Candle light Wedding Reception at DVinfo.net

Wayne Greensill · September 2nd, 2008, 12:44 PM

Hi there,

I have recently taken a wedding booking for next year and I would like some tips on how you guys would go about shooting the speeches in a room which will only be lit with candles.

I will be using the Canon XH A1 camera, but i'm not sure whether to go about setting up extra lighting, as the venue is a neo gothic mansion in Stratford Upon Avon, England.

I'm unsure whether the venue will allow extra lighting anyway due to the size of the room and table settings.

I know I need to go and check the venue out, first hand, but I would like to know how you guys would go about this.

Hope you can help out.

Thanking you

Wayne

Travis Cossel · September 2nd, 2008, 01:11 PM

If the lighting is ONLY by candlelight, you will want some additional lighting on the toasters. I'd suggest on-camera lighting, since that will be easier to setup and less intrusive to the "mood" and shouldn't break any venue rules.

Wayne Greensill · September 2nd, 2008, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Travis Cossel

If the lighting is ONLY by candlelight, you will want some additional lighting on the toasters. I'd suggest on-camera lighting, since that will be easier to setup and less intrusive to the "mood" and shouldn't break any venue rules.

Thanks Travis for getting back to me.

Would you go for a mains powered light on the camera, as you are probably aware speeches can go on quite a while, and what wattage of lamp would you go for.

Travis Cossel · September 2nd, 2008, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne Greensill

Thanks Travis for getting back to me.

Would you go for a mains powered light on the camera, as you are probably aware speeches can go on quite a while, and what wattage of lamp would you go for.

No problem. Honestly at this point I would use my Litepanels Micro for the job. It's dimmable so you can adjust the brightness as needed, and it will go for hours on it's AA batteries and provides good light (and doesn't get hot). I used to use a Bescor 20/40watt light, but I prefer my LP Micro now.

Wayne Greensill · September 2nd, 2008, 01:51 PM

How long can the lite panel last for then continuous?

Wayne

Travis Cossel · September 2nd, 2008, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne Greensill

How long can the lite panel last for then continuous?

Wayne

I've heard 4 hours, sometimes more. I think it can go 8 hours with special AA batteries. I've never needed mine to go even 4 hours, though.

Josh Chesarek · September 3rd, 2008, 04:48 AM

Get close and keep a wide open apature and zoom. Then add a lite pannel light or similar. If you are stuck in the back of the room the zoom will rob you of a lot of light.

Anthony Smith · September 3rd, 2008, 05:04 AM

i would use a 500w or 1000w light stand and put in the corner somewhere for the speeches ONLY.

It is best not to ask for permission to turn on the light because the reception people don't know much about lighting for video.

Alastair Brown · September 3rd, 2008, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh Chesarek

Get close and keep a wide open apature and zoom. Then add a lite pannel light or similar. If you are stuck in the back of the room the zoom will rob you of a lot of light.

Wise words! There are also some good low light presets out there.

John Knight · September 3rd, 2008, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony Smith

i would use a 500w or 1000w light stand and put in the corner somewhere...

Do you get many referrals Anthony? LOL!

Anthony Smith · September 3rd, 2008, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Knight

Do you get many referrals Anthony? LOL!

Plenty. All the guests knows the room was too dark and to film the speech properly you need good light. You shorten my quote John you naughty boy. Longer quote make more sense. :)

Wayne Greensill · September 7th, 2008, 09:03 AM

Thanks guys for getting back to me with your views.

I was looking at these lights, do you think they would be ok?

2400W Studio Continuous video Light kit + accessory D3I on eBay, also, Studio Equipment Lighting, Photography (end time 08-Sep-08 01:35:20 BST)

Travis Cossel · September 7th, 2008, 01:56 PM

Personally I think 800w might be a bit too bright. The lights I use have 2 300w bulbs, and last night for the first dance and so forth I only used one of the 300w bulbs.

Rick Steele · September 7th, 2008, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony Smith

i would use a 500w or 1000w light stand and put in the corner somewhere for the speeches ONLY.

A thousand watts? Man, you're going to trip the fire alarm. :) May as well just turn the houselights up a bit. It's less of a distraction.

Mike Bisom · September 8th, 2008, 08:00 AM

We use a couple of Lowell Omni lights, 500w. However we plug each unit into a dimmer as well as use frost gels along with whatever color of gel to set the mood. Typically this would be a blue gel but for a candlelight event, I might try using a warming gel. You simply can't beat this type of lighting (unless maybe you step up to an Arri's unit!)- at least in my opinion. One light is near the DJ/Band set up bouncing off the ceiling/wall. The 2nd can be more flexible depending on venue. We usually pack up around 10:30 and it's so funny to see the room plunged into darkness when we take the lights down and no one had ever been displeased about disrupting the mood. Gel filters are cheap!

Mike

September 2nd, 2008, 12:44 PM	#1
Wayne Greensill Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: England Posts: 132	Candle light Wedding Reception Hi there, I have recently taken a wedding booking for next year and I would like some tips on how you guys would go about shooting the speeches in a room which will only be lit with candles. I will be using the Canon XH A1 camera, but i'm not sure whether to go about setting up extra lighting, as the venue is a neo gothic mansion in Stratford Upon Avon, England. I'm unsure whether the venue will allow extra lighting anyway due to the size of the room and table settings. I know I need to go and check the venue out, first hand, but I would like to know how you guys would go about this. Hope you can help out. Thanking you Wayne

September 2nd, 2008, 01:11 PM	#2
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	If the lighting is ONLY by candlelight, you will want some additional lighting on the toasters. I'd suggest on-camera lighting, since that will be easier to setup and less intrusive to the "mood" and shouldn't break any venue rules. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

September 3rd, 2008, 04:48 AM	#7
Josh Chesarek Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Winter Park, FL Posts: 978	Get close and keep a wide open apature and zoom. Then add a lite pannel light or similar. If you are stuck in the back of the room the zoom will rob you of a lot of light. __________________ Simple Thought Productions - Life @ 30,000 Words per second

September 7th, 2008, 01:56 PM	#13
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Personally I think 800w might be a bit too bright. The lights I use have 2 300w bulbs, and last night for the first dance and so forth I only used one of the 300w bulbs. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

September 2nd, 2008, 01:51 PM	#5
Wayne Greensill Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: England Posts: 132	How long can the lite panel last for then continuous? Wayne

September 3rd, 2008, 05:04 AM	#8
Anthony Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 65	i would use a 500w or 1000w light stand and put in the corner somewhere for the speeches ONLY. It is best not to ask for permission to turn on the light because the reception people don't know much about lighting for video.

September 7th, 2008, 09:03 AM	#12
Wayne Greensill Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: England Posts: 132	Thanks guys for getting back to me with your views. I was looking at these lights, do you think they would be ok? 2400W Studio Continuous video Light kit + accessory D3I on eBay, also, Studio Equipment Lighting, Photography (end time 08-Sep-08 01:35:20 BST)

September 8th, 2008, 08:00 AM	#15
Mike Bisom Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Kenosha WI Posts: 65	We use a couple of Lowell Omni lights, 500w. However we plug each unit into a dimmer as well as use frost gels along with whatever color of gel to set the mood. Typically this would be a blue gel but for a candlelight event, I might try using a warming gel. You simply can't beat this type of lighting (unless maybe you step up to an Arri's unit!)- at least in my opinion. One light is near the DJ/Band set up bouncing off the ceiling/wall. The 2nd can be more flexible depending on venue. We usually pack up around 10:30 and it's so funny to see the room plunged into darkness when we take the lights down and no one had ever been displeased about disrupting the mood. Gel filters are cheap! Mike