It’s not just the newlyweds making wedding promises.

Before you say “I do,” plan your video shoot following

some tried and true tips that won’t have you filing for

an annulment the day after.

by Bri a n S c h a l l e r
edding videographers are a
bit like magicians: there’s an
unwritten code that we should
not give away the tricks of our trade.
We’re going to break this code right now
and tell you everything you need to know
to shoot professional wedding videos.
First, we have to warn you that no one
but a video enthusiast will appreciate
how much work you put into the project.
Second, if the video is for a friend, do
not do the video as a wedding present;
buy them something from their registry
as well. If you are a pro and know what
you are doing, you should charge a fair
price. If you are a friend doing someone
a favor, make sure you are not getting in
over your head.

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You cannot be in the wedding and shoot
it at the same time. Shooting a wedding
video will take up all of your time dur-
ing the wedding ceremony and recep-
tion. Still, you are an essential part of
the wedding party and it is your job to
capture the event so family, friends and
future generations can watch the beau-
tiful memories. Make sure not to prom-
ise to get every part of the wedding.
Explain that you will be there
for the entire wedding and
reception, but it is impossible
to get everything. Tell them that
A small, camera
you will do your best to capture
mountable light is
all the wedding highlights. Most wed- not essential but
ding videos will be from 45 minutes to nice to have. Buy one
2 hours in length, depending on the that isn't powered by
duration of the ceremony and amount the same battery that
of events they have at the reception. the camera is using.

There are several pieces of equipment
that are essential for any wedding
shoot, including a camera, tripod,
microphone, headphones, batter-
ies and videotape. Nonessential but
desirable items include a wireless
audio is just as important as the video
at an event like this. It is the most
important non-essential piece of equip-
ment you can have at a wedding, but a
good system starts at around $500.
An on-camera light is also important.
Hear this advice
Audio is just as important as video, so
make sure you capture it well. I advise
you to turn off the auto gain on your
camera (if you can) and adjust the

microphone, a half-bowl tripod and
on-camera lights. Sometimes a light-
ing kit might help, but in most cases,
it’ll be more intrusive and troublesome
than it is worth. Weddings are largely
run-and-gun affairs.
If you don’t have a wireless micro-
phone (and many people do not), you
might want to rent a good one. The
We sometimes use an inexpensive light volume input manually. The auto gain
can put a hiss in your audio track
that attaches to the shoe on top of the
during quiet parts, and there are
camera and uses power from a big bat-
many in the ceremony. Don’t forget
tery belt. The belt only cost $60 dollars
to wear headphones throughout the
and will last all night. Lights that run off
wedding and reception so you know
the camera battery suck up electricity the audio sounds good.
quickly and you can run out of power in
a matter of minutes, so test everything
before the big day.

A sturdy tripod is an essential tool for most weddings. Unless you're

told explicitly to shoot Blair Witch style, acquire one.

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Going to the rehearsal is not necessary
to shoot a good wedding, but if you have
the time and think it will be fun, than
by all means, go. It will give you a good
idea where to stand and point your
camera. While you are there, why not
get some video of the rehearsal? Don’t
be surprised, however, if the wedding
ceremony ends up quite different.
On the day of the wedding, arrive at
least a half-hour before the ceremony.
You should wear semiformal clothes,
such as cotton khakis, a cotton dress
shirt and tie. Wear comfortable rubber
soled shoes, because you will be run-
ning around quite a lot.
The first thing you do when you
get to the location is find the officiant
or wedding planner. Go over the cer-
emony step-by-step, even if you went
to the rehearsal. Make sure you know
where the groom and bride will enter,
which way they will face and if they are
doing anything special during the cer-
emony. Decide where you want to be at
different times during the ceremony.
Then get video of the groom prepar-
ing. He might be a bit nervous, so try
not to get too close to him while shoot-
ing. Make sure to get a close-up of his
face and a wide shot as well.
If the bride is already at the site, you
Get some shots of the groom preparing for the wedding. This will provide you
should get her preparing as well. Get
with footage that captures the mood of the moments right before the ceremony.
a long, medium and close-up shot of
the bride. Use a tripod and try to stay
out of the way; some people get upset
around cameras and you want every-
thing to be as natural as possible.

You should be waiting with camera
ready at least five minutes ahead of the
ceremony. Get some shots of the altar
and guests while you are waiting. Make
sure to shoot a few 20-second close-up
shots of the flowers and decorations.
You can use them later in editing to
cover up bad camera movements.
When the ceremony begins, try to
stay hidden as much as possible. You
normally want to begin behind the
altar with your camera on a tripod.
You shoot the wedding party walk-
ing down the aisle. Do not follow
each person, but rather find a fixed
position, hold a medium shot, and
allow everyone to walk in and out
of the shot.
Before the wedding march
begins, you should already be
focused on the bride’s entrance. Fol-
low her as she walks down the aisle.
Hold a wide to medium shot of her.
After she gets to the altar, greets the
groom and walks to the officiant,
you should move to the right or left
side of the altar. You should go to
the side where you can get the best
shot of the bride. It is much more
important to videotape the bride
than the groom. You should stay in
one place (unless someone moves
in front of your shot), keep the cam-
era rolling and hold each shot for
several minutes, getting a wide shot
at first, then a medium and then a
close-up. Make your zooms very slow
and your camera movements very
slight. You want people to concentrate
on the bride and groom and not the
camera movement.
Do not get close-ups of the offici-
ant or wedding party at this point. You
might miss an important expression
on the bride’s face if you shoot the best
man. After the couple are announced,
you want to run to the end of the aisle to
get them walking out.

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Most weddings will already include
a professional still photographer. In
between the wedding and the recep-
tion, the photographer will often take
posed snapshots at the church or take
the wedding party to another beautiful
place for photos. This is a great oppor-
tunity for you to get candid video of
the wedding party and romantic shots
of the newlyweds.
Still photographers usually have
years of experience, so why not use that
to your advantage? Allow them to take
When you have some down time, shoot as
much B-roll or close-ups of sedentary objects
and of the guests as possible.
If you're able
to make friends
with the still
photographer,
charge of the photo session and play a you may be able
to use some of
game of follow the leader. Just make sure
their set-ups
you stay out of their way, smile a lot and for your group
thank them. Get ten second shots of each shots.
pose. Keep the wireless microphone on
the groom so you can get good audio.
Once the photographer is done with the
bride and groom I usually ask for 5 min-
utes with them alone. I have them stand
or sit in a nice setting and have them be
“kissy face” for a few minutes. Make sure
to get a medium, close-up and wide shot
of the couple.
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Shot Sheet Requirements
• Bride walking down the aisle
• “I do”
• The kiss
• Walking into the reception
• The toasts
• Cutting the cake
• First dances
• Garter and bouquet toss
The reception is far more casual and
you can get much closer than you were
at the ceremony. We still recommend
that you use your tripod as much as
possible. Make sure to shoot all of the
highlights like the newlyweds walking
into the reception, the toasts, cutting
the cake, first dances and the garter
and bouquet toss. You should also get
some ambient shots of the reception
hall, such as the cake before it’s cut, the
registration book, wedding invitations,
the table setting, the centerpiece and
anything else that looks especially nice.
Make sure to videotape the wedding
party getting its food during a buffet.
Also, do not miss what I like to call the
Brian Schaller is a former wedding photographer now traveling worldwide while
working on his documentary.
meet and greet, when the bride and
groom get up during dinner and talk
to the guests.
I never get video of the bride,
groom or guests while they are eat-
ing. There is nothing worse than
watching people shove food in their
mouths and dribbling red wine on
their best clothes.
Make sure you don’t drink with
the other guests—it’s hard enough to
shoot steady video without alcohol.
You’ll probably already be woozy
enough from remembering all of these
tips. Don’t get overwhelmed—just
remember: stay alert, keep the camera
steady and capture the magic.
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