Surrey Border Film & Video Makers
Woolmer's wisdom - Yet more wedding film making
Yes, another wedding. I remember all those words of wisdom that wrote, and how well I would be prepared for the
unexpected. So I went forth undaunted and with full confidence. Oh dear, I almost forgot the tripod. Ho Ho! So it
would make sense to have a pocket sized card with a check list. Must make one!
EQUIPMENT On my Pocket Card
and Wedding Essentials.
1. CAMCORDER POWER: 2 or 3
Batteries. Work out roughly the time scale so you have
enough power to cover: happenings leading up to the Wedding, people arriving, especially best man and groom -
‘smiling or otherwise! Then followed by the bride to be, ‘blushing or otherwise!’ The Service can be lengthy, if a
choir is present or there are organ recitals, readings etc. then the signing of the register, and the Bride and
Groom leaving.
Make use of the official Photographer, who will hopefully be good at grouping the Guests. He or
she may get the men to throw their toppers in the air and set up a confetti throwing scene. All this can take a lot
of time and battery power.
2. RECORDING TAPE Always have more than you need; 2 or 3 hours.
3. THE
MAINS UNIT And have say TEN metres of lead. To save the day, if the last battery fails during the crucial speeches
or cake cutting at the reception.
4. THE ALL IMPORTANT TRIPOD Not
always practical whilst trying to take
candid shots at the reception. But a must for the cake and speeches.
5. THE REMOTE CONTROL I find this of limited use in this sort of situation; so much moving about! You have to be
at the controls, especially while people are making speeches. Most tend to sway from side to side.
6. LIGHTING A
video light is useful, you can never tell what the indoor light will be like at the reception, especially if the
weather is dull. But I think any other lighting is out of the question, unless you have a couple of assistants, and
they could certainly get in the way!
The only extra microphone I find necessary, is the lapel mic. Mainly for
the speeches, so the laughs and heckler, (or even aircraft if outside) won t drown those well planned words.
JOHN'S POCKET CARD
FULLY CHARGED BATTERIES RECORDING TAPE
MAINS UNIT + EXTENSION LEAD
TRIPOD + SPREADER
REMOTE CONTROL
VIDEO LIGHT
LEADS
EXTRA MICROPHONE
LAPEL MIC
REFLECTOR
NOTE BOOK + PEN OR PENCIL
STILL CAMERA
RULES OF THUMB
There can never be too many CUTAWAYS! They need to be in mind all the time,
that is before during, and even after the wedding. Also as many reaction shots as possible at all times, not
just the happy couple, but especially the onlookers.
PLANNING
It is important to ‘Case the Joint’ first. This is where the
Rules of Thumb start. At the church, get shots of windows, L/S & BCUs from inside - flowers - organ pipes -
lectern and carvings etc. Also outside views of the
church. You may need these, especially if the amount of
shooting inside is limited, so you might need plenty of fill-in shots.
ORDER OF PLANNING
My order of
the day is; first when visiting the brides house (this is no problem with friends or relatives), take
preparation shots.
The wedding cake, the buffet etc., if that is where the reception is to be. The bride
ready and prepared; but only if this is what she wishes!
Then a visit to the church, for those vital
Cutaways. You could be lucky enough to find the organist there practising; this would be an opportunity to
record him with C/Us of hands on the keys, but don t be afraid to ask if he would mind; he is not likely to
object! Also, see the vicar and have a word with him, then you can discuss what is permitted. It is important to
have a copy of the ‘ORDER OF SERVICE.’
At the end of The Reception, you have had such a busy time with
the camcorder, you find you have missed out on the food, and especially, the Champers! You couldn’t blame the
wobbly shots on that!
John Woolmer
John and his wife Joan joined Surrey Borders circa 1991, bringing a strong new talent and expertise to the club that resulted in an enthusiasm for making club films and entering competitions as never before. John was a great writer and his stories became great films, winning Gold awards for The Gold Medallion and Paula, and others. John was energetic, painting for art exhibitions, making props for the next project, writing his book and gleaning data to eventually finalise the book of his family tree, and last but not least, operating the “confounded” computer that held it all together. He was a very talented fun loving man, who will always be remembered by the club and his family.
Who are we in this film/movie/video club? We make films, videos and movies and meet on the first Friday of the month to answer members questions and to discuss ongoing club projects. Well known film makers, judges and film professionals are often our speakers for the evening. We welcome visitors and new members interested in film and video, and there is no need to own digital cameras or camcorders and no need for previous experience, as we happily provide mentors for beginners. Surrey Border meetings start at 7:45pm and end just after 10:00pm with a refreshment break at around 9:00pm. Visitors and new members are warmly welcomed to the monthly meetings which are on the first Friday of each month (and the first visit is free). Our meetings are held in our new contemporary hall in St Joan's Centre which is in the grounds of St Joan's church in Tilford Road, near the station in Farnham. The hall has a large car park and is within easy reach of Guildford, Farnborough, Fleet, Bordon etc. In Surrey and Hampshire. Read more about us here.
Our interests We have a good mix of interests amongst members include script writing, acting, directing, technical and artistic and all agree that ideas and skills are more important than equipment as shown by there being fewer cameras and camcorders than members. Some get more enjoyment in viewing and discussing the films produced by others and just being part of the community. There are those who wouldn't wish to ever hold a camera or camcorder while some like to help in filming but don't own their own camcorder. Of course there are always those with the latest high definition wizz bang up to date cameras, camcorders, microphones and gadgets and the lovely thing is that they are always happy to demonstrate both equipment and techniques to others. For anyone thinking of buying a camera or camcorder advice is always on hand. We have almost equal numbers of members with PC and Mac computers. We regularly put on courses, tutorials and training sessions in the light of the current interests and needs of members. Individuals with particular problems typically have one to one help.
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