Ray Roman, International Wedding Videographer

ProductionHUB

Learn How to Keep the Passion Alive in your Career
Ray Roman, CEO / Creative Director, Ray Roman Films

Q: What is one of the most challenging aspects of wedding/event videography?

A: Unlike commercial and documentary work, wedding videography involves a "run and gun" approach. Nothing is set up for the wedding videographer. We are basically expected to catch everything as it happens (and it happens fast). If you miss recording a key moment, you will almost certainly be faced with a very unhappy couple. No re-takes, no re-shoots, you either recorded it or it's gone forever. To make matters worse, they seldom think about the wedding videographer when planning their wedding. So it's very rare that the videographer will know what types of challenges he or she will face on the day of the wedding when it comes to lighting or audio restrictions. But in the end, if the wedding videographer is on their toes, they will be well prepared for most types of challenging situations.

Q: What type of production equipment do you use during filming and post? What’s your one “must-have” piece of equipment for every wedding you shoot?

A: I am a big advocate of "basic" fundamentals and solid film techniques. I always encourage wedding videographers to invest in the basics before spending money on enhancement tools, such as sliders, Glidecam/ Steadicams or camera jibs. Obviously, cameras are the top priority. I always lean towards cameras that not only produce pristine images, but also perform very well in low light situations. Audio is half of what we need to produce these films. I suggest having multiple backup sources of audio. There is always a risk of bad feeds from mixers/ soundboards, wireless interference and faulty recording devices. You can never have too many back-ups when it comes to audio. Another area that's often neglected is lighting, which is the key to creating stunning imagery. Having an efficient lighting kit that can bail you out of bad lighting situations is key to being able to produce stunning imagery despite any challenging situations. read more...