get in the knees one two three [Laughter] what's up everybody jake weisler here from fulltimefilmmaker.com and in this video i want to share seven things that i've learned about filming weddings i just got back from st louis missouri where me and my crew filmed a stunning wedding for one of our full-time filmmaker members who was nice enough to let us film behind the scenes of everything that went into making their wedding film as cinematic as possible now we haven't posted any wedding tutorials on this channel for well over a year and i thought that this
was a perfect opportunity to tell you all of a few things i've learned over the last 18 months in regards to filming weddings a crucial part about improving in this industry is finding someone who is better than you and then learning from them i've tried to surround myself with educators and mentors who can teach me how to improve incredible filmmakers like ray roman john bunn nick miller film poets 31 films white and reverie matt johnson all talented individuals who i follow learn from and even have become close friends with and after finishing up this beautiful
wedding in st louis missouri i thought it was the perfect opportunity to share with you seven of the many things i've learned about filming cinematic wedding films so moving on to those seven things starting with number one which is to shoot with the edit in mind when i was first getting started i thought i knew this i'd filmed the details the bride and the groom some venue shots but then when i would go to edit the video the video just felt like a montage of nice clips there was no depth and there was no story
it was a wedding video and not a wedding film and to me there's a huge difference i wanted to separate myself from the thousands of videographers in this industry and when i would compare my videos to the titans of the industry i realized that i wasn't shooting with the edit in mind to shoot with the edit in mind is to envision the story of your wedding film as you're filming it for example when my second shooter nate and i first arrived at the hotel we immediately started filming shots of the surrounding buildings and landscapes so
we captured city shots to establish that location because we knew that the film needed to first establish where it was taking place then we went inside and started filming the final makeup touches on the bride is it the most flattering shot of the bride you'll get that day absolutely not but it tells a story it shows her before the ceremony her beginnings on the most important day of her life it helps the audience connect with the bride by knowing she is preparing for the big day another example would be when filming the ceremony or reception
speeches not only do i want to film the person speaking but i also want to film the bride and the groom's reaction because i'm already planning out in my mind that when i cut to the person giving the speech i want to also show the emotional reaction on the couple's face as they listen which brings me to tip number two and that is having a second shooter i used to film weddings completely by myself and honestly you can make it work but let me tell you why i bring a second shooter to every single wedding
now no matter what now some of you might be saying well no duh jake but i know for me personally when i was getting started a second shooter was a luxury i couldn't afford until i saw its value you guys a wedding film is unlike any other film you'll ever create because 90 of the events that happen on the wedding day only happen once you have one shot and if you blow it it's gone forever and not only that but you're only one person and you can only be in one place at once and one
angle can only convey and show so much here's an example of what i'm talking about in this first piece you'll see the first look of the bride in the groom from just one angle then you'll see that same scene with two different angles spliced together take a look yeah don't cry i'm already there beautiful day [Music] don't cry i'm already there second angle adds power emotion and depth to the scene yes you could probably set up a camera on a tripod to capture both angles totally an option but the time it would take you to
set up the second camera make sure it's rolling take it down and reset it up for the next scene you'll probably miss a moment that would look beautiful in the film having a second shooter allows me to capture the same scene from multiple angles and multiple focal lengths it stress off my plate in additional angles and options for the final edit having a second shooter also ensures that every moment of the wedding is filmed there are times the day where i need to dedicate 15 or 20 minutes to just setting up my tripods my lights
the audio receiver loft mics changing lenses etc and a lot can happen in those 20 minutes when i do have a second shooter i can coordinate for one of us to be setting up equipment while the other is filming we never miss a moment my second shooter elevates my film it elevates the production and allows me to have twice as much footage and options as someone shooting alone and because this elevates my productions i am able to charge more tip number three is focal lengths i'll just quickly walk you through some must-have focal lengths that
should be in every wedding filmmaker's bag along with what i personally use and love them for the first focal length i need on my weddings and in my opinion the most important is my 70-200 millimeter this lens is an absolute must and it's an absolute game changer weddings are all about capturing the wedding the best you can without obstructing the guest experience this lens lets you capture important moments from very far away during every ceremony and every reception i have two cameras with 7200s going at all times to capture the core elements of the wedding
day and the second focal length i love is my 50 millimeter this is my go-to lens for everything it's on my camera for almost the entire day it's flattering for portraits and beautiful for detail shots the third focal length is my 85 millimeter which i have my second shooter on for 90 of the day with my style i love tight angles and when i'm getting a shot on my 50 i want an even tighter angle to cut between in the edit and the 85 does the job perfectly the fourth focal length i love is the
24 millimeter for all of my wide shots it's a great focal length to show off the landscape and the venue where the film is taking place and helps your viewer get a great idea of the surrounding area so those are the four main lenses that i use in love i won't go into every single lens i use but there are many more tip number four is lighting i used to think that i could get away without having to buy lights i used to think it was a luxury that i just didn't need oh how wrong
i was lighting is a game changer it elevates your films above all else especially the core of your story which is the ceremony vows and the reception toasts wedding venues for the most part aren't known for their great lighting the goal of the venue is to create a cozy inviting lighting where people can relax and feel comfortable but without some good lighting this results in flat dark footage that will force you to crank your iso which will make your footage grainy at every wedding i bring three core swx torch led lights to light up my
scenes for the speeches we have one light each for the couple and the speech giver and then an additional light as they back light to separate the subject's outline from the dark background not only does this help create a sharper more professional image but it also helps for when the venue has funky lighting and confirms that the lighting in your scene is natural crisp and flattering highly highly recommend investing in good lights tip number five is audio and probably the most important step out of all seven audio is what turns your video into a film
your montage into a story your slideshow a video into a powerful cinematic masterpiece audio helps convey emotion it gets you connected with the wedding day and allows you to develop a personal relationship to the couple capturing the audio from your ceremonies and receptions are things that will help elevate your film but it's not just those moments the obvious moments that need audio recorded it's everything let's watch the first look one more time first without audio just music and then again with the audio take a look [Music] don't cry i'm already there [Music] notice how much
more emotional that scene is let's look at another wedding where the audio came in not only from the vocals but from the ambient noises in every shot take a look i feel as if i have won the lottery with you someone who is so special someone who makes my life and my world a thousand times better just by being next to me [Music] you're my best friend you have made me a better man you have shown me what true love is and continue to show me that same love and support every day this is something
that takes diligence and shooting with the edit in mind i learned this from john bunn who after sending him one of my proudest edits hoping for a pat on the back said it was so close to being perfect all it needed was more audio and ever since then i try and make sure that my audience can hear every single clip tip number six is working with vendors a crucial part of making sure the wedding day goes smoothly is communicating with each vendor and that starts with the wedding planner way before the wedding day the wedding
planner is my point person they know the wedding better than the bride does i used to go to the bride with all my questions and that was just one more thing that the bride had on their plate on an already busy day but now i make sure to develop a great relationship with the wedding planner so that we're all on the same page and that the day and timeline go as smooth as possible and another huge perk to having a great relationship with wedding planner is if you impress them with your professionalism and the final
video they will pass you off to more of their clients another crucial vendor to work well with is the photographer in missouri the bride had hired an incredible photographer to capture her day kristen hendricks but i've had weddings where this wasn't the case sometimes photographers and videographers just don't get along and that happens the principle is to be professional communicate and do your best to achieve the best results together it's important to start off on a great foot and throughout the day i'm constantly asking her if she got everything she needed explaining the shots that
i needed to get when she was done with hers communicating where we're going to be during important moments and even just bouncing ideas off each other and nobody look at my camera please yes look at me at all times you just get your shot we'll do it again you sure i always tell them to do like bachelor bachelorette run towards each other jump on him but not straddle but like hang and then when you can create an incredible relationship with a photographer the day becomes a dream you're both there do the same things and you
can work side by side a lot of the photographers i've worked with have become great friends of mine and we've been able to feed each other more work and more clients i've definitely had times when the photographer ruins my shot or refuses to be friendly and that's okay that's on them i can still do my job the best i possibly can the next important vendor is the dj the dj controls the ceremony audio the reception toasts and also m sees the reception to keep it moving forward it's important to communicate with him about how you're
going to attach to his feed to capture audio and make sure that you're respectful of his space okay i'll plug in one of the speakers i'm going to plug into your uh you could plug into the board you can plug into that speaker because that speaker i got uh i just have a zoom h1 probably plug into your board that's good that's fine and again creating a good relationship with the vendors will almost always lead to a good review and more work and our last tip tip number seven is posing your couples for me the
wedding film comes down to three main parts that the client will remember forever and that will stand out the most in their wedding film their first look their ceremony and their bridles wearing a wedding dress is something that many of these brides will never do again and they're spending so much money on the dress their hair and their makeup and they want to remember how they looked on the most important day of their life same with the groom and his sue and his details and a lot of that comes down to you knowing how to
pose these couples to highlight their personalities and their details i love to have fun with my couples and be personable here's some quick behind-the-scenes of the 15 minutes we had with our bride and groom in missouri there it is that's the one stay exactly where you are all right i'm retiring steve i want you to show me your interpretation of what a passionate kisses don't hold back here on x games mode all right three two one and strike it and passion my guy holy and yeah hold his face i want you to give him a
couple kisses every now and then oh my gosh lauren this is gorgeous i love this [Music] this season on the bachelorette all right that's good and inside our online course we actually give you my top 10 poses that i use for all of my couples so check that out if you haven't already so just to review our seven tips are number one shoot with the edit in mind number two have a second shooter number three utilize the best focal lengths number four invest in good lighting number five capture audio everywhere number six work well with
and communicate well with your vendors and number seven know how to pose your couples but that's it for today everyone stay tuned after this video to see the final trailer of the missouri wedding and a link to the full film in the description below and for those who don't know we created a mini course that teaches you everything you need to know about getting your wedding video business off the ground over 30 tutorials that will walk you through what gear i use and recommend how to film ceremonies bridles receptions how to pose how to edit
how to color grade how to grow your instagram how to handle contracts invoices price sheets and brochures and so much more we have over 3 000 members in our private facebook group from all over the world and we'd love for you to be one of them so click the link below to learn more about our mini course wedding video pro also inside of wedding video pro we include the full job shadow of this beautiful missouri wedding so if you want to see what went into filming this film from start to finish click the link below
you can also jump right into our full course full-time filmmaker which not only includes wedding video pro but includes over 400 additional tutorials about everything you need to know about filmmaking we'll drop that link in the description as well but that's it for today guys thanks for watching if you haven't already hit that subscribe button and follow us on instagram at fulltimefilmmaker and let us know in the comments what videos you want to see next but that's it for today guys if you have any further questions please let us know [Music] this sacred moment is
the very beginning of how god will continue to shape and form to make you the one to make you the people that you have always desired [Music] that in this great gift this great sense of shared self you will be the people that you have always desired to be together
