A day in the life of a videographer: A once in a life time experience
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Just got back from helping video a cousin's wedding =D It was such an eyeopener and exceeded any expectations I had! I mean how many people (guys especially) actually get to see the bride put on make up in the morning and transform into a princess? (Haha girls I now know ur secrets for prom XD) Or get locked outside the flat with the groom trying to plead his way into the bride's home (while having to endure cheeky humiliation and disgusting food in the process)? All I was armed with was a video camera (that had an amazingly short battery life) and instructions to 'shoot anything alive' (ok I made the last part up but I seriously had no info on how the whole wedding was to go or how long I was to shoot for).
So off I went, with camcorder in holster, to shoot (one of) the biggest day of my cousin (and her husband's) life. Spent a good portion of the morning fiddling with my new 'toy' (see I don't own a video cam and have never touched one before) and happily filmed the different stages of makeup (guys don't try this at home. We really won't have the patience). Ever wondered how girls get those amazing hair dos on their wedding days? The secret is hairspray. LOTS OF HAIRSPRAY!
Haha so by and by she gets done up in her beautiful gown and hair before we Guys (the photographer and I) get sent down to wait for the groom. Fast forward to his arrival and coming upstairs and we are now standing in front of barred gates (that quite funnily seemed to have been forgottenly unlocked) and a (this time for real) locked door. Guys, a word of caution. If you are planning on getting married (anytime guys, just give the word and become the first AC '10 married couple. I'm sure the whole cohort would come down to support you), prepare. for. the. worsttttt....Aka prepare to get a terrible stomachache and a splitting headache and to dress up in what girls think a guy should be in a world ruled by women. I.KID.U.NOT. To illustrate the above points. A terrible stomachache - due to the lime infused sour breadcakes they feed you (including other unrecognisable items that I hear are supposed to represent the sour, sweet, bitter and spicy days of your marriage). A splitting headache - word has it the bridesmaids concocted this potent brew of coffee, though sounding seemingly innocent, was actually made out of half the cup filled with coffee powder. Ladies, a male's potency is NOT derived from drinking coffee. Lastly, a women's world - dress up in apron (aka the guy is going to be the one doing the cooking) and hairclips before dancing to the tune of 'Nobody'. Whichever guy who first said 'hell has no furry like a woman scorn', he was only putting it nicely.
So after the little obstacles (what's this compared to the wonderful life marriage beholds?), he finally gets to see his beautiful bride =D (Like Christ's second coming eh?) Another thing, guys sounding mushy is perfectly normal and even sweet on a wedding day (so start practising now!)
Ok I can go on and on and on about the entire day, but I shall fast forward to the exciting bits. So there I was in the church with my (other) cousin helping to film the service when loh and behold! The memory stick ran out of space! Gah and there I was worrying all morning that the battery would die on me. Luckily, the best man brought an extra camcorder and the day was saved (thank God)! A word of advice, if you are ever tasked with taking a video of a church wedding ceremony, never take your eyes off the camera, especially during the mushy bit (you know what I'm talking about). Cause you gonna have to zoom into the couple's face and maintain that steady aim, all the while trying not to break into that nervous laughter XD
I guess today has taught me a lot about taking a video. Like how NOT to panic when the battery is going to die on you when you have to film the last two tables during the wedding lunch (it survived till the end of the last table with a couple of yam sengs in between). And of course, how to walk backwards without stumbling like a fool while keeping the camcorder trained on the incoming bride and groom. (don't laugh I bet you guys would have trouble doing the same).
All in all, it was an exciting experience and a memorable one too. Imagine 20 years down the road and they pull out that (dusty) .wma file from their hardrives to relieve this happy occassion. I do feel extremely privileged to have been able to play a part in kick starting two people's new lives =D
So all the best to the newly wed couple!
P.S. Any AC '10 couple need free wedding videography I can film you next Sat. Just remember to send out those FB invites XD
~In the silence...I'm waiting to hear your voice~
