On 1st Jan this year, I had the opportunity to help a friend with a videography job for her wedding. That would be my seventh official wedding ceremony coverage. And well, being my seventh, least to say, I know the routine somewhat well. Makeup shots, veiling shots, groom gatecrash shots, entering room and kissing bride shot (VERY IMPORTANT!), walking down the aisle shot, exchanging rings shot, I dos... I have just about list down the most important shots of a wedding. With this checklist, one can never go wrong.
But then again, once we get used to these shots, sometimes, the magic goes flat. Personally, I have experienced certain periods during the wedding where shots are quite uninspired. That happens mostly during times where something is being done for a long time, eg. make up. and I have already just about shot the bride from 10 different angles and 8 different shot sizes. I made up those numbers, of course.
So what do I do during that time?
In the words of Jesus, seek and ye shall find! I found that when I look for things around to play with, with a keen eye and some luck, there will be interesting items to shoot. A hamster, curious about the commotion, a small mirror that I can use to play and shoot some reflection shots of the bride, and sometimes, close ups.
Close ups can intensify moods really well. Perhaps, that's why we always feel more intimate when we look at close ups of photographs.
They are holding hands! With some colour correction, her gown wouldn't look overexposed.
I recall that there were a few moments after the official ceremony was over, where they wanted to do a simple photoshoot with the photographer and I could jump in to do any shots as the videographer too. The photographer was busy snapping, making them pose, snapping again. When it was my turn, I tried to do the same, but moved the camera around.
The result? A somewhat zombie-looking bride and groom with frozen smiles standing static in my shot. There was absolutely no magic in that. Yikes. When we moved on to another spot for another photo opportunity, I had to think hard in my head. WHAT DO I DO?
I asked them to talk to each other. Bride, tell the groom what was the funniest thing that happened to you today. She did, they giggled. Groom, what was the funniest or weirdest thing that happened during the wedding? The bride chipped in with, you forgot your handphone! And they both laughed.
His hair falls. She reaches out to tidy it. She notices his tie is crooked and adjusts it.
Ahhhh... and all I had to do now, is to capture these moments. The magic flowed right back into my shot, and even though it was a very simple tight shot of the both of them together, life really came back into the picture.
In my humble opinion, even with the best angle and framing of each of the aforementioned checklist, if you forget to capture the humanistic, always spontaneous expressions from the bride, the groom, even their family and friends, meh... the edit will be super boring. But with each crack of a smile, each cheeky grin, movement, touch, reaction, that's what brings life into the video.
Trust me, I'm an editor in my day job :)
Side note: I was on standby to wait for the bride to march out, and I was trying to frame the door. Turns out to be a nicely "framed" (geddit!) shot of the full ceremony! Loved this shot! MAGIC!
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