Shooting a wedding in a gazebo

[Harry Lender]

I need some input. I’ll be shooting a wedding at a local gazebo outside at 6:00PM. Lighting shouldn't be a problem. The camera placement presents a new challenge. I’ve shot weddings in churches and camera placement presented very little problems. But never outside. This will be a two camera shoot. I know where to place the first camera for the shots of the bride, however placement of the second camera is a puzzle. There are no elevated points where I could place the camera. Everyone inside the gazebo will be seated. Everyone outside will be standing. Normally I would like to have the second camera placed back so that I could get a shot of the B/G coming down the walkway toward the Minister. That will be very difficult without an elevated point. People would be in the way. Would placement on the opposite side facing the groom be advisable? Or maybe back behind the B/G at the edge of the gazebo. At least the crowd under the gazebo will be seated for a while. Any suggestions will be appreciated
Harry

[Steven Gotz]

People will stand until the Bride gets to the front. Even in the Gazebo.

But there should be a straight path for her to walk down where there will be no people.

[Kim Denby]

Without seeing the actual layout of the Gazebo, it is hard to suggest camera placement ideas. Is this gazebo so large that a lot of people will be under it?, or just the bridal party? If just the bridal party, I would suggest you attend the rehersal and find your optimum camera placement through that. If you can elevate the camera on the tripod from outside the gazebo and get a shot using the tripod pan arm and possible the camera remote to zoom (a remote unit would be the best plan if you had access to one). The shot from that camera might have to be compensated for by a steady shot from the other camera (to make up for establishing a shot). Getting the B&G coming down the walkway to the minister and/or the gazebo might have to be forsaken for the sake of better footage during the vows.

Hope this was some help

Kim
Shooting Stars Video
www.shootingstarsvideo.com

[Waldemar Winkler]

Lighting will be an issue to some degree. There will be a significant reduction in light level inside the gazebo relative to outside the gazebo. There is a good chance you might need to add lighting inside if you discover more than a three stop difference between inside and outside light levels. If what I suggest is the case, and if you want a closer balance between interior and exterior light levels (a lot of videographers don't worry about it), I suggest you fire a couple of 500 watt to 1500 watt quartz lights onto a white sheet tacked to the ceiling of the gazebo. I'm speciofically thinking of Lowel Omni and V-lights, but anything in this range will work.


Go to the rehearsal, and don't hesitqate to make your concerns known. The result could well shift to your advantage.

[Harry Lender]

Thanks everyone for your quick reply. Waldemar I have been considering the lighting. There are light up in the ceiling and I have someone checking to see if they are operable. This is not a large gazebo maybe 30ft in diameter. Also there are electric outlets that are live all the time. They say.
Thanks again for all the help.

[Glen Elliott]

Another suggestion, and I've seen this done, is to get a clamp (Bogen sells one) that will mount to a pillar inside the gazebo. Mount it high towards the back of the gazebo, facing the officate's back and the couples front. That way you have a nice- unmanned angle and it's not intrusive. Cover the manned camera from the front center or grooms side.

Cutting between these two angles will violate the 180 degree rule of videography but it's been argued that, in regards to wedding videography, it can be done without confusing the viewer.

[Waldemar Winkler]

Originally Posted by Harry Lender

Thanks everyone for your quick reply. Waldemar I have been considering the lighting. There are light up in the ceiling and I have someone checking to see if they are operable. This is not a large gazebo maybe 30ft in diameter. Also there are electric outlets that are live all the time. They say.
Thanks again for all the help.

Definitely check out those lights. Do some tests with your camera. If the lights are incandescent they will introduce a lower, warmer color temperature to the mix, which can be good or not good. It will all depend upon how the scene will look through the camera lens. They may also have little to no effect on a bright sunlit afternoon.

One thing I have learned about public places and electricity is to check the wiring. I use two handy and inexpensive tools. One is a little plug with three led lights on it to determine correct wiring. A ground loop (AC voltage bled into the ground wire from somewhere), for example, could introduce noise, video or audio, into your camera. The other is a plug-in voltage meter I bought at Radio shack for around $12. It tells you exactly the voltage available. Don't use an electrical outlet if the meter needle is outside the greenzone.

[Harry Lender]

I just found out that the lights are on a sensor so they will useless. I am going to go out and run some tests. The wedding isn't until June 10th. I'm operating on a shoe string budget. As for lighting I have some shop lights that I could use if the tests show that I will need tem. I have a Canon GL2 for the main camera and a Sony TRV900 for the second camera. They're pretty good in manual mode so I may be able to open the iris enough for acceptable results.
Harry