When would you interrupt a ceremony?

[Peter Rush]

OK so I'm just editing this video that is going really well, when just after the vows I notice the groom take off his lapel mic - look at it as if he didn't know what it was - and put it in his pocket!!!!!! I didn't notice at the time but If i had - would I have gone over, fished it out and put it back on? pretty sure I wouldn't - The final blessing at the high alter is pretty muffled after this point (audio from the church PA was hissy and poor as well) but I always put my Zoom at the high alter so I can use that thank god!

Pete

[Don Bloom]

I would never interupt a ceremony unless it was a matter of life and death. This groom must be a complete moron becaue unless the lav mic sort of just grew out of his lapel I would have to assume you put it on him and told him what it was.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Peter

I had just one occasion where I carefully checked both lavs for interference and the ceremony started...while the readings were being done on the left of the Church and I was filming them a musician (guitarist) came in to setup so he could play the exit song and turned on his gear and it killed the groom's mic (must have been the same frequency!!) The B&G were sitting on the extreme right so I grabbed a spare transmitter sneaked around the back of the pews and exchanged it without anyone even noticing!!

If it had been anything else I wouldn't have moved a muscle!!! I always explain to the groom what I'm doing and tell him not to fiddle with it!!! Obviously it pays to check your mics against the Church mics too!!!

Hence the need for having a backup for your backup!!! It usually pays dividends to hook a lav and transmitter to the priest even if you don't use it..that way you can just switch receivers if the worst scenario happens.

You definately wouldn't stop the ceremony half way thru the vows and say "Oops guys, sorry, I forgot to turn the groom's mic on!!!" My groom mic is put on and turned on at least 15 mins before the ceremony starts...what he says and discusses with the rest of the guys is fun to listen to anyway!!!

Chris

[Peter Rush]

Well I don't use wireless because of interference worries and some churches are not happy with them, so i use Olympus digital recorders - I usually have 4 on the go as well as my Zoom but still - the groom's mic is crucial for those vows - I can only guess that he assumed once the vows were done it wasn't required!

Pete

[John Estcourt]

That's incredible Pete! I can't believe a groom would do that. However I wouldn't loose any sleep over the audio and I would just deliver the dvd as it is. Its his problem especially when his new wife sees what he did!
If you had seen him doing that during the service, the feeling to shout stop! Would have been almost overpowering, however none of us would have done so I'm sure.
It must be the same feeling you get in your stomach when you think you haven't pressed record half way through a service.
John

[Peter Rush]

John - I'm just thankful it got the vows - I'm very happy with the rest of the edit and so will the couple be I'm sure.

I've only been burned once by not pressing record (actually the camera was recording and so when I pressed to record I was actually stopping it) but I now obsessively keep glancing to see the timecode going round!

Pete

[Chris Harding]

Hi John

That IS a great feeling...looking down at the camera half way thru the ceremony and all you see is the green paused icon on the LCD!

I have an extra LCD on top of the camera so I can watch the status and also I always make sure my rear tally light is running..when you are behind the camera with your 2nd camera the red light is great comfort !!

The really worst bit is when you push record and accidentially double press it!! My friend did it for not only the entire ceremony but also the reception speeches too!! He did say he was shaking when he pressed it (it was his first wedding) I have done that shooting cutaways with the 2nd cam..you pick it up to record the next cutaway shot and it's already recording (a great 2 min clip of the carpet down the aisle!!!)

Maybe something like a Yamaha C24 is a nice backup for the groom in his other pocket and a 2nd mic where he can't see it???

Chris

[Tim Bakland]

At a wedding of mine last year, the officiant at outdoor ceremony completely forgot to have the crowd sit down. As a result, my second camera had no view of the action (nor did many o the people. It also cut off any cool site lines for me and my regular camera and I had to stay parked at a single vantage point. I chose NOT to interrupt and did not tell the officiant. Later on, I asked the bride. She told me she would have preferred I tell the officiant. (Not just for the video sake, but for her onlookers on the day.)

[Jeff Harper]

Per the original question, I feel my job is to record what is happening, not to direct it. I do get involved during the cake cutting if needed, as the photographer will, etc, but as a videographer I feel it is impertinent to try and direct things. If I can direct something to help my video WITHOUT interfering with ANYTHING, than I will do that.

Personally I would never interrupt a ceremony for any reason short of seeing a fire break out in the church or someone having a medical emergency. Even then, I would tell someone else, and let them make the announcement, not me.

[Tim Bakland]

What about my scenario just above your post, Jeff? Would you not whisper to the officiant that the crowd should be seated? (If I had it to do over again, I would -- and the bride would have been happier, too).

[Jeff Harper]

My God no, I would never approach the altar during a ceremony, for any reason. I might consider telling a member of the family and let THEM do it, but here in Cincinnati, during a Catholic ceremony especially, you best stay away from the altar.

It's unthinkable to me.

By pointing out to the bride that you could have done this, but didn't, the bride can feel that you knew what needed to be done, and you didn't do it, and that makes you look bad, in theory. I would not have said a word to the bride until the edit was done and then let the officiant take the fall.

In the end, it's not your fault, nothing to be reasonably done but move your camera.

I have a tripod that goes up to 9' so the only thing to do would be for me to raise my tripod up high enough over the heads of the people, but that is easy to see in hindsight.

This was a rare case, hopefully and won't happen again.

[Tim Bakland]

I hear you. It actually wasn't a formal church ceremony with an altar. It was outdoors and more laid back. It's just that the officiant was nervous and/or inexperienced and completely forgot to seat the guests. The only reason I even considered (at the moment) approaching him and whispering -- between segments -- was that everyone was so crowded around the bride and groom that hardly anyone would have noticed my doing so.

But yes, like you, my inclinations are otherwise.

[John Estcourt]

Chris, my second cameraman used to say I was too paranoid about Checking things. I double check things and then check again..until of course he got caught out with the button press! Now who's paranoid haha. Fortunately I have never come across a groom, like Petes who has done anything like that to me. I think words would fail me. I would love to see the footage of it Pete..

[Peter Rush]

Hi - Here it is - you can clearly see the guy take a hankie out of his pocket - dislodging the lapel mic - looking at it and then stuff it back in his pocket!

Vimeo

[Don Bloom]

I've has a fair share of laid back weddings where the officiant forgot to tell the guests to sit. Sometimes they just sat on their own, sometimes not. Not my job to direct the ceremony. Some officiants around here WANT the people to stand I guess.:-(
I am so paronoid about pressing the red button that I continue to check the running time in the LCD even after I KNOW I pressed record just once. Can't help, must be my OCD kicking in. :-)

A few weeks ago the B&G asked me to record private messages to each other before the ceremony. I did that but during the brides I must have gotten really quick to stop recording after she got done becaue I looked at the running time and it wasn't. I thought about asking her to redo her message but decided to chance it. I got lucky. I just was to fast to stop reording before I looked at the LCD. Whew.