CRITIQUE OF THE WEDDING SHOW BY DAISY C. KETER,09-1182

CRITIQUE OF THE WEDDING SHOW by DAISY C.KETER, 09-1182
Introduction
The wedding show is a program that is normally aired on citizen television from 6.00pm to 6.45pm on Sundays with the repeats on Saturday at 10am. The host of the show is called Noni Gathoni and she is normally invited to weddings where she derives her program from. The wedding show showcases several weddings and all the details in the weddings are highlighted. One episode showcases two weddings.
Episode 1
During this particular episode, the wedding was been held at All Saints Cathedral church and there was a large congregation. The lighting was good since there were several sources of light. The sound was however poor at times since we could hear the echoes of the bride and the bride groom as they made their vows.
When the bride and the bride groom were making their vows, there was a close-up shot on each of them and when they were hugging and kissing there was the extreme close-up shot. To feature the whole congregation, an establishing shot was used. When describing the flowers, decoration, the cake, the bride’s gown, the grooms outfit and also the maids outfit, he zoomed in on them for a close-up look.
The pictures were perfect and they created a happy mood to the audience. When Noni was interviewing the couple, she used the hand held microphone which she put at a safe distance to avoid distortion of sound.
Episode 2
During the second episode, the wedding was held outdoors since it was a garden wedding. The congregation was not as large but the set-up was great. The camera man used the establishing shot to show the set-up of the wedding even before the guests had arrived.
During this wedding, they used the sun as the source of light and it worked well for them.
Sound was however not as good since there was a lot of wind and hence it affected the good quality of sound. This shows that they used the wrong kind of microphone for the outdoor wedding.
The pictures were good and there were red love hearts on the screen. This created a special effect to the program and also to the audience.
Episode 3
This particular wedding was held indoors and it was at night. We get the overhead shot where each person is captured as they dine and chat. The lighting here is good since we are able to clearly see the people in the wedding ceremony. There is also the background music which adds a special effect and also gets the audience into the mood.
When showing the cake and the beautiful decorations on the walls, a close-up shot is used. Also, there’s perfect lighting as no shadows are cast on the walls. This shows that the concept of light has clearly been depicted. The graphics used are also excellent where there are red love hearts that blend well with the theme color of the wedding. Camera shots are well taken and hence produce quality pictures.
Episode 4
This wedding is held outdoors next to a lake. We see the overhead shot that captures the congregation as they are sitting down. An establishing shot is also used to show the whole set up of the place. As the bride groom awaits the bride, we get a close-up shot on him and we can see him nervous and fumbling his fingers.
The camera person uses a full long shot to capture the bride as she is walked down the aisle by her parents. This creates a good effect as we can see her moving closer to the altar.
Lighting here is not as good since the nearby lake is not clearly visible as the lake waters reflect the light hence creating a poor view. As Noni interviews the couple, a close-up shot is taken of them. The sound quality is good hence we can tell that they used the right microphone for the outdoors occasion.
Episode 5
This wedding is held indoors in a church set up. The camera person uses an establishing shot that captures the whole congregation. Sound is perfect as the bride and bridegroom make their vows there are no echoes. There is an extreme close-up shot on the golden rings that the couple put onto each other. Lighting is also good as there are no shadows cast on the walls and all the persons in the congregation were clearly visible. There was also the background music that created a happy mood for the occasion, as the couple walked out of church. During the reception ceremony, there were close-up shots for the maid’s shoes and the different details on the bride’s gown.
Episode 6
This wedding is held indoors and it is at night that is during the evening party. There is the establishing shot that captures the whole congregation and also the set-up. Sound and lighting is perfectly done and we also see the use of background music which blends in well during the transition of one scene to the next. The camera movements are good as the camera person uses a close-up shot to scroll down the brides gown and the grooms outfit, from their neck to their shoes.
The camera angles are also perfect as we are able to see from all angles of the room. The graphics used also create a special effect to the show as the love hearts are seen to pour out of their mouths as they are kissing.
There is however a distraction when especially the camera person is taking a long short then a person walks in front of the camera.
Episode 7
In today’s wedding, the function starts in a church which is Consolata Catholic church. The choice of colors in this wedding is very wonderful; they choose to combine red, gold, purple and orange. I must say the colors are very bright and hence they create a lively mood. There is an establishing shot of the church and its compound. Then there is the dolly in as the camera person gets into the church and we can see the seat arrangement inside the church.
At the front we see the groom’s man waiting nervously for her lady, he has an orange three piece suit with black pants. The camera man focuses on his face down then he tilts down to his shoes that are sparkling. After some time the bride walks in with a beautiful gown on which has quite a long train. The camera man zooms in on her diamond earrings and chain and hence we can clearly tell that they are made of pure diamond. She is walked down the aisle by her parents who are also very smartly dressed. There is panning as the whole altar is viewed from the left to the right and back to the centre where the couple is together with the priest. Then there is the high angle shot where the whole congregation is seen. The reception is held outdoors in a well lit area. The sound is good as we can clearly hear as the people sing and dance for the couple. The lighting is also good and hence there are no blurred pictures. Then there is an over the shoulder shot as the groom gives the bride the cake. The wedding is colorful and I enjoy it.
Episode 8
At this wedding, it is held outdoors for it is a garden wedding. There is an establishing shot of the seat arrangement. Then there is a lake just next to the garden and it makes the place look very beautiful. The theme colors in this wedding are green and gold and they match quite well. The groom comes first in a stunning Mercedes and we get a close-up shot of him inside the car then a dolly out as we see the exterior of the car. He walks to the front escorted by his best man. They sit at the front seats and we get an extreme close-up shot of the groom’s hands and we can see him fumbling his fingers. As the bridal party walks in, we get a long shot of them heading to the altar. Then there is the close-up low angle shot as the little flower girl blushes from the camera. Then as the bride walks to the front we get a medium shot of her as she is escorted by her father. As the ceremony begins we see a three shot of the bride, the groom and the priest. The lighting here is also good though at some point the groom seemed darker than he actually was, this is because the camera person was facing the direct light from the sun as he was taking a shot of him.
As the groom put the ring on her bride, we get an over the shoulder shot and also an extreme close-up of their fingers and hence we can clearly see the neatly manicured nails. The sound is good and we can clearly hear them as they talk. I also love the special effects, where the red love hearts are displayed on the screen hence creating a good mood in the wedding.
Episode 9
In this wedding, the ceremony is held outdoors too and the theme colors here are red and black. The colors are simple but beautiful too. There is a background music that creates a romantic mood for the wedding. The groom is putting on a black suit with a red tie. His best man too is in a black and red three piece suit. They stand at the front waiting for the bride to come. There is a long shot of the venue and a high angle shot of the congregation too. The groom in this wedding is wearing very unique shoes and hence the camera man zooms in on his shoes quite often. The bride comes to the venue on a horse and this is quite interesting as she seems quite at ease on it. The bridal party this have tiny beautiful umbrellas with them and they match with their outfit. There is a medium-shot of the bride’s mother as she walks her daughter to the altar. We see tilting as the camera person shows us the bride’s gown from her neck to her shoes. Then there is an over the shoulder shot as the bride puts the ring on her husband to be finger. Then we get an extreme close-up of the couple kissing. We get a long shot of the congregation as the camera person pans it from right to left. The cake is very unique in that it is made in the form of a mansion and we can see a lot of creativity. The sound is not very good in this wedding because sometimes the wind distort the sound; this shows that they did not use the right microphone.
Episode 10
This wedding is unique in that the whole ceremony is held in doors. The couple in this wedding is Indians and we can see as the bride is preparing for the wedding in a separate room. Someone is drawing her arms and legs with some henna. Then the groom is wearing some traditional wear, long shorts with a beaded shirt. The bride is wearing an orange sari and sandals. There is an extreme close-up shot of the drawings on the bride’s hand and we can see that some dragon like patterns. There is also a long shot of the room in which the wedding will be taking place. This wedding is quite different from the rest and the bride and the bride groom are allowed to kiss before they have made their vows. The sound is good though we cannot understand what they are saying since it’s in Indian. There is a high angle shot of the women as they dance around the room separate from the men. Then there is a close-up shot of the groom as he is seated on a special seat specifically made for him. We get a three shot of the bride, the groom and the priest as they make their vows. The camera zooms in on the rings that the page boy gives to the priest. The light here is good but at the corners of the room where the guests are seated, the shadows are cast on the walls. Then we get an over the shoulder shot as the groom puts the ring on her bride. There is panning as we see the guests as they dine and wine. The priest makes a joke and we get an extreme close-up of the bride as she laughs. This enables us to see her facial expression in a more clear way. The camera person dolly’s in and out of the room. The sound is poor though because we can get a lot of echoes from time to time.
Conclusion
If I was the producer of the wedding show, I would make it better by ensuring that the right microphones are used in the different environments available. I would also ensure that the weddings that are held in doors have proper lighting to produce quality production. I would also change the graphics and the special effects where it is always the red love hearts in all the weddings. I could use a variety of special effect to avoid monotony. I would also ensure that I get at least a variety of shots and angles to avoid the same shots in a whole episode. The background music is also important in that it creates a happy mood which is right for such a production. I however would rate this show as good because it has at least followed the basic fundamentals in broadcast.