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The golden rule in video is to let the action happen in front of the camera, not to let the camera chase the action. However, shots of the reception in progress taken from a fixed camera position could easily seem rather static, compared with the liveliness of the event, although this can be overcome to a considerable extent by changing camera positions when new shots are required.

Despite this general rule, you could indulge in some camera movement. The most successful of these shots will be when the camera moves around and across the action it is recording – crabbing is the term for sideways movement, arcing when the camera moves around a subject. Such shots allow the viewer to observe the subject from different viewpoints and to place him or her within the broader context of the scene. The crabbing movement should be slow, and the camera should remain at a constant distance from the subject. In this sense it differs from the pan: the pan introduces new material into the frame; while the crab shot shows the same material from a new angle.
The arcing shot is also useful when recording moving subjects. If someone is walking towards the camera, you can move slowly to the side so that the shot ends with them walking away from the camera. Whilst the arcing shot is useful in varying your coverage, use it with moderation.

Although you should do as much advance planning for every shoot as you possibly can, you should not approach your video making with too many preconceptions about exactly what is going to happen.

There are bound to be certain sequences that you will want to capture, and that the bride and groom will want you to record. And of course you should go all out to film these. But this should not blind you to the other opportunities for coverage that you may not be able to plan. Be alert for these at all times and you will produce a video with the right mixture of the expected and the spontaneous.

There are always a lot of little touches that go to make a good wedding. Each one has taken someone hours of preparation, but which can so easily be forgotten. Brief close-up shots of the bouquets, the rings, the order of service and so on, are always worth shooting. These can also provide you with very useful cutaways, or visual breaks, whilst editing.

Related posts:

1. Framing moving subjects
2. Shots of buildings
3. False impression when making a Video or taking Shots
4. The concept of Production in video making
5. Pace & Balance – Camcorders