"Hi! I'm Uncle Bob and I'll be using my iPhone..."

[Doug Ales]

It's not 2007 anymore...and Uncle Bob doesn't use a SLR camera anymore.

Hi, I'm an Uncle Bob, a friend of the wedding couple who vlogs as a part time hobby.

I have a theory, and this is it; today's Uncle Bob is good for professional wedding videographers. Why? Because today's Uncle Bobs are close to the quality of lower end professional videographers.

A high end wedding will want a professional studio filming their wedding, right? However, with so many low end videographers out there, the industry is saturated. Uncle Bobs are making videos that are not that bad. So Uncke Bob is helping prune the industry of excess videographers.

One week ago, I filmed my first wedding ever. I used my iPhone, iPad and my drone then edited on my iPhone with the free iMovie app. I have no professional photography or videography training. I did this for free for family as I was a guest who was asked if I would make a video. This video kept me busy that day so I didn't need to talk to those annoying relatives too much. :-)

♦️Are Uncle Bob's good for the industry? I say yes. What do you think?

YouTube (Short URL)

[Chris Harding]

Hi Doug

It's nothing to do with being an Uncle Bob or using an iPhone ... it's all about the person behind the camera NOT whether you are using a $10K camera or a $1K one. You have produced, what I think (also as a professional videographer) a video that is worthy of handing to the bride and nicely edited with good audio! They will be thrilled with it I'm sure! You should be very proud of what you have produced regardless of the fact that it was a freebie and wasn't charged for.

On the Uncle Bob and iPhone issue your video COULD have been a very wobbly affair, shot vertically (as so many phone users do) using just the audio from the phone ..typical of what guests tend to shoot so in answer to your question ..Uncle Bobs will always be out there, with camcorders and phones and some will be quite good and some will be awful but I honestly don't think that they will affect the industry any differently from what they do now. You cannot class yourself as an Uncle Bob as you are way above that !!

[Doug Ales]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

....You have produced, what I think (also as a professional videographer) a video that is worthy of handing to the bride and nicely edited with good audio! They will be thrilled with it I'm sure! ... You cannot class yourself as an Uncle Bob as you are way above that !!

Wow! :-)

Okay, I must admit you have be beaming with pride. Thank you Chris.

[Andrew Smith]

I don't do weddings, but I can imagine myself replying to Uncle Bob with "I've got the water-squirter thing that I normally use for the cat."

iPads have a big enough screen to be a fair target. Am I evil?

Andrew

[Chris Harding]

Hi Andrew ... My weddings nowdays are restricted to a live broadcast with live editing where needed. I got tired of having to have cranes, sliders, stedicams and drones so we only do the simple thing now and stream it to family overseas.
I got tired of being at a wedding for 12 hours and then spending a full week just on the edit for at least another 60 hours getting it to look cinematic and artistic!! and then the couple cry when they have to pay $3000 for your effort! Do the math but after travel costs and consultations you end up making under $40 an hour

I can stream a 20 minute ceremony (and travel locally) and be done in an hour, and charge $250 and get comments like .."Wow that's so reasonable" ...

Thanks why I don't do "artistic" weddings any more!!!

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Doug Ales

Uncle Bobs are making videos that are not that bad. So Uncle Bob is helping prune the industry of excess videographers.

If your intention is to compare your film with the average uncle Bob you are definitely wrong, Uncle Bob doesn't take a drone with him to a wedding and a tripod, shoot with multiple camera's and take a direct feed from a mixer with a external recorder.

Although your video is not bad at all and even better then the average weddingvideographer's work in my country, it wouldn't prune the industry of excess videographers, it would only add to the lower end videographers which the market is already saturated with.

[Roger Gunkel]

You have done a competent job with 'comparatively' limited equipment and I am sure the couple will be very happy with it. However, a true Uncle Bob would not have access to drones, sound recorders, multiple cameras and stabilisers. So as Noa said you are just adding to the lower end videographer pool.

A serious lower end wedding videographer would use cameras with much bigger and better imaging chips, manual controls, smooth zooms etc, so you are doing exactly the same thing with a much reduced image quality by just using a phone/phones. There is a noticeable quality loss in the lower light parts of the video, particularly noticeable when there is movement and also characterised by an overall lack of dynamic range in low light. One thing that bothers me is your use of the drone, because apart from the limited and basic shots, there is a shot where you are flying directly over the heads of the guests, which certainly In the U.K. and I assume in the US would be illegal. That would suggest that you do not have a licence to film in these circumstances as you would be aware of the limitations and also the need to have an observer.

So to sum up, your video is very competent within the limitations of the equipment and the couple are probably delighted. To actually start up from scratch though and emulate what you have done, would mean a considerable financial outlay and either a need to charge for the service or an independent income to pay the bills.

Perhaps you could get a couple of proper video cameras and do it more seriously as you obviously have a good eye.

Roger

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Originally Posted by Doug Ales

It's not 2007 anymore...and Uncle Bob doesn't use a SLR camera anymore.

Hi, I'm an Uncle Bob, a friend of the wedding couple who vlogs as a part time hobby.

I have a theory, and this is it; today's Uncle Bob is good for professional wedding videographers. Why? Because today's Uncle Bobs are close to the quality of lower end professional videographers.

A high end wedding will want a professional studio filming their wedding, right? However, with so many low end videographers out there, the industry is saturated. Uncle Bobs are making videos that are not that bad. So Uncke Bob is helping prune the industry of excess videographers.

One week ago, I filmed my first wedding ever. I used my iPhone, iPad and my drone then edited on my iPhone with the free iMovie app. I have no professional photography or videography training. I did this for free for family as I was a guest who was asked if I would make a video.

Reading between the lines looks like you want to get into the wedding business and used a free friend's wedding as a trial to test filming with iPhones. It's good for your first wedding.

I wouldn't get to carried away with this "uncle bob" thing. Concentrate on your craft and the rest will take care of itself. A few areas of weakness: editing/ pacing and the lack of an optical zoom lens. You have all the elements and typical shots just need refine how the are blended together.

[Doug Ales]

Originally Posted by Roger Gunkel

.... That would suggest that you do not have a licence to film in these circumstances as you would be aware of the limitations and also the need to have an observer.

Thank you for checking out my video & your detailed and positive reply Roger.

Just to set everyone at ease, I am in the USA, am a member of the Green Bay DUG a.k.a. Drone Users Group and operating under the far less restrictive "Section 336" rules & all club rules which I can do legally without permit so long as my videos are without compensation. I've even went beyond the legal required minimums as I'm FAA registered and have a liability insurance policy. Also my drone has my name, phone and FAA number on it, again, not required for Section 336 operators. The people were involve in shoot, informed beforehand and asked to relocate to the open garage if they had objections.

Thank you for posting your concerns Roger.

[Doug Ales]

Originally Posted by Pete Cofrancesco

.... A few areas of weakness: editing/ pacing and the lack of an optical zoom lens. You have all the elements and typical shots just need refine how the are blended together.

Awesome feedback and thank you.

Any suggestions on where I can learn more about pacing?

[Doug Ales]

As requested, here is a copy of section 336, which does not apply to professional wedding videographers, but does apply to me making a wedding video for free


https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_par...31_336_UAS.pdf

[Pete Cofrancesco]

You can watch well made wedding videos paying attention to how they put things together. For example drone shots are usually longer and often slowed down to open with to establish a beautiful venue. Your drone shots are choppy and abrupt. I didn't care for the shot looking directly down on the reception. Another choppy abrupt shot is of her wedding dress on the hanger.

[Doug Ales]

Originally Posted by Pete Cofrancesco

You can watch well made wedding videos paying attention to how they put things together. For example drone shots are usually longer and often slowed down to open with to establish a beautiful venue. Your drone shots are choppy and abrupt. I didn't care for the shot looking directly down on the reception.

Awesome, thank you for these tips.

[Roger Gunkel]

Originally Posted by Doug Ales

Thank you for checking out my video & your detailed and positive reply Roger.

Just to set everyone at ease, I am in the USA, am a member of the Green Bay DUG a.k.a. Drone Users Group and operating under the far less restrictive "Section 336" rules & all club rules which I can do legally without permit so long as my videos are without compensation. I've even went beyond the legal required minimums as I'm FAA registered and have a liability insurance policy. Also my drone has my name, phone and FAA number on it, again, not required for Section 336 operators. The people were involve in shoot, informed beforehand and asked to relocate to the open garage if they had objections.

Thank you for posting your concerns Roger.

Thanks for the reply Doug, it sounds like the rules are more relaxed in the US than they are on this side of the pond.

I also rudely forgot to add Welcome to the forum :-)

Roger

[Roger Gunkel]

H Doug,

Just read through the relevant section 336 and I would add a word of caution. Although you are not filming weddings for any payment, you did say that you were a Vblogger. If using video in other forms is a part of your business that receives payment, it could be construed that the drone footage from the wedding could be used to enhance your profile, even if you declare it as hobby or leisure use. It could be seen that if you were filming and editing the video for a number of hours for a client, including the drone footage, even if no payment was received you could be stepping over a fine line.

If the client puts the video on YouTube for instance and a local commercial drone operator or wedding videographer using drones sees it, he could get quite disgruntled about it.

I'm not saying that it would happen, but forewarned is forearmed.

Roger