Filming a Wedding...

So, i've been asked to film a wedding for a friend.
He's seen my work and was super excited for me to film him and his lovely bride's wedding day.

I was going to shoot Magic Lantern Raw on my Canon 5Dmk3.... but i'm also thinking about the Ursa Mini 4.6k (possibly PRO). i have access to a Ursa Mini 4.6k through work w/ Rokinon DS Cine lenses.... but part of me wants to take the payment from this wedding and start outfitting myself for some longer-term shooting in 4k.

my fear of the Canon Magic Lantern stuff is that, while it hasn't failed me yet, during a long shooting day, i could run into problems.

The concept i gave the groom and bride was "i'll be low-profile", which is how i want to do it. i don't want to be a guy running around with a movi or a steady cam vest and arm, drawing attention to myself. i want something i can do handheld, but get great image quality, (occasionally using a tripod, maybe.)

any suggestions or thoughts?
has anyone filmed weddings on this forum?

I recently shot a wedding. I shot the ceremony with gimbal mounted camera and four tripod mounted cameras at a variety of angles and focal lengths and edited all of it as a multi-cam shoot. I shot the rest of the event with a gimbal and shoulder mount. The client really liked it. I will say that it was a very, very, very long day. And you will need help. Plan your shots, there are a standard list of shots that people expect you to get. I shot it in UHD prores HQ and it was a lot of data. I needed a person just to do the DAM.

Hi,

I have done 8 weddings (and won't be doing anymore!)

I would use a camera and codec that allows you to shoot a ton (we averaged 8 hours of footage per wedding) without having to download cards on the day. Buy a couple of sd card cases (peli do good ones) and have a rigid process for used and clean cards. Never format anything on the day!

I have used my full sized ursa (on a summers day you'll sweat like hell with a camera like that) but man. The pictures are stunning. Same with the original BCC. And the pocket. All beautiful pictures that I love to see when editing ( ps that will probably take you four times longer than you plan- you're a perfectionist and weddings are needless to say intensely personal)

Spend some money (or borrow) on decent sound equipment. Tie into the venues PA system if you can. Failing that have as many mics recording at different levels as you can. Even if you're planning to do montage, the grooms speech completes the soundtrack.

Buy/borrow a decent monopod. Manfrotto do great Ones with fluid heads. A hundred and twenty pounds spent upfront will seem like nothing compared to endless costly stabilising of shots in the edit. And being able to move quickly is a winner on the day.

Cameras- the black magics make beautiful pictures. But From my experience, steady in focus shots are your bread winners- the C100 m2 is my favourite camera for these events- it has enough tricks (ISO , daf, stabilisation) that I can just focus on composing my shots and keeping another eye on what else is going on.

If it were me I'd go with the mini pro and get a decent zoom that will cover bases and use the canon as a remote camera during the ceremony. And record in the format that allows you plenty of coverage with the cfast cards you have- it's mostly going to be seen on DVD or Vimeo so have a look at prores lt if you have to. And slow mo will make things shine

Lastly have fun and make sure you follow the etiquette on the day. The other vendors will normally be very happy to help with little bits because your video will make their work shine. And don't forget to have liability insurance certificate ready.

Sorry for the long post! And sorry if it came off patronising - my first wedding terrified me! There were plenty of mistakes but shooting on an af100 I had tons of footage to make it good in the cut!

thanks for the help!

i'm offering a wedding style that is only recap-like. I'll be there the entire day, but i don't have to do a long-form wedding video, just a 5-8min recap. I recorded interview audio that will play over music, so i don't even have to worry about critical audio!

i just picked up ANOTHER wedding too! So i'll see how this one goes and then figure out what worked well and what didn't.

both weddings will be outdoors. ND/IRs are a must.

Having one URSA Mini 4.6K PL camera, my approach is more akin to Gavin's than Gene's. I went with my Fujinon Zoom for easy flexibility in framing and mostly on tripod because it was about a 12 hour shoot!

The wedding video shot in raw last year was very well received and is an edited and graded record of the entire day from getting the ladies ready in the morning to the last dance. But I'm just an observer of the events, not directing anything. That's the only way I shoot weddings and it's very personal and memorable with many spontaneous bits as well as the planned items. The result is 50 minutes from hours of footage. Doing a 5 minute capsule would be my trailer. I should make a 3 minute trailer come to think of it and post it here after I finish editing another wedding that will likely be over an hour when finished.

And it appears likely I'll be shooting another wedding this August for a couple who saw last year's video yesterday!

A lot of work, but very satisfying to create those moving memories. The URSA Mini 4.6K (with a Zoom) can produce gorgeous results in post. There is magic in its colour science combined with ACEScct. Recommend CinemaDNG raw if you can manage it as you have more tools in Resolve to make that magic.


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If you've only agreed to produce a short highlights video - and don't need to worry about capturing audio - it sounds like you've been freed of the main challenges/commitments of wedding videos and also the reason that trusty C100-style cameras still win, despite the 8-bit image.

Even so, I would use a versatile zoom lens, a monopod and then prioritise grabbing the shots documentary style. Lots of important things might be happening while you're planning that beautifully executed shot, and you can't reshoot. To balance this, grab some some nice slider/focus pull shots in the venue before or after the service.

Although it's for a friend, I would make a very clear agreement in writing. And I wouldn't shoot something like this without a back-up camera ready to go.

I guess you'd need a schedule of the event and a plan to get around everything. I would shoot most things at 60fps - capturing little smiles, reactions, etc that wouldn't register at regular speed.

Don't forget that your phone is also a camera. I've got an old S5 with a badly cracked screen that is no longer connected to the cellular network. But it can still record audio and video. I've wiped it of all personal information and put a 128gb card in it, hook up a large external battery, put it someplace in the banquet room with a good view and turn it on at the beginning of the day and let it run till everyone is leaving.

It's a quick and dirty second camera for capturing events when you can't be everywhere. The picture is not too bad, and sometimes the picture content is more important than the picture quality.

You can also use the footage to get an interesting time-lapse. I've also thought that in the age of youtube vlogs, if you can get people to use their own phones to film events or themselves and give you the footage for edit, it might be interesting. Never tried it, just a thought to think outside the box.

The tentative wedding shoot I mentioned in my previous post has been confirmed late this afternoon. Less than 2 weeks warning. The wedding is here but the bride and groom live elsewhere. Will be a challenge, but I'm glad to do it.


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well, i can say that this camera performed amazingly well!
I went almost 14 hours straight with it on (most of the time), switching batteries about every 2.5 hours.
4.6K 2.4:1 @ 4:1 ratio... i did about 360GB.

I was indoors, outdoors, in a dark barn, in direct sunlight, outside at night with sparklers.... it performed VERY well. still combing through the footage before i begin edit, but i learned a few things:

1. Travel Light
2. Find a good parking spot (for your gear where you can charge batteries, if need be)
3. If you are trying to pull focus on a photo lens, it's gonna be hard
4. Have a business card ready (i didn't bring anything like that!)
5. Edit in real-time (know you don't need to shoot EVERY bridesmaid walking down if you're only doing a recap!)
6. Make friends with the photographer
7. Bring snacks and water
8. Get paid for what you value your work! (i very much undershot a proper amount to them)

a video will come soon, i hope!

14 hours! Beats my 12 hours, I fold! My August video will only be about 6 to 8 hours as they don't want me to include the hair, makeup, getting dressed stage (it's a shame, that's always wonderful informal dialogue to capture).

Glad your wedding went well. My version of your point 3: use a parfocal zoom with a minimum 10x range.


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some stills....

Wedding Sunset 1 by Adam Langdon, on Flickr

Wedding Sunset 2 by Adam Langdon, on Flickr

Bride 1 by Adam Langdon, on Flickr

Bridge 2 by Adam Langdon, on Flickr

Nice work, Adam.


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While the 4.6k is obviously beautiful...(holy smokes that is gorgeous Adam Langdon)

try not to discount the 4K version either...

Jesse Lapp

Good work! Very Nice!

At first I felt the slomo was overdone ( and not complementary to everyone) but I changed my mind. The slomo introduces nuances otherwise missed in real time.

A piece done with heart.
Good choice of music.

Who knew that someone else's wedding could tug at the heart strings?

Just clicked: if you were getting married, who shot this?

Loved the shot of the lady sitting on the tree trunk. Tells so many stories.

Adam Langdon

I know that this is your post and you can insert what you choose.
I look forward to seeing moving pictures.

Jesse Lapp
Leon...

A good friend of mine who is a solid camera operator came down for the day to help out. Went over my "must have" shot list earlier in the day.

Normally I am a fan of slomo only when needed or to help get a point across. We shot everything UHD 60fps so that any given shot I had the option to slow things down. I fought during the edit to use/not use the slowed down footage as much as I did. In the end I went with what you see simply because even though I was there...the whole experience went by in a flash. I guess I am trying to compensate with a slomo edit.

The woman on the tree is my mother...my hero...who made the trek through the soft sand to be there. We kept the location as close as we could to more stable ground, but she was determined to not make her physical limitations an issue.

Thank you for your kind words.



Good work! Very Nice!

At first I felt the slomo was overdone ( and not complementary to everyone) but I changed my mind. The slomo introduces nuances otherwise missed in real time.

A piece done with heart.
Good choice of music.

Who knew that someone else's wedding could tug at the heart strings?

Just clicked: if you were getting married, who shot this?

Loved the shot of the lady sitting on the tree trunk. Tells so many stories.

While the 4.6k is obviously beautiful...(holy smokes that is gorgeous Adam Langdon)

try not to discount the 4K version either...

What? No quadcopter shots?

Jesse, very good, full of touching moments, often very close up and personal. Like we are standing with the wedding party.


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The woman on the tree is my mother.

RESPECT

So three years ago I got my BMPCC and started learning about cinematography. This was my most ambitious project since then.

Lovely work, Gene. You coped well with the various shooting conditions and changes in light. How many cameras were used?


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Rick, a total of seven cameras:

1. BMPCC
2. BMMCC
3. Sony a6500
4. Sony a6300
5. Sony RX100V5
6. Samsung Galaxy 5
7. Google Pixel

Needless to say color grading and sync was a challenge.

Gene

Nice touch using the stage curtains to reveal the bride and at end of ceremony.
Like watching a short play.

Leon, the Monticello Opera House is a cool venue to have a wedding.

I've filmed weddings using the UM. Works very well though you have to know the limitations on a live shoot. I know Hugo also has and his stuff is awesome.

Finally got my site visit to this Saturday's outdoor wedding shoot. As I feared light will be a problem at the evening reception. At ISO 800 30 fps 180 degree shutter angle, light falls below T2 in some areas. I can bump the ISO to 1600 in camera but I'm not planning on doing that as I've had some blue noise in the low lit areas previously. I'll do some tests this week to see if pushing ISO to 1600 in post will be better than shooting ISO 1600. I also can increase the shutter angle as I've done previously as I always like the 360 degree effect that Denny calls "dreamy." I could go to 24 fps, but I'd rather stay 30 fps if I can.

Is there a general consensus that staying with ISO 800 (and pushing a stop or more in post) is prudent on the 4.6K sensor?

I'll try to shoot with the Fujinon at T2.8 for a sharper image than wide open at T2.4. It is much more convenient than the T2.1 APO primes since none of my shots will be 'set' pieces.

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Rick, I used the BMPCC with the Metabones Speed Booster and the Sigma 18-35, shooting raw. That gave me an F1.0 lens and considerable latitude in post, more than adequate for shooting at night. It's unfortunate that BM didn't put an MFT or E mount on the UM so that you could use a speed booster and a full frame EF lens. Maybe on the UMP?

In this wedding I used BMCC with Sigma 18-35 in RAW and Pocket with Panasonic 20mm in Prores HQ besides Drone Yuneec 4K in canyons. Iso 800

Gene, shooting at T1.4 (typically f/1.2), would probably solve my dilemma, but alas, so would having a small crew and some lights. The wedding shoot is my wedding gift to the couple so I'm trying to keep expenses at a minimum. I'll be testing low light ISO 800/1600 this week as I need to have decent results.

They've seen my recent wedding shoot and of course want that look, but that shoot had more available and practical lights than this weekend's shoot.


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Rick, so I take it you do not plan to shoot raw?

Gene, I'll be shooting raw 3:1. My understanding is the decision to shoot at ISO 800 or 1600 affects the allocation of stops above and below middle grey using a different log curve for ISO 1600. I think I can recall someone claiming that boosting the ISO from 800 to 1600 in post gave cleaner results than shooting 1600 in camera. Do you think I've made a mistake in that recollection?


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Rick, I have no idea, if you are mistaken in your understanding of how the camera interprets ISO when shooting raw. I haven't noticed any difference with my BMPCC and BMMCC when it comes to ISO setting when recording raw.

I always thought that when recording in raw that raw data was raw data and everything else was just metadata that didn't have any effect on how the data was processed and recorded in the camera. But I have no experience with the BMUMP.

The raw is a 12bit log based on 16bit linear data from the sensor's dual readout of a total of 22bits. So there is a curve representing the values reduced to 12bits. In Resolve the reverse curve unpacks the 12bit log color to 16bit linear colour.

When you set the camera to ISO 1600, the shape of the curve is slightly different versus the native ISO 800 response curve.

I'll try to test on Wednesday to see if it makes any difference in an actual scene with the camera set to those two ISO values with raw 3:1 and I push the exposure one or 1 ½ stops in post.


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Rick, thanks for the explanation. BM should not call that "raw". Maybe "almost raw"?

They call it log. It's not much better actually to record all the bits from the sensor as the less significant bits coming from the sensor will be well within the noise floor. There are enough complaints about the file sizes of uncompressed raw at 12bits without giving us 16bit linear colour.


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Rick, so in "log" I don't understand why ISO 800 should be any different than ISO 1600 unless "log" isn't log. That is if in both instances the 22 bit "raw" values produced by a given sensor site are the same for either ISO. Converting a number to a log value should be ISO agnostic otherwise what you are doing isn't log, it's something else.

It's the log curve that is different when shooting at ISO 1600. The curve is a different variation on the 'S' shape that determines how the linear values become 12bit log. It's similar when you do a Resolve Colour page Curves primary adjustment and you determine the slopes of the curve you prefer to get the colour values you want.


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Rick, this is a log curve . It doesn't have an S shape. So BM is doing something else and calling it log.

That's right, it's not that kind of mathematical log. Maybe it's some spline functions.


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So here is a link to an interesting paper that goes into the details of Sony slog3:

http://community.sony.com/sony/attachme ... _V1_00.pdf

It is a segmented function where a portion of it above a threshold is a log transformation and below it appears to be linear. Definitely not an S shaped curve.

S-Log3 Formula
Scene Linear Reflection to S-Log3
If in >= 0.01125000
out = (420.0 + log10((in + 0.01) / (0.18 + 0.01)) * 261.5) / 1023.0
else
out = (in * (171.2102946929 – 95.0)/0.01125000 + 95.0) / 1023.0
in = reflection
reflection = IRE * 0.9
out 0.0 - 1.0
if you need 10bit code for “out”.
10bit code = Round(out * 1023.0)
S-Log3 to Scene Linear Reflection
If in >= 171.2102946929 / 1023.0
out = (10.0 ^ ((in * 1023.0 - 420.0) / 261.5)) * (0.18 + 0.01) - 0.01
else
out + (in * 1023.0 – 95.0) * 0.01125000 / (171.2102946929 – 95.0)
in 0.0 - 1.0
out = reflection
reflection = IRE * 0.9
if you use 10bit code for “in”
in = S-Log3 10bit Code / 1023.0

It would be interesting if BM published details on their log transformation.

Interesting, Gene.

Ran my exposure stress tests today using raw 3:1 24 fps 180 degree shutter T2.4 for ISO 400, 800, and 1600 with sensor frame rates of 24, 30, 48, 60, 72, 90, 96, and 120 fps all with no exposure change. Exposure was correct as determined by false colour at the starting exposure for ISO 800 24 fps.

I'll post the results Thursday or Friday as I'm able. The objective is to see how much I can push the underexposed shots and to see if ISO makes a difference. I'll try to post corrected and untouched images if I can, but actually the corrected images are what I need to see.


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I done few weddings but never used tripod unless for pictures and short movies set up by me after wedding. That was extra gift from me to my customers extra few shots few days after wedding. bride and groom where wearing wedding clothes and we done shooting in nice scenario. This day tripod was very useful.

This images or screen shots from movie looks like professional movie, really nice. How did you get effect like this?

I wanted to see the differences ISO settings make when you push the exposure in DaVinci Resolve. The first part of the video colour balances the clips but does not alter exposure so you can ‘see’ the noise before the data is pushed. The second part has all clips graded to match the look of the ISO 800 base at 24 fps. The sensor frame rate varies from 24 fps to 120 fps to illustrate the effect of reducing exposure up to 2 ¼ stops. You be the judge, but I feel best results are achieved up to 1 ½ stops. No noise reductions or chroma tricks applied to reduce noise, therefore I expect results in a real project can look better up to 2 stops. I’ve seen examples pushed further, but I think 2 stops is my practical limit.

I’d appreciate any conclusions you come to viewing this video. I didn’t notice blue noise in the shadows so that firmware fix seems effective. The difference in noise generated when pushing 1 ½ stops at ISO 1600 is only very slightly more than pushing at ISO 800 to my eye. When needed I feel more comfortable shooting ISO 1600 rather than pushing ISO 800 an extra stop in post: the noise pushing 1600 1 ½ stops is much less than pushing 800 over 2 stops.

My conclusions may run counter to prior conclusions that it was better to shoot at ISO 800 and push 1 stop in post than shoot at ISO 1600. Your thoughts?

Very good news. I applied noise reduction and ISO 1600 is becoming a great alternative to pushing ISO 800. In my test, there's a possibility that I'll be able to push 1600 two stops! 1 1/4 stops quite good. Better than ISO 800 at 2 1/4 stops.

Now who said this isn't a low light camera. I should be fine in Saturday's shoot.


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Rick, I don't know anything about the UMP but my experience with the BMPCC and BMMCC using raw has been surprisingly good in low light situations. But you definitely need to develop the footage in Resolve even if the final edit is done in another editor, like Premier.

I'll post the test video with noise reduction applied next week. Maybe help people gain some confidence that they can try it out and put some more faith in ISO 1600. For the wedding exterior shots, I'll stay with ISO 800, but for all the interior shots, I'm going with ISO 1600. A year ago, that may not have been prudent, but the firmware has matured and I believe ISO 1600 is a good option now when light is low. We already know it's a good option in very bright snow and beach scenes as long as you have the ND to permit it.


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Got through the mere 7 hour wedding shoot yesterday. As I suspected the interior shots were problematic in terms of practical light levels as the evening fell, so I shot raw 3:1 at 24 fps 360 degree shutter angle at T2.4 with ISO 1600. Results are going to be acceptable thanks to being able to push that 1 or 2 stops in Resolve.

Completed a first edit including music today. Recorded 27 external audio clips (Zoom iQ5 into my old iPhone 6 Plus) and 67 video clips. Video almost 2 hours. Hope to have the polished deliverable by month end.


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Here is last week’s video with temporal noise reduction applied to the graded clips in the second part of the video. ISO 1600 emerges as a very useful choice and pushed one stop looks better than iSO 800 pushed two stops. You may find acceptable results with noise reduction applied pushing ISO 1600 two stops. I found beyond two stops unacceptable for both ISO 800 and ISO 1600.

So, i've been asked to film a wedding for a friend.
He's seen my work and was super excited for me to film him and his lovely bride's wedding day.

I was going to shoot Magic Lantern Raw on my Canon 5Dmk3.... but i'm also thinking about the Ursa Mini 4.6k (possibly PRO). i have access to a Ursa Mini 4.6k through work w/ Rokinon DS Cine lenses.... but part of me wants to take the payment from this wedding and start outfitting myself for some longer-term shooting in 4k.

my fear of the Canon Magic Lantern stuff is that, while it hasn't failed me yet, during a long shooting day, i could run into problems.

The concept i gave the groom and bride was "i'll be low-profile", which is how i want to do it. i don't want to be a guy running around with a movi or a steady cam vest and arm, drawing attention to myself. i want something i can do handheld, but get great image quality, (occasionally using a tripod, maybe.)

any suggestions or thoughts?
has anyone filmed weddings on this forum?

We just finished a wedding shot on all Blackmagic cameras (URSA Mini 4.6, Micro cinema camera, Pocket Cinema Camera)




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