INTROduction

The Toast Wedding Films style is best described as: Unobtrusive and Authentic with a Documentary Approach, Focused on What Matters to the Couple.

Principles for shooting a Toast Wedding:

1. Fly on the Wall

   1. If you capture everything beautifully and the couple barely remembers you being there, you’ve done your job.

2. Authenticity

   1. Keep it authentic to the couple.  Nothing cheesy (unless the couple asks for it).

3. Focus on What Matters

   1. Always focus on what matters first; Family, friends, quiet moments between the couple, the special gift given from a father to his daughter, etc. If you can get those things AND get cinematic shots then you’ve nailed it. Don’t sacrifice capturing the right moment for anything.

As a national wedding film brand, consistency amongst all of our creatives is of the utmost importance!  These guidelines allow us to achieve that consistency.  Toast’s approach may already be in line with your own personal shooting style and that’s great! There may be a few differences so we want to make sure you have a clear understanding of our shooting style to ensure the couple is going to receive what we promised to deliver.  It is up to all of us to work as a cohesive team in order to achieve this goal. 

Our wedding film packages primarily include a single videographer, and our clients prefer a low-key, candid approach to the day, as opposed to feeling like they’re at the center of a giant production. This helps keep the day--and the footage--feeling natural and intimate.

AT A Glance

Minimum Equipment Requirements:

• 2 Cameras (full frame, capable of shooting 4k at 24 & 60 fps) - matching camera body brands HIGHLY preferred

• 2 Lenses ranging from 24-200mm focal length (anamorphic lenses are fine)

• ND Filters

• 2 Tripods (or 1 tripod, and a monopod / gimbal)

• 2 Wireless or Body-Pack Lavalier Mics

• Shotgun mic (mounted  to main camera)

• External Audio Recorder (Zoom H4N or similar)

• XLR, ¼”, ⅛”, and RCA Cables

Recording Settings:

• 4K minimum (3840 x 2160)

• Anamorphic framing (we will crop the image for a 2.39:1 ratio in post)

• Neutral or Log picture profile

• 24fps for ceremony / reception events

• 60fps for b-roll

• 48Khz audio

Deliverables to Client:

2-10 Minute Highlight Film (4-6 minute average)

• This is the primary film you are shooting for in most instances.

Documentary Edit

• This includes all event footage other than “B Roll” shots.  Always record the entirety of each event with the knowledge the entire day will be assembled into one long video, cutting between 2 angles.  For all ceremony and reception events, capture them in their entirety and only move one camera at a time. DO NOT SHOOT SHORT CLIPS.

• Events included in Documentary Edit:

• Reading Letters

• Interviews

• First Look(s)

• Ceremony

• First Dance(s)

• Cake Cutting (or other stand-alone events or games during the reception)

• Speeches / Prayers / Toasts

1 Minute Teaser Film

• Delivered 3 weeks after the event, so prompt delivery of footage is critical.

Raw Footage

• Every single clip captured could be delivered directly to the client. 

APPROACH & SETTINGS

CEREMONY:

1 tripod and monopod /gimbal is encouraged, but please be sure to continue rolling on Camera 1, and maintain framing / focus for most of the B-Roll, tripods during the events for steady A-Roll, and Gimbal or Glidecam only for specialty shots, or dynamic footage during the more active parts of the day.

• 2 tripod setup acceptable

Note about gimbal footage: There is more possibility for error when operating a gimbal, so it is easier to miss what’s important. Please make sure you have a lot of gimbal experience, and pay attention to getting slow, steady shots.

FINAL DELIVERABLES:

THE HIGHLIGHT FILM

The primary film our clients receive is a Highlight Film. This is a narrative highlight-style edit, usually 4-6 minutes in length, showcasing the main highlights of the day, set to music, with voice-over of vows, speeches, letter reading, and other audio recorded throughout the day

• These edits are where creative b-roll and audio quality really shine!

• Creative input from each couple will be included on your “Day-Of Details” sheet. Some couples may have specific things they want captured, prefer a more candid or staged style of photo session shots, or anything else important to the couple!

THE DOCUMENTARY EDIT

Additionally, we offer Documentary Edits. These include all formal events from the day, start-to-finish, with no gaps in coverage.

• These are built entirely from the a-roll from the day, and rely on the two-camera coverage for cuts.

• Clean audio recording throughout all formal events is also necessary.

THE TEASER FILM

Finally, clients are also able to request Teaser Films. These are quick, one-minute highlights designed for social media that we deliver within a few weeks after the wedding.

• Filming for this is no different than for the highlight film, however the fast turnaround means we rely on prompt submission of footage following the wedding!

• HDDs should be shipped no later than the first business day after the wedding (i.e. Monday after a Saturday wedding, except for holidays).

• Uploading should be completed within 72 hours.

RAW FOOTAGE

• Clients are able to purchase access to the complete raw footage

• Be conscious while recording, and remember that anything shot (including camera audio) could be delivered directly to the client!

Clip Length:

All event coverage requires long-form recording. During formal events, you’ll leave your cameras rolling as long as possible, aiming for the fewest number of clips to be synced together with your external audio. This also guarantees the maximum possible coverage during events, to ensure we don’t miss anything!

Recording Settings:

All deliverables sent to our clients are rendered at a cropped, anamorphic 1080p sequence (2.39:1) at 24fps. However, our required minimum resolution to capture events during the day is 4k, 24fps. 

• 4K is helpful to punch in on wider shots, especially during the ceremony!  

• B-Roll should be captured at 4k, 60fps. If your primary camera is not currently capable of shooting at that resolution and framerate, you will need to upgrade soon, as we are phasing all 1080p footage out by the end of the 2023 season. You can deliver a mix of 4K and HD footage if you need to shoot 60fps in 1080.

• If possible, use guidelines for the anamorphic crop! You’ll lose a significant amount off the top and bottom of the frame. 

All slow-motion footage needs to be delivered in its native frame rate, mainly to preserve audio recording through the day. We use a ton of audio in our final edits, including from b-roll sessions. Plus, if you switch off audio for b-roll, it’s really easy to forget turnt it back on for the next event!!

• 60fps is ideal for slow-motion footage. A handful of 120-180fps shots can be nice to sprinkle in, but not as the bulk of the B-Roll. 

• Make sure any ‘Project Frame-Rate’ or ‘Variable Frame-Rate’ settings or similar on your camera match the rate you’re recording in, or are disabled. You should record and deliver in 60fps. DO NOT use S&Q mode!

• Make sure your shutter speed is always double your frame rate (unless you’re trying to account for flicker!)

Picture Profiles: 

• Always shoot in a flat or neutral profile. Log is also allowed, if you’re comfortable working with it. 

• Be extra careful to keep proper manual exposure and white balance!

• Log shooters will need to be extra careful to watch their camera settings, or use an external monitor if possible. 

• Always use ND Filters for outdoor B-Roll, or whenever necessary!

Sony S-Log: 

• Be wary of the locked minimum ISO, especially in bright sunlight

• ND Filters are absolutely necessary, otherwise you’ll see overexposure in all of your bright scenes!

• Watch for ISO noise, especially during receptions

• Pay close attention to white balance and color-cast in the scene

Panasonic V-Log:

• Only use 10-bit V-Log, 8-bit will not be accepted, there are compression issues that break skin tones across most lighting scenarios. 

• CineD or similar neutral profiles are fine in either 8- or 10-bit, and do not have the same compression issue. 

10-bit Settings:

• V-Log or CineD or similar are acceptable

• Realtime Options: C4K / 4K / 1080 @ 24p

• Slow-Motion Option: ONLY 1080 @ 60p (delivered in 60p with audio) 

8-bit Settings:   

• CineD or similar, NOT V-Log

• Realtime Options: C4K / 4K / 1080 @ 24p

• Slow-Motion Options: 4K / 1080 @ 60p (delivered in 60p with audio) 

Audio Sources: 

• All formal events (all A-Roll) require a minimum of two clean audio sources, between lapel mics or soundboard feeds. 

• You can never have too many backup audio sources! 

• Ideally, always have the external recorder connected to the house or DJ audio, but use the omni mics as a backup source when necessary. 

• Your main camera during the day should have a shotgun mic on it at all times, and both cameras should be capturing audio all day (this is both for sync and to be able to pull natural audio!)

• All audio devices, including your camera audio, need to record at 48kHz (otherwise our syncing software won’t work properly!)

• Wireless transmitters / receivers are fine to use, but always have a usable backup in case the signal cuts out or gets dropped. 

• Make sure you always have headphones to monitor your audio feeds!

• Recommended external audio recorder is a Zoom H4N or equivalent 

• Recommended body-pack lavs are the Tascam DR-10L or the Rode Wireles GO

****Notes about Audio Setup****

We rely really heavily on clean audio in our final films, so audio recording is equally as important as visual coverage! This includes both voiceover as well as natural or environmental audio to help enrich each scene.

• Make sure you’re always using a broadcast loop when attaching your lav mics! 

• Lav mic cables should always be neat and tucked away, and should never be hanging down in front.

• Avoid trying to place a lav mic on anyone wearing a dress when possible, if necessary for interviews or speeches, you can attach the mic near the neck or collar and drape the cable backwards, over their shoulder. 

Always be friendly to any audio tech or DJ you work with, they’ll almost always be able to help figure out a solution for you if you’re struggling to find a good plugin or source!

• Don’t be afraid to push for the particular source you think you’ll need.

• XLR mix-out feeds from the back of the DJ’s speakers are always ideal! These always receive all sources, and you won’t have to worry about not being sent the mic or the music individually. 

• ¼” audio jacks are the next best thing, the DJ will need to help you with these, often this means getting plugged into a spare headphone jack. Usually, this will get you the full mix as well.

• If neither of those options are working, you can try using your backup ⅛” plugs or RCA cables, or drape a lav (with the sensitivity set VERY LOW) in front of a speaker as a last-ditch solution.

Always test your audio levels beforehand with a mic check, and double-check during each event in case things change!

WEDDINGS WITH MULTIPLE VIDEOGRAPHERS

Our couples are able to add-on additional videographers to their wedding coverage. In this case, we simply book multiple lead shooters from our Collective the same way we would for single-videographer weddings. 

We don’t book second-shooters, everyone will still operate as a lead videographer, bringing and operating their full kit during the wedding. 

• Before the wedding, you’ll be able to get in touch with the other videographer(s) that you’ll be working with

• Weddings with multiple videographers still get two unique angles from each videographer

• When videographers are at different locations, they are responsible for their usual two camera angles and clean audio coverage when necessary

• Videographers will collaborate to capture complimentary camera angles during events, and communicate in order to stay out of each other’s shots

During events with multiple videographers present, collaborate on audio coverage. There is no need to mic each subject twice, but other forms of additional recording or redundancy are helpful.

For example, during the ceremony, one videographer could mic the groom and the officiant, plus staging a backup podium recorder, while the other focuses on monitoring the house audio feed, and mic’ing anyone planning to give a reading.

WORKING WITH CLIENTS AND VENDORS

As a videographer with Toast, you will often be the only person our clients actually meet with face-to-face! This means that the way you approach each day and interact with your couples will set the tone for their entire experience working with us. If you’ve been awarded a wedding, we already appreciate your warm attitude, but we hope you keep in mind how important of a role you play in helping our clients enjoy every step of the process!

The same goes for other vendors during the day, it’s paramount to build a solid, collaborative relationship with every photographer, DJ, wedding planner, and anyone else involved to keep the day running as smoothly as possible! Our policy is to give photographers the directorial priority (unless you’ve been specifically told otherwise). This means you’ll want to do your best to work around the photographer during photo sessions and try to capture the candid moments in between as well. Our clients usually prefer a more candid-style approach, but if you feel like you’re missing shots, feel free to speak up and have people reset or hold poses that you want to capture. Don’t miss something that would add a ton of value to your footage! 

With DJs and/or MCs, always assume that they have a different schedule, and ask them when they plan on starting each event, and ask for a heads-up when possible so that you don’t get left behind!

Dress Code

There is no specific dress code, but please dress as you would to attend any other wedding; dark clothes are always the easiest way to look clean and professional.

Polos, button-downs, blouses, simple dresses, slacks, and chinos all blend well without being too restricting. Plan ahead for the weather, you don’t want to be freezing during the photo session or drowning in sweat either! Please no jeans, grubby sneakers, t-shirts, or hats.

Your Day-Of Sheet will note the guests’ dress code if there is a particular style they prefer. If their wedding is formal, we don’t expect you to be in a tuxedo or gown, but make a decision on wardrobe that will be the least distracting from what guests will be wearing.

DAY-OF COVERAGE GUIDELINES

PRE-CEREMONY: Interviews & Letter Readings

Toast offers interview sessions with our couples when requested, and you’ll see on your schedule whether time has been set aside for these or not. Letter readings are much more common, but both can be captured with a similar setup, and ideally will be stacked together on the schedule if the couple requested both!

Usually, at this point in the day, everyone is still getting used to having cameras everywhere! Make sure to keep things light, it’s absolutely fine if anyone wants to pause or restart during their readings or interviews. 

Since this early part of the day can be rushed, we’ll plan on capturing any interviews and/or letter readings with only your A-Camera, ideally running 24fps in 4K. If there’s limited time between the bridal prep and the first look(s), make sure to have your B-Camera ready to go for those—more on that below. Again, any interviews or letter readings are exempt from the two-camera rule, but if you are able to get a second camera set up, that is always a plus!

• Always make sure to mic your subject first. 

• Stage your subject so they’re front-lit! Try to avoid having them sit with a window behind them to avoid exposure issues. Have them face into the available light, and position yourself so that you’re not blocking that light.

• With your A-Camera, try to capture your moving highlight shots before or after the reading or interview, so that you can focus on their face and reactions while they’re speaking or reading.

Prompting interviews can be a little intimidating for everyone involved, but as long as you can keep everything feeling like a casual conversation, it’ll be much easier to get authentic answers while you breeze through your questions!

• Always prep your subject before diving into your questions, to break the ice and help them feel more comfortable. Explain the format and assure them that you’re just going to have a relaxed conversation about their wedding and their partner. 

• Encourage your subject to give the context of their answers, by repeating back the question or including it in their response. 

• This is the difference between “3 years ago we met at…” versus “College.” to get authentic sound bites.

• Try to sit right next to your A-camera, eye-level with the lens, and have your subject look at you during the interview. 

• Most people feel more comfortable not having to look into the lens, and keeping a level eye-line makes the whole shot feel more natural. 

• If you’re struggling to get the interview feeling natural, don’t force it! Offer to take a break, or instead just pepper in the questions casually while you’re shooting the prep coverage.

• The last thing we want to do is add extra pressure to the start of the day!

Sample Questions:

• Tell me, how did you and ____ meet?

• What is one thing you really love about ___?

• In what ways are you most alike?

• In what ways are you most different?

• Where was your first kiss?

• When did you realize ____ was the one?

• What did your friends/ family think of ____?

• How did the proposal go?

• What is your favorite memory in your relationship?

• Do you have a funny story about your relationship?

• Pretend this camera is ____ right now. What would you say to them about your future together?
  
  

A-ROLL / EVENT COVERAGE

To ensure complete coverage of all formal events, you’ll need to run two camera angles throughout each event, along with two clean audio sources. This coverage is used both to build the full Documentary Edit, and to have clean docu-style coverage woven into the Highlight Film, complimented by b-roll. 

• Full, uncut coverage of all formal events listed on each schedule is required.

• Always be careful to only adjust one camera at a time to guarantee thorough event coverage.

• Don’t stop recording during events unless necessary. We want to minimize the number of individual clips for the syncing process, and to maintain as much coverage as possible. It is okay if you are recording while moving a camera (and accidentally shooting the floor) at the same time.  We prefer it :)

• For every event, you’ll want to set up Audio / B-Camera / A-Camera in that order.

• Dynamic movements are not required during long-form events. You can approach any and all events with two tripod angles for the safest coverage -- go easy on yourself! If you are comfortable and skilled with a gimbal, then go for it!

These approaches describe the necessary two-camera approach for all events, and outline the minimum coverage that we require with respect to the applicable events at each wedding. See below for shooters with three or more cameras.

First Looks

• First, always mic your subject.

• Place your B-Camera in a place to capture a safe, wide shot on a tripod and manually set and lock focus.

• Manually run your A-Camera for a medium or close-up shot with some type of stabilizing equipment, such as a monopod, tripod, or gimbal to stay mobile, and be able to make quick adjustments to framing.

Ceremony

This is the simplest, most-common approach. Restrictions or different types of ceremonies will require different coverage, but the overall approach should be similar.

• Connect to and test the house audio if available, or plant your audio recorder near a speaker as a backup.

• Plant one lapel mic on the groom to capture the couple, on their suit jacket or similar.

• Mic the officiant as well, if you’re able to.

• Stage the tripod, if using, to leave your A-Camera on following the processional.

• Set up your B-Camera with a clean master aisle shot. This should be able to capture the couple and the officiant even if the audience is standing! If your tripod isn’t tall enough, cheat it out further into the aisle. 

• Start at the front of the aisle with your A-Camera to capture the entire processional, usually starting with and including the grandparents! Gimbal or monopod is best for this.

• Grab your reaction shot before the bride comes down the aisle, don’t pull away if you already missed it! 

• Move and reset quickly to capture the hand-off.

• Plant your A-Camera onto its tripod to allow you to double-check your B-Camera and audio levels. 

• Your Ceremony A-Camera does not need to be on a gimbal for the entire event. Unless you are comfortable with it, this type of coverage can be unsteady for a long event -- plus you’ll just wear yourself out

At this point, it’s up to you to follow the events of the ceremony! Just make sure you’re always by one of your cameras in case you need to adjust or reframe for a different speaker.

• Avoid the tendency to constantly re-adjust settings on your camera; get set once and then let the camera roll!

• Once the vows start, don’t adjust your main camera unless you absolutely have to! It can be tempting to grab highlight moments during this, but this usually leads to missed coverage.  

• When you’re able to, grab a few details or reaction shots during the ceremony. At least a few reaction shots of the parents, grandparents, or other key guests during the ceremony goes a long way!

• Be ready to move with your A-Camera if necessary to capture the kiss and the full recessional right before they happen.

• Leave at least a tripod angle to capture the rest of the bridal party for their entire recessional, again ending with the grandparents!
  

Reception Events

(Everything from the Grand Entrance until the dance floor opens up!)

For audio coverage:

• If possible, it’s easiest to leave your sound board feed recording through all of the reception events, so that you don’t have to worry about starting and stopping it! 

• Shotgun audio is still only considered a worst-case backup for events that don’t include any speeches, because of the amount of echo and room noise always present. 

• Make sure you capture the DJ announcing each event or person, especially during the entrance, and be rolling before the music starts for the dances!

You’ll usually want to stay more mobile during the reception events, so anticipate going in with a monopod or gimbal that you’re able to set down quickly when you need to reset between events.

• Your B-Camera will primarily be your safety shot, to cover any gaps in coverage on your A-Camera. 

• Set your B-Camera up with a wider-angle lens, 18-35mm is usually safe, and mount it at a medium height on a tripod.

• When each event starts, set your B-Camera first with manual focus, and then switch to running your mobile A-Camera.

• Since your B-Camera is mainly a backup shot here, operate your A-Camera anticipating the footage to be usable 90% of the time, and avoid things like whip-pans or other jarring movements.

The first dances are hugely important, and you’ll need to cover all of them start-to-finish. 

• The wide B-Camera shot during the first dances needs to include the subjects head-to-toe (including the anamorphic crop!).

• The A-Camera angle can be a medium-closeup or similar, to capture more of their faces and hands in detail.

Give the couple some room! Your A-Camera shouldn’t be wider than 50mm for the dances, so take a step back and be careful to stay out of your wide shot!

Toasts

(This applies to any speeches, prayers, or similar speaking moments outlined on the day-of timeline)

Audio is paramount during any speeches. Depending on the venue or setup, you might need to get creative with your approach to lock in multiple audio options.

• Primary audio source for toasts is the DJ soundboard or house audio system.

You’ll also need at least one reliable backup for speech audio in case of any technical problems with the sound system. These are some possible solutions:

• Drape or gaff tape a lav mic in front of a speaker, with the sensitivity set very low.

• Attach a lav or small recorder to the wireless mic being used, or the mic stand.

• Leave a lav planted close to the person speaking or the head table as a last resort.

• Shotgun mics are not considered a clean, primary source for voice-over audio!

The video coverage for the Toasts is very straight-forward: 

• Set your B-Camera to capture a reaction shot of the couple, at least medium-wide, with manual focus.

• Don’t be afraid to move their centerpiece to the side if they’re blocked! 

Operate your A-Camera on a monopod or tripod, with a long enough focal length to single out each speaker from a comfortable distance away, ideally with a medium-closeup shot.

Open Dancing and Grand Exit

Once the dance floor opens up, you can switch back to B-Roll style coverage!

• We don’t need long-form coverage of the open dance-floor

• One camera angle is perfect for covering the open dancing

• Make sure to read the room! A lot of people will get camera-shy when dancing, try to blend in or use longer lenses so they don’t feel like you’re right up on them.

If the wedding includes a Grand Exit or similar, keep your wide B-Camera tripod set up and ready to go, you’ll need a backup angle of the exit as well!

• You can use your B-Camera similar to an aisle shot for the exit, for a safe cutaway! 

• Your A-Camera will be the primary angle for the exit, so don’t worry too much about getting in your own shot, we’ll only use the wide if we need to.

• Shotgun audio is fine for the exit, but make sure it’s recording, it’s necessary even if you’re running slow-motion!

3+ Camera Coverage

If you’re shooting with three or more cameras, we still require the base coverage mentioned above. All additional angles beyond the necessary coverage are treated as bonus coverage, so we’ll never complain about the extra footage, as long as it doesn’t sacrifice the quality of coverage from the first two cameras.

Some optional uses for C-Cameras:

• Running gimbal during a ceremony, with the A- and B-Cameras locked off cleanly on tripods.

• Capturing movement or detail shots during events.

• Additional safety angles.

B-ROLL / CINEMATIC COVERAGE

Outside of the formal events, you’ll want to focus primarily on capturing creative and cinematic B-Roll. The ideal approach is a combination of monopod and gimbal footage, to get a variety of both stable and moving shots, and varied frame sizes. 

This B-Roll shot list is standard for virtually every wedding, and coverage of these details is always going to be expected: 

Establishing Shots:

• Every time you show up to or leave a location, make sure you grab at least a few establishing shots, ideally interior and exterior.

• For venues, churches, or other buildings, our couples often like seeing clean wide-angle shots of the location.

• Compliment these larger shots with tighter detail shots or closer angles to help develop transitions into each location.

• Photo session locations can be established in the same way, but more impressionistic or environmental shots will really shine here.

• Listen for any environmental audio to help build the scene, we will absolutely make use of this if it’s in the B-Roll!

Details

• Detail shots include any of the important items, decorations, or objects unique to the couple or including their names throughout the day. Every single detail matters! 

• Make sure to grab a wide range of safe detail shots first, to ensure coverage.

• When you have more time, get extra creative with anything unique to the couple, or anything that tells a story about them.

• The unmissable details include the couple’s outfits, suits and dresses, the bouquet, cufflinks, shoes, ties, jewelry, bridal party gifts, props, decorations, and the rings!!

• Location details are equally important to help set the scene, when capturing these, make sure to ask yourself if the detail relates to the couple in some way, or speaks to the vibe of the day. This includes a wide shot of the fully staged reception location, place settings, ceremony details, and any banners or signage, especially with the couple’s name. 

• It’s easy to forget that even though we’re used to seeing most of these decorations at every wedding, they’re extremely important to the client as it’s actually their wedding and their decorations!

• Throw-away shots end up as C-Roll, often when they feel they could have come from anywhere or any wedding. Isolated shots of indoor lighting fixtures, rack-focus shots of ice-water glasses on the tables, these are left on the cutting room floor as they’re usually the first thing a client wants removed from their final film.

Shots of the Couple

• Try to find a balance between candid moments and staged photo shoots.

• Mix up frame sizes! Match wide shots with punch-ins of hands, faces, and other details

• Take advantage of walking or moving shots, these are often used to build transitions in their films. 

• Consider any key hero-shot moments, these will often be utilized in intros or outros in their films.

Guest Coverage and Family Formals

• All bridal party members and immediate family and friends must be covered throughout the day.

• Make sure you’re asking who the most important people are when you’re getting started early in the day!

• Family Formals, or Family Portraits, are usually captured right after the ceremony. This part of the day needs minimal video coverage. Make sure you grab some shots of the key people, parents or immediate friends or family members especially. 

• During the Formals, or whenever possible, grab a few shots of the entire family together. (This helps as a backup for those guests who might not show up elsewhere in the events or dancing footage!!)

• If the Formals run long, take advantage of the time to grab other details, establishing shots, or resetting your kit if necessary!

• Less formal parts of the day are great for candid guest coverage, especially if there is a cocktail hour, or some free time while everyone is arriving at the current venue.

TIPS and TRICKS

Gimbal / Glidecam / Slider

• Try to restrict your usage of this equipment to motivated specialty shots.

• It’s not ideal to run only a stabilizer all day, as it’s harder to stay hands-on with your camera settings, and moving shots are much more powerful when also complemented by stable, static, or close-up shots during the day!

• Sliders can prove to be prohibitively cumbersome during weddings, and often you can substitute these types of shots for gimbal (or even handheld!) movements when capturing in slow-motion. 

Handheld

• Handheld footage should really only be captured as a last option, usually when it’s the difference between entirely missing a shot or capturing something usable. 

• If you’re going to capture handheld footage during the day, make sure you’re using a stabilized lens or camera body. 

• In-body stabilizers can often create some really strange twitches and artifacts in the footage, so make sure you’re still sticking to smooth, slow movements!

• Heavier camera bodies or cinema-style cameras (C200, FS5, or URSA Mini for example) are much more forgiving when shooting handheld, as their weight smooths out any shake or small movements from your hands. 

• Lighter mirrorless cameras cause a lot of tremble in handheld footage, even with in-body stabilization.

White Balance / Exposure

• Make sure to always set manual white balance and exposure during the day.

• Use Kelvin settings to match white balance between your different camera bodies.

• Always expose for skin tones, and watch highlights (like the wedding dress or white shirts) in sunlight to avoid over-exposing.

• Take advantage of the overlays and meters available on your camera or monitor, whether that’s zebra stripes, histogram, false color, or anything else that works for you.

Aperture / Depth-of-Field / ND Filters

• Keep your aperture open to maintain a portrait-style look in your footage.

• Close your aperture to f/4 or tighter to keep unmanned tripod shots safely in focus.

• ND Filters are necessary, especially outdoors, to maintain this look.

• Avoid the old-school crunchy video look by keeping your backgrounds out of focus.

• Avoid changing your shutter speed to compensate for exposure, high shutter speeds on real-time footage give a really jittery look to the action in the frame.

Sensors / Lenses

• Always clean your sensors and lenses before shooting!

• Shoot against white walls or the sky to check for dust or spots.

• A dirty sensor can easily ruin a whole day of perfect footage!

Slow-Motion / Shutter Speed

• Always run your shutter speed as double your frame rate: 

• 24p = 1/50 Shutter

• 60p = 1/125 Shutter

Horizon Line

• Make sure your tripods are always set up level.

• Check your gimbal balance to make sure the camera isn’t rotated or leaning to one side.

• It can be helpful to leave the gridlines enabled on your B-Camera, tripod camera, or gimbal camera to make setting your shots easier!.

ISO

• Make sure to stay within the main ISO range of your camera.

• Especially during receptions, be watching for ISO noise in your shadows.

• If you’re worried about underexposure, use your off-camera lights to add light to the scene.

Flicker

• Watch out for flicker from lights in the scene, especially during the reception.

• Make small adjustments to your shutter speed to see if you can reduce flicker, but be wary of the change in motion blur that it will cause.

You can also adjust your framerate to reduce flicker, often it will be more noticeable when shooting for slow motion at higher frame rates.

DRONE COVERAGE

Drone coverage is an add-on to our wedding packages that couples are able to request. 

• All drone operators must be Part 107 certified by the FAA

• All drone operators must carry their own insurance, temporary insurance is fine.

• We usually book standalone drone pilots to capture this coverage during a specific part of the wedding day.

The main purpose of drone coverage is to capture establishing and environmental shots of the venue and surrounding area. 

• 4K 60fps footage is preferred, but 4K 24fps is fine.

• Footage should be captured in a flat, neutral, or log profile.

• Shots should be captured with smooth, slow movements, being careful not to make sudden or jarring adjustments with the gimbal.

• Always start with far-away wide shots, before trying to capture anything closer or involving foreground subjects, such as trees or other buildings.

• Please capture multiple takes of different shots and movements, it’s especially easy to miss camera stutters from the wind while piloting.

• Do not pilot your drone directly above or close to any people at the wedding.

• We aren’t expecting drone coverage of the couple or any guests, unless the couple specifically requests it during the day, and it’s possible to safely capture those shots.