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ashton lamont wrote:
I can't comment on your own techniques obviously as I've never worked with you; whats more I've always been suitably impressed with the many posts you've made.
However, my own experience is that the moment a vendor apparently has "broadcast experience" I think "oh dear god nooooo!!!"
Specifically in relation to weddings. They just don't get it that the wedding is the wedding, it is not a TV show which just happens to include a real wedding. It wrecks the ambience even though the video vendor is working with the best of his intentions. It needs significant compromises in equipment and technique that would horrify broadcast professionals. The bride and groom may be unaware since they are so often within their own tunnel, but the guests have a poor experience around them.
Here is a recent example.. The ceremony room was set up per normal for a mid-range civil wedding, all be it a little spartan:
http://www.ashtonlamont.co.uk/10/477-pves/images/001-Warbrook-House-wedding-photography_002-4518-06_pves.jpg
Then along comes the audio engineer :- ( Puts thumping great big speakers right at the front - completely unnecessary in that room. And puts two big mics on the small top table plus a third one on a boom pole hanging over the table for all the world like a fishing rod. And the boom pole with its stand was directly in front of the couple between them and me:
n.b. that would have been from my camera position in this pghoto
http://www.ashtonlamont.co.uk/10/477-pves/images/030-Warbrook-House-wedding-photography_066-8451-05_pves.jpg
Fortunately the boom pole mic had really bad feedback and he couldn't solve it so he removed it.
The bride and groom had obviously had words after their ceremony - I wasn't a party to any of it - but when it came to the wedding breakfast speeches all that audio gear had been taken away:- )
There are so many who genuinely believe that they are unintrusive but they are not. Same with photographers of course.
Pete...Show more →
You are right about some that spout "broadcast experience..." it can be a red flag to me when I hear it sometimes.
There are some that are so concerned to do their job "properly" that they forget the aesthetics and value they bring to the party. Often mistakes are made due to very limited experience or inappropriate kit. Those huge speakers you show in your pics demonstrate a true lack of understanding / kit level and professionalism by the audio "engineer." A true pro would have been able to deliver the same with almost no footprint and hidden radios. (As an ex broadcast recordist I can place a mic under clothing and still get perfect audio, but not a skill some of the "pros" can achieve). And the speaker choice... well it looks like he just services discos... ha.
When I shoot events for video, it is often for a 3rd party and so I have a strict requirement to be invisible. Intelligent placement, a long lens on an ENG style camera, tripod and the ability to hold long lens shots on the shoulder for extended periods is essential - as well as a ninja-stealth like ability to move decisively and with minimal fuss. All basic stuff, but it is amazing how few "pros" get this.
I once filmed a wedding and during the wedding breakfast the bride was worried that I'd gone home early because she couldn't see me - except that I'd been in the room the whole time, and got every shot. Sometimes I was just 20-30 ft away. Now I know I'm not that invisible, but I must have been doing something right.
Again, it is balancing the needs of the event above the need to get the shots we may want.
It is a shame that the events / wedding / bar mitzvah / parties / corporate industry is so plagued with poor experience and ineptitude. And it is usually up to us to suffer the consequences, along with those who have booked them - assuming a pro job would be offered.
Not long back I had a lighting engineer with an uncontrollable smoke machine and poor light placement - and it took a perverse pleasure knowing that it would destroy any photographs. It took the intervention of my pleas to the event coordinator to make a change, (which maintained the same result but allowed difficult but attainable photography). Again, a lack of care to the event as a whole, and only seeing his own area as important.
Grrrr...
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