Time and again, couples ask me to quote a price for a second, unmanned camera during the ceremony. Is it a wise investment? Will it improve the quality of the video? Let me share the pros and cons of the option with you to help you decide whether or not this choice is the right fit for you.
The biggest advantage for having a second camera on site is that you get better coverage of your ceremony and that you feel you are getting ‘more’ for your money. If that second camera is unmanned, this gain is largely psychological, as an unmanned camera rarely captures worthwhile footage physically. Here’s why: while the shooter can anticipate positions and angles prior to the ceremony when they set up that camera, they can’t account for the tall groomsman that blocks the shot of the groom, or the shine off dad’s bald spot as he places himself right in front of the camera in his front row seat. Without a person to monitor the camera and correct the shot each time the ‘scene’ changes, the footage is rarely the professional shot you would have hoped for in your edited film.
For you, the biggest advantage of having a second camera is to actually get better coverage with it. The second camera can film the groom’s reaction when he first sees the bride, it can get a better angle on the readings, it can get gorgeous close-ups of the ring exchange or the couple’s spontaneous actions on the altar. Unmanned, there is no guarantee any of these shots will be captured because the camera would need to be turned, moved and adjusted to capture this shot list.
The unmanned camera is largely an asset to the videographer on site. He or she can spend much more time moving around the space filming handheld shots from different angles, knowing that any gaps in coverage can be remedied by the stable (if uninteresting) shot being filmed by the unmanned camera. But if that unmanned shot isn’t good, it must be incorporated into the film anyway to make up for the gaps in coverage caused when that manned camera is on the move. And we’ve all been to weddings where the videographer is cruising around the space; not very unobtrusive, is it? Time and again churches ban videographers from their sacred spaces for this very reason! Ministers tend to hate being distracted by a roving videographer.
I think the biggest advantage to the unmanned second camera to the client is as follows: it guarantees a back-up camera is on site and provides back-up coverage of the ceremony should the editor need it. Couples should not count on this camera to provide great shots, close-ups, or spontaneous moments best captured from this angle. It won’t. So, is it a good thing? Yes. Is it going to make your video better? Probably not. If you want a second camera to make your day-of service and your video better, have it be manned.