3 Ways to DIY Your Wedding Video!
Whether you forgot to hire a videographer or your budget is exceptionally tight there are ways to capture key moments of your wedding. It definitely won't be as good as hiring a professional but if you're in a pinch these tips may come in clutch.
Disclaimer: The best way to ensure you capture meaningful video is to hire a professional but if that isn’t an option you can try the methods below. Results will vary wildly!
Method 1: Setup a camera in the back of the ceremony space
This is an obvious fix for recording the service but there are a few drawbacks:
the camera can be accidentally moved or shifted by guests
people can get in the way so you end up recording the back of people's heads instead of the bride and groom
Some cameras have a recording time limit
The audio usually sucks
Don't let the drawbacks scare you! Here are some tips to maximize its effectiveness:
Tip 1: Man the Camera
By having a friend guard the camera, you can ensure that the camera doesn't get accidentally knocked over or pushed out of view.
Tip 4: Use an external audio recorder
depending on the type of recorder you can either record the sound coming straight from the DJ's board or you can clip the recorder to the groom and officiant to get clean audio. Then you can sync the audio in post-editing to have both a great view and even better sound! This will be necessary the further back your camera is from the bride and groom.
Tip 2: Find the Best Position
Find a spot that gives you a good line of sight to see both the face of the bride and groom. Typically this means standing in the center of the aisle but I've seen it work by standing slightly off-center from the aisle with the camera angled slightly towards the bride. Another good spot (if applicable) is on a balcony as it would give you a great line of sight.
Tip 3: Use a Camcorder
If you have a mirrorless camera or a DSLR they will most likely have a recording limit. The limit is designed to keep the camera from overexerting itself and ensures that the file size of the video is manageable. Camcorders are designed specifically for taking long-form videos. However, if you only have a DSLR or mirrorless camera just make sure someone watches the camera to ensure it is recording all the way through
Method 2: Have friends record from their phone from the audience
This method is the poor man's solution but it gets the job done. The drawback is obvious as you are getting people who have little to no knowledge of videography and relying on them to make perfectly capture the moment. Another big headache of this method is gathering all the clips from everybody’s devices. To help alleviate the pressure on your volunteers you can use the following tips:
Tip 1: Have more than one person record
The more people you involve, the better your video will be and the less likely you would see rookie mistakes like a finger in the lens or the camera pointed away from the couple. You would have the flexibility of using different views when one view is bad.
Tip 2: Have them sit/stand as close as possible to the front
This will help with the audio and get a better view of the bride and groom
A Surprising Cheat Code
The surprising advantage of this method is that you could combine all the clips together to get multiple camera angles which would make your video way more engaging. For a professional videographer to give you multiple camera angles require multiple pieces of equipment or crew members which can dramatically raise the price. However, having more than one angle definitely makes the video feel like a TV show or romantic film. If you could get 3 or 4 people on different sides of the room recording it would make your video feel extremely intimate and provide a perspective provided by professionals!
Method 3: Try Mevo
Be forewarned - this is not sponsored. Plus I haven’t personally tried this method. But based on my research and personal opinion this would be the best choice. Mevo is a small camera that allows you to live stream as well as record 4K footage. You simply set it up on a small mic stand and place it up front close to the bride and groom. The camera can track faces and can be controlled from a smartphone. It has a mic to record sound or you can use an adapter to plug your smartphone into the Dj's board to use the sound from there instead. Like with anything else it does have some drawbacks, albeit minor ones.
someone needs to monitor it from their smartphone
even though it is small it needs to be placed close to the front so people can either get in the way or it can be in the way.
If you are interested you can check them out here: https://mevo.com/mevo-plus/#features
Bonus Tip!
Even though you may decide to film the ceremony yourself, you can have it professionally edited using all the footage you captured. If you used one or more of the methods above, you can find an editor on Fiverr or an online service such as WedCuts and they can edit all the footage to make a seamless and video that feels like you hired a videographer. The cost can be as low as $250 and can go up from there. And of-course results will vary based on the editor and how good the clips you give them but this is definately better than having no video. (Trust me, you’ll want to have video. Click to find out why.)
I hope this helps!