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. Continue reading “Adding an Unmanned Camera: Is it Worth it?”