What I hate when filming a wedding!

Richard Zlamany · November 16th, 2006, 06:07 PM

Oh, foolish me. I thought they could turn off. Thanks for the info, Mike.
I feel better already.

Michael Pulcinella · November 28th, 2006, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michelle Lewis

I hate when they want the lights off during the reception, then complain when the video is too dark. And then not upgrade their package to accomodate the extra editing. I believe a lot of brides watch these shows like Platinum Weddings and Bridezillas and don't realize how much lighting it takes to get those images.

AMEN! I was told not to bring my lights by the manager of the hall. He said he would turn up the lights for me whenever I needed it. Well, his definition of "turning up the lights" and mine were completely different and we fought about it all night!

Steven Davis · November 28th, 2006, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Pulcinella

AMEN! I was told not to bring my lights by the manager of the hall. He said he would turn up the lights for me whenever I needed it. Well, his definition of "turning up the lights" and mine were completely different and we fought about it all night!

I had someone turn the lights off on me, so I just turned mine on. Even though it was only a 20 watt on camera light, if I had not had it, I would have been in trouble. My main cam was fine, the secondary roaming cam was grainy. I had enough to work with, eventually we just kept the roamer near the cam with the light.

Marco Dias · November 28th, 2006, 04:40 PM

Okay, I know this isn’t a wedding, but this weekend I filmed a 1st Holy Communion. When the catechism teacher first phoned me to book me for this function, I clearly told
her that I would film the event only if the priest was okay with me walking around and filming the event. She said he was a cool priest, boy, was she wrong.

When I first arrived at the church on Sunday, the priest told me that when he was doing the readings, I should not move around but stick to one corner where he clearly pointed it out to me. Fine, I understood that very clearly.

So after the readings, I started to move around to get better shots of the kids singing. That’s when I got a tap on the shoulder by the priest and told to move to my corner. I thought I misunderstood him. When the kids came up to read, again I moved closer to get a better shot and again I was told to go to my little corner. This happened in front of the whole church. The parents who where paying for their kid’s Holy Communion DVD saw the whole thing. This happened 3 times. I eventually gave up and stuck to my corner.
The photographer was 45 minutes late and when he finally arrived he was told the same thing, he eventually left half way, because he got so fed up with the priest. I never saw him again. I don’t think these parents have any photos of the event.

I filmed from one spot only, which makes the video so boring. I didn’t use 2 cameras, because the price that I am charging for each DVD isn’t worth it. I totally blame the teacher, when I deliver the DVDs I am going to tell her to explain to the parents as to why there’s no close ups of their children and why the video is so boring.
I am so ashamed of this project, that I am not even going to put my name on it. How selfish can this priest get. This happens only once in the child’s life and this priest decides to ruin it.

Anyway, that’s the story of my weekend. I thought I would share that with you and get it off my chest.

Regards…

Richard Zlamany · November 28th, 2006, 10:23 PM

Most priests stink. I can totally relate. I did a baptism that was just the opposite. It was one of my 1st gigs and the priest let me go everywhere.
Then I did a wedding and they fed me like a king with a table and gave out all the courses.

I had no idea the exact opposite could happen. Priests could be jerks and some reception halls don't even offer a chair or a glass of water.

At 1st this really got to me. But now I just let it all go. If the priests restricts me, I move around a bunch at communion to get the shots I need. If the reception hall doesn't feed me I bring a cooler with beer and a foot long blimpie sub.

If photographer keeps getting in the way I step up onto a 3 step ladder.

I don't know what I would have done with the priest you had to deal with.
Maybe multiple cams would have made things better.

What a shame.

Peter Jefferson · November 28th, 2006, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Pulcinella

AMEN! I was told not to bring my lights by the manager of the hall. He said he would turn up the lights for me whenever I needed it. Well, his definition of "turning up the lights" and mine were completely different and we fought about it all night!

DONT ever let anyone and i mean ANYONE tell you how to do your job

sometimes they say this kinda thing so you dont ruin THEIR ambience, and all teh while they have NO INTENTION of accomodating your needs...

i have to say though, 100% of venues i shoot at love me, so i usualy get my way, but i always ALWAYS bring lights

Another thing, with a light, a decent 75w spotty with diffusion works a treat when spotlighting a dancing couple or a lectern during speaches. Makes for a more formalised and "wow factor" ish kinda scene. Alot of teh time we forget how what we do affects the entire scene, and sometimes, (bout90%) a decent spot can make things jsut that much better...

Garrison Hayes · November 28th, 2006, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Hardwick

Yes, I've had all these things happen but even so, filming a wedding day is a very happy experience I find. The guests are dressed up to the nines and looking their best, there's cameras everywhere so I fit in ok, people want to be photographed and it's even legal for me to film the happy kids without written parental permission. Wow!

tom.

I can appreciate Tom's post...it's Almost a Slightly Testoterone Laced Piece of Paula Abdul... Besides! Thats my Grandma you're talkin about with the Candid Camera thing!!!

Watch Yourself...

(lol / J/K)

G. Hayes

Michael Pulcinella · November 29th, 2006, 12:03 PM

I must say that for the same wedding that I had the fight with the hall manager about lights I also had the COOLEST priest ever! He understood what I was doing and allowed me and my second camera full access everywhere except right up there on the altar. So, they're not ALL bad. (He was young, maybe that had something to do with it.)

More about lights...

I find that it is the GUESTS who object the most to added lighting. I got a chorus of boos when I turned on my big lights at the first wedding I ever did. That was a sucky feeling! I haven't used my lights at a reception since then. However that first gig has some of the best wedding footage I've shot. It's beautiful! And the bride loved the way it looked.

It breaks my heart to have to struggle with dim halls when I know how good it can look if they just let me light it cinematically. But I guess that'll never happen because it is the event which takes precedence, not the video.

Steven Davis · November 29th, 2006, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Jefferson

Another thing, with a light, a decent 75w spotty with diffusion works a treat when spotlighting a dancing couple or a lectern during speaches. .

Hey Peter, is that on your cam, like a photogs softbox? You have pics you can email me?

Denis Danatzko · December 4th, 2006, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Zlam

...Then I did a wedding and they fed me like a king with a table and gave out all the courses.

... and some reception halls don't even offer a chair or a glass of water.

...If the reception hall doesn't feed me I bring a cooler with beer and a foot long blimpie sub.

I've only shot weddings as an invited guest for family, so I've always had a seat, drinks, and a meal. But, with ALL the weddings I've either shot, or been involved with otherwise, e.g. siblings, close friends, etc., it was always the responsibility of whoever was paying for the festivities to include the videographer(s) and photographer among the number of guests. That way, the "banquet hall" gets paid for the meal, and the banquet manager can have all that covered. I can't recall a weddng I've attended (even those for mere "associates" from where me or my spouse were working at the time) where the "hired help" didn't have their own table off to the side and out of the way.

I'm willing to shoot ceremonies, but it's horror stories such as some in this thread that make me want to avoid shooting wedding receptions altogether.

Leo Pepingco · December 4th, 2006, 08:42 PM

Photographers + God Complex = The most annoying thing in the whole friggin world.

why is it that Photographers "forget" you are there when THEY start taking photos.

I hate it when they get in your way, take the photo, then THEY DONT MOVE AWAY!!!! They stand there, waiting for another shot.

My favorite time in a wedding was when the Bride asked me to do a dolly shot of the whole family standing in a line and I track across all of them very carefully WITH MY TRACKS ON THE GROUND. About 3 meters away from them. (thats about 10 feet)

THEN!!! Because I said it was ok for family and the photogs to take pictures behind me (since it would add to the nice flash effect) the photog walks between me and the family and stats clicking away. When I get it done, the photog moves away, then I ask if I can do another track. The Bride says yes, then gets one of her scarves, or veils, then ties them across the seats/pews, and asks everyone with a camera to stand behind it. The Photog was the only one on the wrong side.

The Bride gave me a smile with her eyes closed and I swear I knew she'd make a great mother.

Peter Jefferson · December 4th, 2006, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Davis

Hey Peter, is that on your cam, like a photogs softbox? You have pics you can email me?

This is on the tripoded cam... about 9 feet in the air (i can hardly reach it and im a lil over 6ft)

the seconda handheld cam doesnt need light as this spotty is sufficient to cover the dancefloor and can also cover teh speeached from abotu 10 to 15 metres away and still illuminate it enough, without buring peoples corneas...

i dunno if i have a pic.. lol

Peter Jefferson · December 4th, 2006, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leo Pepingco

Photographers + God Complex = The most annoying thing in the whole friggin world.

why is it that Photographers "forget" you are there when THEY start taking photos.

I hate it when they get in your way, take the photo, then THEY DONT MOVE AWAY!!!! They stand there, waiting for another shot.

My favorite time in a wedding was when the Bride asked me to do a dolly shot of the whole family standing in a line and I track across all of them very carefully WITH MY TRACKS ON THE GROUND. About 3 meters away from them. (thats about 10 feet)

THEN!!! Because I said it was ok for family and the photogs to take pictures behind me (since it would add to the nice flash effect) the photog walks between me and the family and stats clicking away. When I get it done, the photog moves away, then I ask if I can do another track. The Bride says yes, then gets one of her scarves, or veils, then ties them across the seats/pews, and asks everyone with a camera to stand behind it. The Photog was the only one on the wrong side.

The Bride gave me a smile with her eyes closed and I swear I knew she'd make a great mother.

Leo my friend, i tell you mate, how many times has this happened it isnt funny.. at first i used to brush it off, but now.. im a bit of a prick when i have to be but as polite as i am to them, and with the level of "outward" respct i have for them, they usually end up making themselves look like fools as all you want to do is yoru job and theyre obliviious ...

to Answer yoru question..

"why is it that Photographers "forget" you are there when THEY start taking photos."
Well the reason is simple, they really DO forget your there.. here in Aus, of the photogs i am chums with, they all tell me that of teh 60 to 70 od wedings they do a year, that only 20% woul dhave a video.. so most of the time, these guys arent accustomed to considering other people.. its a sad but true fact... thing is, this ssort of thing is quite common and the wrost thign about it, is that here in aus, for the last 6 years, ive seen no improvement

One thing though, is that its usually the higher end photogs who do this, as usually theyre blowing couple's budgets on the outset. But those high end clients that can afford a high end photo and video, is usualy when stuff like this happens..

Marco Dias · February 18th, 2007, 04:46 PM

Okay, I know this is not a wedding, but today I filmed a Greek baptism with twin girls. The problem was that both of them cried through out the whole service. They just won’t stop crying. The problem is that you can’t hardly hear a word the priest is saying. Even the priest was getting irritated. I walked out of that service with a headache.

The other problem was the photographer. He kept moving around and every time he came past my tripod he would bump it with his foot by mistake. Then he would apologize. The problem was that my microphone picked up his apology several times, because he bumped my tripod a couple of times.

Oh yes, almost forgot! Today I was seated at the kiddie’s table, which is fine with me. Except I was asked 101 questions by these kids about my camcorder, which got to be irritating after awhile.

Regards…

Peter Jefferson · February 18th, 2007, 05:00 PM

" Greek baptism with twin girls. The problem was that both of them cried through out the whole service. They just won’t stop crying. The problem is that you can’t hardly hear a word the priest is saying. Even the priest was getting irritated. I walked out of that service with a headache."

This is the beautiful thing about weddings.. lol after a year or two, u get a callback to shoot the christenings. i do TONNES of these a year and theyre pretty basic, BUT the cry factor is one of the biggest "problems"
With Greek/Orthodox ministers, they were heavy ( i MEAN heavy) robes with no "easy access" pockets
so laving the minister is a no go, BUT if they cry they cry, it cant be helped... and the parents will understand

I found that the biggest issue causing the crying is the minister as the child isnt used to someone all dressed up in this way, and to have them stand in front of them for half an hour chanting.

Theres also the issue of the actual act of baptism, being the cutting of the hair and the dunking itself.. unlike catholic wher spray of water on the head is enough, the Ortho's dunk the whole child from head to toe into the water. and its not the warmest by the time they get there either..

November 29th, 2006, 12:03 PM	#53
Michael Pulcinella Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Ridley Park, PA, USA Posts: 269	Good priest, bad lights I must say that for the same wedding that I had the fight with the hall manager about lights I also had the COOLEST priest ever! He understood what I was doing and allowed me and my second camera full access everywhere except right up there on the altar. So, they're not ALL bad. (He was young, maybe that had something to do with it.) More about lights... I find that it is the GUESTS who object the most to added lighting. I got a chorus of boos when I turned on my big lights at the first wedding I ever did. That was a sucky feeling! I haven't used my lights at a reception since then. However that first gig has some of the best wedding footage I've shot. It's beautiful! And the bride loved the way it looked. It breaks my heart to have to struggle with dim halls when I know how good it can look if they just let me light it cinematically. But I guess that'll never happen because it is the event which takes precedence, not the video.

December 4th, 2006, 08:42 PM	#56
Leo Pepingco Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 275	Photographers + God Complex = The most annoying thing in the whole friggin world. why is it that Photographers "forget" you are there when THEY start taking photos. I hate it when they get in your way, take the photo, then THEY DONT MOVE AWAY!!!! They stand there, waiting for another shot. My favorite time in a wedding was when the Bride asked me to do a dolly shot of the whole family standing in a line and I track across all of them very carefully WITH MY TRACKS ON THE GROUND. About 3 meters away from them. (thats about 10 feet) THEN!!! Because I said it was ok for family and the photogs to take pictures behind me (since it would add to the nice flash effect) the photog walks between me and the family and stats clicking away. When I get it done, the photog moves away, then I ask if I can do another track. The Bride says yes, then gets one of her scarves, or veils, then ties them across the seats/pews, and asks everyone with a camera to stand behind it. The Photog was the only one on the wrong side. The Bride gave me a smile with her eyes closed and I swear I knew she'd make a great mother. __________________ I told you to get an alabi

November 16th, 2006, 06:07 PM	#46
Richard Zlamany Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hamden CT Posts: 470	Oh, foolish me. I thought they could turn off. Thanks for the info, Mike. I feel better already.

November 28th, 2006, 04:40 PM	#49
Marco Dias Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: South Africa Posts: 62	Okay, I know this isn’t a wedding, but this weekend I filmed a 1st Holy Communion. When the catechism teacher first phoned me to book me for this function, I clearly told her that I would film the event only if the priest was okay with me walking around and filming the event. She said he was a cool priest, boy, was she wrong. When I first arrived at the church on Sunday, the priest told me that when he was doing the readings, I should not move around but stick to one corner where he clearly pointed it out to me. Fine, I understood that very clearly. So after the readings, I started to move around to get better shots of the kids singing. That’s when I got a tap on the shoulder by the priest and told to move to my corner. I thought I misunderstood him. When the kids came up to read, again I moved closer to get a better shot and again I was told to go to my little corner. This happened in front of the whole church. The parents who where paying for their kid’s Holy Communion DVD saw the whole thing. This happened 3 times. I eventually gave up and stuck to my corner. The photographer was 45 minutes late and when he finally arrived he was told the same thing, he eventually left half way, because he got so fed up with the priest. I never saw him again. I don’t think these parents have any photos of the event. I filmed from one spot only, which makes the video so boring. I didn’t use 2 cameras, because the price that I am charging for each DVD isn’t worth it. I totally blame the teacher, when I deliver the DVDs I am going to tell her to explain to the parents as to why there’s no close ups of their children and why the video is so boring. I am so ashamed of this project, that I am not even going to put my name on it. How selfish can this priest get. This happens only once in the child’s life and this priest decides to ruin it. Anyway, that’s the story of my weekend. I thought I would share that with you and get it off my chest. Regards…

November 28th, 2006, 10:23 PM	#50
Richard Zlamany Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hamden CT Posts: 470	Most priests stink. I can totally relate. I did a baptism that was just the opposite. It was one of my 1st gigs and the priest let me go everywhere. Then I did a wedding and they fed me like a king with a table and gave out all the courses. I had no idea the exact opposite could happen. Priests could be jerks and some reception halls don't even offer a chair or a glass of water. At 1st this really got to me. But now I just let it all go. If the priests restricts me, I move around a bunch at communion to get the shots I need. If the reception hall doesn't feed me I bring a cooler with beer and a foot long blimpie sub. If photographer keeps getting in the way I step up onto a 3 step ladder. I don't know what I would have done with the priest you had to deal with. Maybe multiple cams would have made things better. What a shame.

February 18th, 2007, 04:46 PM	#59
Marco Dias Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: South Africa Posts: 62	Okay, I know this is not a wedding, but today I filmed a Greek baptism with twin girls. The problem was that both of them cried through out the whole service. They just won’t stop crying. The problem is that you can’t hardly hear a word the priest is saying. Even the priest was getting irritated. I walked out of that service with a headache. The other problem was the photographer. He kept moving around and every time he came past my tripod he would bump it with his foot by mistake. Then he would apologize. The problem was that my microphone picked up his apology several times, because he bumped my tripod a couple of times. Oh yes, almost forgot! Today I was seated at the kiddie’s table, which is fine with me. Except I was asked 101 questions by these kids about my camcorder, which got to be irritating after awhile. Regards…

February 18th, 2007, 05:00 PM	#60
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	" Greek baptism with twin girls. The problem was that both of them cried through out the whole service. They just won’t stop crying. The problem is that you can’t hardly hear a word the priest is saying. Even the priest was getting irritated. I walked out of that service with a headache." This is the beautiful thing about weddings.. lol after a year or two, u get a callback to shoot the christenings. i do TONNES of these a year and theyre pretty basic, BUT the cry factor is one of the biggest "problems" With Greek/Orthodox ministers, they were heavy ( i MEAN heavy) robes with no "easy access" pockets so laving the minister is a no go, BUT if they cry they cry, it cant be helped... and the parents will understand I found that the biggest issue causing the crying is the minister as the child isnt used to someone all dressed up in this way, and to have them stand in front of them for half an hour chanting. Theres also the issue of the actual act of baptism, being the cutting of the hair and the dunking itself.. unlike catholic wher spray of water on the head is enough, the Ortho's dunk the whole child from head to toe into the water. and its not the warmest by the time they get there either..