Videography & Venues

NACE is excited to share with you venues’ best practices of ensuring videography success!  Naomi Raiselle of GENERATIONS cinemastories and George Horemiotis of SH Videography were kind of enough to compile their thoughts about their job which they are so passionate about in order to share their knowledge and experience with their fellow NACE members.
 
Key factors to ensure success on the day:
 
Detailed timeline:  A very detailed timeline will enable a videographer to be in the right place at the right time.  It helps to have this information in advance of the day, or at the least upon arrival, so that the videographer can prepare ahead of time to see times & locations of important moments throughout the day.  Naomi even likes to dive further into timeline information, “As a videographer I want to know if there is a reading by a family member from a podium, from the seat, from in front of the couple, during the ceremony.  That info will help us determine who will be filming from where, just ‘ceremony from 5-5:30’ is not nearly enough.”  Although venues are not always offered up that detailed information, it can be a best practice to ask questions to divulge the information and to update timelines after a rehearsal run through.
 
Open Line of Communication:  George states, “We love when a venue keeps communication open and proactive.  This allows us to prepare for what is happening next.  Shooting a live event can be very stressful for all parties, but when there is a friendly line of communication between the videography team and the venue, it makes all of our jobs go a lot smoother, and ensures a successful day from start to finish.”  Even though vendors have our detailed timelines, they are actively in the moment of the day through their lens – or sometimes taking a moment to hydrate!  Best practice, to notify all important parties before the next step on the timeline in order for the team to set up their shot in advance, also keeping everyone to said timeline. 
 
Diagrams of Ceremony & Dinner Reception:  Having diagrams for each space will improve a videographer’s ability to determine angles and locations they think will work best in the moment.  They are able to get an idea of the flow of the space, where the traffic from guests will be, and a head-start on where they should place their equipment to get the best experience for not only the videographer & the couple, but the guests as well.

• Ceremony Placement:  Venues need to consider that although videographers are usually noticeable, they do like to be tucked away & the sides of aisles are the easiest place to hide during ceremonies.  Ensuring enough aisle space on either side of guest seating will set them up for success and give them the ability to move throughout the venue with ease.
• Chuppahs:  Naomi suggests, “If it’s a Jewish wedding, the size and the material of the chuppah is important. A small chuppah with parents, grandparents, couple, rabbi, cantor, best man, maid of honor underneath leaves little room for videographers to film ceremony.  Also, chuppah poles decorated with large swaths of fabric and/or flowers can be a visual obstacle since they block angles to the ceremony. If the plans are to use a tallit or other opaque top for the chutzpah, make sure it is high enough so that the fabric doesn’t shadow the couple. A thick, opaque chutzpah top will likely throw shadows on the couple’s face - so lighting underneath the chutzpah is essential. It should be clear whether the client or venue is providing that lighting.”

Place to Store Gear:  Videographers need about an 8’x5’ space to store their gear.  It can be as easy as under a table or in a closet, but thinking ahead to leave a spot available is a great best practice for venues.  Often they are asked to store equipment in a room off to the side of the main ballroom, but their success depends on having all of their equipment accessible at all times.  Venues know that the uncovered gear sitting near a wall is not what their couple had in mind when they envisioned so as the venue coordinator we need to think, in advance, not just where our items will be hidden away, but space for our venue partners’ items as well.  Naomi estimates bringing four to five large black bags for video gear (tripods, light stands, cameras, mics, mic stands, lenses, batteries, etc.), not to mention photographers’ gear as well!

Timing of Vendor Meals:  The timing for feeding your hard working hungry vendors is just as important as a hot meal for your guests.  The most common practice of venues is to feed their vendors AFTER all of the guests have eaten, reasoning being that they want to make sure their Chef has given them correct meal counts and that they don’t run out of entrees – holding back the vendor meals ensures a few more entrees as a buffer just in case.  But what that does is it gives the vendors a few minutes window of opportunity to scarf down their meal instead of letting them take their well-deserved break while the guests are doing the same.  If venues wait to feed their videographers & other vendors it means that they might miss out on a key moment to film when the couple & their guests are on the move.  Venues - this is an easy one to solve – as your couple’s meals go out, send out your vendor meals too!  At the end of the day, their success is your success – and you’re sure to get amazing video of your venue.
 
Shout Out to Photographers: 
It is most important that videographers & photographers work together during each moment of the event.  Of course it is natural that a photographer will step into the camera from time to time, and the same for a videographer to step into a photographer’s shot.  So move around, and try to know where all cameras are placed so that you can avoid as much as possible stepping into the moment. 
 
Pet Peeves:  We all have them, and here are a few from our videographers’ perspectives: 

• Videographers & other vendors, especially photographers, who do not know how to work together.
• Guests with amateur cameras that have a flash that causes color banding in video, and in general guests who feel they must capture the moment but in doing so block the professionals with their iPads, phones, etc.
• Professional photographers whose shutter is so loud that it appears on sound tracks – get a silent shutter!
• And lastly, George’s biggest pet peeve: “The one thing that saddens me is that couples usually think of videography after all other vendors. The two things you have as takeaways to remember your day when it is all over are photos and video. Of course photos are beautiful but video is what truly captures the sounds, and emotions of the day.”  So venues, speak up for your videography friends!

 
After all of that food for thought, we wanted to leave you with our contributors’ favorite videography moments: 

• Naomi:  “We have so many!! One was when we filmed the first same sex wedding in Boston. We captured the first, on-camera kiss as the first same sex couple were pronounced MARRIED by the minister.Also, one of my favorites was a gorgeous Greek wedding with reception at State Room. The stunning bride in her blush balletic gown kneeled in the center of a circle of guests as her new husband danced for her. At the end of the dance, he reached out to her and lifted her to her feet. SO romantic!!”
• George:  “I really enjoy the first look – it is always exciting and special to watch the reactions of the couple seeing each other for the first time on their special day.  When I edit it with music, the first look is usually the shot that I use during a really emotional part of the song. I want it to give you chills each time that you watch it back.”

We at NACE would love to hear from you.  In the comments below, let us know if you have any other thoughts on how venues and other vendors can ensure videography success.   Thank you for sharing!