Cam placement for speeches

[Peter Rush]

My setup for a lot of years has been a locked off camera set close on the couple for their reactions, another locked off camera behind and to one side of the top table (if there is one) set wide pointing out at the guests, and me and my main camera somewhere to the back of the room and central with a 70-200mm to be able to follow the speakers.

With this setup however I don't get a full shot of everyone at the top table so when (for example) parents get a mention I'm usually on the speaker and have to re-frame to get a shot of the parents, and then back to the speaker. I'm wondering if I should have a 4th camera taking in the entire top table or is that overkill?

As a solo shooter I'm not keen to increase the amount of kit I need to set up :/

Pete

[Peter Riding]

I reckon 4 cams is the sweet spot. More than that and you have rapidly diminishing returns plus its that much harder to do the multicam edit when more than 4 cams are on-screen simultaneously. Less than that and you may lose unscripted good moments and you have less material to switch between when making a lengthy long-form as engaging as you can.

Locking off on the bride and groom for the whole of the speeches just for their reactions is not what I do anyway. There will be plenty of moments when the groom is delivering his speech for all that :- ) So if you have that cam taking in the entire top table you'll get their reactions anyway plus you'll have stuff like presenting flowers to the mothers which as you know can turn into a scrum with no faces visible.

I've noticed a reluctance in general for wedding videographers to embrace multi-multi-cam - if I can put it like that. This probably stems from the once common practice to cover everything with just one cam; two cams seems to be regarded as a step up and quite a luxury. Loads of videographers make a particular point on their websites that they can or do use two cams / operators and many market it as an upgrade. The virtues of using three cams or more as you do are lost on them at present.

A recent bride of mine actually mentioned camera angles "We just received the video package and it is brilliant! Thanks so much - an amazing momento and it's great that you incorporated the music from Robin and Paul, so many different camera angles and so many great photos from the day."

It may also be worth bearing in mind a basic principle from stills coverage which is that the closer you crop the more context you lose. The wider you compose the greater the context of your actual subject. I reckon that applies to video just as much. Obviously you do want some close stuff regardless of what medium you are recording on.

Pete

[Dave Partington]

I have to agree on the multi-multi cams :)

For speeches we'd typically cover with 3 or 4 cameras (as per the ceremony) to give us lots of options.

While it's nice to have close ups for reactions we almost always have one camera that is capturing the entire top table, then another (static) that is high and wide, high enough to get a wide shot looking over the heads as everyone stands up for the toasts…. otherwise all you get is backs of heads! This gives a real sense of the guests toasting the couple.

[Steve Bleasdale]

Three cams, one locked on the top table from the side but the whole table medium shot. Safety. Then 70-200 next to me for reactions and close ups. Then another cam either above looking down or from another angle.To many cams confuses the hell out of me..

[Adrian Tan]

Hey Peter, one thing you could think about is (a) setting up your speaker cam next to the couple cam, so you can operate both at once; (b) putting a different lens on the couple cam... In DSLR terms, maybe a 28-300. You can then go tight for couple reactions, and pull out for entire bridal table.

Here's my normal setup. Apologies for the mess. Drawing skills, I have none.

Normally just three cameras, but two operators. I ordinarily use: two x 70-200 on the speaker and couple cam; a 100-400 on the roaming cam. Job of roaming cam is: alternative angle of speaker and cutaways of anything around the room -- parents being mentioned, someone clapping or laughing, page girl falling over, etc. If it's possible for the roaming cam to occasionally get over-the-shoulder shots of speaker and couple, I find they generally look pretty amazing.

[Dave Partington]

Adrian, in all the years I've been filming, I've only a couple of times had a layout like that. Normally where you have the dance floor is full of tables and there's no lectern either. Makes discussing camera positioning from country to country interesting…. doesn't it ?

[Peter Rush]

Thanks Adrian - over here however that layout hardly ever occurs - I've seen a similar table layout but never a lecturn. Usually speakers just stand up from where they were sat on the top table. Complications arise though when the speakers are dotted around the room which I've had a few times!