“Do you have a drone?”  It’s a question we’ve been hearing a lot of lately.  Drones are in the news and many videographers and photographers are touting expensive packages which include their use. Is this a good way to spend your wedding dollars?

Getting the Bird’s Eye View

Unlike many videography companies, LeniCam is a full-time video production service which produces videos for many types of occasions, events and purposes.  While weddings are the heart of our business, we find synergistic connections in all of our work.

As our founder, John Lenihan, trotted along the sidelines of sporting events recording footage, he wished for a way to get his videocamera up over the heads of the crowd.  Coaches, parents and relief players with their toes on the out-of-bounds line made his job very difficult.

Since John is an engineer, by training and mindset, he soon put these skills to work, figuring out a solution.  It is pretty easy to get a still camera over the heads of a crowd.  All you have to do is lift it up there with your arm.  You see a lot of photographers doing that.  A professional grade videocamera is a lot heavier, so John developed an extra-tall tripod to hold the camera in place.

The camera was up up in the air, but we couldn’t see what was being recorded.  We needed to be able to follow the action and make necessary adjustments to the camera.  John solved those problems, too, with a remote control and remote viewing glasses.  We’ve been using this proprietary technology for years.

Do You Really Need a Drone?

Before drones were the sexy new ask, we’d been capturing special wedding shots from our unique camera for a variety of purposes.  For instance, many Indian weddings feature a vigorous dance competition between the men and the women.  The crowd is so excited by these events there’s no room for a videographer at the edge of the dance floor.  That’s fine.  We set up our cameras at the back of the crowd and video from above.  We get a great perspective of the dance and wonderful closeups of the faces both on the stage and in the crowd.

By using this technology, we’re able to get the shots a drone would get and in some cases do it better.  Drones come with their own set of problems.  They can be distracting.  There are air spaces where they’re not allowed.  Weather conditions can prohibit their use.  Footage taken with a drone can be shaky or out of focus.  None of these challenges arise with our sky-high remote camera.

You want a drone?  You can get a drone – but its going to cost you.  Contact us to discuss using our sky-high technology for your wedding.

What is a Wireless Lavalier Microphone?

The term “lavalier” is borrowed from the jewelry world, but the more you research the actual use of the word, the more confusing it becomes. (To compare various definitions visit http://www.memidex.com/lavalier.) Apparently the word originally came from the name Louise, Duchesse de La Vallière, a mistress of King Louise XIV. However, the use of the word for a type of jewelry is directly related to an actress whose stage name was Eve Lavallière.

Even the jewelry world can’t make up its mind about the necklace. If you search “Tiffany Lavalier”, sorority and fraternity pendant jewelry is what you’ll find. However, several sources quote Hans Nadelhoffer from Cartier: Jewelers Extraordinary (http://www.amazon.com/Cartier-Hans-Nadelhoffer/dp/0500513619) and he describes it as sort of lasso necklace.

Jewlery aside, the first lavalier microphones were actually worn around the neck and were quite awkward looking, but the devise freed up the hands. Today a lavaliere microphone is not worn around the neck, but will be found clipped to the edge of clothing or hidden behind a lapel. For this reason, they are also referred to as lapel or personal microphones. You see them used frequently in public speaking and entertainment.

A wireless lavalier microphone comes in three parts. The first part is the clip which picks up the sound and transmits to larger transmitter. We usually affix the clip to a lapel, but we’ve hidden them in everything from a podium to a flower arrangement. The transmitter is a small box, which is usually attached to a belt or slipped into a pocket. The third part of the microphone is the receiver; it is located on the camera and receives the sound for broadcasting or recording or both.

Why You Should Invite at Least One Wireless Lavalier Mic to Your Wedding

Over the course of a wedding day, LeniCam may use many types of microphones and audio feeds, but there is one we always use and that’s a wireless lavalier mic on the groom. We’ve found it’s the absolute best way to capture the vows during a wedding ceremony. That’s justification enough for the mic, but we’ve also found it serves other uses.

Though we try to capture every single detail of a wedding, from exterior views of the ceremony venue to the couple’s departing vehicle, our primary concern throughout the day is keeping up with the bride and groom. If there is any question about where we need to be to get our shots, it’s possible to get several different versions of the couple’s whereabouts. The wedding coordinator may tell us one story, the DJ may explain it another way and the mother of the bride will have a completely different idea about it. When the groom has on a lavalier mic, we can turn to his frequency and listen in to his conversation. Usually within a few words we can decide whether we need to move the cameras or just wait a moment.
Perhaps the best reason for the lavalier mic is how easy it is to forget it’s there. As the bride and groom make their way through the wedding festivities, they share private jokes, whispered endearments and funny little secrets. These off-the-record words inevitably become the favorite moments of the video for the bride and groom, even if they have us hide them on a portion of the video no one else has access to.
We’d love to show you other ways our equipment is used to capture the special moments of your wedding and explain how our compassionate approach to vidoegraphy will make a difference in your wedding video. Call us now at 972-978-0446 or email info@lenicam.com to set up your videography appointment.

LeniCam Video Productions – Dallas Wedding Videographer