How To Make Your Own Wedding Video
If you’ve ever attempted a foray into guerilla movie-making after listening to Quentin Tarantino bleat on about how anyone can make a movie, you’ll have likely realised two things fairly quickly; firstly, Steven Spielberg might have some talent after all, and secondly, your £200 camcorder doesn’t quite capture the images and sound like those fancy machines they have in Hollywood.
Still, you’ll probably end up filming your cat falling off the mantlepiece and thanks to You’ve Been Framed that means the camcorder ends up paying for itself.
When it comes to your wedding video it demands professional care, but not everyone has a Hollywood budget, so we asked Simon Monahan of Serif for some tips on creating a mini home made masterpiece;
1. Be prepared – it’s not just the cub scouts’ motto.
There will always be moments where you want to spontaneously start filming, but since you’ll have some notice before your wedding, reception and honeymoon, you should do a little preparation. Set up your tripod (you can buy one quite cheaply from any camera store) so it’s ready for shots that have to be steady. That way, you only need to clip on the camera and you’re ready to go. And always make sure your extra batteries are charged and within reach – you don’t want to run out of power at a crucial moment.
2. Just start shooting.
When do you shout “action”? Well, you probably shouldn’t, it might ruin the ambience of the wedding, but when it comes to deciding when to press “record”, the answer is as early as possible. Filming ahead of the main event gives you a great opportunity to test equipment and make sure your camera’s settings are right for the conditions. You might even capture some great behind-the-scenes footage. The best action often happens when you least expect it.
3. Cover all the angles.
Some people tend to set up their camera in a corner and leave it there but that’s a good way to miss the action. Without a camera, you wouldn’t think twice about moving around to get a different view – do the same when you are filming. It will add depth and dynamism to your movie. Try to keep your back to the sun and other sources of bright light while moving around to avoid silhouettes.
4. Freeze the moment.
When you’re filming it’s a great idea to hold a shot for a bit longer than you think you should, to make sure you definitely have enough footage for the finished video. It’s also a good idea to zoom in a bit on the “aww” moments; not so much as to take up the whole shot, but close enough so anyone can clearly see what’s going on. Zooming in and out should be done sparingly, and keep it slow and steady. (This is good advice for the wedding night, also – Ed)
5. Edit your footage
When you’ve finished filming, edit your footage with good video editing software (available online and at all good software retail outlets). You might need to chop out the first ten minutes where you left the lens cap on, or the times you were walking around looking fr the next great shot but accidentally filmed the floor, or maybe add an appropriate song over the slow-motion replay of Uncle Leo falling over. Free video editing software has its uses, but with professional-quality software, optimised for HD video, you can be sure that you will have the tools and features you need to add special effects and transitions, reduce noise and camera shake and enhance the picture quality,. Most will even burn your movie to DVD or Blu-ray Discs with the option to add interactive menus.
Serif’s editing software MoviePlus X5 is available at www.serif.com
Related Posts:
I really cannot recommend leaving your wedding video to an amateur. For our wedding we left it to my brother in law & bitterly regretted it. He got fed up not being able to enjoy the wedding so stopped filming after a hour or 2 & what he had filmed looks awful. We wasted a couple of grand on the photographer but wish we had spent that on getting a proper wedding video done by a professional as we would have enjoyed that far more than the photographs.
No, I agree that there’s a danger to getting an amateur to do it but then that’s what a lot of people do. It’s extra weird given that videographers are often wayyy cheaper than the togs. We often wish we’d got someone to film ours as well. Shoot It Yourself is another good option.
Interesting POV about DIY videography! Perhaps the Simon should give some tips on how to make your own editing software rather than giving advice on a subject which he seems to know little about.
I’m sure the professional videography community will not be pleased to hear that Serif consider their craft to be this ‘simplistic’. I’m also fearful that any member of the public who follows their advice will be extremely disappointed with the end result.
If you really must go down the DIY videography route you would be far better off using a professional video editing package such as Avid, Premiere, Final Cut, Vegas or Edius. You might also want to register on http://www.videoskills.net (which is free) and discover the core skills of the professional videographer.
Kevin Cook
Executive Administrator – Institute of Videography
Great guide to making a video, not everyone can afford to pay a professional.
Shoot it yourself – only if you don’t want a great Wedding Video
There are many budgets for wedding videos, from £100 (shoot it yourself) wedding videos to £5000+ multi-camera professional crews. After all the money you have spent on your wedding, should you trust your very important wedding video in the hands of anyone except a seasoned professional.
The cost is directly linked to the level of service and the expertise you will receive. Cutting costs may mean compromising on having a great video of your wedding that brings back the essence of the day, or a wobbly mash of wish wash. The sights in glorious colour, the atmosphere, and the crisp clear sounds of the day can be yours in the hands of a professional!
If a good Videographer charges more for their work there is usually a good reason. You should budget and expect to pay as much for a videographer as you would for a good photographer! It is advisable to watch several videos covering a wide price range before making your decision to hiring a professional or trying this mammoth task by yourself. By scanning the Internet for local wedding videographers (or using a trusted organization like the Institute of Videography, you will see just how fantastic a good wedding film can be, and it can last a lifetime when the actual wedding has faded into the past
Shoot it yourself you say? I’m staggered?
Hi Kevin, thanks for your input. I’ve read the article a few times now and it emphatically doesn’t suggest that the work of videographers is simplistic. It actually suggests the opposite, and as I’ve commented previously Staggered as a whole is massively in favour of videographers at weddings. We’re even ok about them not at weddings too.
HOWEVER, there’s still a way to go on explaining to grooms why they should consider investing in a wedding video (I’ve got a feeling that it’s around 15% who have a video although I’d need to google that for accuracy:) in the meantime many do shoot a video without much prep. The idea of this post is simply to give some very brief guidance, rather than explain exactly how to do it. I think it does that well, and it also includes a terrific wedding sex joke as a bonus.
Re: software, personally I use Premiere Pro, but I wouldn’t advise people buy it for a one-off editing job as it costs a few hundred quid and it’s fairly complicated, Movie Plus is £59 and designed for the beginner. If you know any other packages people should investigate then please let us know. Completely agree about registering with Video Skills too tho.
@gazzagreen – Some excellent points but I should have clarified. I meant Shoot It Yourself rather than advocating shooting it yourself. That’ll teach me to not be lazy and link…
I am staggered by this article. It is, for want of a better word, a great promotional for the software concerned and I applaud you for that!
However, I own a fantastic piano, but cannot play a single note. Do I then play at my nieces wedding to save her some money?
My wife has a beautiful sewing machine. She would be happy to make your wedding dress. The only problem is she cannot sew, but that’s ok, she’s read an article on the internet on how to sew, so she feels competent. Any takers?
Wedding ‘Videos’ have come a long way since the old VHS tape days and there is some amazing work out their akin to film!
Should you not first, and foremost, be promoting these services and explaining the benefits of hiring a professional?
It is so common to hear how people regret not having their wedding filmed professionaly after the event….when it’s too late!
At the very least, warn couples that by taking this route they may and most probably will be dissapointed by the end result.
I could write a complete article about this myself for you, but I feel it may fall on deaf ears!
A wedding is a one time occasion where there is no second chance to get THE shot! It requires more than an amateur who can hold a camera and press record. The skill and anticipation for THE shot, and knowing where to be and when, is not to be taken lightly.
Shoot it yourself at your own risk but don’t say we did not warn you!
p.s. I think Gary was indeed on the same wavelenth as yourselves re-’Shoot it yourself’
Regards.
Did I miss the bit in this article where it advocates shooting it yourself OVER a professional? Surely it’s specifically talking to those already considering/wanting to go along the DIY route.
I tend not to get my knickers in a twist when an article tells folk they could, if on a tight budget, stick and ipod through some decent speakers instead of hiring
mya five piece band. Or maybe make best use of iTunes DJ.Hi John,
Thanks for your input, you raise some interesting points. That said, I think you should probably review your purchasing decisions. Obviously, it’s nice to have nice things but maybe you should stop buying top of the range gear for you and your family before you can actually use the stuff? Maybe start off with an entry-level model and then work your way up? Just a thought.
As for this being a promotion for the software, I strongly disagree. Serif asked if they could write an article and we said no. We said they could give us their thoughts about common mistakes and we’d write an article based on their comments and other information. We liked their points so we linked to their product (after having checked it out to see if it would be good for readers). It fails in being a promotion in that we received no money or free merchandise for it.
As for promoting the work of videographers I’d probably have to point you back to one of the first ever articles on Staggered (http://www.iamstaggered.com/thebigday/blog-sex-lies-and-videotape) which, as with all our stuff regarding videographers, emphatically recommends hiring a professional. Again, this isn’t because anyone’s paying us, it’s because that’s what we think.
And finally regarding your suggestion that we should at least warn readers that they’ll end up with an inferior product if they film it themselves, then you might want to read the first paragraph where it suggests that if you film it yourself you’ll end up with an inferior product.
Best wishes,
Shan.
I have to say reading the article I was hopeful that the comments below would be of people opening discussion on how their business can embrace the progression of every mobile device being able to record video, but alas lots of bitching and moaning about inferior quality and not getting the business.
I deal with businesses on a daily basis that tell me how tough things are and how there is no money available. Dealing with wedding companies in particular my first question is always “So rather than moan about what people can’t afford, how can you give them something that they can?” For most the horror of needing to try and be creative (it is a creative industry after all isn’t it) is just too much to handle and their heads explode on the spot.
Off the top of my head the first idea I had was, with the ability to get all these fantastic handheld filmed snippets there has to be a market for the AMAZING editing skills of the videographers that rightly pride themselves so highly on their work to offer a service where they edit something together? This opens up all sorts of possibilities, camera hire, editing services, fun family training sessions before the wedding etc etc All of which moves away from the couple saying “We can’t afford that….” and being forced to pay for something they will be paying for for years to come. Through to “How cool we could get all our friends over for an evening and have them all taught how to be professional videographers for a day…” I know I would prefer to have happy customers than ones that resent me every time they pay a little off the extra credit card they had to take out.
There is also the added fact that there are a lot of people out there who are getting married for the second time and have children who are desperate to include them in the day, these people know they are not going to get an oscar winning cinematic display but at the end of the day if that is what someone wants then that is what they are entitled to have.
From personal experience I paid a professional wedding videographer to film my wedding and he was apparently qualified and he did come recommended, the end result looked like the Blair Witch Project and I wished I had saved the ridiculous amount of money that it cost and in truth I really resent the idiot that filmed the day. Probably just a bad experience but I would have preferred the results from my friends filming (as they were all given disposable cameras and came up with some amazing results) than what was finally produced.
So even though I appreciate that yes videographers do a good job most of the time and I had a bad experience, not everyone can afford to pay the prices and a second option is a good thing, and businesses that can’t get down from their soapbox and expand will be back working for the man in no time at all!
Average spend for a wedding is what, £20k nowadays?
Can I afford to spend ,say, and additional TEN percent of my budget on duplicate historical reportage of the event? No
If I had the money spend, then hell yes I would go for a professional wedding video. The very real fact of the matter for a large amount of couples is that we can’t afford it.
We HAVE to rely on (hopefully) talented friends and relatives to fill in the gaps not captured by the photographer – whether those gaps are videographic or photographic.
I know it’s your livelihoods Mr and Mrs Videographers – but I am afraid that for a lot of couples you are not considered a staple item on the wedding budget. I sincerely love you, and really hope that changes.
I think it’s unfair to so vehemently state that you SHOULDN’T film it yourself. It’s unfair on people who can;t afford it and feel like they are somehow going to have a less-magical day without it, and it’s unfair to a number of keen, and talented amateurs who are kind enough to produce good (but maybe not professional) quality footage of a friend’s big day.
CAN you film it yourself – yes, and it can work very very well if you do it right. SHOULD you film it yourself – absolutely if you have constraints or someone with the right skills. SHOULD you be considering a professional videographer if it’s in the cards – DEFINITELY!
Methinks there needs to be a lot more “each to their own” in these comments: A wedding is a personal experience and NO wedding supplier should try and direct the terms of a couples big day. Rant over.
I always think some of us are overly sensitive to these issues. DIY videography will always have its place as there are many who have a very tight budget. The advice is sound for a basic product, although it isn’t balanced with a professional film at all. Of course it won’t be – the title says it’s a DIY video.
Back in the mid 90s my dad filmed my uncle’s wedding day with his Hi 8 camera. It was full of long static shots and had to be the most boring piece of footage known to man, but my uncle loved it because it was footage of his wedding day. He only watched it once mind, and says himself that it is a little…….long and slow.
You can pretty much write the same article but replace Vog with Tog the end result will still apply. Low price = lesser quality. People know this. It is insulting to a couple’s intelligence to think otherwise.
Thanks Aaron. We love our homemade wedding video too because it’s got all the people we love in it. Watching it though I wish we’d gone with some of the vogs I’ve since read about and loved their portfolios.
I think that brings up a much more important point. In the age of the moving image how on earth can vogs still be seen as low priority? What needs to be done to bring their art (and in many cases it is) to a wider audience? As a side issue, we wrote about video Save The Dates an age ago and I’m still gob-smacked we don’t get more of them.
Frankly, I think vogs need the help of good PR activity. I’d seriously consider getting together and doing a campaign with someone good. The reason the negative stories keep making the papers is because the media can then broadcast the rubbish footage which will be good for a few hundred thousand views and, hell, it’s easier than writing a story. Counteracting that means putting the other side of the story out there.
It’s not like you guys haven’t got a) the stats (every couple almost unanimously says they’d like to have had a vid) and b) the media to construct a campaign, after all it’s what you do. I’d hesitate to say a wedding oscars type event because that might reinforce that it’s all a bit fancy pants, but some really good wedding video moments going through YouTube (don’t forget to stick Snow Patrol on the audio track) – e.g. The Top 50 amazing wedding video moments in 2 minutes would do the biz I reckon. Nice tagline at the end: “we make memories”, job done.
There are events which do exist (the IOV have one) to promote the
industry, but it will take time for them to filter down to the B&G.
Youtube is a bad example though, it looks like balls and is the definition of home-movie. Don’t believe you need a promo piece to raise the industry anyway, positive word of mouth is getting around – especially through wedding forums and blogs.
Take your point about YouTube technically, but it’s where your customers are. If all vogs do is hang out on Vimeo cooing over focal depth then it’s arguable that it makes them seem arsey, the very definition of what B&Gs don’t want.
I don’t believe there are many B&Gs who search directly on youtube or Vimeo for a Vog, it’s too broad to search. Our B&Gs find us through searching on google, word of mouth, forums or blogs.
Vimeo makes things look nicer when embedded on the blog, but its a company’s customer service which should secure any booking.
Ahhh I see what you mean. In which case yes I should imagine that very few people go to YT to find anything other than cats falling off things, but it’s still a great place for an advert. Agree too about the customer service being super-important.
Thank you for you great tips. I hope they work for me. I’m such a jinx sometimes.
@Hoops, a great comment (and a lot more worthwhile than many of the others)
I’m due to be married fairly soon, and having my mother in law and aunt doing the flowers, another friend doing the cake, it wasn’t a huge leap to ask another talented friend to film the day. I completely agree with the other posts that we’re not going to end up with a professional video, but hey we’re probably not going to have the same standard of flowers or cake than if we’d gone with a professional, for us its more important (and more fun) to do the planning and enjoy the day with people we’re close to..plus I’d rather spend the money on good food and wine!
In terms of the video, I’ve faith in the friend in question, as well as having a creative eye, he’s got a great sense of humour and knows my friends and family well, which I imagine will help in getting the material. As Hoops points out its on the editing side we’re more likely to struggle. I’d rather get this done by a professional, partly as the time required might be a favour too far!
You make some great points about editing services, can anybody recommend anything?
Thanks
Hi George – you could try http://www.shoot-it-yourself.co.uk/ and see if they do that sort of thing. Equally, if you spoke to any videographer and asked them to quote you the cost of editing the footage together then you’ll find loads who don’t have their head up their arses and will quote you.
You’re probably better off looking for someone close to you (check the Suppliers Map for any who are near you) and whose work you like. All of them will have YouTube (or Vimeo more likely) pages you can see their work.
If you get stuck bung me an email andrew AT iamstaggered.com and I’ll do my best to help.
Great, thanks for the advice!
I think that doing the shoot it yourself stuff really is an excellent idea. The company that was recently on tv who do self filming is only down the road from us. But makes no impact with our clients who have ellected to get a pro to do it. It is a different market entirely. in fact it shows an inherant weakness with the wedding videographer model. Namely all the pomposity that wedding videographers use to describe their work. I think that couples find all that a total turn off. Thereby making the self shooting thing quite a laugh in comparison.
Leave your response!
Find Your Honeymoon
Stag And Hen Night Novelty Shop
Posts From The Past
“Like” Us For Groom Equality
Role
Want to know what your role in the wedding is? Everything from the must-dos, to the don't-forgets...
We Tweet Drunk
About
Follow
Information