Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone at DVinfo.net

James Manford · January 28th, 2016, 12:11 PM

Saw that video on my facebook feed.

I'm getting concerned with everybody promoting this concept of shooting and editing on your smartphone. It's just making the job of a videographer more and more difficult. Guests will see videos like that and feel as if they HAVE to get up and film at a wedding now and get in the way.

I was working with a professional photographer the other day, a nice chap. When he had a moment, he pulled out his latest iPhone, attached this multi-lens attachment and start taking fisheye photos and ultra wide angle shots etc using this lens attachment for his phone. The photos framed properly were more than good enough to supply to the bride and groom. But he was just showing me what his phone can do rather than having the intention to actually supply these photos.

What are your thoughts on all this ?

Steve Burkett · January 28th, 2016, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Manford

What are your thoughts on all this ?

I love how he says that the iphone now allows him to maintain eye contact with those he's filming. Evidentially never used a flip screen before.

I think he does more Photography, but anyone who thinks a phone is going to take away work done with Professional cameras??? Guests are already blocking shots with their phone; I don't care if its video they're shooting or photos, they're still in the way and their results will still be mostly crap.

Noa Put · January 28th, 2016, 12:35 PM

A Iphone or any other high end smartphone can never replace a full frame camera with a set of primes for photography or a real videocamera for video. Imagine someone calling you when you are shooting the ceremony, lol.
The use of phones at a wedding will only increase, regardless if these type of films appear, people just love taking picture or shoot short videos to place on facebook. Photogs, like the guy in the film you linked to, just want the attention, I"m sure he missed his real photocamera during the shoot.

Warren Kawamoto · January 28th, 2016, 12:52 PM

Sadly, it seems like equipment quality matters less and less. Brides today are constantly being bombarded with social media videos, and their concept of what's "good" has changed. In my time, jump cuts and shaky shots were considered horrible. Today, we are completely surrounded by it. It seems like CONTENT is beginning to matter more than good camera composition and sound nowadays. It's a huge shift from what it was before. You can have a side by side comparison of a well lit high definition shot next to a crappy, dark image. But if the dark image captured what she wanted to FEEL, she'll like the dark one better!

Roger Gunkel · January 28th, 2016, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warren Kawamoto

Sadly, it seems like equipment quality matters less and less. Brides today are constantly being bombarded with social media videos, and their concept of what's "good" has changed. In my time, jump cuts and shaky shots were considered horrible. Today, we are completely surrounded by it. It seems like CONTENT is beginning to matter more than good camera composition and sound nowadays. It's a huge shift from what it was before. You can have a side by side comparison of a well lit high definition shot next to a crappy, dark image. But if the dark image captured what she wanted to FEEL, she'll like the dark one better!

+1 Warren, I couldn't agree more!

Roger

Steve Burkett · January 28th, 2016, 01:12 PM

I think content has always been more important than technique and its true people will watch any crappy video on Facebook or Youtube if the content is right. However what is acceptable for a few minutes watching on your phone is not what will be acceptable when watching for say 60 or even 90 minutes on a large 50" TV.

I've watched and enjoyed a few crappy videos on Facebooks of cats doing silly things; doesn't mean I want my movies or TV shows to look like that and I certainly wouldn't want my Wedding video to look like that. Different standards for different things. Our job is to capture the content and also to capture it well. I've kept footage that was slightly out of focus in the final edit if the content warrants it.

Robert Benda · January 28th, 2016, 02:20 PM

I was going to say something snarky about how all the pics were using good sunlight, then saw the pics at night and thought 'wow.'

Then at 1:24 I see he has an off-camera light in his hand.

---

Any nice phone/camera can do some great stuff, and I rely on mine in my personal life all the time, but I wish they would stop pretending it can replace either a full frame or the professional using it.

/I also like that he says/does all this with what looks like 2 regular cameras on his shoulder.

David Barnett · January 28th, 2016, 02:24 PM

I think the videos just a publicity & marketing campaign. I'd question whether all night shots are taken with the phone, if they how, how much lighting & staging was done prior. Same with a clip of some indoor dance floor footage (Neatvideo?). I really can't see shooting the 1st dance or speeches or anything indoors at the reception with a phone.

Outdoor shots, yeah probably. However you'll probably get a limited amount of proofs whereas a true photog would probably deliver 1000-2000 to choose from.

Steven Davis · January 28th, 2016, 03:53 PM

I recently lost a photo contest to a dude that only shoots on his iPhone. Times are changing ,but I agree that if someone wants to cheapit out by hiring someone with a cell phone, then they will own the limitations of their final product.

Professionals who tout the ability of cell phones only make things worse. It's a gimmick that should be left for cat videos and birthday parties.

James Manford · January 28th, 2016, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warren Kawamoto

Sadly, it seems like equipment quality matters less and less. Brides today are constantly being bombarded with social media videos, and their concept of what's "good" has changed. In my time, jump cuts and shaky shots were considered horrible. Today, we are completely surrounded by it. It seems like CONTENT is beginning to matter more than good camera composition and sound nowadays. It's a huge shift from what it was before. You can have a side by side comparison of a well lit high definition shot next to a crappy, dark image. But if the dark image captured what she wanted to FEEL, she'll like the dark one better!

Spot on.

Just look at these Youtube channels. The really popular ones ...

Content = Winner

@Steven David - it's not that brides will want to hire out someone with a cellphone. They will just use a enthusiastic relevates phone clips rather than hiring a budget videographer that provides documentary style footage.

Noa Put · January 28th, 2016, 05:37 PM

Quote:

it's not that brides will want to hire out someone with a cellphone. They will just use a enthusiastic relevates phone clips rather than hiring a budget videographer that provides documentary style footage.

I don't think so and if they do they just will receive good looking 4K shaky crap footage, their relatives won't be shooting from the best positions, they won't have good sound, know how to compose a shot and they won't be editing it to a compelling video. Oh, and almost forgot, their video will be vertical...Seriously, if you fear you will loose clients because of this this means your own work isn't better or you are dealing with clients that don't care and who wants to work for them?

Steve Bleasdale · January 28th, 2016, 05:59 PM

The way technology is going we all better get used to it or go down. Keep with the times before long phones are taking over in fact I have my little g7 new and great for holidays but found myself on my Sony z3 with selfie stick even as a stabilizer was great. With training and a dud wedding I could pull of some serious footage with phones. People love gimmicks. Phones are gimmicks fun and un serious but in good light are spot on. They are easy to use and my phone took a pic better than my camera in dubai with ease the other day. Colour was spot on my g7 was all over the place.
Talking parties weddings here not professional high end jobs. Different subject.
My last enquiry! Sorry Steve my mate said he has just bought a little camcorder and with his phone he is filming the wedding so sorry but??
Are we victims of our own ways? The way we want our clients film to look.Boring crap that we think is great but client thinks?? Slide shots, glide shots. Boring, phones fun quick gimmicky. Brides must be looking at us all thinking same old shit different day. Give me fun give me a phone

Chris Harding · January 28th, 2016, 06:00 PM

The problem Noa is not the crappy footage but whether brides accept the crappy footage as good enough! It might look perfectly OK to a bride but terrible to us. If it has the content she is expecting but has poorer image and audio than a conventional camera will she really care?? They only watch their video once or twice and most brides already place a very low value on wedding videos anyway.

Sadly if you got the right content and charged the right price I think you could keep most brides happy with Smartphone footage ... what is worrying is social media is bombarded with video now that's shot in portrait mode too so eventually a bride will come back to us and say " my video is the wrong way around..why is it not upright"

I certainly hope that we never have to reduce our services to standing amongst a bunch of guests all pointing their phones towards the couple with our own "professional" Smartphone. We already have situations where guests have better gear than we do so are we eventually doomed to shoot weddings on a tiny phone in the future??? Hopefully I will have stopped by then!!!

Steve Burkett · January 28th, 2016, 06:45 PM

Good God, where is all this pessimistic nonsence coming from? Most of my couples are after a nice looking video. Enough of them have high enough expectations to suggest that my turning up with a smartphone wouldn't cut it. Brides bored of glide shots, slider shots; how many even know what you mean if you asked them about it. Some Brides turn to Shoot it Yourself companies for a certain style, advertised as an alternative to the so called boring video. I get Marryoke only bookings for the same reason. Remember family too are after a Wedding video. A Bride may find phone footage acceptable, do their parents and grandparents feel the same?

Camcorders have been around at affordable prices for sometime now. What makes you think a phone will succeed in taking our business where they did not. Shooting video on a phone is a gimmick, but gimmicks don't last forever. So far I've not filmed one Wedding where a guest has better gear than mine, including a few attended by wannabe Videographers.

A good Wedding video is also about the edit. Sure guests could grab footage, but whose gonna edit it. If you're that worried, start a business offering to edit this phone footage. Guests can upload it to the cloud and you download, edit the footage and turn it into something resembling a Wedding video. However like Shoot it Yourself, though you'll corner a percentage of the market, it'll only be a small corner. When guests can shoot video as well as a movie or TV show, then we can worry.

Chris Harding · January 28th, 2016, 06:59 PM

Hey Steve
I'm on your side mate ..the last thing want is a bride to say "My cousin will shoot my video on his new iPhone 6SPlus .. it's better than your camera" .... Regardless of what device is used it's STILL the person behind the camera that counts ....That was the reason for my questions in the "niche market" post here ..Let the idiots go crazy with their phones and good luck to them ... I would much rather do something a lot more structured and creative. I really can see budget brides doing her wedding with a couple of teenagers with phones as her official wedding video in the near future but I don't want to be part of that setup! A specialised shoot still based on her wedding is much more to my liking even if I don't do the main wedding video. I'm not going to sink to the phone level at any time ...much rather concentrate on decent productions and if they don't involve weddings any more so be it!

January 28th, 2016, 12:11 PM	#1
James Manford Trustee Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,393	Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone Shooting an Indian Wedding on the iPhone 6s Plus - YouTube Saw that video on my facebook feed. I'm getting concerned with everybody promoting this concept of shooting and editing on your smartphone. It's just making the job of a videographer more and more difficult. Guests will see videos like that and feel as if they HAVE to get up and film at a wedding now and get in the way. I was working with a professional photographer the other day, a nice chap. When he had a moment, he pulled out his latest iPhone, attached this multi-lens attachment and start taking fisheye photos and ultra wide angle shots etc using this lens attachment for his phone. The photos framed properly were more than good enough to supply to the bride and groom. But he was just showing me what his phone can do rather than having the intention to actually supply these photos. What are your thoughts on all this ?

January 28th, 2016, 12:35 PM	#3
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	Re: Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone A Iphone or any other high end smartphone can never replace a full frame camera with a set of primes for photography or a real videocamera for video. Imagine someone calling you when you are shooting the ceremony, lol. The use of phones at a wedding will only increase, regardless if these type of films appear, people just love taking picture or shoot short videos to place on facebook. Photogs, like the guy in the film you linked to, just want the attention, I"m sure he missed his real photocamera during the shoot.

January 28th, 2016, 12:52 PM	#4
Warren Kawamoto Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 1,435	Re: Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone Sadly, it seems like equipment quality matters less and less. Brides today are constantly being bombarded with social media videos, and their concept of what's "good" has changed. In my time, jump cuts and shaky shots were considered horrible. Today, we are completely surrounded by it. It seems like CONTENT is beginning to matter more than good camera composition and sound nowadays. It's a huge shift from what it was before. You can have a side by side comparison of a well lit high definition shot next to a crappy, dark image. But if the dark image captured what she wanted to FEEL, she'll like the dark one better!

January 28th, 2016, 01:12 PM	#6
Steve Burkett Trustee Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Romsey, UK Posts: 1,261	Re: Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone I think content has always been more important than technique and its true people will watch any crappy video on Facebook or Youtube if the content is right. However what is acceptable for a few minutes watching on your phone is not what will be acceptable when watching for say 60 or even 90 minutes on a large 50" TV. I've watched and enjoyed a few crappy videos on Facebooks of cats doing silly things; doesn't mean I want my movies or TV shows to look like that and I certainly wouldn't want my Wedding video to look like that. Different standards for different things. Our job is to capture the content and also to capture it well. I've kept footage that was slightly out of focus in the final edit if the content warrants it.

January 28th, 2016, 02:20 PM	#7
Robert Benda Trustee Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Crookston, MN Posts: 1,353	Re: Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone I was going to say something snarky about how all the pics were using good sunlight, then saw the pics at night and thought 'wow.' Then at 1:24 I see he has an off-camera light in his hand. --- Any nice phone/camera can do some great stuff, and I rely on mine in my personal life all the time, but I wish they would stop pretending it can replace either a full frame or the professional using it. /I also like that he says/does all this with what looks like 2 regular cameras on his shoulder.

January 28th, 2016, 02:24 PM	#8
David Barnett Major Player Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Philly, PA Posts: 951	Re: Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone I think the videos just a publicity & marketing campaign. I'd question whether all night shots are taken with the phone, if they how, how much lighting & staging was done prior. Same with a clip of some indoor dance floor footage (Neatvideo?). I really can't see shooting the 1st dance or speeches or anything indoors at the reception with a phone. Outdoor shots, yeah probably. However you'll probably get a limited amount of proofs whereas a true photog would probably deliver 1000-2000 to choose from.

January 28th, 2016, 03:53 PM	#9
Steven Davis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 3,065	Re: Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone I recently lost a photo contest to a dude that only shoots on his iPhone. Times are changing ,but I agree that if someone wants to cheapit out by hiring someone with a cell phone, then they will own the limitations of their final product. Professionals who tout the ability of cell phones only make things worse. It's a gimmick that should be left for cat videos and birthday parties. __________________ What happens if I push the 'Red' button?

January 28th, 2016, 05:59 PM	#12
Steve Bleasdale Trustee Join Date: May 2010 Location: England liverpool Posts: 1,343	Re: Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone The way technology is going we all better get used to it or go down. Keep with the times before long phones are taking over in fact I have my little g7 new and great for holidays but found myself on my Sony z3 with selfie stick even as a stabilizer was great. With training and a dud wedding I could pull of some serious footage with phones. People love gimmicks. Phones are gimmicks fun and un serious but in good light are spot on. They are easy to use and my phone took a pic better than my camera in dubai with ease the other day. Colour was spot on my g7 was all over the place. Talking parties weddings here not professional high end jobs. Different subject. My last enquiry! Sorry Steve my mate said he has just bought a little camcorder and with his phone he is filming the wedding so sorry but?? Are we victims of our own ways? The way we want our clients film to look.Boring crap that we think is great but client thinks?? Slide shots, glide shots. Boring, phones fun quick gimmicky. Brides must be looking at us all thinking same old shit different day. Give me fun give me a phone

January 28th, 2016, 06:00 PM	#13
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone The problem Noa is not the crappy footage but whether brides accept the crappy footage as good enough! It might look perfectly OK to a bride but terrible to us. If it has the content she is expecting but has poorer image and audio than a conventional camera will she really care?? They only watch their video once or twice and most brides already place a very low value on wedding videos anyway. Sadly if you got the right content and charged the right price I think you could keep most brides happy with Smartphone footage ... what is worrying is social media is bombarded with video now that's shot in portrait mode too so eventually a bride will come back to us and say " my video is the wrong way around..why is it not upright" I certainly hope that we never have to reduce our services to standing amongst a bunch of guests all pointing their phones towards the couple with our own "professional" Smartphone. We already have situations where guests have better gear than we do so are we eventually doomed to shoot weddings on a tiny phone in the future??? Hopefully I will have stopped by then!!!

January 28th, 2016, 06:45 PM	#14
Steve Burkett Trustee Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Romsey, UK Posts: 1,261	Re: Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone Good God, where is all this pessimistic nonsence coming from? Most of my couples are after a nice looking video. Enough of them have high enough expectations to suggest that my turning up with a smartphone wouldn't cut it. Brides bored of glide shots, slider shots; how many even know what you mean if you asked them about it. Some Brides turn to Shoot it Yourself companies for a certain style, advertised as an alternative to the so called boring video. I get Marryoke only bookings for the same reason. Remember family too are after a Wedding video. A Bride may find phone footage acceptable, do their parents and grandparents feel the same? Camcorders have been around at affordable prices for sometime now. What makes you think a phone will succeed in taking our business where they did not. Shooting video on a phone is a gimmick, but gimmicks don't last forever. So far I've not filmed one Wedding where a guest has better gear than mine, including a few attended by wannabe Videographers. A good Wedding video is also about the edit. Sure guests could grab footage, but whose gonna edit it. If you're that worried, start a business offering to edit this phone footage. Guests can upload it to the cloud and you download, edit the footage and turn it into something resembling a Wedding video. However like Shoot it Yourself, though you'll corner a percentage of the market, it'll only be a small corner. When guests can shoot video as well as a movie or TV show, then we can worry.

January 28th, 2016, 06:59 PM	#15
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Indian Wedding shot with an iPhone Hey Steve I'm on your side mate ..the last thing want is a bride to say "My cousin will shoot my video on his new iPhone 6SPlus .. it's better than your camera" .... Regardless of what device is used it's STILL the person behind the camera that counts ....That was the reason for my questions in the "niche market" post here ..Let the idiots go crazy with their phones and good luck to them ... I would much rather do something a lot more structured and creative. I really can see budget brides doing her wedding with a couple of teenagers with phones as her official wedding video in the near future but I don't want to be part of that setup! A specialised shoot still based on her wedding is much more to my liking even if I don't do the main wedding video. I'm not going to sink to the phone level at any time ...much rather concentrate on decent productions and if they don't involve weddings any more so be it!