Hypothetical Wedding Shoot Disaster at DVinfo.net

Miraj A. Berry · September 29th, 2008, 04:41 PM

Here is the scenario:

You have a wedding shoot on an island only accessible by ferry. The ferry you were original going to take and would get you on the island at 10.30a was cancelled. The ferry company calls you at home at 7.30a and tells you that you need to be at the ferry landing at 8.15 to get a 9.00a bus to a town an hour and a half away to board another ferry that would get you to the island at 10.45.

Your bridal prep starts at 1p, ceremony at 3.30.

About 30 minutes before boarding the ferry to the island, you realize that you do not have your mics or your batteries and that they are packed in a bag you left behind at home. You have your camera, no back up, and no batteries.

What would you do?

Stephen J. Williams · September 29th, 2008, 04:54 PM

wow, is crying an option? Or would that look unprofessional? :-)

I would be extremely disappointed if i forgot my mics, but the video would still be do-able. Without the battery though... no clue. I'm hoping that this is all '"hypothetical""

Since were on this topic. I'm always afraid that I'm going to get to a wedding and have my only cam shoot the bed. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this never happens.

Noah Kadner · September 29th, 2008, 05:00 PM

Prayer...

Noah

Martin Catt · September 29th, 2008, 05:08 PM

Start figuring out a plan to keep from doing the same thing ever again.

Face it: you're hosed --UNLESS-- there is somebody who can grab the missing bag and get to you before the ship sails, so to speak.

Just a question: would you really have your camera in one bag and the batteries in another? Not me. I keep enough charged batteries and blank tapes in the camera case to cover basic needs. Of course, I've done grab-and-go for years as a still photographer, and the good habits I developed there have carried over.

Martin

Travis Cossel · September 29th, 2008, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miraj A. Berry

What would you do?

Hard to say, since I always keep the camera in the same case as the batteries and tapes and other essentials. I'd literally have to forget the whole case to have this happen. I also use 3 videocameras, so I'd have to be practically brain dead to forget all 3.

Still, in this situation I would check to see if there was a video rental place nearby. It's a long shot given that you only have 30 minutes. If that's not an option I would purchase a consumer video camera with tapes/batteries from a nearby store. If that's not an option, then I would be calling the bride to let her know I screwed up big time and see if any of her family was bringing a videocamera I could use. If that's not an option I'd be letting the bride know she was getting a full refund and that I was unbelievably sorry. It's not going to help, obviously, but what else can you say/do at that point.

After getting off the phone I'd probably spend the next couple of hours throwing up.

Warren Kawamoto · September 29th, 2008, 06:00 PM

Have someone get your bag for you while you continue to the island. Instruct them to hire a private boat to get across with your bag. You may get your bag in time. In the meantime, once you get to the island, you'll probably be able to find someone with a video camera. Offer to rent it from them if you don't get your bag in time. As a very last resort, find someone with a digital still camera. Put it in video mode and shoot the wedding. It won't be pretty, but at least you'll have something.
Whew... I hope this scenario wasn't real.

Another nightmare: You go home and discover that during the ceremony, you had the camera on pause the entire time. You recorded everything before and after the ceremony, but there is no ceremony....

Stephen J. Williams · September 29th, 2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warren Kawamoto

Another nightmare: You go home and discover that during the ceremony, you had the camera on pause the entire time. You recorded everything before and after the ceremony, but there is no ceremony....

Great... something else to worry about :-)

Jim Michael · September 29th, 2008, 06:18 PM

Charter a helicopter to fly you to the event after you pick up the missing equipment.

Jason Robinson · September 29th, 2008, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warren Kawamoto

Another nightmare: You go home and discover that during the ceremony, you had the camera on pause the entire time. You recorded everything before and after the ceremony, but there is no ceremony....

I am paranoid about that one. My second shooter forgot the record button 1/4 of the way through one event (a graduation, not a wedding). Things like that happen to beginners I suppose. I've had other brain dead events like forgetting to turn on the beachtek so I have no audio (reception only though).

But the pause button screwup would be the stuff of which nightmares are made.

Noa Put · September 30th, 2008, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miraj A. Berry

You have your camera, no back up, and no batteries.What would you do?

If I knew for sure my battery would only last me 1 hour or so meaning I couldn't provide them with a full coverage i'd ask if there is someone of the family that has a small camera that I could use and do the wedding for free.

I have a checklist that I use just before I leave and I do that when all stuff in IN my car so I'm sure I'm not leaving anything at home. Since I always have one backpack, one separate pack and a tripod to carry it's difficult to forget something.

Ethan Cooper · September 30th, 2008, 05:43 AM

Checklist is a good idea. It works well.

Also, if you have to go to this island often maybe you should invest in a cheap little canoe or row boat, just pack all your gear in a water tight container.

Miraj A. Berry · September 30th, 2008, 07:29 AM

We found a bride on Craigslist looking for someone to work her little consumer camera at her wedding on Martha's Vineyard for $350. The couple is from NYC, so we thought we could hopefully break into some Vineyard weddings as well as NYC weddings. We sent our demo and said we'd shoot it for $350 if she picked up the roundtrip ferry, rental car, and lodging. She agreed, and off we went.

We live in Rhode Island. We had a Nor'easter blow through here over the weekend and our ferry leaving out of a town about 15 minutes south of us was cancelled. We did exactly as we described above. Thirty minutes before reaching Woods Hole, MA, we realized we were missing said items.

I think for about 5 minutes, we just felt helpless and started to just give up...but then realized we needed a plan...

We started to call a video company we work pretty closely with, but couldn't get him. I called a nearby photographer that I assist occasionally. He was at a funeral, but said if we could get gear from the local videographer, he would pick it up and put it on a ferry out of New Bedford to us.

But we couldn't reach the videographer. We called a few video companies on the Cape near Woods Hole to see if we could rent/but gear and have them put it on a cab headed to the ferry landing at Woods Hole. We get a guy who sells Canon batteries and says he'll do the cab thing.

We get to Woods Hole...no cab. We board the Ferry and head the horn and it pulls off of the shore and we're back at square one. Then we get a phone call that we have a bag below from a video company. When we get the bag, we open it up...and it's a battery for a Canon still camera...

Back at Square one.

We were able to contact a Radio Shack on the Vineyard saying that they had a $300 JVC consumer cam. So out tentative plan was to just shoot it on that. She was expecting a wedding on a handi-cam anyway...but that was before agreeing to pay nearly $400 more for lodging and travel expenses.

I'm going through the names in my phone and find our old friend Robert. We haven't spoken to Robert in about a year. I call him and he tells me he and his wife JUST got back home from driving up the coast in their Air Stream...So I have to (unfortunately) interrupt him and ask him to drive to our house (about 20 minutes from his place) and break into a window. Go up to the office. Grab our forgotten bag. Drive to New Bedford and put it on the 1:45 ferry to get it to us at 2.30.

He agrees.

We pick up the camera from Radio Shack at 12.15 or so. Head to the venue and plug it in to charge a bit. Grab some food. Come back. Change clothes and one of us goes and shoots the bridal prep on the JVC Handi Cam and the other heads to the ferry landing to pick up our bag.

I make it to the bridal prep at a little bit before 3.00...Enough time to get some good shots of the bridal prep with the pro camera and the Super 8.

The rest of the day went great...although it rained like the dickens and we didn't get our much needed drink until 10.30p!!!

Calls us at 1.30 and tells us the package made it on board.

Miraj A. Berry · September 30th, 2008, 07:30 AM

...so, yeah....a checklist.

Chris Davis · September 30th, 2008, 07:36 AM

This is the exact reason that I'm so anal about keeping similar equipment together. For example, my camera cases *always* have a camera, mic, batteries, charger, ac adapter and tapes. My wireless mic cases *always* have everything necessary for their function, etc. I don't keep equipment spread across random multiple cases.

In that way, I would never be in a situation where I have a camera but no battery. I may have no camera and no battery - but never one without the other. :)

Anyway, in the posed hypothetical - I would find a way to record the audio from another source (the DJ, the church PA, a borrowed camcorder, etc.) Then I would find an AC adapter that had an output voltage and amperage close to the camera's requirement and McGuyver up some power. That would actually be the easy part.

Noel Lising · September 30th, 2008, 08:07 AM

That scenario would have ruined my day. I would cry, seriously.lol

The worst that had happened to us was forgetting the 16 x 10 pic with signature mat for the guest to sign. Our place is 2 hours away from the venue, lucky for us, they have a relative who lives near our area who is attending the reception, she dropped by our house, my son gave her the pic and the day was saved.

About the not hitting the record button, it has been second nature to me to check if the Rec logo is on. It takes precedence over framing, etc,etc. I also hit the quick edit search button when time permits to check if I have actually recorded something or if there are drop-outs.

September 29th, 2008, 04:41 PM	#1
Miraj A. Berry Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Norfolk, Virginia Posts: 63	Hypothetical Wedding Shoot Disaster Here is the scenario: You have a wedding shoot on an island only accessible by ferry. The ferry you were original going to take and would get you on the island at 10.30a was cancelled. The ferry company calls you at home at 7.30a and tells you that you need to be at the ferry landing at 8.15 to get a 9.00a bus to a town an hour and a half away to board another ferry that would get you to the island at 10.45. Your bridal prep starts at 1p, ceremony at 3.30. About 30 minutes before boarding the ferry to the island, you realize that you do not have your mics or your batteries and that they are packed in a bag you left behind at home. You have your camera, no back up, and no batteries. What would you do?

September 29th, 2008, 05:08 PM	#4
Martin Catt Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: The Colony TX Posts: 327	Start figuring out a plan to keep from doing the same thing ever again. Face it: you're hosed --UNLESS-- there is somebody who can grab the missing bag and get to you before the ship sails, so to speak. Just a question: would you really have your camera in one bag and the batteries in another? Not me. I keep enough charged batteries and blank tapes in the camera case to cover basic needs. Of course, I've done grab-and-go for years as a still photographer, and the good habits I developed there have carried over. Martin __________________ Canon XF300, Canon 5DMkII, Canon XL2, Rolls MX422 mixer, Zoom H4N, AT899 lavs, AT2020's, Azden SGM 1X shotgun, Manfrotto 501 head on 351 tripod

September 30th, 2008, 05:43 AM	#11
Ethan Cooper Trustee Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 1,400 Images: 5	Checklist is a good idea. It works well. Also, if you have to go to this island often maybe you should invest in a cheap little canoe or row boat, just pack all your gear in a water tight container. __________________ ∅ -Ethan Cooper

September 30th, 2008, 07:29 AM	#12
Miraj A. Berry Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Norfolk, Virginia Posts: 63	So...Giant "Just Kidding" on the "Hypothetical" Part... We found a bride on Craigslist looking for someone to work her little consumer camera at her wedding on Martha's Vineyard for $350. The couple is from NYC, so we thought we could hopefully break into some Vineyard weddings as well as NYC weddings. We sent our demo and said we'd shoot it for $350 if she picked up the roundtrip ferry, rental car, and lodging. She agreed, and off we went. We live in Rhode Island. We had a Nor'easter blow through here over the weekend and our ferry leaving out of a town about 15 minutes south of us was cancelled. We did exactly as we described above. Thirty minutes before reaching Woods Hole, MA, we realized we were missing said items. I think for about 5 minutes, we just felt helpless and started to just give up...but then realized we needed a plan... We started to call a video company we work pretty closely with, but couldn't get him. I called a nearby photographer that I assist occasionally. He was at a funeral, but said if we could get gear from the local videographer, he would pick it up and put it on a ferry out of New Bedford to us. But we couldn't reach the videographer. We called a few video companies on the Cape near Woods Hole to see if we could rent/but gear and have them put it on a cab headed to the ferry landing at Woods Hole. We get a guy who sells Canon batteries and says he'll do the cab thing. We get to Woods Hole...no cab. We board the Ferry and head the horn and it pulls off of the shore and we're back at square one. Then we get a phone call that we have a bag below from a video company. When we get the bag, we open it up...and it's a battery for a Canon still camera... Back at Square one. We were able to contact a Radio Shack on the Vineyard saying that they had a $300 JVC consumer cam. So out tentative plan was to just shoot it on that. She was expecting a wedding on a handi-cam anyway...but that was before agreeing to pay nearly $400 more for lodging and travel expenses. I'm going through the names in my phone and find our old friend Robert. We haven't spoken to Robert in about a year. I call him and he tells me he and his wife JUST got back home from driving up the coast in their Air Stream...So I have to (unfortunately) interrupt him and ask him to drive to our house (about 20 minutes from his place) and break into a window. Go up to the office. Grab our forgotten bag. Drive to New Bedford and put it on the 1:45 ferry to get it to us at 2.30. He agrees. We pick up the camera from Radio Shack at 12.15 or so. Head to the venue and plug it in to charge a bit. Grab some food. Come back. Change clothes and one of us goes and shoots the bridal prep on the JVC Handi Cam and the other heads to the ferry landing to pick up our bag. I make it to the bridal prep at a little bit before 3.00...Enough time to get some good shots of the bridal prep with the pro camera and the Super 8. The rest of the day went great...although it rained like the dickens and we didn't get our much needed drink until 10.30p!!! Calls us at 1.30 and tells us the package made it on board.

September 29th, 2008, 04:54 PM	#2
Stephen J. Williams Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 768	wow, is crying an option? Or would that look unprofessional? :-) I would be extremely disappointed if i forgot my mics, but the video would still be do-able. Without the battery though... no clue. I'm hoping that this is all '"hypothetical"" Since were on this topic. I'm always afraid that I'm going to get to a wedding and have my only cam shoot the bed. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this never happens.

September 29th, 2008, 05:00 PM	#3
Noah Kadner Better than Halle Berry Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 435	Prayer... Noah

September 29th, 2008, 06:00 PM	#6
Warren Kawamoto Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 1,435	Have someone get your bag for you while you continue to the island. Instruct them to hire a private boat to get across with your bag. You may get your bag in time. In the meantime, once you get to the island, you'll probably be able to find someone with a video camera. Offer to rent it from them if you don't get your bag in time. As a very last resort, find someone with a digital still camera. Put it in video mode and shoot the wedding. It won't be pretty, but at least you'll have something. Whew... I hope this scenario wasn't real. Another nightmare: You go home and discover that during the ceremony, you had the camera on pause the entire time. You recorded everything before and after the ceremony, but there is no ceremony....

September 29th, 2008, 06:18 PM	#8
Jim Michael Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 895	Charter a helicopter to fly you to the event after you pick up the missing equipment.

September 30th, 2008, 07:30 AM	#13
Miraj A. Berry Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Norfolk, Virginia Posts: 63	...so, yeah....a checklist.

September 30th, 2008, 07:36 AM	#14
Chris Davis Trustee Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Willmar, MN Posts: 1,400	This is the exact reason that I'm so anal about keeping similar equipment together. For example, my camera cases always have a camera, mic, batteries, charger, ac adapter and tapes. My wireless mic cases always have everything necessary for their function, etc. I don't keep equipment spread across random multiple cases. In that way, I would never be in a situation where I have a camera but no battery. I may have no camera and no battery - but never one without the other. :) Anyway, in the posed hypothetical - I would find a way to record the audio from another source (the DJ, the church PA, a borrowed camcorder, etc.) Then I would find an AC adapter that had an output voltage and amperage close to the camera's requirement and McGuyver up some power. That would actually be the easy part.

September 30th, 2008, 08:07 AM	#15
Noel Lising Major Player Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 789	That scenario would have ruined my day. I would cry, seriously.lol The worst that had happened to us was forgetting the 16 x 10 pic with signature mat for the guest to sign. Our place is 2 hours away from the venue, lucky for us, they have a relative who lives near our area who is attending the reception, she dropped by our house, my son gave her the pic and the day was saved. About the not hitting the record button, it has been second nature to me to check if the Rec logo is on. It takes precedence over framing, etc,etc. I also hit the quick edit search button when time permits to check if I have actually recorded something or if there are drop-outs.