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  1. Member
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    So being the tech geek in the family I've been asked to make a small production video for my sister's wedding. I'm here to gather any help from you guys and any tips I might have overseen.

    I'll be tasking a friend with a tripod and the SONY HDR-CX100, it's a small and easy to use camera my Dad owns and will be good to make some cuts for the ceremony.

    I will be using my newly acquired NEX 7. I've played around with it a bit and have searched for some information on the subject and haven't really gotten the performance I really want out of it. For starters I record in M (manual) mode. Shutter speed is 1/50 and indoors I try to keep it at ISO 1600. At 3200 I find the video has a bit to much noise though at 1600 it's certainly not the brightest image. Yes I'm talking indoors since that's my main concern. I'm shooting with the kit lens 18-55mm at f3.5 and I try not to zoom much to keep the aperture open.
    I do plan on buying either the 50mm 1.8 or the 35mm 1.8 before the wedding but with a prime I'll lose the ability to get up close during a dance scene for example.

    The ceremony wil be outdoors and early in the day so I think I'll be fine with the the current set up. My issue is once indoors I'd like to go around the tables and get everyone in the video, I'd like to get a nice shot of the 1st dance and of toasts... and anything else that might take place inside. So do you guys have any suggestions?!
    I've thought about an LED light but I'm not sure the guests will be happy with a light shining in their faces. For walking around the tables I think the 50mm or 35mm will be fast enough but for the 1st dance a zoom would be preferable, however I don't think e mount offers a zoom that fast. Any setting I'm overlooking?

    Also, any reliable ideas to sync white balance between the 2 cameras once in Premiere as much as possible?
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  2. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    don't count on the nex7 as your main videocam. the sensor will overheat and shut down. with a good lens it would be ok for closeups, but the only decent one made is the zeiss 24mm which won't help. maybe just use it for second cam fill. audio is going to be a problem. without a good shotgun mic or wireless mics on the bride and groom the vows will be muddy if audible at all.

    better yet rent a couple pro videocams. (and operators that know what they're doing would be a good present for the sister)
    --
    "a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303
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  3. Member
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    mhmm yea I'm aware of the overheating issues on the camera. I've tested this and was able to capture two 29minute videos before it shut down on the 3rd clip at about the 15minute mark. I've also been told that using a faster card will resolve the issue but have yet to try that. Since I just got a 16GB Sandisk Ultra I plan on getting the Extreme 32GB.

    As far as sound, I plan on using a clip microphone (Olympus ME-15 or Audio-Technica ATR-3350) on the groom with a digital audio recorder and sync the audio later. Afterwards I thought I'd ask the DJ to plug one of his outputs into the recorder for toasts and announcements. But I am considering a boom mic or external mic as well, thanks.

    The wedding isn't until June so I have time to plan things and weight out my options.
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  4. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    a faster memory card has nothing to do with the sensor. it will overheat as it's not designed for video. faster cards are just so the buffer won't overflow.
    --
    "a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303
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  5. Member
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    Yes I understand what a buffer is, still I'm willing to try a faster card, like I mentioned I've read from people who've confirmed it helps (btw according to SONY it's a firmware issue which has been improved with the latest firmware release). Either way the camera was able to record over an hour before it shut down on me, so I think I can manage a few breaks to help. It's not like I'm going to be recording non stop all day, after all it's my sister's wedding

    Last case scenario yes I might need a better camera but if I can invest that money on a lens that I can use after the event instead of on a one time rental, then I much rather go that route.

    So let's just assume the camera is fine, any other things I should look out for? Thanks anyway.
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  6. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    go to the wedding site now and check it out with your camera. put it on a tripod, find the spots you want to film from and see what length lens is optimum. then get the 50mm(75 actual on cam) or 24mm(36 actual) prime closest to what you think will work best.

    see if you can have a 3rd cam/operator for from the front/side/back shots. practice with all cams beforehand to get he hang of setting white balance and color mode the same and be able to lock them down(no auto modes). there are no re-dos at a wedding and if you guys muff it someone's not going to be happy.
    --
    "a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303
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  7. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    Do yourself and your sister (and your relationship) a favor: hire someone else (professional) to do the job. Make that your gift to the B & G. You can always help out in the editing after the fact, but you are going to be busy enough as a wedding party/guest without having the FULL TIME job of being a photog or videographer. That begs compromises (either to your enjoyment, or the shot opportunities) which will haunt you or your sister later on.

    Scott

    edit: Plus, I agree with aedipuss - that kind of setup is unprofessional and unacceptable for wedding videography.
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