Advice for Shooting a Wedding - Solo

[Don Bloom]

In my time doing weddings I have only had interference from another wireless 1 time and that was shame on me for not triple checking the pastors mic :-(

Most other times the only noise I hear is from cell phones and blackberrys (the worst) when they are hunting for the network. It's a ditditditdit type sound. Very annoying. Luckily it has never happened during the vows.

I guess I've been fortunate about that, no interference. Of course now that I've talked about it it'll happen this weekend ;-)

Don

[Michael Liebergot]

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

Most other times the only noise I hear is from cell phones and blackberrys (the worst) when they are hunting for the network. It's a ditditditdit type sound. Very annoying. Luckily it has never happened during the vows.

Don

That's what that sound is from time to time when I'm shooting. =(
I always wondered what that issue was, I kept thinking that it was a problem with with my internal pre amps n the camera.

It hasn't happened often to me, but has cropped up from time t time. Not at any major important points in filming.

[Nick Avdienko]

Is there anything you can do to avoid that interference? I even pick that up with my Rode Videomic. Can it be easily fixed in post?

I have half a mind to forget wireless altogether and use the irivers and Zoom.

[Don Bloom]

about the only way to completely avoid is to take everyones cell phone and blackberry before the ceremony and throw them in the river ;-) HOWEVER, I think most people might get a bit upset with that (why do they need their phone on in a church for anyway?)
Anyway, frankly it doesn't happen that often and when it does it's usually because someone is sitting very close to the receiver unit. When it's hit me it's not very noticable in edit and can generally be avoided by simple manipulation of the audio tracks.

Don

[Nate Haustein]

I'll vouch for the irivers - I use up to 4 of them for a wedding: one on the groom, one on the officiant, maybe one on the father of the bride if it's a high-end wedding package, and then one on the sound system for backup if my camera goes funky. So far they've been great, just make sure they have new batteries EVERY time, and that they're locked. Another tip for solo weddings: wear shorts, there's a lot of running! Good luck-

[Renton Maclachlan]

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

about the only way to completely avoid is to take everyones cell phone and blackberry before the ceremony and throw them in the river ;-) HOWEVER, I think most people might get a bit upset with that (why do they need their phone on in a church for anyway?)
Anyway, frankly it doesn't happen that often and when it does it's usually because someone is sitting very close to the receiver unit. When it's hit me it's not very noticable in edit and can generally be avoided by simple manipulation of the audio tracks.

Don

My wife was at a wedding recently where the minister asked everyone several times to turn off their cellphones. Would you know it, one went off right in the middle of the vows!

Further, to add insult to injury, quite a large number of guests had given gift vouchers to the couple and they had all been put in one place. After the service when everyone was outside getting photos, someone flogged all the vouchers!!

[Damian Clarke]

I'm a bit late replying but my plan was to put both the wireless mics on the groom on different frequencies of course as an extra safegaurd in case I got interference on one again. Although, as was mentioned I could plug a lav into one of the Zoom H2 units and stick that in the grooms pocket along with one wireless mic instead of two. Hmmm...only thing is I tried one of the Sennheiser me2 lavs and although they are 3.5mm jacks, when I plug it into the H2, it only picks up the signal when the jack is 3/4 of the way in. I can't get it all the way in because of the screw-on thing which normally locks it into place on the receiver. I have a cheap Audio Technic lav which fits but it's not very sensitive and speech dosen't sound as warm.
Oh well, guess I'll have to invest in a decent lav sometime soon. My wife will love that...*cough*
On the topic of cell phones or 'mobile' phones as we call them here in the land of tea and scones, I know that dit-de-dit-de-dit-ditditditdit-ditdit-dit noise. You can hear it through headphones, speakers, mics, washing machines (ok not really) whenever someone is just about to receive a call or vice-versa, very very annoying!
A question though, is it possible for a mobile phone, say in the grooms pocket to cause noisy interference? Or indeed any nearby phone?

[Dave Blackhurst]

Proximity to an RF interference source is a definite factor - IOW, if there's a cell phone in the pocket next to your mic... you won't be happy to "see" it on your audio timeline...

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Dave Blackhurst

if there's a cell phone in the pocket next to your mic...

Worst I ever experienced with a cellphone signal was my zoom "motor" from my camera reacting to it, I was zooming in and felt a vibration in my lens which lasted a second or 3. At that moment I didn't know what happened, during post I saw that same shake in my image accompanied with an annoying bip sound from a cell phone, probably from someone standing right next to me.

[Travis Cossel]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

Worst I ever experienced with a cellphone signal was my zoom "motor" from my camera reacting to it, I was zooming in and felt a vibration in my lens which lasted a second or 3. At that moment I didn't know what happened, during post I saw that same shake in my image accompanied with an annoying bip sound from a cell phone, probably from someone standing right next to me.

I don't think a cell phone can influence a zoom motor. The motor isn't operating based on an airborne signal input, right? So how could a cell-phone affect it. I might be wrong, but to me it's like saying a cell-phone could turn on a light in your house if it was close enough to the switch.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Travis Cossel

I don't think a cell phone can influence a zoom motor. The motor isn't operating based on an airborne signal input, right? So how could a cell-phone affect it. I might be wrong, but to me it's like saying a cell-phone could turn on a light in your house if it was close enough to the switch.

What I felt was a clear vibration in the lens during zooming, in post my complete image vibrated as well and as long as the vibration went on I heared the cellphone tone at exactly the same moment and for the same period of time the vibration was occurring. I never heared about a cellphone signal disturbing the zoom motor when operated either but maybe someone else did encounter this?

[Don Bloom]

never heard of or experienced that myself BUT with electronics I suppose anything is possible.
O|O
\__/


Don

[Damian Clarke]

Isn't that the truth!
It wouldn't surprise me, I know a cellphone can affect my pc speakers and my pc speakers aren't transmitting or receiving anything wirelessly...so what we really need is someone here who has a masters degree in electromagnetism and more then a casual interest in RF modulation etc... lol
Maybe we could all just forget about audio and dub their voices afterward like some rather dodgy foreign commercials.

[Renton Maclachlan]

Periodically I've heard this sound quite loudly through my bedside radio...never knew what it was...

[Damian Clarke]

who you gonna call?...ghostbusters! lol