Weddings with the XHA1 at DVinfo.net

Kevin Lewis · August 1st, 2009, 09:58 PM

For those of you that use your XHA1 for weddings, what your prefered method for filming. Do you go handheld or with tripod? I've always found the camera to be a little awkard for hand holding by yet a tripod is to cumbersome. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Taky Cheung · August 2nd, 2009, 12:47 AM

Handheld a camcorder for wedding footage will be all shaky. It shows non-professionalism too. Using it with tripod is a must especially for long scene like ceremony. Otherwise, get a steadicam.

Anthony J. Howe · August 2nd, 2009, 02:56 AM

I use tripod whenever I can. The ceremony and speeches is always filmed with the tripod. When on the tripod I always turn off the image stabiliser and back on again when hand held.

Steve Rusk · August 2nd, 2009, 04:31 AM

I arrive a couple of hours in advance and shoot as much as I can with a track & dolly. Then I switch to a shoulder rig for shooting preparations, then tripod for the ceremony. I switch back to the shoulder rig for the reception, but keep the tripod very near.

Dany Badaoui · August 2nd, 2009, 04:43 AM

i use the A1 for weddings and always use a shoulder mount or tripod. been using the shoulder mount much more lately just much more flexible and super steady.

Oren Arieli · August 2nd, 2009, 10:14 AM

Use the tool that best suits you at the time (and according to the style you're cultivating). I have tripod, monopod, and steadycam that I use throughout the day (along with the good ol' fashioned right hand grip). There aren't any hard and fast rules...but I will agree that hand-held ceremonies tend to look worse than the rock-solid tripod shots. If you're doing shortform wedding recaps, you can probably get away with much more handheld footage.

Sean Finnegan · August 3rd, 2009, 04:49 AM

I'm a cinematographer, but my current job is as a videographer for a wedding company in the LA/OC area called Elysium Productions. We generally have two shooters for every wedding, and the work is split up between the two. Whether or not we go handheld or on tripods depends on which part of the wedding we are currently shooting, and it can vary. For getting ready sequences, we go handheld. At the ceremony, both shooters are on tripods - one close on the bride, the other wide from the behind the congregation. It allows for our editors to cut between two different angles. As for the reception, one videographer generally keeps the wide shot of the main events - toasts, cake cutting, garter/bouquet toss, dancing - while the other goes handheld and gets all the closeups and we communicate on what is being shot so the editor has matching footage.

Philip Williams · August 3rd, 2009, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Lewis

Do you go handheld or with tripod?

Yes.

Seriously though, expect to have to swap around a bit depending on the logistics. No one method covers a typical wedding + reception completely; flexibility is key.

Sean Finnegan · August 3rd, 2009, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philip Williams

No one method covers a typical wedding + reception completely; flexibility is key.

This is very true. Though the videography company that I work for has a way of shooting, it is adaptable since no two weddings are alike - especially cultural weddings like Indian, Persian, and Greek Orthodox - which differ greatly from American weddings.

August 1st, 2009, 09:58 PM	#1
Kevin Lewis Major Player Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Philadelphia, pa Posts: 705	Weddings with the XHA1 For those of you that use your XHA1 for weddings, what your prefered method for filming. Do you go handheld or with tripod? I've always found the camera to be a little awkard for hand holding by yet a tripod is to cumbersome. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

August 2nd, 2009, 12:47 AM	#2
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	Handheld a camcorder for wedding footage will be all shaky. It shows non-professionalism too. Using it with tripod is a must especially for long scene like ceremony. Otherwise, get a steadicam. __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

August 3rd, 2009, 04:49 AM	#7
Sean Finnegan Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: SF Posts: 54	I'm a cinematographer, but my current job is as a videographer for a wedding company in the LA/OC area called Elysium Productions. We generally have two shooters for every wedding, and the work is split up between the two. Whether or not we go handheld or on tripods depends on which part of the wedding we are currently shooting, and it can vary. For getting ready sequences, we go handheld. At the ceremony, both shooters are on tripods - one close on the bride, the other wide from the behind the congregation. It allows for our editors to cut between two different angles. As for the reception, one videographer generally keeps the wide shot of the main events - toasts, cake cutting, garter/bouquet toss, dancing - while the other goes handheld and gets all the closeups and we communicate on what is being shot so the editor has matching footage. __________________ Sean Finnegan, cinematographer imfinnegan.tumblr.com // ign.com

August 2nd, 2009, 02:56 AM	#3
Anthony J. Howe Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 55	I use tripod whenever I can. The ceremony and speeches is always filmed with the tripod. When on the tripod I always turn off the image stabiliser and back on again when hand held.

August 2nd, 2009, 04:31 AM	#4
Steve Rusk Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Stuttgart Germany Posts: 63	I arrive a couple of hours in advance and shoot as much as I can with a track & dolly. Then I switch to a shoulder rig for shooting preparations, then tripod for the ceremony. I switch back to the shoulder rig for the reception, but keep the tripod very near.

August 2nd, 2009, 04:43 AM	#5
Dany Badaoui Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 40	i use the A1 for weddings and always use a shoulder mount or tripod. been using the shoulder mount much more lately just much more flexible and super steady.

August 2nd, 2009, 10:14 AM	#6
Oren Arieli Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 919	Use the tool that best suits you at the time (and according to the style you're cultivating). I have tripod, monopod, and steadycam that I use throughout the day (along with the good ol' fashioned right hand grip). There aren't any hard and fast rules...but I will agree that hand-held ceremonies tend to look worse than the rock-solid tripod shots. If you're doing shortform wedding recaps, you can probably get away with much more handheld footage.