When you plan to video tape a wedding for a friend a little pre-planning can go a long way. Here are some tips for shooting wedding videos that will make your wedding video look like it was done by a professional wedding photographer.
Talk To The Bride and Groom
Discuss with the bride and groom what they want from their wedding video. Do they want you to film them preparing for the wedding or should you arrive at the ceremony? If you have a good idea about what kind of wedding video the bridge and groom are expecting then you will be able to do a better when it comes to shooting the actual wedding.
Be Prepared
Charge your camcorder battery the night before the wedding and test your camcorder to make sure everything is in working condition. Use these tips on how to always have battery power to guarentee you have enough battery power for the entire wedding ceremony and reception.
You should also bring at least one more tape than you think you will need. It is better to have too much video tape than not enough.
Arrive Early
Find out from the bride and groom when the church will be open and try to arrive at least thirty minutes before guests are expected to arrive. Take the extra time to familiarize yourself with the church if you are not already, and to reserve a seat for yourself in the very back of the church where you can get a good view of everything.
Bring A Tripod
The bride and groom, and your arms will thank you for bringing a tripod to the wedding with you. Weddings can be long, and as your arm gets shaky your video will start to get shaky as well. If you do not have a tripod here are some of the top camcorder tripods on the market today that will do a great job in a wedding setting.
[link url=/od/camcorder101/g/WhiteBalanc]White Balance Your Camcorder{/link]
Nothing is worse than shooting a great wedding video only to find out that the video is too dark, or the brides dress is blue instead of white. White balance your camcorder every time you take your camcorder before the wedding ceremony as well as before the reception.
At the Reception
Important parts of the wedding to record are the bride and grooms first dance, the toast, and the cutting of the wedding cake. When you arrive at the reception talk to the DJ or wedding planner about when each event is planned to occur. During the reception you may want to record special messages from the guests to the couple as well as the decorations and gifts.
Editing A Wedding Video
Editing a wedding video is generally pretty simple. most couples simply want their entire ceremony un-cut on a VHS tape or DVD. You may want to create a music video of clips from the wedding and reception set to the couples favorite song as a wedding video special feature.