What the Pros do...before...

[Byron Jones]

I have found this forum to be a wonderful place to learn about gear and tricks of the trade. In this sub area, there is great advice for during and even after the wedding. What I think would also be helpful would be a pre shoot workflow. What do you do to prepare for a shoot? Do you have a systematic approach? What do you do from booking until pressing the red (or sometimes black, silver, etc.) button? If this could include what your normal steps are the morning of, that would be great! Do you setup cameras or audio recorders first, talk to the officiant, get b roll... Thanks for helping out the "New Boots".

[Adrian Tan]

Hmm... Lots to talk about in the "pre" area...

On the actual morning of... Well, I would have prepared my gear and clothing (dry-cleaning, ironing) over the nights before the wedding. I often go through all my gear in my bags every time, which is probably a bit silly, but I do have a think about each piece (whether I need it; whether it needs repair; in which bag it should go). I often (but not always) buy snacks from supermarket in advance -- bottles of water, muesli bars. I charge all batteries, clean all lenses (usually carry 6-8), double check camera settings, format all cards (always best to format rather than simply delete), load sound gear with batteries and cards (and format them), then think about the specific gear requirements and set-ups of the wedding. Eg: if there's two or more shooters, and we're splitting up in the morning, who takes what gear? I only have one macro lens, so the guy going to groom's house normally gets that, for the ring shots. If I need audio recording during prep, maybe because there's a pre-wedding ritual at the bride's, how should I handle that? Anyway, lots to think about if you're dividing up gear and working out what to pack into each bag (maybe only bag A is needed during prep, maybe bag B is not needed till reception, etc).

Morning of -- get up, get dressed, load car, set Navman (very handy), go.

I think the most important pre thing for me is simply logistics of when/where. How long does it take to travel. Where do you park. You're trying to minimise the unknowns and foresee everything. I prepare a one-page document (always try my hardest to get it down to one page only) for myself and other shooters. Can be more or less complicated. Has occasionally included maps of locations, images from Google street view, and images of type of rented car, though now I don't usually bother with this stuff, and it's just plain text. I e-mail this to everyone, so they can access from smartphones if needed, and I also print out hardcopies to hand out.

Sample:

DATE OF WEDDING: Saturday 8 June 2013
COUPLE: Tom Smith and Sue Bryant
TYPE OF WEDDING: Hindu
CLIENT: (if relevant... I do a lot of subcontractor work)

NOTES
-- In general, couple prefers a very discreet approach.
-- Couple wants GoPros attached to their cars.
-- Couple is keen to have detail shots of tables at the reception, because bride's mother handcrafted the little paper cows with people's names on them.
-- Couple wants a shot of the view out of the reception window.
-- Couple travelling in limousines (useful, so you know what type of car to look out for when you're standing in front of the church).
-- Cutting cake straight way on entry. Watch out!
-- Priest doesn't want to be microphoned. I know because I've worked with this guy before.
-- Live band at reception (useful in terms of knowing how many microphones to take if you want to go nuts with recording good sound)
-- Elvis impersonator showing up at reception.
-- Might be no throwing of garter, because bride thinks that's tacky.

ADDRESSES
-- Groom's address:
-- Bride's address:
-- Church:
-- Photoshoot
-- Reception

TRAVEL TIMES (based on Google maps, with time allowed for error/traffic/to find parking)
-- Adrian's house to groom's
-- Groom's to bride's
-- Bride's to church
-- Church to photoshoot
-- Photoshoot to reception

PARKING (check out on Google maps streetview to see what the street looks like and where the parking signs are)
-- Church: Park on side street behind church
-- Cheapest parking near reception is at Wilson's Street. Need venue to stamp your ticket to get $15 discount.

SCHEDULE
-- Leave Adrian's house at 5.30am (allow PLENTY of time... in case traffic jams in morning, and allow time for getting breakfast)
-- Arrive at groom's at
-- Leave groom's no later than
-- Arrive at bride's at
-- Leave bride's no later than (I allow time to arrive at church one hour before couple, and discuss this with them in advance)
-- Ceremony is at
-- Leave photoshoot no later than (I prefer to get to reception an hour before guests, or at least 30 minutes)
-- Guests arriving for canapés at
-- Detailed reception schedule (but reception schedule rarely goes to plan; always need to discuss with MC on the night)

CONTACT NUMBERS (mainly used for finding the address in the first place in the morning, especially if it's in a hotel and you don't know the room number, and in case you get lost on the way to photoshoot, or it's a big photoshoot area and you don't know where they are exactly, which quite often happens for me, since I'm still packing up gear when the photographer leaves)
-- Bride and groom phone numbers (though they often won't have their phones on them)
-- Best man:
-- Maid of honour:
-- Photographer:
-- Hired car company/boat company, if relevant (because once I was late, and literally missed the boat... had to call it to get it to turn around for me)

Edit: Another thing worth doing is simply checking the weather report -- whether you need rain jackets for the cameras and for yourself. I used to check sunrise/sunset, but I don't know if it makes all that much difference. If you really need to know on the day of the wedding, load the Sunrise app into your phone, and you'll easily be able to find out.

[Chris Harding]

Wow Adrian

That is pretty comprehensive!! Yeah unless it's somewhere you have been before Google Maps is a lifesaver! You can see where parking might be a hassle so it's essential to consider that too. I also make a little handwriiten "GPS" log on how to get to new sites just in case the car's GPS takes me on a bad or longer route so on the front seat I have a "turn right into "XXX" then turn left into "XXX" ...purely a backup!!

I learnt a long time ago that you don't assemble cameras and rigs on site either..I had a wedding where the ceremony was about to start and here I was trying to fit a MiniDV tape into the camera which (due to my panic) just wouldn't go in and the priest was already starting to talk (Being MiniDV that was a LONG time ago) The message here is you should be able to grab a camera and push record without having to do anything!

Good prep is the key to a stress free start to the wedding ....when you panic and start scrabbling in your gadget bag for bits and pieces that's when things start going wrong and the more you panic the more the problems are compounded!!

Nice and comprehensive list!!

Chris

[Katie Fasel]

Just sitting down to prepare for tomorrow's wedding, so thought I would chime in.

The week leading up to the wedding, I contact the bride or wedding planner and fill out a timeline of events with them. Many times they already have a typed up schedule, so I fill in the blanks from that first and then call them if there are any holes or question marks. I have a pretty comprehensive timeline, trying to avoid as much unexpected as I can. I say "as much" loosely, because in this industry, there is always something. I also ask them for TWO wedding-day contacts in case of emergency, and as of late, I've been asking them for their photographer's name and email...I have been sending "Hi we'll be working with you" emails the week leading up, just as a sort of ice-breaker for new photographers, and am finding it is getting good reception.

The day before the wedding is spent charging batteries, and things like google-mapping each of tomorrow's locations, and printing off a hard copy of directions with a map...you NEVER know when your cell phone might crap out on you, or in our instance, you are in some remote location where satellite for GPS isn't easily acquired. Lots of locations like that in Michigan (I imagine Ohio isn't much different?) Also, if it's a place we have never been before, I spend some time on google looking for a few pictures as well! On very rare occasions we will go to rehearsal, but that doesn't happen often.

Either the night before or morning of (depending on package they booked) is spent packing bags, making sure lenses are clean, resetting time codes, and formatting cards. Like Chris, we have a camera, with battery and card in the bag and ready to go.

On top of main equipment, we also each pack a small bag, that contains batteries, cards, personal things like keys and ID, and mine also always has a bottle of water and a granola bar in it! We like to keep these small bags on us at all times, so that in the event someone gets sticky fingers and picks up our expensive bag, batteries and cards (and the wedding video) don't go with it. (We almost always have our cameras with us anyway, so it's unlikely that a bag with a camera in it would be sitting idly by itself)

We actually leave our tripods and monopods and mic stands right in our car, since we're traveling with them so much, but before we leave home, I always do a visual check to make sure they are still there! (Even though they wouldn't walk off on their own.)

Guess that's it...I've never sat down and looked it over like this, it sounds like a lot!

[James Manford]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Wow Adrian

That is pretty comprehensive!! Yeah unless it's somewhere you have been before Google Maps is a lifesaver! You can see where parking might be a hassle so it's essential to consider that too. I also make a little handwriiten "GPS" log on how to get to new sites just in case the car's GPS takes me on a bad or longer route so on the front seat I have a "turn right into "XXX" then turn left into "XXX" ...purely a backup!!

I learnt a long time ago that you don't assemble cameras and rigs on site either..I had a wedding where the ceremony was about to start and here I was trying to fit a MiniDV tape into the camera which (due to my panic) just wouldn't go in and the priest was already starting to talk (Being MiniDV that was a LONG time ago) The message here is you should be able to grab a camera and push record without having to do anything!

Good prep is the key to a stress free start to the wedding ....when you panic and start scrabbling in your gadget bag for bits and pieces that's when things start going wrong and the more you panic the more the problems are compounded!!

Nice and comprehensive list!!

Chris

Couldn't agree more with what you said about having the camera ready to hit record. I set the camera up at home and load it in to the car ready to go. So if you need to jump out and hit record, I can !

Adrians comprehensive list is similar to mine. I always have contact details / numbers / approx times based on Google maps written on a piece of paper. I don't usually need to look at the paper as I also have it noted in my smartphone, but what if my smart phone fails? then at least I have a piece of paper to look at.

[Don Bloom]

My cameras are always ready to go. I learned a long time ago stringing news that having 1/2 charged batteries doesn't do any good so as soon as I get home from a job, the batteries go on the chargers. I replace the batteries in my wireless transmitters if they've been used, (the receiver runs off the camera battery so I save 6 batteries there) clean cards are inserted and I'm ready to go. A few days before the job, I DL directions if I need them (but in about 80% of the cases I don't) I get a job bag ready with a sticker that I designed a long time ago that has all the pertinent information I need and stick that on the 1 gallon zip lock type bag I use and that goes into my A camera bag.
On the day of I load my gear into my car, grab my paperwork and go. I know my gear is at the ready, I know all of my gear is in the car, I know where I'm going and yeah, it's all in my head. I'm a creature of habit when it comes to doing this. If I miss a step or something is different I know it. Again it might be my organized methods or my OCD kicking in but in any case I do the same thing every time at a wedding. My basic shot list is the same, the order in which I set up my gear is the same, the order in which I strike my gear is the same. For me, it's hard to miss something when I've been doing it the same way for 20 or more years. It's ingrained.

[Chris Harding]

Just expanding a tiny bit on the preparation!

When you go out and see the bride to book her, it's more than likely somewhere you have never been before and you promised to be there at 7pm and you find there isn't a 43B house number in the street!!

Always worth checking the address on Google Maps and take a contract and make sure her phone number is on there too if you get lost.

I once had to drive all the way home cos I couldn't find the house and foolishly didn't note her number down either (that was the last time I did that!!)

Chris

[James Manford]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Just expanding a tiny bit on the preparation!

When you go out and see the bride to book her, it's more than likely somewhere you have never been before and you promised to be there at 7pm and you find there isn't a 43B house number in the street!!

Always worth checking the address on Google Maps and take a contract and make sure her phone number is on there too if you get lost.

I once had to drive all the way home cos I couldn't find the house and foolishly didn't note her number down either (that was the last time I did that!!)

Chris

Thank god for Smartphones eh?

I just open up emails on my phone, or access Google maps if I need to on the phone. It's only recently it occurred to me, what if my smartphone failed to work? only due to this intrusive thought did I think it would be a good idea to type everything up and leave it in the car just incase.

[Byron Jones]

Thanks! There is some great information here. I am feeling good about the days before. I would still like to hear more about the morning of the shoot. Once you arrive, what checklist (physical or mental) do you go through? Also, at the rehearsal, what do I need to look for and what questions should I ask the B&G and officiant? Do you set audio and video levels that night? Does anyone even go to rehearsals? I feel I need to.

[Peter Rush]

I go to rehearsals if they're relatively local - always nice to introduce yourself to the priest/vicar/minister and give you an opportunity to get on their good side - I always ask what time I can get in to the church prior to the wedding - no point turning up 2 hours before and kicking your heels for an hour - learned that the hard way in the early days. I also check if there's a ceremony immediately prior to the wedding - this can be a PITA as it drastically reduces your setup time so you need to be 'ready to go' as soon as the congregation leave!

Pete

[Peter Riding]

A few days before the wedding I go through this list, either by phone or face to face or at the rehearsal:

http://www.ashtonlamont.co.uk/docs/wedding-update.pdf

It is designed to include shooting stills - which of course every videographer without exception should now also be offering :- )

Note I do NOT let the clients get hold of this checklist - it would be far too intimidating and could even increase the pressure some brides feel under by making the whole thing seem more difficult than it actually needs to be. The list covers all eventualities such as if parents are separated are they coming with new partners, the nature of their relationship with each other etc., and assumes that there will be two venues - a church and a reception venue. Therefore in practice much of the checklist does not apply to most weddings.

Other data such as the venue addresses zip codes satnav co-ordinates etc I already have on a copy of the original booking form either completed by the clients or amended with extra data by me.

Never underestimate the clients ability to overlook stuff, assume stuff, and to be overoptimistic with the timeline. They are not used to doing all this. We are :- )

If you do intend to shoot posed groups as stills make sure you get the important ones. That matters just as much as getting the technical side right. Just because you've asked them to supply a shot list is no excuse for missing an important shot that they forgot to put on their list. Thats why you research the guest list as in page one of the document I linked to.

Then make your own PDF of the data the timeline and - if applicable - the shot list and email it to the clients for checking.

When alls well copy the PDFs to your smartphone just in case you have an accident with your hard copies. Then you can print out at the venue if needs be n.b. on the day it can be far easier to work from hard copies than from a smartphone or tablet screen especially if folks want to look over your shoulder to check stuff.

Always take hard copies of google maps. NEVER rely on satnav though it is your first choice for obvious reasons. Sometimes it may take several minutes to get a satnav linkup and that can be crucial in the short period available between leaving the church and starting at the reception venue.

Have spare clothes including shoes. Sooner or later you will have a wardrobe malfunction what with all that lifting bending and stretching :- )

Prepare gear at least the day before obviously, but do check it prior to shooting. You may have overlooked reformatting a card so have little space left on it, you may have forgotten to change the levels on an audio recorder back up to speech levels having used it the last time for loud music. And so on.

I don't put everything together before I am in the venue as it can be too easy to break things. However I am very quick: I don't use tripod bags, instead I use tripod carry straps on tripods and lightstands carrying them bare and therefore ready to use. I make a lot of use of neoprene pouches rather than bag compartments so that gear can just be thrown into a bag in a heap - handy when you have to break down quickly in a church to move on to a hotel.

If you go to the rehearsal - which if valuable if shooting video - shoot some general handheld stuff that you can study afterwards as you may surprise yourself with new ideas for equipment placement. At the rehearsal don't be afraid to suggest alternatives if people may be due to stand in positions that block the view you need. Also don't be afraid to push for reserved parking as close as possible as that will cut your set up and break down times and therefore enable to clients to have greater coverage.

Pete

[Byron Jones]

Your linked list was great, but I can see why you do not give to the client. Answering the questions during a phone call wouldn't be bad, but seeing the whole list could feel overwhelming. Nice to see just how much info I need to know. I could see valid reasons for each item. Thank you!

[Adrian Tan]

Originally Posted by Byron Jones

Thanks! There is some great information here. I am feeling good about the days before. I would still like to hear more about the morning of the shoot. Once you arrive, what checklist (physical or mental) do you go through?

Well, the basics for me is that I have a sort of shotlist.

At groom's: I'm after accessory and clothing shots (ugh!), ring shots, establishing shots, shots of any wedding decorations in house, shots of photographs, shots of things the couple wants to be in the video (like their car... the wedding today, the groom loved his cars), shots of anything interesting around the house, shots that give the character of the house, candid shots of people laughing, smiling, doing any interesting physical life, shots of any action or activity around the house (including food preparation, clothing preparation, flowers being delivered, groom getting dressed, special rituals). I no longer get interviews with people, though I used to.

Bride's: very similar shotlist, except I'm also after hair and makeup shots.

Church: I basically follow the action (people handing out pamphlets, people setting up the church with flowers tied to the pews, people lighting candles, musicians setting up), get establishing shots, and also get random shots of things that seem interesting to me or give the character of the church (statues, stained glass windows, fountains, etc). As guests start to arrive, I'm on alert for hugs, kisses, and any interesting physical life, like lighting a candle and crossing yourself. Then I'm after arrival shots for groom/bride. Incidentally, there are other moments you could look out for. I've seen videographers make more of particular moments I miss, like groom standing up or walking down aisle or walking out of green room to prepare to stand in his waiting spot.

Photoshoot: I don't feel I've solved the riddle of the photoshoot. I don't do much with the couple; I don't like getting in the way of the photographer for more than a minute or two. If I have an idea, I'll speak up ("Hey, stand with your back to the sun, and I'll get a silhouette", "Hey, there's a merry-go-round -- go have a play on it."), but otherwise I'm shooting from the sidelines. Rolling simple statics of group photos can be used surprisingly well in the edit, though at the time of shooting it can seem like boring video, because there's no action. Sort of shotlist I'm after: establishing shots of whatever location we're in, car arrival/departure shots, car detail shots, candid moments with bridal party laughing (pay attention to what the rest of the bridal party are doing while the couple are getting photographed). I often take shots of the photographer taking photographs (I think to myself, "Why pretend it's not a photoshoot? It is!"). I often shoot a lot of close-up detail, because when you stitch these together, you can make a story out of a simple static pose. I don't really do interviews anymore, though this is a good time to. Obviously, I use a bit of slider and steadicam in any way I can think of to make something remotely interesting. When I'm out of ideas, I resort to slow motion.

Photoshoot is also a time to get one or two stills to use in DVD artwork. That's the way I do it anyway.

Reception: before it starts, I'm after shots of room being set up, establishing shots of venue, lots of shots of tables and table decorations, arrival shots of bridal party, candid shots of guests and food shots, and of course cake shots.

During reception proper, between formal events, mainly just get candids. But I work my way around the room shooting the hell out of any sort of feature. If there's a band, then obviously I'm going to get a hundred shots there. Ditto if there's a photobooth or candy table. Ditto at the bar. Obviously, I stalk waiters and shoot food. And my latest thing is I try to sneak into the kitchen whenever possible and get shots of food being prepared.

I don't like doing table shots/interviews with random guests, either at reception proper or during canapes beforehand. I also don't much like trying to get a nice candid shot of every guest, though I will quite often methodically work my way around tables. Some videographers I've worked with will go to the extreme of setting up a nice frame with a tele lens, and just waiting, waiitng, till that person does something that looks like they're enjoying themselves, and then pressing record. Often B&G will go around tables to say hello to every guest anyway, and this is a great time to get guest shots.

If in doubt what to shoot during reception, bride is at top of your list, followed by groom. I don't like to miss a single laugh. If still in doubt, check out what weird things the children are doing.

Once the dancing starts... Well, I've shot this in different ways for different companies. But usually I'm either shooting to cover (eg, when the couple has been promised at least three full-length dances on their DVD), or I'm shooting for the little interesting bits, the person doing a crazy dance, the groom being tossed up and down, etc. At the end of the evening, I stick around to get a departure shot.

Also, at the rehearsal, what do I need to look for and what questions should I ask the B&G and officiant? Do you set audio and video levels that night? Does anyone even go to rehearsals? I feel I need to.

I go when I can. I tell the couple no promises, but ask them whether there's a rehearsal at initial meeting.

Set audio and video levels that night? Nope. The ones I've been to, they don't use the audio system, and the video levels (in terms of exposure) won't be the same as during the daytime. At best, I might think about where to place cameras and what lenses to put on them.

What to ask officiant or what to find out at rehearsal? Lots of things. Anything you're unclear about. How early can you arrive to set up. Also, how soon you have to be gone after the ceremony (is the church being locked up? is there some other event immediately after?). Is the priest okay to wear a mic? Will the priest be wearing his own mic? Does the church have a sound system you can plug into? If so, where is it? For outdoor weddings, is the celebrant bringing their own portable speakers you can plug into? Is there anywhere you can't stand, or any other restrictions? Can you get access to the second level of the church to shoot from above, or will that door be locked on the day? Which side does the bride stand on (usually on the left from audience's perspective)? Which way does the couple face for the majority of the ceremony -- towards the altar or away from it, or side on (affects your camera placement)? How does the ceremony end -- a receiving line, or B&G walking out of church? How many people doing readings are there and where will they be standing (affects your camera and mic placement)? Will they be using microphones? Where does the groom stand while waiting for the bride? Which entrance will bride be coming from -- the side door, or the door at the back of the church?... But, to be honest, I often wing it, and ask the priest just two questions on the day -- could you wear a mic, and is there anywhere I can't stand? If the type of ceremony is unfamiliar or the layout weird, you can also ask where videographers usually stand.

Apologies if I've written anything mad. It's 3.30am the day after a wedding here, and my brain is fried.

[Byron Jones]

Another informative post Adrian. Thank you for the details. Impressive how clear your mind works that late at night (or should I say "early in the morning"). I think this thread is really going to help a lot of new boots improve...and avoid some stress. Oh, well it is working already. I started this thread as a "New Boot" and now I'm "Regular Crew". Thanks again everyone! I have an out of town wedding coming up in a few weeks and this is helping me think through everything in advance. Being a few hour drive away won't allow me to "run back" and grab something I forgot.

If there is any other advice for preparation up to the start of the wedding, feel free to post. I love to learn and I always want to improve. I'm not sure if there are any other pitfalls to out of town weddings other than forgetting gear...and getting lost. Thanks for the heads up on using the smartphone AND printing a backup map.

[Chris Harding]

Hey Adrian

There is a very easy way to do the video photoshoot and never ever get in the way of the photog...Peter has the answer and it's so simple ..also be the photographer ...you have the whole bridal party to yourself and no-one to complain about you... it really is the ultimate answer!

However if I do have to work with a photog I find the easiest way to to say to him/her "I need the bride and groom for just 15 minutes after you have done the formal group shots..then I'll give them back to you and disappear for the rest of the afternoon" They love that!! No video guy getting in the way and while you are doing your thing they can shoot the rest of the bridal party...It also gives you total freedom and then you CAN say "there's a merry-go-round go and jump on it"

Chris