[Qs of the Week] : we are always interested in hearing about what you want to know. it helps us in our education efforts as well as fostering a community here that is both informative and interactive. to facilitate that we’ve implemented the Ask a Question submission up top so it’s super easy for you to reach out to us. once a month we’ll be picking several of the best questions and answering them here in short form format. sometimes we get really good questions that require a much more detailed answer and those we’ll save for an in-depth Question of the Week response or produce an entire SMAPP tutorial for it.

so here it is, our take on the first batch of great questions.

Q1. If you are using 7D on merlin, wanting to upgrade from 20mm f2.8 to either 14mm f2.8 or 16-35mm f2.8, which one would you pick? Given that you can’t buy both and will not be buying another lens anytime soon.
it depends on the type of stories you want to tell. both work well on the Merlin, and the 16-35 is definitely more versatile but the 16-35 feels much different than that of the 14mm. the 14mm is rectilinear, which means the distortion will look and feel more natural. the 16-35 has a much more noticeable distortion where bends objects, making them look a little bit more like a fairly tale. this can be usually for wide shots of wedding venues, but for shooting people the 14mm if always our first choice. so, if you want the versatility and don’t mind the look, go for the 16-35mm. if you want something that looks a little more natural than go for the 14mm – that is almost always our first choice. with the crop of factor of the 7D, both are great options to give you a wide moving shot.

Q2. What do you do for low light situation at receptions? I’m an aspiring wedding filmmaker and all of my worst footage is at the wedding reception. My best lens only opens to 2.8 and I have to bring the ISO all the way to 1600 or 3200 and it looks terrible! Is it as simple as using prime lenses that open up to 1.2-2.0? Do you bring your own lights to receptions? Thanks!
using faster lenses certainly help but we always bring our own lights too. the key here is understanding that it’s not just about adding more light, but also improving the quality of light and being able to adjust them as you see fit. bringing your own lights allow you to control the color, direction and intensity – giving you a much better image. so much of cinema is painting with light so finding a way to give yourself more room to work is always a good idea.

Q3. How do you record audio during the reception speeches? Is there a way to…

a little while ago we got a question from Perspectives Photo + Cinema about how close we get to our couples during their vows. it was in reference to a film we did not too long ago, a pop-up wedding in Vegas. they said:

Wow, you guys are right there during the vows huh. I understand that shorter focal lengths bring the audience into the film as opposed to just observing it but how does the couple and the guests feel about you being so close the them?

Ps: I’m loving the use of audio you capture on the day! Gold.

first off, that’s exactly why we get in close. shorter focal lengths DO bring the audience in and make them feel like they’re a part of the event. small movements are exaggerated which makes emotions pop off the screen and make you really FEEL them…