400+ guests, I think she'll be busy enough without "worrying" about the video.


So thank you all who have answered my post. Good advice, which I will probably apply when one of my daughters gets married. And by then, I'm sure I'll have better equipment.

 

[runnah]

Pay for me and my gear to get there and I'll do it for free.

But seriously if there is is no audio, people are going to be bummed. I'd suggest looking for at least a hot shoe mic setup.

 

[bratkinson]

Perhaps the biggest issue I have with less-than-pro videographers is they INSIST on hand held shooting. I've seen countless films, even 8mm and 16mm shot in the '50s and '60s that had so much bouncing around as to make one seasick while watching it. And todays' "videographers" with cell-phones and iPads? I can't watch 'em any more. No matter what route you go...use a tripod! That, alone, will make your results appear more professional, even if under exposed.

But then, considering the lack of available time and keeping expenses to a minimum, I'd probably rent a 6D and a 24-70 f2.8L ii and perhaps borrow or even purchase a cheap 'pocket recorder' for the groom to wear during the vows. As lighting will likely be dismal, set the ISO at 6400 and 'go for it'. I have no problems with ISO 6400 on my 5D3, and many have indicated that 12800 is pretty usable as well.

Plan B: buy/rent/beg/borrow/don't steal an newer iPad or tablet with 'good' video capabilities and use that. Sound will be your biggest problem, though.

 

[kathyt]

Good luck pgritz. I am sure you will MacGyver it out be just fine. I agree with your wife and daughter though, don't step out of the moment. Make it fun. When I start shooting (weddings) I get in a zone, and I don't even realize other people are around.

 

[ShaneF]

Go to best buy, buy the best video camera they have. Shoot the wedding then return the video camera. God bless 30 day returns.

 

[pgriz]

Well, so far...

The T1i does not have provision for an external mic. (hiss! boo!)
Recording at 1280x720 gives both a decent frame rate (30fps), and a pretty good display using HDMI on our TV LCD. (ok, so probably not going to be a TOTAL visual disaster.)
Full HD (1920x1080) doable, but at a 20 fps frame rate. Kinda obvious streaking in pans and motion. Extra size probably not worth the loss in movement "fidelity".
Tripod is essentially a must, as Bratkinson noted. Check. Need panning head - OK, found one. Check.
Higher ISO's in movie mode does not seem to create too much objectionable noise.
Magic Lantern extensions are pretty neat. Live histo, zoom focus controls while recording, zebras for under/over exposure, center-point spotmeter gives instantaneous exposure values in the 1-255 range, and other stuff.
Found the movie-editing software that I used before - it still works, was able to import the video files and edit. So, if the audio turns out to be crap, I can splice in music, other recorded stuff (Robin's idea now seems do-able, IF I can get an audio recording arranged...), put in text, ghasty special effects (sorry - just kidding).

Am borrowing my daughter's G15 which takes decent (not great) video.

Need to get some more 32GB class 10 SDHC cards. Will get them while retrieving the clothes from the drycleaners (assuming the drycleaners havn't shrunk or perforated the said clothes in the meantime, in which case some very rushed shopping will be on the order paper).

Elsewhere, lots of angst re. forgotten things (daughter's already up in the resort, we've showing up tomorrow), wardrobe malfunctions, mismatched accessories, misplaced IMPORTANT things, and basically... it's a normal pre-wedding day. Mother of the bride (according to my spouse) already exceeded allowable warp speeds, and someone got into the wine stores taken up for the occasion. I am thinking that photography/videography will be the least of the minute-by-minute crisises.

@ Shane - not a bad idea, but may not have the time to figure it out well enough to use it properly, and at this point, using my time to help prevent meltdowns seems like a smarter use of time.
@ Kathy - yeah, gotta remember to stay in and enjoy the moment. I too tend to zone in on whatever I'm focusing on and tune out everything else, which is not the best way to enjoy such occasions.

Time to go and round up the remaining bits and pieces, including forgotten things.

 

[manaheim]

Oh, and snarky remarks are OK. I do have a sense of humour.

YOU SMELL!





Yeah, I admit I have nothing more useful to add.



Good luck???

 

[pgriz]

Oh, and snarky remarks are OK. I do have a sense of humour.

YOU SMELL!





Yeah, I admit I have nothing more useful to add.



Good luck???

Oh, did you get a whiff of the eau de cologne that I am trying out? My wife put me outside to reduce its effects, and I guess the prevailing wind patterns already carried it to your neck of the woods. Ok. So knocking them dead at 2000 paces is probably not a good idea. Check.

 

[cgipson1]

rent a decent videocam... will make it a lot easier (trust me!) Something like this: Rent Sony NEX-FS100U Super 35mm Sensor Camcorder

 

[pgriz]

Update.

Event went well, "grand-slam home run into Lake Michigan" well, as far as the wedding itself went. I knew that I was low down on the photography totem pole, so staked out my place towards the back so that I would not interfere with the pros hired for the event. They concentrated on what they had to do, and I did my thing. The event was outside and the day was bright and without clouds. The overhang, however cast some strong shadows, so the light was blown in the highlights, and kinda dark in the dark areas. However, overall the video recording function on my T1i worked pretty well. Audio track was/is very weak, but usable with a little post-processing juicing. Just to be safe, I also shot hand-held video using a G15 camera, and it delivered surprisingly good video, AND with good audio. So between the two, I've got the important stuff captured. The reception went from just-before-sunset sunset to the wee hours of the night, and the light in the hall went from barely OK to dim (roughly EV3-4) to "I need a flashlight to see the food" dim. Bounce flash shots at ISO 1600 turned out, for the most part, OK. Now to put all this into some kind of more-or-less chronological order and burn a DVD or two. Not portfolio-quality stuff, but fine for the memories.