Category: Events

How to Shoot High-Quality Video

Video has evolved tremendously since the days of celluloid film and videotape. We all have devices in our pockets now that can shoot video with the tap of a button. And since web video is the most popular thing on the internet since cats, gifs, and cat gifs, almost everyone will likely be shooting video for the foreseeable future. But not everyone will be doing it professionally. Read on to learn some basic techniques for shooting great-looking video that will keep you ahead of the pack.

Know Your Settings

Read your camera’s user manual and get familiar with all the functions before you begin shooting. You don’t was to lose that sunset light or cut into your model’s happy hour because you had to look up how to set your white balance. Know how to access the menu functions quickly and confidently so you can shoot more efficiently.

Get It Together

Before you head out in the field, make sure you have everything you need for a successful shoot. Don’t forget about those small but essential accessories, like extra batteries and media cards; any lighting or audio accessories, like a wind screen for your microphone; and last but not least, a lens-cleaning kit to keep that glass dust free. Charge all your batteries, format all your media cards, and get ready to shoot!

Composition

Composition is how you arrange or position your subject(s) in the camera’s frame. Bad composition can make an attractive image look boring, but a well composed frame can make an ordinary scene look unique. There are many laws when it comes to composition. It’s important to understand the basic formulas, but try not overthink it too much. Not every “rule” will work in every environment, so experiment with these when the time is right.

Light It or Lose It

Lighting is the most important element when it comes to video and photography. Bad light can ruin a perfect shot. When working with natural light outdoors, it’s best to shoot around “golden hour,” just after sunrise and before sunset. Shooting during these times will give your scenes and subjects a softer, balanced light.

Camera Movements

Camera movements give filmmakers the ability to add drama, tension, and other emotions to the scene. They can also direct the viewer’s attention toward a subject or action within the frame. Keep in mind that camera movements should always be intentional.

Audio Is Essential

Audio is another extremely important element when capturing great video. Poorly recorded sound is not only distracting, but can also ruin an epic shot. Most video cameras come with low-quality on-camera mics, which might be enough for only recording ambient sound.

If you plan on recording interviews or voiceovers, though, you’ll want to invest in a small shotgun mic to mount on your camera. This will enhance your audio tremendously. If you have some deeper pockets and want to take your voice recordings to the next level, look into a lavalier system. This will give you the best quality for recording voices out in the field.

Review Your footage

Finally, always review and critique your footage after each shoot. Check everything from your lighting and exposure to your camera movements and sound. If you want to go even further, cut together a short sequence of your clips in an editing program like Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, or Final Cut. The more you work with your footage in an editing program, the better a cinematographer you’ll be.

 

Plan your video content.

Believe it or not, the content of your video matters a lot more than its quality.

That’s not to say quality isn’t important—it sure is! But if you had to give one aspect more attention, time and energy, it would be planning your content properly.

To plan your content, consider the following three video tips:

1. Outline your goal

What are you looking to achieve with your video? Are you trying to make people laugh? Are you trying to get them to visit your website? Are you promoting your product? Teaching them something new? Define your goal before moving on.

2. Identify your target audience

You can’t possibly target everyone in the world, because then who are you really talking to? Not having a clear vision of your ideal viewer groups will result in a diluted message within your video content. Your audience will determine the way you write your script, the way you shoot your video and the way you edit it. It will also determine where you distribute your videos depending on where your main audience hangs out online. Think of who you want to be seeing this, and then think of where on the internet they usually “hang out” so you can know to distribute it later.

3. Use the power of emotions

Emotions are what drive viewers to follow through with your call to action, whether that’s subscribing to your channel, sharing your video or buying your product. It’s been proven over and over again that emotions triggered by content are what drive the motivations to carry through with CTAs.

 

Choose A Camera-Friendly Location

You can shoot a video in your clinic as long as you have a suitable space to do so. To prepare for a video shoot, many of our clients select less clinical surroundings to create a feeling of less formality and ease. Sadly, many clinic facilities are awash in seas of grey and beige, which is not ideal. Unless your clinic facilities offer an aesthetically pleasing look and feel, we suggest you choose a hotel meeting room or conference facility. Ideally, to prepare for a video shoot you’ll want to consider clean, eye-friendly backgrounds and wall colours with as little clutter as possible. Movement in the background works fine as long as it’s not distracting.

Choose A Long And Deep Room Size

We like to have some depth in the room so that we can choose where to place the cameras and the subject (you) to get a depth of field. Depth of field gives us a great contrast between the subject (you) and the background at a distance, blurring the background so that you stand out better. You can especially see that effect in this example below of Samer Hamada. Notice the background behind him is soft and pleasant. There’s even a little movement behind the window to add a little bit of energy to the scene. By the way, this effect is difficult (if not impossible) to achieve using phone cameras. However, it’s possible to add this blur effect in post-production.

 

Choose your wardrobe deliberately to prepare for a video shoot

When it comes to dress, women have much more flexibility than men, but that can also pose challenges.

We advise women to wear a suit or dress and shirt that coordinates with their brand colours. We advise men to not wear scrubs or white lab coats because it can put some patients off – especially those with a phobia of doctors, hospitals or surgery. Instead, we advise men to wear a jacket and tie that coordinates with their brand colours.

Brand colours are important because your video will appear in many places associated with your brand, including your website, your YouTube channel and other social media. You want your appearance to suit.

Both genders should avoid stripes or highly-detailed patterned shirts that might cause camera distortion. Solid colours tend to work best.

Women should use a matte foundation to reduce shine on the face. Depending on hair length, both men and women benefit from putting some hairspray on their fingers and patting their hair down to prevent flyaway hair.

If the shoot plan calls for above the waist shots only (most do) then wearing jeans is probably preferable for comfort. Bring a pair of suit trousers and smart shoes if you think you’ll need them.

 

Shallow Depth of Field

There’s very few things as noticeably cinematic as a shallow depth of field. If you’re not already familiar with the term, depth of field refers to the portion of the frame that is in focus. A camera like an iPhone has a very wide depth of field, meaning it’s very hard to get a background out of focus. A DSLR style camera can get an out-of-focus background very easily.

If you’re determined to get the most cinematic footage possible on a budget, you should definitely look into using a DSLR or mirrorless photographic-style camera instead of a camcorder.

High Dynamic Range

Dynamic range refers to your camera’s ability to simultaneously record both bright and dark areas simultaneously. To illustrate the point, think about terrible local news footage. In most of their footage you’ll likely see a reporter standing under direct sunlight with a sky that is completely white. This is incredibly distracting and it will look terrible to an audience in a theater. Now contrast that with the footage from The Revenant trailer where you can see details in the clouds and in the ground at the same time.

Back in the day (5 years ago), cameras with high dynamic ranges were very expensive. But with recent advancements in technology, notably from Blackmagic Design, you can now get beautifully balanced images for an affordable price.

How do you set up a photo booth for a wedding?

The Setup

1. The Lights

We used a single Studio flash placed right beside the camera in order to reduce shadows. We bounced the light out of a white umbrella.

This is one of the most affordable lights on the market and I feel it worked excellently for the booth.

2. The Background

Our lovely couple provided the awesome background.

It was fabric they had purchased from an outlet. They had created a rather elaborate PVC structure to hold the fabric, but you could just as easily tape fabric or paper to the wall. Interestingly, you need much less fabric or paper than you would think. I think you would be more than safe with an area covering about 5 feet high and about 8-10 feet wide. If you’re super fancy, white seamless paper on a proper stand would be very lovely. I’d suggest trying this out before investing a lot on gear though, since you can do it very simply! Renting or borrowing paper and a stand are other options.

3. The Triggers

We used PocketWizards to sync the camera and the light, but since you only need one light and it’s extremely close to the camera you could easily just use the free sync cord that comes with the light.

4. The Camera & Settings

The camera was a Canon 5D on a tripod set to shoot large JPEGS (I didn’t want to process all the RAW files!). We set our shutter at 1/200 (can’t sync the light faster than that). The aperture was set at f/5.0 in order to get larger groups in focus. Aperture was set to 125 ISO, and the light was set to almost it’s lowest setting. We also set the camera to all points focus, in order to hopefully maximize the sharp shots given that many people would be in the shots and not all standing on the properly marked X. 😛

5. The Lens

Surprisingly we used a 50mm lens. I thought we would need a wider lens but the 50 just perfectly covered the amount of fabric background. If you had a larger background using a wider lens, shooting from farther away, or shooting vertically would all be interesting options to experiment with.

6. The Remote

We used a cheap eBay remote to allow the guests control of the camera. I think this is a pretty great part of the photo booth. You could try to man the booth yourself, but I think you’d get very different photos from the ones they would take themselves. This is where the all points focus and the larger aperture of f/5.0 help out. Update: These are the wireless remotes we now use which are more robust and reliable.

7. The Instructions

It’s useful to have some instructions printed out explaining what people should do. Our couple had a sign up that invited guests to grab a friend. I would probably also add where to stand, where to look (yes, some people looked at the light, not the camera) and how to use the remote. All simple things, but very helpful!

 

Find the Perfect Spot for Your DIY Photo Booth

Start with staking out a spot at your wedding reception. Your DIY photo booth location should be one guests can easily find, but not one that interrupts the flow of your event. Dance floor corners, unused coat closets or the wide open spaces of the great outdoors are all great options. Once you find a suitable space, take a few measurements and let the picture planning begin.

Build a DIY Photo Booth Backdrop

The faces of your family and friends having fun are sure to be picture perfect all on their own, but a styled backdrop can make photos even better. If you’ve never wielded a hammer or drilled a hole, the thought of constructing a DIY photo booth backdrop may seem above your skill set. Don’t fret! Simply select a simpler setup.

 

Get your props sorted

Now for the fun bit! There are lots of fun places to find some great props and so much to choose from. We suggest having a look at all the cool sets that Not On The High Street have to offer for some great options, or maybe go completely DIY and make your own!

Instantly Shoot and Share Your DIY Photo Booth Pics

Let your photographer focus on the special shots, and have your wedding guests use your DIY photo booth as a selfie station. This approach allows you to ditch disposable cameras that run out of film and have no picture preview, as well as avoid the possibility of theft or loss when leaving out your personal camera or tablet. Everyone is already armed with a smartphone anyway, so leave it in your guests’ capable hands to play amateur photographer.

 

Use Instant Print Cameras

Instant print cameras are a must for any DIY wedding photo booth. If you have guests take pictures using an instant print camera, you can start your wedding album right there! Simply ask guests to paste their photos inside the book. And if you have a little extra room in the budget, encourage guests to take two photos. That way they can take one for themselves and leave one for you, so everyone gets a memento from the special night.

Consider Using an iPad

If you’re looking to create a photo album using higher quality photos, an iPad is the perfect solution. Everyone knows how to use one and they take great pictures, which will all be stored in one handy location for later use. You more than likely already have access to an iPad, removing any cost, and any pictures taken with it will be easy to share or print. Most iPads also come with built-in filters, some of which can be a bit silly, and can save you from purchasing any props.

 

Turn Key Photo booths vs. Customized Photo Booths

You can acquire a pre-packaged set of equipment to get you up and running quickly. Again, there are pros and cons with each of these solutions.

Turn Key

Typically these kits comes with a lower level camera, like a Canon Rebel, a printer, a generic flash and basic carrying cases. If you’re looking for a quick solution and don’t have time to do your research, this may be the best solution. If you have the time, price out each piece individually. You may be able to save anywhere from 10-15% by purchasing a good starter lighting kit like this 1,000 watt quartz light kit and a fun retro muslin backdrop.

Custom Photo Booth Options

If time allows and you’re handy, you can create your own custom booth from lightweight pipes such as the ones used to create trade show booths. Set up a backdrop on a stand and leave the sides open.

Everything You Need To Know About Party Buses

Some of the biggest celebrities are doing it today – the party bus offers one of the most exquisite possibilities for celebrating like a rock star. As a result, party bus rental services are becoming more and more popular.

Prior to choosing a party bus rental, there are a number of important things to learn. Here are some of the most important facts.

Seating Capacity

A party bus rental is suitable for a bigger number of people. It’s ideal for a prom because it can fit an entire class. Party bus rentals are also great for bachelor or bachelorette parties. Large groups of friends can have a great time because of the impressive seating capacity.

A party bus will usually feature sufficient space for anywhere between 30 and 50 people. There are even double decker party buses that can accommodate a bigger number of passengers.

The number of seats is dependent on the bus type. There are limousines and customized buses, each one having its specific capacity. Party bus rental service providers should be capable of providing exact information about the available seating.

Entertainment

Limo buses also offer amazing entertainment options. From comfortable leather seating to multimedia, you’ll get it all.

Some of these buses have been labelled night clubs on wheels. They have a high quality sound system, ambiance lights and even a dance floor. Some party buses may also be equipped with satellite TV, DVD players, gaming consoles and iPod docks.

Safety

Party buses are incredibly safe vehicles. When choosing such a service, you’ll be informed about a few basic safety rules. These are typically designed to help you have a good time without jeopardizing any of the passengers. One of the simplest rules is allowing dancing only when the bus is not in motion. Seat belts are also available. Finally, these buses are serviced by experienced chauffeurs whose sole concern is the safety of the passengers. Because of all these characteristics, a limo bus is one of the best options for reaching the final destination stylishly and safely.

Convenient Commuting

A party bus rental will ensure convenient and fast commuting. Professional chauffeurs know what it takes to help their clients reach their final destination on time. The vehicle itself is quite powerful and comfortable to ride. Thus, you can be sure that you’ll arrive quickly and the commute time will be limited.

 

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN RENTING A PARTY BUS

Party bus rentals come in all shape and sizes and vary in sizes, ranging from 12 to 50 passengers. They can be used for a variety of events including weddings, birthdays, holiday parties, wine and brewery tours, sporting events, corporate events and many more.

Here are 4 helpful tips to make sure whatever the destination, your party bus rental is perfect.

1. PLAN & RESEARCH

party buses are in high demand and if you are going to a popular concert, sporting event or holiday party, there is a chance it’ll be a busy night to rent a party bus.

We recommend securing your rental at least 4-6 weeks in advance to ensure you get the best bus available with all of the amenities you want. Cheaper does not mean better! Transportation is an expensive business when done safely and correctly.

Don’t be tempted to save a few dollars by going with a cheap party bus company because the chances are, you will receive a poor service and an old, cheap vehicle. Safety is not something worth risking, and it is important to research the company thoroughly before booking. Have you checked their yelp reviews and CHP rating?

2. GROUP SIZE

Like any party, you need to know how many people will be attending. As per CA law, the quantity of people who can ride the on each party bus is restricted to a maximum capacity. This is important because you don’t want to rent an 20 passenger party bus and have 25 people in your group because our drivers cannot legally permit more people onboard than the legal capacity.

This ensures the quality of service, a comfortable experience and most importantly, that we are operating legally and safely. Know your headcount before you pick the party bus.

3. ORGANIZING YOUR EVENT

This may seem obvious as you are renting a party bus for your special event, but many rentals have multiple destinations and it is very important for us to know the total length of time you need to rent our vehicle for.

The average party bus rental is extended by 30 minutes and more than 25% of all party bus rentals get extended by more than 90 minutes. So when planning your night, assume you will go longer and factor that into your evening plans. Let your PBG sales rep know so they can help plan your route for your party bus event in LA or OC.

4. COST

The bigger the group, the more cost effective it becomes to rent a party bus! Many people rent party buses as a group (PartyBusGroup ..get it!), sharing the cost. So if you are the organizer, make sure you understand the entire cost for the evening to make sure everyone can contribute evenly.

Make sure you understand the hourly rate and you ask about gratuity or other taxes, service or overtime fees.

 

Tips You Need to Know Before Your Next Party Bus Rental

Before you book your next party bus rental, here is what you need to know.

1. Know What You Need.

Know what you need and stick to it – don’t be swayed by last-ditch attempts from shady salesmen on wasteful upgrades.

It is impossible to take advantage of an informed buyer, so take your time to thoroughly research your options.

These are some of the most important particulars to consider before booking a party bus:

• Number of guests
• Pick up and drop off location
• Preferred date and back-up dates, if applicable
• The number of hours requested
• Number and location of stops

2. Choose the Locals.

When searching for your perfect party bus rental, do consider narrowing your search to local companies. Because much of pricing is based on mileage and travel time, it’s especially important to choose a local vendor who won’t add unnecessary miles and charges to your account before you even board. Often, local companies have lower operating costs and more affordable insurance because they are based in a more centralized location. This, in turn, makes the entire experience more affordable for you.

3. Try to plan your route in advance.

By planning your itinerary, your driver will be able to map your route in advance. It will also ensure that you have planned for enough time. Never underestimate the amount of time it takes to simply gather a group together in order to board and/or depart.

4. Review that Contract.

Before signing a contract or submitting any payment information, be sure to receive a written copy of your contract. It should include all of the terms for your event rental, itemizing all charges, taxes, and fees for your review. Confirm all dates, times, and addresses are correct, as well as the actual vehicle itself.

5. Book In. Advance.

We cannot stress this one enough. It’s especially vital when working with larger parties that will need specific or multiple vehicles. Take a wedding party, for instance; it is recommended that you book 8-12 months out. However, most weddings accommodate well over 100 people and trying to schedule transportation for everyone can be challenging.

 

Party Bus Regulations

The Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) is in charge of regulating safety for charter bus companies, which also includes party buses. Limo companies and party buses under UTC regulation meet the following criteria:

• the party bus has a seating capacity of more than 14 passengers behind the driver;
• the company that operates such a vehicle advertises itself as providing party bus services, or words to that effect;
• the vehicle’s interior has been altered from its original factory condition by adding an enhanced audio system, flat-screen TVs, DVD players, laser lights, dance poles, karaoke equipment, bar, removal of seats for greater floor space, etc.

UTC safety rules parallel federal safety rules for all passenger bus companies, whether auto transportation or charter companies. UTC rule WAC 480-30-191 applies for vehicles with a seating capacity of 15 passengers or fewer and requires the company to obtain and maintain insurance levels of $1.5 million. Companies that own vehicles with a seating capacity of more than 15 need to obtain and maintain insurance levels of $5 million.

 

we’ve compiled 10 commonsense  don’ts for your party bus rental:

DON’Ts

1. Never hire a bus company without doing your due diligence. A company’s MDOT number, insurance status, safety and inspection record, and accident history are all a matter of public record. Take five minutes and review that record.
2. No underage drinking. Period. When minors are onboard, the chaperone is responsible for making sure underage passengers do not drink. The bus driver may ask to see identification, and reserves the right to terminate the charter with no refund if underage drinking is discovered.
3. No illegal substances.
4. No weapons.
5. No smoking. Most charter bus companies have strict no-smoking policies.
6. No standing or dancing on upholstered seats.
7. No behavior that distracts the driver.
8. No intoxication or disorderly conduct such as fighting, verbal abuse, or behavior that could be deemed “indecent.” Any of these are grounds for the driver to terminate the charter with no refund.
9. No “bus surfing” (i.e., breaking open an emergency exit hatch and climbing onto the roof of the vehicle while in motion or stopped). For that matter, don’t put any body part outside of the vehicle’s windows or emergency exits at any time. Not only are these behaviors against the law, they could result in serious injury or death.
10. Don’t leave anything behind. Check for your purse, wallet, keys, phone, and jacket before you disembark at the end of the night.

HOW TO CHOOSE A WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHER

How to choose a wedding videographer

Times have changed when it comes to filming a wedding. Back in the day it was Uncle Bob and his VHS recorder getting some zoom shots wherever possible (he’s still around by the way, he just uses an IPAD now) but now with the availability of lightweight professional DSLRs/cameras, the birth of social media and advances in mobile tech; wedding videos have become the new and refreshing way to share/memorise your big day. And because of that, there is now a big market of wedding videographers, myself included, for you to choose from – so how the hell do you pick the right one? Here’s 4 things I would consider on How to Choose a Wedding Videographer

Budget

Budget is a total arse. But it’s an important thing to keep in mind when choosing a videographer because costs can range from as little as £200 – £5000 (maybe more) however there are some huge differences to be considered.

Style

Do you want a cinematic dream-like film which makes your day appear as magically as it felt? Or do you want to belly laugh at a sneaky shot of Uncle Bob picking his nose in the corner of the room? Or do you want both? Do you want to be taken away from your guests so your videographer can direct some beautiful shots of you smooching, whispering I love you’s, having a laugh together and making you look like the stars of romantic movie or are you happy for your videographer to hide in the shadows, capturing the more natural moments as they happen so you can chill with your guests longer? Do you want speeches running over the top of your film or do you want music to be the main audio? Different videographers have different styles of delivering a wedding video, they are different artists, some are Banksy, some are Da Vinci! What style do you like? Do your research, find the videos you’re most drawn to and then find the videographers that can deliver that within your budget. Perhaps consider using key words in your searches “Cinematic Wedding Videographer” “Fun Wedding Videographer” “Naturalistic Wedding Videographer” “Alternative Wedding Videographer” “Eco-Friendly Wedding Videographer” etc etc

Personality

Your videographer is going to be interacting with your guests, with venue co-ordinators and with your photographer. If they’re an arse, you’re going to have trouble. Arrange a call maybe, just to gauge an idea of what they’re like to talk to, perhaps even push for a meet up.

Kit

There’s two parts to this; quality of kit, what are they using, what have they achieved with that kit. But perhaps more importantly, how much kit is there? Do you want lights beaming your way during speeches with 8 cameras dotted around the room so every angle/reaction is covered or would you prefer something more low key, less invasive and instead compromise on less angles? It’s not a top consideration but it’s certainly worth noting.

 

SOME GREAT TIPS ON HOW TO CHOOSE A WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHER

Choosing and booking a wedding videographer can really enhance your magical day and provide a forever documentation of your special day. Whilst photographs are wonderful, they can fade, maybe you might lose your digital copies on a myriad of different devices, or however fabulous your memory, over time it can be difficult to remember all those magical moments from just a photograph, but a wedding video Is a long lasting memory, captured on film to share with your family and friends and enjoy for years to come.

How Do I Choose and Book a Wedding Videographer?

When choosing and booking a wedding videographer, make sure you shop around for an expert videographer who can work with your budget. Choose a videographer who has good feedback and recommendations, while ensuring you book early – as many videographers can be booked up a year or more in advance. So once you’ve decided to book a wedding videographer, you may need some help in deciding which videographer to choose and ultimately when to book them for your special day. Read on for our top tips on how to make choosing and booking your videographer as simple as possible!

Meet Your Wedding Film Makers

Although there’s often so much to organize and do while planning your wedding, try to take some time to meet with your videographer face to face. We definitely recommend meeting with any potential wedding filmmaker in person. Given the time constraints and the hundred and one other important considerations you need to fulfill when planning your wedding, look at a brief meeting, but one in which you can get a good measure of any potential videographer candidates. This could be in the form of either a quick coffee meetup, or even a Skype/FaceTime call.

Watch Some Wedding Footage Online

Most Wedding Videographers will have a good selection of previous videos on their website for new potential customers to view. This will help you get a good insight into the style of film your chosen videographer produces. Make sure you take some time to look at these together with your partner and decide together if the style is one you both like and fits well with your wedding theme and celebrations. This will help you compare your own thoughts for plans for your wedding with respect to what you’re seeing on screen.

Contact Companies for Quotes

Making sure you get quotations when choosing a wedding videographer is really important. When asking for a quote, it’s a good idea to have a think about the length of the finished video you’d like, which will be the main price determining factor. Make sure the final cost of the video meets your expectations. Many videographers will offer a variety of packages. Some videographers will offer DVD’s, some will post your film privately online and others will present a USB in a wedding presentation box. If you would like a quote for your wedding video, get in touch with us and we will be happy to help!

 

 

tips to choosing your perfect wedding videographer

Cinematic 5-10 minute highlight video

This is the most popular type of wedding video and is primarily dedicated to showcasing the most emotional and memorable parts of your day. The videographer will shoot a lot of footage throughout the day and spend a lot of time picking the best moments to tell a comprehensive story of your wedding.

Long-form documentary video

This type of wedding video is focused on showing every moment of your day, typically with a less discerning lens about which shots look cinematic. It’s more about capturing the raw, unfiltered moments throughout the day and giving a full picture of all the events. These edits can be anywhere from 20 – 60 minutes and will look more like a documentary than a cinematic video

Focus on the storytelling

Regardless of style, a videographer is supposed to make you feel like you were at the wedding. They are storytellers and have the enormous responsibility of capturing and re-telling moments in a way that builds emotion and conveys a message.

Find your style

Every videographer has a different way of capturing weddings. The only thing that matters is whether you enjoy watching and re-watching what they create. Do you prefer the slow, dreamy, romantic type of wedding video? Do you gravitate toward the fast-paced, fun, energetic types of edits? A good measure of whether you jive with someone’s style is whether you feel compelled to show their video to your fiance (typically accompanied by the phrase “babe – you have to check this out”).

Check the connection

onsider this: your photographer and videographer will be with you during your wedding nearly as much as your fiance. Let that sink in … pretty crazy huh? So before you rush to call up that distant cousin who took a film class in college

 

Tips On How To Choose Your Wedding Videographer

DECIDE ON YOUR STYLE

Before you get the popcorn out and plonk yourself down for an evening of bingeing on wedding films, deciding who you should book, I would recommend deciding on the style of film you’re wanting first, this way you can narrow down your search a lot quicker.

WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?

The budget you set aside for a wedding videographer will be of course be driven by a number of things but I think the determining factor will be how much you value having a wedding video.

DO YOU GET ALONG WITH YOUR VIDEOGRAPHER?

As a bride and groom, you’ll spend almost all day with your photographer and videographer, so it’s vital you like them and get along with them. I’d always recommend getting on a Skype of Facetime call with the suppliers you’re thinking about booking and have a chat with them. You will get a feel for how they communicate, what their attitude is like and how they like to work alongside other suppliers.

IS YOUR WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHER A PROFESSIONAL?

By this I mean, what credentials do they have, how long have they been working in the wedding industry, do they have a contract, are they insured, are they doing this full-time (they don’t have an office job Monday-Friday and just doing weddings for extra cash), do they have systems in place for backing up your footage after your wedding? These are things that should be a given for any wedding filmmaker but it’s always prudent to check and ask questions.

WORD OF MOUTH

A fair amount of my bookings come from recommendations from previous clients or other wedding suppliers such as photographers. If your friends or family have been happy with the service and quality of the films I’ve provided them, then it’s likely you will be happy as well. I’m not suggesting you should book a wedding videographer from just a recommendation alone, but it is certainly boosts confidence when someone tells you how great their film is and what the service was like and this can sometimes be a deciding factor when choosing between a few videographers.

 

How To: Choose Your Wedding Videographer

Start with as many references as you possibly can. Recently married friends will be more than happy to share their wisdom (and show off their wedding film!) Similarly, if you’ve already booked your wedding photographer they will have great recommendations for videographers they have previously worked with. Once you have collected your references, get out the popcorn and start looking through all the portfolios

We strongly recommend you watch three complete wedding films that your videographer has created (not just their “best” bits cropped from films). Watch through each wedding and think about how they make you feel: if you feel excited, nervous and emotional, it means the videographer has really captivated you and forged an emotional connection. The mark of a good videographer is transporting you (the viewer) to the wedding day through their film! Most importantly it makes you wish you’d been invited

While you have a mini-marathon of watching wedding films, don’t forget to pay attention to the videographer’s website. You will be amazed by how much you can learn from their online presence and web design! The more developed and well presented their website is, the more in touch with technology they should be, which is a good thing in the world of videography and editing.

Make sure you know which style of filming you like! Some videographers will take a documentary stance, where the finished film will show your wedding day as it happens, with interviews from your loved ones dispersed throughout the film. Some prefer the story-telling style, where they weave the different moments from your wedding day into a structured narrative. Others will take a “fly-on-the-wall” attitude and will just film the day as it unfolds and edit it accordingly. Don’t forget to speak up if you have a song you want included – that one that gives you goose bumps or the one you heard when you first met!

Meet with your potential videographer and make sure you get along with them! A meeting in person is incredibly important, as this person (and potentially their assistant) will be an integral part of your wedding day and will be following you very closely from morning to evening. With the right videographer you will not feel camera-shy, in fact, you won’t even know that the camera is there!

How To Be a Better Camera Operator

The Camera Operator’s Mindset

Being diverse, responsible, flexible, enthusiastic and creative are just a few of the values you’ll need to succeed as a camera operator. In this part, I’ll be talking all about how what goes on up here *points to head* directly effects what’s happening around you. So… let’s go! Don’t switch off here because you think this might be boring, yes I’m not offering advice on operating itself, that will come later – this stuff is fundamental.

1. Know Your Craft:

Elevate yourself beyond mediocre. The world’s full of mediocre people…be outstanding! You’re a professional camera operator, make it part of your identity, be proud of it. Learn everything you can about your craft and master it…and I don’t mean dabble in it…I mean really master your craft. Become a recognized expert and you will always be in demand.

2. Offer Creative Input

There’s nothing worse than just standing behind the camera waiting to be told what to do, it’s just not good enough. Producers and Directors need your creative input; they need enthusiasm and endless suggestions on how something can be shot, improved and enhanced so that it massively exceeds their original concept. Its part of your job, so always provide masses of creative input whenever and however you can!

* This does depend on the type of production you are working on. In documentaries it’s quite common to go straight to the director with your ideas and suggestions, on drama that is not the correct etiquette where you would instead discuss ideas with the Director of Photography (DoP).

3. Go the Extra Mile

This is hot on the heels of rule No.2. Don’t just do what you have to or what you think you should do.  Your job is to go above and beyond. Don’t be lazy, make a tremendous effort, even if you’ve been working nonstop for 16 hours, find something within yourself to make that extra effort, uphold your professional standards, do whatever it takes to produce the best possible results you can. Nothing should be too much trouble…it won’t go unnoticed by those higher up the ladder.

 

CAMERA OPERATOR – TOP 3 DON’TS FOR A CAMERA OPERATOR

Do not forget the audio

60% for most shows are sound. Audio is usually more post-production problems than any other aspect of the shoot. As a cameraman you May you think you do not have to worry about audio. Nothing could be further from the truth. You are responsible -. Especially in one camera shoots for audio

Do not come to the job search unprofessional

just because they are behind the camera does not mean that you can show up in search of any way you want. It is important to wear appropriate clothing, come to work clean and ready to go. I saw a good camera operators will be canceled from the set due to a lack of professionalism.

Do not act like they know everything

Leave this part of the director and / or producer of events at which you work. While it is true that you can learn more in one aspect or another, do not act like they are above them on fire. This will only lead to a struggle for power that you lose 99% of the time.

 

WHEN IN DOUBT, KEEP MOVING

There are times when responsiveness is the key to getting a shot, usually in a situation where you’re shooting either very emotional or action-packed material. Keeping your hands moving a little bit on the wheels, in the case of a geared head, or keeping your hand in motion on the pan handle, in the case of a fluid head, can speed up your responsiveness. I learned this trick originally from a sound mixer, who always wiggled his hands on the mixer knobs during takes. I asked him why, and he told me that it is much easier to move your hands quickly in response to a loud noise if they are already moving. If your hands are standing still it can take longer to react. He never wiggled his hands on the knobs enough to affect sound levels, but if he had to turn them quickly his hands were already in motion.

 

Camera operator skills

Certain skills are essential if you want camera operator jobs.

Here are the important traits you must master.

• Have good working knowledge of all camera systems, lenss, support equipment and accessories.
• Have a good sense of visual composition, perspective, and movement.
• Pay close attention to detail.
• Be able to collaborate and work as part of a team.
• Be diplomatic and sensitive when working with artists and other crew members.
• Be informed about health and safety set procedures.
• Be able to multi-task. To watch, listen and think on your feet while carrying out intricate technical tasks.

Have you ever thought “I wonder how to make a movie”? Do you possess a true passion for making films? When you watch TV and movies, do you find yourself coming up with behind-the-scenes ideas for making them even better? If so, a movie production career as a cameraman might be for you! Here are three steps on how to become a cameraman in the film and video industry.

WHAT IS A CAMERAMAN?

In the film and video production industry, a cameraman is responsible for recording moving images for TV broadcasts and movies. This technical professional records TV content for commercials, news and broadcast programming.

In a television studio, a cameraman’s duty is to keep the subject steady within the camera frame. A news cameraman who works out in the field records bystander and witness interviews, correspondent comments and the activities of the news team.

Cameramen are also responsible for shooting movies, commercials and television programs. This requires framing and composing shots and choosing lenses, film and filters, plus setting up conditions for lighting. These cameramen work very closely with crew members and directors during shoots. In short, being a camerman is a very important role when learning how to make a movie, or launching a movie production career. As you can already see, there are many different careers in film, and being a cameraman is a very important position!

 

3 STEPS ON HOW TO BECOME A CAMERAMAN

To become a cameraman, of course you need passion for the film industry itself. But, in order to be successful in your movie production career as a cameraman, you’ll need three key elements:

• Career training as a cameraman from film school
• A successfully completed internship as a cameraman
• Effective cameraman job hunting skills (Career Development skills)