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1. Consider prep coverage. I get many requests to just cover the ceremony and reception, but there is so much wonderful energy and anticipation during the prep that It really adds anotherdimension to the final movie of the day. If you are all at the samelocation, your cameraperson might be able to cover a bit of you both. Ifyour prep locations are geographically separated, consider having 2cameras; one to cover the bride and the other for the groom. This allowsyou both to experience what the other half was going through on thatvery busy morning. I generally recommend covering the last hour ofpreparations, or just before the bride will be putting on her dress.2. It’s the little things. If we’ll be coming to your hotel room or house for some prep coverage, do your best to ‘de-clutter‘.A clean room has more space for us to work in, and it simply looksbetter in the movie. Avoid the loud music or tv station, which makes itharder for us to pick up those wonderful bits of conversation that addso much life to your movie. If we are hearing a whole bunch of music orcommercials, it limits what we can do with the resulting footage. Pleaseavoid chewing gum, unless you are 16 years old (or wish to look 16 onfilm). Ask me for a mint, I’ll probably have one on me (along with anemergency sewing kit, scissors, duct tape and safety pins)3. Timelines are important for two reasons. First andforemost, it’s an invaluable organization tool. Think of a wedding as amulti-day celebration, compressed into a few hours. Without a timeline,it’s very easy to spend too much time on one aspect of the day at theexpense of another. The second reason for an accurate timeline is thatit helps the vendors know what to expect and when to expect it. Will thefirst dance come right after the grand entrance? Are the toasts duringdinner? As movie makers, we are dealing with live events that are oftenfar beyond our control. The more prepared we are, the better results wecan provide.4. Who’s in charge here? Speaking of timelines, thebest of plans will be of little help without a captain in charge. Don’trely on family members to keep you on track, they will want to shmooze,dance, drink and enjoy the day. Consider hiring a day-of coordinator whowill stay on top of everything. A good coordinator isworth their weight in gold, and can actually save you money by keepingvendors from going into overtime. The caterers and guests will also behappier knowing that an 8pm dinner service means fresh and hot mealsserved just in time.5. Time travel. Multi-location shooting is always goingto require more time on our part. Prep at the hotel, ceremony at thechurch and reception in a ballroom means we have to account for travel,traffic and setup for each location. I don’t have teleportation pods(yet), so even a drive of a few miles will subtract precious minutesfrom the coverage. As a general rule of thumb, figure on 5 hours minimumfor a single location, 7 hours for 2 locations, and 9 hours for 3locations.6. Say ‘no’ to profiles. Outdoor ceremonies arewonderful, we love them dearly. What we don’t love is that most couplesstand face to face giving us (and the guests) profile shots. There is aquick and easy ‘fix’ that will provide your photographer, andvideographer with better images, as well as give your guests a morecomplete view of your faces. Turn your feet outwards slightly,towards your family and friends. Facing outward visually invites yourguests into the ceremony and a simple turn of the head will allow you tolook at each other or your officiant. Talk to your officiant about thisdecision, and make sure they remind you on the big day.7. Ambiance? I can’t see my own feet! Candles, 5 watt chandeliers, dimly lit sconces and a warm glow certainly are beautiful, but if we can’t see where we are goingit is both hazardous and requires more lighting from us. Although the days of Hollywood-bright lights are over, even the best new cameras still require light to expose an image. If we don’t have enough light,we’ll need to add some. This usually means on-camera lighting for videoand strobes for photography–not the most flattering options. Pleaseconsider brightening up that chandelier just a bit, or even better, hirean event lighting specialist. It’s amazing what can bedone with some simple colored uplights against the walls and aprojected pattern on the dance floor. Talk to your DJ about dance-floorlighting for that club feeling. It’s not just for the younger crowd andthe additional colored lights look great in your wedding movie.8. Don’t fade away. When the open dancing starts, you might be tempted to exit the dance floor after a song or two and mingle with guests (some of whom might be leaving early). My advice,party on! The dance floor is always more fun and busy when the bride andgroom stay on it. You might even inspire more guests to stick aroundlonger. As an added benefit, you’ll see more faces on your weddingmovie, as the dance floor stays busy.9. The quick getaway. Some parties continue until thelast person is left standing, but why not take a tip from the greats andgo out on top? Inform your guests that there will be a grand sendoff atthe end of the evening. Provide them with bubbles, sparklers, or evenglowing wands and have them line up to escort you out to your waiting‘getaway car’. You’ll feel like a rock star as you walk through the crowd of screaming fans. Hate long goodbyes? this tip is for you.10. To have and to hold. So the big day has come andgone, your wedding movie is being worked on and you’re enjoying awonderful honeymoon. Time to think about the future….of your footage. Weall know that technology changes quickly. The DVD in your hand todaymight be an SD card tomorrow or a quantum storage cube in a dozen years.Ask about the option to purchase your original footage and editedfootage on tape, hard-drive, or however it was recorded. Owning your digital masteris the equivalent of owning your film negatives. Properly cared for andpreserved (think fine bottle of wine), it will be your best chance offreezing time and preserving the memories for future generations. Noone archival method is foolproof (currently) so your best option is tokeep updated cloned copies in different locations. Thankfully, digitalcopies, when performed properly, preserve the quality. Yourgrandchildren will thank you for it.See More