Jer Harman | Filmmaking & Photography

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Vassy + Frank's Wedding Film

Here it is, my first ever wedding film. My first film, period. I felt fairly prepared from the years of interest in shooting video but never made the time to actually create a film until now. A few months back, on the heels of creating a business plan and joining two small business incubators, I decided it was finally time to commit to making a film.

Doing a deep dive on popular wedding filmmakers like White in Revery and Eric Floberg, I took notes and got inspiration for unique shots to make. I decided not to rent any gear and instead do my best with what I already own:

With this I was set and ready to create.

A beautiful sunny day, nerves of excitement and anxiety fill my body as I arrive at the first location - bridal party getting ready. Entering to an all too familiar scene from shooting wedding photos, I started to feel like I was in my element again. I meet Vassy, do a scan of the main floor of her father’s home for potential video shots, setup the gimbal with my 16mm, and setup my handheld camera with the 18-55 OIS. Remembering i’m shooting video, I set the white balance, lock the shutter speed at 1/120 and start shooting. Quickly I realize my handheld camera is glitching and is locked in these exposure settings. I reset the camera to factory settings and reconfigure the video settings - crisis averted.

The rest of the day goes off without a hitch, I wish we had a little more time to create some bridal portraits for the film but overall I am extremely happy with the outcome of my first film. Next time I’d like to have a few more pieces of gear to make my life easier and allow me to make some more creative shots. Main gear I’d like:

  • Camera body with IBIS

  • External recorder like a Zoom H6

  • Step-up rings with a set of ND filters for my lens suite

Besides that, I really liked the minimal setup I work with and really enjoyed working in a new visual medium. Check out the wedding film below…