Weddings and the Hand Held Shots, Can they coexist again. at DVinfo.net

Gino Mancusa · March 22nd, 2009, 06:37 AM

Sorry for the stupid tag line.

Just wanted to know how everyone felt about hand held shots in wedding films, wobbly and not so wobbly.

We definitely vote for them.

Cheers

GMan

Jason Magbanua · March 22nd, 2009, 07:11 AM

oh they most certainly do.

i love the dynamism, the feel, the "verite" of handheld.

Anthony Sharpe · March 22nd, 2009, 07:51 AM

USE HAND HELD SHOTS TOO!!! PLEASE....
Shooting at the reception would be near impossible to do solely on a tripod, and gee it would look boring.
Just make sure that your shots are'nt wobbly, and the only way to do that is to get out there and keep shooting. Get a camera that is big enough to help you with steadying up your shot and use the built in stabilizer (as long as it is a lens one and not a digital one).

Jump on the web and view other peoples work and get a feel for how they do their shots.

cheers,

ant...

Ethan Cooper · March 22nd, 2009, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Magbanua

the "verite" of handheld.

I see someone went to film school... or read a few books. Keep dropping the knowledge Jason.

The easiest way to answer this question and any like it is that there can be a time and place for any production technique to be incorporated into your wedding videos it's just advisable to have a good feel for when to use them or not use them.

Leon Johnson · March 22nd, 2009, 08:49 AM

Please! Why do we have do go with a set standard. if it works for you go for it. Don't lock yourself down on a tripod and lose a good shot. we have to go with the flow of the event.

Asvaldur Kristjansson · March 22nd, 2009, 09:49 AM

I like to mix handheld and tripod shots. The tiny quick wobble/shake movements is what I dont like. That comes from those small camcorders people are often using.

Oleg Kalyan · March 22nd, 2009, 11:01 AM

I keep asking the same question, and so far came up with such a definition,
storytelling style/language suggests what means we use.
I love handheld, for subjective, personal POV story telling, noir, docu style, "nervous camera".

On the other hand tripod, slow slider, dolly, present things in more objective way, strong content needed to hold viewers attention.

Glidecam, stedicam with wide angle lenses with intense camera movement presents the
story,"graphically" or videographycally, quite often I see it as context becoming content.
It can be highly effective to show the beauty of surrounding, show B&G immersed in dynamic way in architecture and landscape. That's why it's very popular among our colleagues for cutting to music approach, form is essence. IMO

Ethan Cooper made a good point, use them all if and when you production allows you to do so,
most of the time I find that handheld is most natural way of getting unobtrusiv in all kind of wedding situarions.

Cheers!

Travis Cossel · March 22nd, 2009, 12:48 PM

Most definitely handheld shots have a place on the wedding day. I probably shoot handheld 60-70% of the day. The important thing is to have 'steady' handheld shots. It's okay for the shot to have some subtle movement to it because that's what gives it that personal and intimate feel, but you don't want shake and wobble because that ends up distracting the viewer from the the content of the shot instead of adding to it.

Personally I think it's really important to film a mixture of shot styles and angles. That way during the edit you can varying the visuals in a meaningful way and provide more interest to the viewer.

Ryan DesRoches · March 22nd, 2009, 08:02 PM

Once the fun dances start (by fun, I mean after the formal dances of father/daughter, etc) - I usually go hand held for 95% of my shots. I try to get as many fun and interesting angles as I can. Since I shoot a ton of tape, I can then pick and choose what angles and dances work the best.

I'm also usually pretty good keeping a camera stable, and the new Sony's have a nice level feature right in the viewfinder - so it helps with keeping the camera steady.

Ryan

Gino Mancusa · March 23rd, 2009, 04:24 AM

Thanks to everyone for your replies, it is much appreciated

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Magbanua

oh they most certainly do.

i love the dynamism, the feel, the "verite" of handheld.

Jason, Love your work. Verite is the best way to describe it for us too. The feeling of "real" is an acknowledgment of the camera and it touches the audience on some kind of subconscious level.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ethan Cooper

I see someone went to film school... or read a few books. Keep dropping the knowledge Jason.

The easiest way to answer this question and any like it is that there can be a time and place for any production technique to be incorporated into your wedding videos it's just advisable to have a good feel for when to use them or not use them.

Ethan

I totally agree with you, thanks for adding your thoughts Ethan.

cheers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony Sharpe

USE HAND HELD SHOTS TOO!!! PLEASE....
Shooting at the reception would be near impossible to do solely on a tripod, and gee it would look boring.
Just make sure that your shots are'nt wobbly, and the only way to do that is to get out there and keep shooting. Get a camera that is big enough to help you with steadying up your shot and use the built in stabilizer (as long as it is a lens one and not a digital one).

Jump on the web and view other peoples work and get a feel for how they do their shots.

cheers,

ant...

Anthony, thanks for your reply. I understand your point about steady handheld shots. But what about shots that are purposefully wobbly?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leon Johnson

Please! Why do we have do go with a set standard. if it works for you go for it. Don't lock yourself down on a tripod and lose a good shot. we have to go with the flow of the event.

Holy cow Leon, you took the words out of my mouth. Seriously, we shoot tons of candid moments and the only way to get them is by going hand held. Thanks for your reply

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asvaldur Kristjansson

I like to mix handheld and tripod shots. The tiny quick wobble/shake movements is what I dont like. That comes from those small camcorders people are often using.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Travis Cossel

Most definitely handheld shots have a place on the wedding day. I probably shoot handheld 60-70% of the day. The important thing is to have 'steady' handheld shots. It's okay for the shot to have some subtle movement to it because that's what gives it that personal and intimate feel, but you don't want shake and wobble because that ends up distracting the viewer from the the content of the shot instead of adding to it.

Personally I think it's really important to film a mixture of shot styles and angles. That way during the edit you can varying the visuals in a meaningful way and provide more interest to the viewer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oleg Kalyan

I keep asking the same question, and so far came up with such a definition,
storytelling style/language suggests what means we use.
I love handheld, for subjective, personal POV story telling, noir, docu style, "nervous camera".

On the other hand tripod, slow slider, dolly, present things in more objective way, strong content needed to hold viewers attention.

Glidecam, stedicam with wide angle lenses with intense camera movement presents the
story,"graphically" or videographycally, quite often I see it as context becoming content.
It can be highly effective to show the beauty of surrounding, show B&G immersed in dynamic way in architecture and landscape. That's why it's very popular among our colleagues for cutting to music approach, form is essence. IMO

Ethan Cooper made a good point, use them all if and when you production allows you to do so,
most of the time I find that handheld is most natural way of getting unobtrusiv in all kind of wedding situarions.

Cheers!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryan DesRoches

Once the fun dances start (by fun, I mean after the formal dances of father/daughter, etc) - I usually go hand held for 95% of my shots. I try to get as many fun and interesting angles as I can. Since I shoot a ton of tape, I can then pick and choose what angles and dances work the best.

I'm also usually pretty good keeping a camera stable, and the new Sony's have a nice level feature right in the viewfinder - so it helps with keeping the camera steady.

Ryan

Asvaldur/Travis/Oleg/Ryan

I agree wholeheartedly with all four of you about mixing shot styles. Tripods, glidecams, glidetracks can do a remarkable job of imparting grace and the handheld imparts that feeling of immediacy and realism. Knowing when to use each style or combining them in interesting ways is key to holding the audiences interest in the piece.

We also like the wobbly kind of hand held as well, I don't know why, but I like to make the audience aware of the camera especially in certain purposeful artistic segues.

Thanks to all for your great replies. We truly appreciate them.

Best Regards

GMan

Jason Robinson · March 23rd, 2009, 06:56 PM

I shoot the entire reception on my MultiRig Pro (with cam #2 operated by my wife on tripod as cutaway). I don't know if the MultiRig counts as hand held, but I get out there in the middle of the dancing, so I get "real" shots up close and personal. So far, the people dancing love the camera and I haven't had anyone back away or be visibly annoyed. If someone looks to be approaching that point, then I just keep on walking past them and focus on someone else dancing.

I also pop the cam onto the Glidecam and use it for high angle / low angle shots where I steady it by holding the handle and the base / sled. That allows me more steady control while not moving (since holding a glidecam still is harder than walking with it).

March 22nd, 2009, 06:37 AM	#1
Gino Mancusa Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Thunder Bay Canada Posts: 50	Weddings and the Hand Held Shots, Can they coexist again. Sorry for the stupid tag line. Just wanted to know how everyone felt about hand held shots in wedding films, wobbly and not so wobbly. We definitely vote for them. Cheers GMan

March 22nd, 2009, 08:49 AM	#5
Leon Johnson New Boot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Raeford, NC Posts: 5	Handheld is a good. When needed. Please! Why do we have do go with a set standard. if it works for you go for it. Don't lock yourself down on a tripod and lose a good shot. we have to go with the flow of the event.

March 22nd, 2009, 11:01 AM	#7
Oleg Kalyan Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: MOSCOW Posts: 860	I keep asking the same question, and so far came up with such a definition, storytelling style/language suggests what means we use. I love handheld, for subjective, personal POV story telling, noir, docu style, "nervous camera". On the other hand tripod, slow slider, dolly, present things in more objective way, strong content needed to hold viewers attention. Glidecam, stedicam with wide angle lenses with intense camera movement presents the story,"graphically" or videographycally, quite often I see it as context becoming content. It can be highly effective to show the beauty of surrounding, show B&G immersed in dynamic way in architecture and landscape. That's why it's very popular among our colleagues for cutting to music approach, form is essence. IMO Ethan Cooper made a good point, use them all if and when you production allows you to do so, most of the time I find that handheld is most natural way of getting unobtrusiv in all kind of wedding situarions. Cheers! Last edited by Oleg Kalyan; March 22nd, 2009 at 12:12 PM.

March 22nd, 2009, 12:48 PM	#8
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Most definitely handheld shots have a place on the wedding day. I probably shoot handheld 60-70% of the day. The important thing is to have 'steady' handheld shots. It's okay for the shot to have some subtle movement to it because that's what gives it that personal and intimate feel, but you don't want shake and wobble because that ends up distracting the viewer from the the content of the shot instead of adding to it. Personally I think it's really important to film a mixture of shot styles and angles. That way during the edit you can varying the visuals in a meaningful way and provide more interest to the viewer. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

March 22nd, 2009, 08:02 PM	#9
Ryan DesRoches Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Worcester, Mass USA Posts: 125	Once the fun dances start (by fun, I mean after the formal dances of father/daughter, etc) - I usually go hand held for 95% of my shots. I try to get as many fun and interesting angles as I can. Since I shoot a ton of tape, I can then pick and choose what angles and dances work the best. I'm also usually pretty good keeping a camera stable, and the new Sony's have a nice level feature right in the viewfinder - so it helps with keeping the camera steady. Ryan __________________ Lakota Den Productions, LLC Http://LakotaDenProductions.com

March 22nd, 2009, 07:11 AM	#2
Jason Magbanua Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Manila Posts: 317	oh they most certainly do. i love the dynamism, the feel, the "verite" of handheld.

March 22nd, 2009, 07:51 AM	#3
Anthony Sharpe New Boot Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 22	USE HAND HELD SHOTS TOO!!! PLEASE.... Shooting at the reception would be near impossible to do solely on a tripod, and gee it would look boring. Just make sure that your shots are'nt wobbly, and the only way to do that is to get out there and keep shooting. Get a camera that is big enough to help you with steadying up your shot and use the built in stabilizer (as long as it is a lens one and not a digital one). Jump on the web and view other peoples work and get a feel for how they do their shots. cheers, ant...

March 22nd, 2009, 09:49 AM	#6
Asvaldur Kristjansson Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Reykjavik, Iceland Posts: 95	I like to mix handheld and tripod shots. The tiny quick wobble/shake movements is what I dont like. That comes from those small camcorders people are often using.

March 23rd, 2009, 06:56 PM	#11
Jason Robinson Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 1,997	I shoot the entire reception on my MultiRig Pro (with cam #2 operated by my wife on tripod as cutaway). I don't know if the MultiRig counts as hand held, but I get out there in the middle of the dancing, so I get "real" shots up close and personal. So far, the people dancing love the camera and I haven't had anyone back away or be visibly annoyed. If someone looks to be approaching that point, then I just keep on walking past them and focus on someone else dancing. I also pop the cam onto the Glidecam and use it for high angle / low angle shots where I steady it by holding the handle and the base / sled. That allows me more steady control while not moving (since holding a glidecam still is harder than walking with it).