DIY wedding video? Use a storyboard!

Have you ever used a storyboard to capture a family wedding video? A lot of people probably don’t. If you’re not in the film industry, why would you? Or maybe you don’t know what a storyboard does and don’t see the benefits associated with using one.

Storyboards are an essential element in the movie making process. A movie, animation and even a play in a theatre won’t get produced without someone creating a storyboard first. It’s basically a series of images or pictures used to visualise the movie before it is made. The storyboard form that is in use today was actually developed in the Walt Disney studios back in the 1930’s. Gone with the Wind was one of the first live action films to be completely storyboarded. One of my favourite movies, it’s so dramatic! 

A good storyboard should include information on characters in the scene, what the characters are doing, if the camera should be close or far and whether the camera should be moving.

There are so many benefits to using a storyboard, even for amateur videographers. If you have a storyboard in place before creating your movie it helps to eliminate a lot of problems before they actually happen. It allows you to think of your video as a story and helps you plan the shots you’re going to take, the best way to take them and when.  With a storyboard you can also ask for feedback on your ideas before you take your shots which will eliminate time wasting and bad shots.

Storyboards can be drawn with pen or pencil, taken with photographs or even pictures from magazines can be used. Whatever you feel comfortable doing or whatever your artistic talent allows you! If you don’t have time to create a storyboard you can use the Shotclip storyboard. Shotclip describes the wedding video in seven scenes and each scene contributes to the story of the wedding. The storyboard has been developed by a team of professional film makers and wedding videographers so you know exactly what shots to get – before the ceremony, after the ceremony, the reception and even the dancing. You won’t miss anything and you’ll be left with a great wedding movie.

To find out more about the Shotclip storyboard check out www.shotclip.com or look at our video tutorials http://www.youtube.com/Shotclip.

Disposable cameras - yes or no?

I recently went to a wedding and every table had a couple of disposable cameras. It’s quite a common thing to see at weddings these days. I guess you get lots more pictures and there’s a good chance you’ll get at least one picture of each guest. Another benefit is the fun moments you get at each table which the wedding photographer might not normally get.

But are disposable cameras really worth it? For one they’re quite an expense for what you’re getting. It is possible to get disposable cameras quite cheap now. I have seen some for €2, which isn't a lot. So if you had 10 tables, 2 cameras on each table costing €2 each - €40 isn't a lot of money but that’s if you get disposable cameras at the lowest possible price.

However, when you go to develop all these cameras that’s when it gets expensive. It’s still very expensive to develop disposable cameras. For years I refused to buy a digital camera because I believed that when you had a digital camera you never got photo’s developed. Then the price of developing disposable cameras got to me. The most annoying thing was, that you still had to pay for the blacked out photos, the photos with fingers in from of the lens and so on! After a wedding you could have 20 cameras to develop but might only get a handful of decent photos worth looking at! This of course isn’t down to your guests’ bad photography skills but more alcohol and tomfoolery related! At least with digital you know what you’re getting before you hand over your hard earned cash. 

So what’s the best thing to do? Everyone has a digital camera nowadays. Everyone at your wedding will be taking photos and video clips. Make use of this material! Get all your friends together, write an email or a letter and ask for any good pictures they may have. What better way to get the unprecedented moments of your wedding while saving a few pennies for something else?

Have you ever asked your guests for their photo’s and video clips? 

Use those video clips!

Nowadays nearly everyone has some sort of gadget that can record video, whether it’s a smart phone, digital camera or video recorder. But do we make the most out of this function? We love to catch the funny moments, family occasions, gigs and holidays but how often do we look back at our short clips?  

If you’re like me - not that often. It’s a clip here and a clip there, there’s no story, there’s no smooth run into the next clip and most importantly it’s usually not long enough to bother going back to it again.

If this sounds familiar Shotclip is probably for you. Shotclip is a video application that enables amateurs to create video like a professional. Sound easy? Well it is! There’s a simple four step process – learn, point, upload and share.

Shotclip shows you how to build a story with your video by giving you expert advice, so that when you put your video clips together they tell a story that are fun to watch. 

You upload your video’s to the Shotclip website easily trim and edit them and you’re left with a short movie of an event, concert, party, holiday or of your kids. The best part is you can then easily share it among family and friends.

With all the new technology out there it’s about time we got an application to help us make the most of it.

Do you video your family events?   And if so how often would you look back at your videos?