Wedding Cinematography for intentional filmmakers

What distinguishes cookie cutter Wedding Cinematography from intentional and more meaningful storytelling?

Deep Storytelling
Creating compelling storytelling through interviews and/or letter reading. Most wedding videographers will just string together a bunch of pretty clips on a timeline set to some dramatic music.  What story is that telling? Yes, wedding vows are a nice addition to begin to tell a story, but where else can the couple's story be found?

By simply adding an interview or two, a videographer's work will have more meaningful, elevated storytelling than 90 percent of the videographers running around who are making a music video and not a documentary.

Who can tell the couple's story?

Parents, siblings, maid of honor and best man, grandparents, or a best friend are great options to capture short interviews during the wedding day.

Intentional Technique

Some videographers get lazy and do things like crank up the shutter speed multiple stops faster than than the 180 degree rule.  The footage will not only look choppy (like an action film), but it can look more similar to phone or camcorder footage because there is less intentional control over the cinematic image. High shutter speeds are intended for very specific things, and they should be avoided most of the time. Using a proper ND filter will avoid the choppy look of high shutter speeds.

Cinematic Look

Filming at 24 frames per second for 90 percent of the wedding day will yield a more cinematic look. Intentional storytelling does not rely too heavily on slow motion to elevate the story. Slow motion has become kitschy and overused in wedding videography. It's trendy and will probably look outdated and ridiculous in 20 or 30 years. It won't be timeless and will be obvious that the wedding was filmed during a certain time period

Building suspense

Telling things out of sequence and utilizing the power of voice over can help build suspense for the couple's unique story. 

How to get Smooth Handheld Video Footage

To get smooth video footage from DSLR's there are a few techniques that don't require any additional money.

• Use in-camera stabilization. Many cameras (not Canon and Nikon), including Sony and Panasonic mirror-less DSLR's have in-body stabilization that can really improve hand-held footage without any additional editing or software
• Walking like a ninja. Step on your toes and heels lightly to avoid getting excessive up and down shake in your footage.
• Process footage with Warp Stabilizer. Use the Warp Stabilizer effect in Premiere Pro set to 5-20% to make your regular footage smoother.

Techniques for Making a Documentary Promotional Video

My First Documentary Promo Video and What I Learned - YouTube
by Dave Dougdale.

Film your interview with two cameras so you can cut between them for added interest and professional production value.  Don't have two cameras?  Borrow a friend's GoPro, or rent one on the cheap to give yourself extra options when editing.

Show your subject in action.

Show moments that express your subject's unique personality.

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

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.