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Media & Press: Wedding & Event Videography |
HeavenlyCam & ChuppaCam Capture Celestial Views
Wedding and Event Videography - The Official Publication of WEVA, September, 2007
Stuart Sweetow
HeavenlyCam & ChuppaCam Capture Celestial ViewsWhenever vetran videographer, Ron Schmidt of RSVP (Minneapolis, MN) tapes a wedding or event, he never has to hope that there will be a balcony or loft that will afford him a perfect aerial perspective. Instead, Schmidt brings his own "balcony" in the form of a 20-foot telescoping flagpole that he calls the "HeavenlyCam" - so named for its ability to provide eye-catching "celestial views" of ceremony and reception events.
Schmidt's HeaventlyCam is an inexpensive, remote-controlled set-up, born out of "videographer ingenuity" and a restricted budget. He bought the flagpole about a year ago (from Falls Flag Source, Nisswa, MN; 800-942-2113) after seeing the one that was set up at a state fair. "As soon as I saw the pole a light bulb flashed in my head. After asking about the cost, my next question was, 'does it come in black?'" It did, and Schmidt plunked down about $320 to buy one.
"The first thing I did," said Shcmidt, "was to screw off the ball on top of the pole (the thread size is 3/8"), make a few adjustments, and screw on my remote-controlled gear." Schmidt has been live-switching his weddings by remote control for several years using the now discontinued Sony remote-controlled pan/tilt units and Hi8 camcorders.
"One of the great advantages of my pan heads is that they swivel 260 degrees instead of just 180 degrees found in the ceh aper units on the market today," Schmidt says. With his gear mounted on top of the pole, Schmidt controls the HeavenlyCam operation (focus and zoom) using Sony's RM 95 wired remote (about $80).
He reinforced the base of the flagpole by welding together a 30-foot cross brace that he secures with two 35-pound grit bags covered with black cloth. It can be placed anywhere a tripod can be positioned. "Normally, when you use a tripod or light stand elevated to its full extension you get swaying movement at the top. Due to the cross brace, I don't get any sway even when the HeavenlyCam is extended 20 feet in the air. It's very secure, thin, and unobtrusive."
The 4-inch diamerter flagpole, (think gigantic monopod) weighs about 14 pounds and collapses down to about 6.5 feet for storage. It fits inside Schmidts car for easy transporting. Using his HeavenlyCam system, Shcmid says he captures a lofty, unobstructed video perspective that few others can match.
The HeavenlyCam isonly one of four remote-controlled Hi8 camcorders that Schmidt uses in the course of live-switching his weddings. Incorporating a Videonics MX-Pro, Schmidt and his co-producer, Pat Reissner, are able to deliver the finished wedding tape to the couple the day after the wedding. Schmidt says his record for delivering a 3-camera live-switched production is 90 seconds after the conclusion of the ceremony!
However, since Schmidt rolls tape in all of his remote-controlled camcorders, he often adds a bit of post-editing using his newly purchased Casablanca non-linear editing system. "In the next few weeks, I"ll be taking the Casablanca with me and live-switching through it," he says.
"My business is structured around being able to provide clients with great video that needs very little post-editing. I want to get the wedding video to them quickly. Spending hours and hours in post-production would only eat up my profits. I charge just under $2,000 for my 40cam weddings, including the HeavenlyCam and basically, when the event is over, the video is done."
Recently, Schmidt taped an 11:00 a.m. ceremony and reception, and by 7:00 p.m. he was at the bride's home with several copies of the completed video. That allowed the new in-laws to travel home the next morning with the wedding in hand.
HeavenlyCam at ReceptionsAt receptions, Schmidt often uses his HeavenlyCam system to capture sky-high vies of special segments such as the traditional Jewish dances. "The angle from a step-ladder isn't high enough to provide a full aerial view," says Schmidt. While hotels rarely have ceilings as tall as those in churches and synagogues, he records spectacular shots of the entire reception area using the variable height of the HeavenlyCam.
Schmidt recalls a time when he was grabbing a quick bite at his control card while capturing the dancing (remote-switched) with the HeavenlyCam. "One of the guests came over and asked me why I wasn't shooting this important dance. I pointed to the monitor. She took one look at the image as it dissolved into the view from the HeavenlyCam and she was just speechless."
How do wedding couples and the clergy react to the appearance of the HeavenlyCam? "They like it," says Shcmidt. "It has no lights, no noise and no human being detracting from the significance of the ceremony. It's actually very inconspicuous."
Shcmid adds, "One of my greatest joys is when guests are leaving the ceremony I just recorded with my remote-controlled cameras, and I hear them say, 'What a beautiful wedding, too bad it wasn't videotaped.' If they weren't aware of the cameras, I feel I really did my job and allowed the guests to stay focused on the bride and groom."
ChuppaCam CoverageMost Jewish wedding ceremonies take place under a small canopy called a "chuppa." Supported by four poles, most chuppas measure only 12 feet across and just a few feet above the heads of the bride and groom underneath. This can sometimes be a nightmare for a videographer trying to capture faces of the wedding party. Schmid overcomes the typical obstacles by mounting two of the four cameras that will be used for the ceremony on each of the two back chuppa poles using Bogen clamps. This allows for complete coverage under and around the chppa as well as shots of the guests.
Schmidt quickly credits his Minneapolis colleague and longtime WEVA member, Alan Block. of On Location Video, with originally developing and implementing the ChuppaCam concept. Using HeavenlyCam and ChuppaCam, Schmidt says, has enabled him to increase his business-and his prices-by capturing images that few others can record.
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