At Your Service Videography

"Journey's End"

2010-07-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Temecula, CA

Rick and Lauren's Wedding

Located in Temecula near wine country, the wedding ceremony had a backdrop of picturesque mountains and sunset skies you couldn’t get any more scenic then that! We also were able to commandeer some golf carts for the wedding party and cruise the foothills to some eye catching photo locations.

Rick and Lauren
"Pechanga Resort"

The Cobra Crane

2010-07-06T23:39:00.000-07:00

“The Cobra Crane”

What is it? What does it do?

As some people watch our Video Gallery page they notice some really cool shots that are moving from high to low and low to high and wonder how did we do that? Very simple as a matter of fact, with our “Cobra Crane”! What is it and how does it work? We mount our Sony HD camera on the “Jib” or “Crane” and we can get up to about 13 feet in the air. It gets amazing sweeping cinematic shots that send the production value of your movie through the stratosphere, well it looks really cool anyway!

Can you get all shots needed at a wedding without a “Crane”? Yes I believe you can. But when you see the Bride and Groom’s 1^st Dance or the Father & Daughter dance being shot using a Crane, you instantly see how elegant and classy those moments are compared to just capturing the moment with a tripod. It turns a simple static tripod shot of your $500 wedding cake into a classy, gliding, cinematic beauty shot of your wedding cake, it just looks way better.

For practical reasons I like using our “Crane” at the reception because it gets high over the heads of everyone on the dance floor. We can capture the bride and groom dancing when they are in the middle of the dance floor surrounded by everyone. (if you have a dancing crowd). Dance floors are crowded and as a videographer I don’t go into the middle of the dance floor to get shots, it’s too obtrusive and we could injure someone if we were to bump them with our camera.

2010-07-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

Muckenthaler Mansion

Fullerton, CA

Matt and Mercedes Wedding

Built in 1924 this setting was simply classic and classy for an outdoor wedding!

With the ceremony in the “Italian Garden”, and as we covered the estate grounds from the beautiful “Brick Gazebo” to the panoramic view of the “Palm Court” shooting historical and cultural sites is always a great point of interest. In 1999 the Muckenthaler Mansion received designation by the National Register of Historic Places.

Pictures Courtesy of Lawrence Crandell Photography

          Matt & Mercedes Wedding at "The Muckenthaler Mansion"
   Fullerton, CA

2010-06-30T14:54:00.001-07:00

"To Light or Not To Light..."
That Is The question?

One question many brides and grooms ask is “How much lighting will you use while shooting my wedding?” How much is the right amount? Well, I see 2 schools of thought out there in Videography Land. 1) Some use light all the time because they want to make sure they get the shots they need. 2) Some don’t use any additional lighting because they feel the new HD cameras work great in low light situations and they fear ruining the mood of the event. IMHO both are very valid points. As videographers we need a light source in order to see the event. Photographers are able to use a flash to achieve the right amount of light for their pictures but the flash lasts only 1/100 of a second, it’s not distracting and everyone is use to flashes by now. Video needs continuous light because we are running video continuously. I’m from the point of view use ONLY what is needed, keep it to a minimum but get your shot! Yes, the new HD cameras work well in low light (I use the Sony FX1 and Canon XH-A1’s) but I still feel lighting is needed in some cases. Nothing worse then seeing really grainy shots when you get your DVD (noise grain is generally regarded as an undesirable by-product of image capture in low light). To help solve this I like to use a “Frezzi” light on my cameras, that way I can turn it on and off with the touch of a dimmer switch in a matter of seconds and it’s not too obtrusive for a reception.

For example at the reception during a toast or a speech all eyes are on the person speaking, they are usually saying something important and from the heart so why not light them so we can see them? Many reception venues don’t run spotlights but use a dimmer switch for the whole room and they want to keep the mood dark so usually it’s DARK. The DJ usually provides a wireless mic for speeches and toasts and the lighting is only for dancing purposes, so speeches are done in mostly dark or dimmly lit settings.

Last thought: I have worked as a 2^nd videographer at a huge wedding and the main videographer used these giant lights through out the entire event. My thought was WOW what a nightmare! It further made it clear to me to use only what is needed, document the event NOT be a spectable at the event. And with that all being said it’s up to me as a professional videographer to let you know all the options available to you when dealing with lighting at your wedding. It isn't a perfect science trying to keep the ambience and mood as well as getting all the footage shot perfectly during a live event, but with the HD technology and good old common sense working together we sure can do amazing things when we put our mind to it.



      With  Light

      No Light