For the videographers

[Gertie]

I've seen some pretty decent videos pulled together from video shot from home video cameras mounted on tripods, but I notice the cameras used by professional videographers tend to be very different from them. Do they give better resolution?

Also, the sound on most camcorder videos is sketchy, although I have had some success using a separate mic placed closer to the action. I'm guessing you have more equipment and inputs available to you for things like this than the average camcorder?

I can certainly see a great benefit to having someone run the cameras that isn't invested in the goings on...or trying to snag themselves a plate! How much time do you spend on average putting the video together after the wedding is over?

[Focus Ring]

I've seen some pretty decent videos pulled together from video shot from home video cameras mounted on tripods, but I notice the cameras used by professional videographers tend to be very different from them. Do they give better resolution?

Short answer: WITHOUT A DOUBT. :)
Long (non-technical) answer: Without a doubt. Professional-grade camcorders, the kind used by most companies and serious videographers, have significantly higher and better measurements all around. Not only is the resolution almost always going to be higher, but the colours are richer, shooting modes and options are drastically expanded, and the overall production can be made to look and feel much more "Hollywood" than your average consumer camcorder. All of these improvements come at a price -- usually in the several-thousands-of-dollars-minimum range -- but, for professional looking video, they're generally considered the only option. However, not all pro camcorders are created equal. Always be sure to ask any potential videographer what kind of camcorder(s) they're shooting with -- and if he gives you two different brand names (e.x. a Sony FX-1 and a Panasonic HVX-200), ensure he knows how to balance the captures so they're as identical as possible!

Also, the sound on most camcorder videos is sketchy, although I have had some success using a separate mic placed closer to the action. I'm guessing you have more equipment and inputs available to you for things like this than the average camcorder?

Built-in microphones were never meant to capture high-quality audio, and especially not from more than a few feet away. If you put up ANY camcorder a good fifteen - fifty feet (for example, the distance needed for a discreet videographer to film a ceremony without being on the stage and in the way), a built-in mic may do a reasonable job of receiving, but if (a) someone whispers or talks softly (as brides often do when saying their vows!), or (b) the speaker turns away from the camera, or (c) just about anything else happens, the audio from an onboard mic will quickly drop out or become lost altogether. One of the most important parts of high-quality video is high-quality audio, and this can be achieved several ways. A lot of industry professionals use wireless lapel microphones, little boxes that attach to the key speakers (bride, groom, officiant) and transmit crisp, clear audio DIRECTLY to the camcorder (or other recording device). Wireless mics are a great way to go, and they are generally considered to be "the norm."

Other audio capturing options, like you mentioned, include boom microphones. These are the long mics you see sticking off poles or camcorders that pick up audio signals MUCH better than on-board mics are able to. A pro-quality shotgun mic, properly set up, can capture whispers from across a room. This equipment isn't cheap -- the bare minimum one should consider investing in a nice microphone is a couple hundred dollars -- but if wireless lavalieres aren't your go-to choice, a solid shotgun or two can do most jobs quite nicely.

Professional camcorders, most of them, come equipped with an XLR jack (one or more), and this is the main connection used in audio recording. XLR is superior to RCA or 16mm jacks in several ways (more technical information can be found here: http://dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=126952); I won't go into too much boring detail. Just be sure to ask WHAT KIND of audio recording equipment your videographer uses, and HOW it's connected to his camera(s)!


I can certainly see a great benefit to having someone run the cameras that isn't invested in the goings on...or trying to snag themselves a plate! How much time do you spend on average putting the video together after the wedding is over?

Yes: having a standalone, committed-to-the-camera operator is very important. Uncle Phil might want to do a great job, but he's going to be pretty invested in what's going on, too, and there's a very likely chance he'll forget he's even operating the camera until forty seconds after the couple have walked out of the scene.

A general rule of thumb I've found when it comes to editing videos is that one hour on-site results in three hours in post production. A five-hour shoot takes twelve to eighteen hours to edit to perfection (this includes revisions); an eight-hour day on the job is a solid 24 hours of post editing. I don't know if this rule is pretty standardized, or if it's just what I've found out through my own trials and tribulations, but I would expect most editors might agree with me! :)


Thanks for your questions. Don't hesitate if I can be of any further assistance!

Jason Craig
Focus Ring Cinematic Productions

[wattsfilms]

A good wedding videographer will shoot your wedding with multiple professional grade cameras. Many now shoot in High Definition. They will come prepared with multiple audio capture devices (mics, field recorders, etc) to ensure the audio quality is as pristine as the video quality.

A good wedding videographer knows how to handle a camera and frame shots. They will spend 20-40 hours editing and color correcting your wedding video.

While, some people are perfectly satisfied with do-it-yourself wedding videos, I would argue that they're satisfied because they have no idea how significant a difference a professional can make.

For a few thousand bucks, a skilled pro will not merely capture the beautiful moments of your wedding day. They will craft a powerful artistic document that will never cease to transport you back to the most significant day of your life.

Here are a couple of examples:

http://vimeo.com/1403765

http://www.vimeo.com/3057884

[wattsfilms]

In the previous post, I linked to two videos. The first link is an example of a "bad" wedding video. The second link is an example of a carefully crafted "good video.

[Wesley Cardone]

The quality of the picture is noticeably better with a pro-sumer camcorder typically costing from $3-$6,000. What really makes the difference, though, is how the video is shot. For example, many churches have outside light spilling into the sanctuary mixing indoor light with outdoor. The technology has not been invented to correct for this so it falls on the camera operator to prevent it from happening. When it happens you will see occasional dips to a blue or orange hue in the video.

What separates the men from the boys, though, is the quality of the audio. Obviously the on-board camcorder mic is worthless for recording the vows even if captured via the sanctuary public address. Cheap wireless lapel microphones are available for $100 that can make capture of the vows a possibility. However, the cheap wireless mics are routinely subject to static and generally have a poor quality of audio. Quality lapel mics start at about $500 and will deliver the richness of the human voice compared to the tinny sounding public-address mics churches typically use.

Then consider that both the groom and officiant need to be miked. We would mic the bride but it just doesn't work for practical reasons. We have found that the brides stays close enough to the groom where his lapel mic picks up her voice without any problems.

Quality audio on your wedding video makes all the difference in the world for the overall quality of your memory capture.

Here is an idea to consider if you are looking at serious budget constraints: Ask videographers you interview if they can merely record the wedding professionally and then give you the tape to edit yourself. Depending on variables he might be able to cut is price by maybe a half. You can go to Best Buy and buy some nice consumer grade video editing software for a hundred bucks. You won't be able to come anywhere near the quality of editing your videographer can do but it will be immensely better than Uncle Fred could have done.