A blog to show the story and behind the scene of previous wedding and event video assignments.
Gunner's Barracks wedding live stream
I streamed a wedding in one of my favourite wedding at Gunner’s Barrack a couple of weeks ago. I did not know why I felt quite nervous about this live stream, not just because I had to film this wedding at the same time, but also about the internet connectivity, weather, lighting etc.
I was fortunate enough filming another wedding a day before this live stream, therefore I had a chance to think about where I put myself and most importantly - internet connection. Every time I scouted the venue I would use a mobile app to check the speed of internet. I was relieved I could get really good speed at Gunners, one box ticked.
On the day I reached the venue 2 hours prior to set up my gear. I connected my own microphone on celebrant’s hand held microphone, set up 3 tripods and one gimbal. About 20 minutes before the live stream kicked off, I was so happy everything went smoothly. After the wedding ceremony, the couple received some positive feedback from their family and friends overseas straight away. I was so relieved and satisfied.
In the future, if you need wedding live stream at Gunners Barrack, please feel free to contact me.
Wedding live stream at The Crypt St Mary's Cathedral Sydney
We were thrilled to perform the first wedding live stream after the final lockdown here in Sydney.
The wedding was taken place at The Crypt St Mary’s Cathedral, one of most beautiful venues I’ve ever been to. Likewise, I scouted the location two weeks before to check the strength of 4G reception, and work out the ideal position of our cameras and live stream gears.
One of the challenges was that the 4G reception in The Crypt was not sufficient enough for YouTube live stream. Therefore we had two options to resolve the issue,
setting up the production desk right outside The Crypt so to get the best 4G signal, however this could create another issue of the wireless video signal from the cameras could not transmitted through the thick and big stones
put the 4G modem outside, and run a long cable to the production desk inside.
After discussion with the venue manager, we went for option 2.
On the day we arrived two hours before the ceremony commenced to set up. Two professionals worked on the day, one managed the cameras and the other monitored the entired live stream. However one thing we found that was the echo effect of The Crypt which made us difficult to get the audio clean and clear, to resolve the issue, we attached our wireless microphones to the lectern, the groom, and the Father who hosted the ceremony. It worked perfectly.
We were pleased that things went smoothly and the broadcast went live 20 minutes prior to the bride walking down the aisle. More than 60 people joined the live to witness this beautiful wedding.
Live stream wedding services at Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley
This last weekend we had a live wedding event at the Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley, Windsor. The bride and groom were Diana and Michael respectively. Diana’s family and some guests are in New York, Columbia, Norway and Australia. For the most obvious reason, they couldn’t travel for the time being.
Apart from the live streaming, the ceremony was also captured in cameras for the purpose of editing a full HD version after the wedding. What happened was we had a camera on a gimbal while the bridesmaids and bride walking down the aisle. This is something different to all the previous Livestream weddings that we’ve done. By doing so, it made everyone (especially those who were looking over the screen) feel more engaged.
As mentioned in our blogs before, sound quality is equally important as visual quality to us. Therefore, for most of our weddings, we always dedicated a controller to manage the panels for switching angles and managing signal inputs. We had 4 audio signals, 1 main, 2 backups and one ambience. Some videographers will just do the ambience sound. I can understand why as no monitoring is required, however, the downside is the sound will be very one-dimensional. Our mission is to provide a full and high sound-visual quality to all our audience, regardless you watch it live or an HD video afterwards.
If you have any questions about Livestream (or not), just drop us a note.
Ciao for now!
Lifestream, Livestream! At Sergeants Mess Chowder Bay
Brief
Michael and Lina’s wedding was on 09-Jan-2021. They are a very well-prepared couple. I was approached by them more than 12 months ago, yes, the non-Covid world. Original brief was church ceremony followed by reception at Sergeants Mess Chowders Bay.
Challenge
As we all know, the 2019 is a big eff up. Lockdown, social distancing, face masks, gathering restrictions etc etc. New rules come out everyday and they change everyday as well so it has been a roller coaster ride for many newly weds with all these changes. Uncertainties were the biggest challenge for this project. Restrictions were eased on today but tightened the next day, and this was on repeat. And the most shocking news drop was the Avalon cluster just right before Christmas last year, which resulted in the Northern beaches lockdown.
Approach
According to the government announcement, the number of guests in Sydney weddings were reduced from 300 to 100, dance floors were limited to 20 people. Luckily Michael and Lina adapted well and reacted fast. They decided to have the ceremony and reception at Sergeants Mess and do a livestream wedding services to cater the guests that couldn’t make the wedding. In this way, the wedding was able to reach to more friends and family members than originally planned as some of them are from interstates and overseas. On the wedding day we have set up four cameras to ensure all angles have been captured and the audience for the best view. Three of the cameras were for the livestream and we have also prepared three wireless lapel mics to guarantee the best sound quality.
Results
“Fantastic work @sunny_siu_films. Had great feedback from family and friends overseas and across Australia who absolutely loved it. Highly recommended, especially during COVID-19.”
Tania, Lina’s sister and also her wedding planner
Livestreaming is a thing! | Bendooley Estate Weddings
Brief
On 20th December 2020, Sunny Siu Films has hosted its very first livestream wedding at Bendooley Estate in Berrima NSW. The couple’s friends and family are in inter states of Australia, South Africa and Asia, and thanks to the pandemic, they are not allowed to travel (obviously) to attend the wedding. Therefore we were asked to host this wedding online for them. Yep! Livestreaming is real! It’s a thing!
Challenge
The biggest challenge was the internet. Living in a digital era, when you know in-flight wifi is available already, sometimes it’s hard to believe how remote some area on earth still is and the reception is still bad. A successful livestream event lies heavily on real-time synchronisation. It needs to be smooth to give the audience the real vibe of the event. As the saying goes, “There are no secrets to succeed. It’s the result of preparation, hard work and learn from failure.” A well-prepped set up has already set us up a successful day. All the hard work of bringing gears down beforehand, repeated testing, and extra internet reception have not gone to waste.
Approach
Honest to god, the set up of this livestream event has no different from live TV production. We have 3 cameras set up at different angles to ensure all the essence is captured, aiming to make the family and friends from afar feeling as close as it possibly could. Our team has literally produced your own show for you. We have also requested the newly weds and the celebrant to wear a microphone for the best sound quality. Imagine how frustrated it will be if you can’t hear them vow! We have opted for zoom for broadcasting the wedding. It’s just easy and handy for everyone. Who isn’t a Zoom expert after 2020 if you know what I mean?! It’s a mature video chat software and also the chatbox feature from zoom allows people in the chatroom to engage and provide real-time response if a plus for us. The full video will then be uploaded on our Vimeo channel or a downloadable file is also available if anyone wants to re-live the day again.
Results
The event was well-received by everyone. We all know it’s not perfect. We all know we want to be together and share the joy together. However. in this crazy world that we are living in, we do the best that we can to bring you love and happiness for your beloved ones. We also received a heartfelt comment from the couple after the wedding and thought we’d share with you.