Get Better DSLR Footage for a Wedding Video

Editing your own footage will help you learn where you made mistakes and how to make your next shoot better.  If you don't edit your own footage, ask your editor to tag some clips that worked creatively, but could not be edited because of technical problems.

My first wedding shoot in Montana had some beautiful imagery, but shooting with a DSLR is not without it's challenges, and several shots had to be cut or trimmed because of soft focus or camera shake.

How to Make Your Next Wedding Video Better:

Get sharp focus

• Use a larger monitor to quickly determine if your shot is in sharp focus. Several nice shots on my first wedding were cut because of focus problems.  If you've used a DSLR for more than 10 minutes of video, you'll know that it's hard to judge focus on a puny 3-inch monitor.  Expect to spend $400 or more for a good monitor that has 800 pixels high in resolution.

• Have a focus pulling device to take your hand off the lens.  It's easy to ruin shots because you're shaking the camera when adjusting focus directly on the lens.

Today I ordered a simple focus control knob that will help to make focus adjustments faster and take my hand off the lens barrel.  It's only $16 and made from aluminum.  I'm curious to see how much easier (when combined with my new monitor) it makes to get sharp focus quickly.

Follow Focus handle by PS Productions.  $16 on Amazon.

After watching this review from learningDSLRvideo.com and checking prices on several 7-inch monitors, I ordered the Ikan VK7i 7" HDMI Monitor with the Canon E6 battery plate.  I also chose this monitor because I can buy extra camera batteries for my Canon 6D and they double as monitor batteries.

ikan VK7i 7" HD Monitor, about $450 including a battery and sunshade, from B&H.

Get more coverage with extra cameras (or shooters)
Shooting the ceremony with at least two cameras will allow you, as the main videographer to get some extra shots during the ceremony (ie: flowers, bridesmaids, groomsmen).  Extra shots during the ceremony will help you cut away during your wedding film and your wedding trailer.

Always be shooting
Capture the couple while they are doing their session with the photographer or ask for a few walks around the wedding location.

Camera movement

• Rent or buy a slider to use at your next wedding.  My local camera store rents a slider for only $15 per day.  Trying a slider first will also help you to know what you want to buy.
• Rent a GlideCam or Merlin to capture smooth, cinematic walking shots.

Record more audio

• Get before or after audio from the bride and groom to use for voice over in your edited film and wedding trailer.
• Get fun shots and spontaneous audio from the groomsmen

Catch Me If You Can's Lighting Crew interview

American Cinematographer: Catch Me If You Can

Where to Find Free Music for Your Video Productions

incompetech.com
Music Composer Kevin MacLeod has posted over 2,000 songs that are completely free for personal or commercial use.
* Be aware that credit must be given somewhere; in your video, or in the video description.  Youtube videos using his music can be monetized.
* Can search tracks by genre or feel.
* most of the music used on Indy Mogul videos comes from this site.

JoshWoodward.com
Musician who does vocal and instrumental versions of his songs.
* About 170 songs available.
* Can cut between vocal and instrumental version of the same track for your video editing.

FreeMusicArchive.org
* Make sure to do a search that includes a filter allow "commercial purposes" so you don't accidentally use music that cannot be used commercially
* Over 3,000 tracks

RoyaltyFreeKings.com
* Scroll down to the bottom to see the free music available.

NoizeIndex on SoundCloud
* Much of their music is available with the Creative Commons attribution license

TheMusicBed.com
Songs are $30-40.
Good selection for making wedding films, or promotional videography with a decent budget.

Most of the links and information on this post came from:
The Ultimate Guide To Royalty-Free Music For Youtube! - Friday 101 - YouTube

Get great video sound recording for $25

The Azden EX-503 Lavalier microphone produces excellent sound and is only $25.  You can get yours on B&H or at Amazon.com.

I discovered this mic after Griffin Hammond from Indy Mogul said that he used it on wedding video shoots.  His wedding films had great production value, so I was surprised to hear that a $25 microphone produced such good quality audio.  His trick was to stick a small audio recorder in the groom's pocket and connect the Azden lavalier mic.  This would capture great quality audio of the vows, which is critical for producing a professional level wedding film.

On my video interview shoots, I plug the Azden mic into a Zoom H4n recorder to capture the audio separately from the camera so I could better control the audio quality and avoid cables running from the video subject all the way to the camera.

See two videos below shot with the Azden EX-503:

Documentary style promo/interview recorded with the Azden mic

Montana Community non-profit promotional video

Nikon D810 is the first Canon/Nikon Nikon DSLR to shoot a1080p at 60 frames per second

Nikon's soon to be released D810 will be the first DSLR camera from Nikon or Canon to offer 1080p shooting at 60fps.  B&H has the camera available for pre-order at $3,297.  The D800 currently sells new for about $3,000.

There are already three Panasonic DSLR cameras that can shoot 1080p video @60fps, so why is the Nikon D810 camera an important update?  It signals that Nikon & Canon are adding useful and competitive video features to their DSLR cameras.  Canon and Nikon still dominate the DSLR market, and if they want to continue bringing video shooters into their fold, the video recording features need to match what Panasonic and Black Magic are offering with their cameras.

The Panasonic GH2, GH3, and GH4 are great cameras and do have advantages over Canon and Nikon DSLRs for video, but at this time it's not a smart purchase unless you want to invest an additional $2,000 in a new camera system.

Why I would not invest in Panasonic GH series cameras right now:

• I already own all Canon equipment, so it does not make sense to buy a new camera system with lenses and batteries I cannot use on my existing Canon 6D DSLR.
• They lack full-frame sensors and I'm also a photographer. I upgraded to the Canon 6D because of the full-frame sensor size.  All of the Panasonic DSLRs that shoot 1080 at 60fps, but their sensors are even smaller than the crop-size Nikon and Canon cameras.

The Four Thirds sensor size is noticeably smaller than the Nikon and Canon crop size sensors.

More information on the Nikon D810:

Nikon D810 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nikon D810 Digital SLR 1542 Camera Body - Review Nikon D810 at B&H Photo

Follow focus

Follow focus marks are measured from the sensor to the area in the scene that requires sharp focus.  If you're focusing on an actor, their eyes should be sharp, since we look at the eyes.

Follow Focus Mark on a RED camera.

Measuring from the sensor mark to the actor's eye.

Dry erase follow focus marks numbered on the white strip next to the focus pulling knob.

A great DIY follow-focus option is to use a $5 silicone jar opener attached to your camera lens.  You can also use a dry-erase marker to label your focus points.  Via:  Follow Focus for Five Bucks by Film Riot on Youtube.

Indy Video Lighting for $100 or less

Many low-budget and indy filmmakers like to build their own lighting setups.

With the wide availability and affordability of CFL lights, building your own lights is no longer a necessity since CFL bulbs are inexpensive for their comparative light output.

As of this writing (August 2014), the #1 selling continuous lighting kit on Amazon.com is a set of three 45watt CFL 6500K, Daylight Balanced bulbs with umbrellas and stands. This kit is only $47.95 and produces the equivalent of 600 watts of light output while only using 135 watts of energy.

 

Why use CFL bulbs for your indie lighting?

• Cheap.  CFL's cannot be beat for their price and light output.
• Will not produce excess heat.  CFL bulbs will keep your actors comfortable because produce very little heat and will allow you to take down/adjust your lights safer because they are mich cooler to the touch.
• Small form factor.  Pack your whole lighting kit in a bag and maybe a small box to protect the bulbs.
• Flexible.  Your bulbs can be swapped out for higher or lower light output.

CFL to incandescent equivalents for video lighting:
45w = 200 watts
85w = 300 watts
105w = 400 watts

The lighting kit I just ordered is the Cowboy Studio Softbox Lighting Kit, 600 watt output.  I chose this kit because it was inexpensive at $76, provides a 5500k daylight balanced light source, and includes softboxes with stands, which are generally more useful than umbrellas for video lighting.

If the two 85 watt bulbs (300 watt incandescent equivalent) provided in the kit do not provide enough light for my video setups, I can simply purchase standalone 105 watt bulbs from Cowboy Studio or LimoStudio to bump my 600 watt lighting kit to 800 watts for $30 or less.


Great Videos on Indy Lighting

How-to: Powerful DIY video light (800 watt equivalent) - YouTube (March 2012)

$60 DIY video light created by Griffon Hammon from Indy Mogul

85 watt CFL bulb provides 300 watts of traditional light.  Indy Mogul uses this for some videos.

Three Point Lighting example from Indy Mogul.

Color temperature scale.  5,000k balanced lights mix well with sunlight.

Setting up your lights/precautions

• Screw in your CFL bulbs by the base to avoid breaking them and releasing mercury vapors
• Know how to dispose of CFL bulbs in your area in case you break a bulb.

Standalone CFL Light Bulbs to expand your lighting kit:

LimoStudio 2 x Photo Studio Photography 105 Watt 6500K Day Light Fluorescent Full Spectrum Bulb - $18.46

LimoStudio Set of Two 105 Watt, 6500 K Fluorescent Daylight Balanced Light Bulb for Photography and Video Lighting, AGG878 - $28.50

CowboyStudio Set of Two 105 Watt, 5000 K Fluorescent Daylight Balanced Light Bulb for Photography and Video Lighting - $29.25

If need a 1K light (1000 watt) equivalent, here is one for less than $100:
StudioPRO 1000W Photo Studio Continuous Portrait Video Lighting Kit with Light Stand, Five 45W Daylight Bulbs, and Softbox - $71.95
-- this kit has five individual on/off switches for each of the light sockets.