Magical Moments on the Wedding Show (programme critique by Hilda W. Mwangi 09-0872)

The wedding show is a local television programme aired on Citizen Television every Sunday between 6-7pm and is presented by Noni Gathoni. She visits wedding ceremonies of people and captures the whole event from the decorations to the dressing of the bridal party and to the reception grounds. She also interviews the wedding couple to get to know about how they met, how the proposal was done, what went into the wedding, why they chose their decoration colour, decoration and so on. A commercial break is aired halfway into the show, some wedding tips often follow. Wedding planners are also interviewed to give tips on how to have a stress-free and successful wedding. Two different wedding ceremonies are show cased in each show.
26TH September 2010
Pink, purple and green colours used made the whole show colourful and bright. The melodious music at the background was faded well whenever the presenter wanted to talk. During the interview, there was noise at the background but the signal-to-noise ratio was high so it did not affect the interview. Those in the audience who dressed nicely were given some recognition which emphasized the importance of friends and relations in a wedding ceremony. However, there was some pop out sound from the couple during the interview which needed to be taken care of during the editing process. Also, the camera was moving too much when the couples were reciting their vows; it should have focused on them.
3rd October 2010
The bridal parties were dressed in gold, maroon, pink, violet and green which was beautiful combination. Though the weather was dull, the lighting covered up for it and the picture quality was bright and good. The camera techniques were used appropriately. There was a zoom in for viewers to take a closer look at the shoes, jewelry and hair styles of the bridal party. There was also a dolly in as the bride walked into the church and during the dancing session at the reception ground. This created the happy mood of the occasion. The presenter wore a lavaliere microphone that made her hands free to express herself. However, the commercial break was too long with so many adverts this made it boring for some of the viewers who do not like such things.
10th October 2010
It was not the usual church wedding but a garden one which made it unique. The scenery and decorations was beautiful with friends and relations attending in their numbers and magnificently dressed. The sound and picture quality were both good though sound qualities had problems when the presenter’s pitch went high at some point and also when the band musicians were playing at the reception. They opted to use omni-directional microphones which picked up signals from all directions which caused a lot of feedback. The commercial break was still too long. The camera angles brought in every detail in the dressings and decorations. The songs were cued in well such that they followed one another systematically.
17th October 2010
The show was unique one as it was between a Kenyan lady and a Scottish man. The groom was dressed in his Scottish traditional wear while the bride was in her normal wedding gown. The rich culture of the Scott’s was displayed through the music and dance. The lighting system was bright and since she used the lavaliere microphone, an objective representation of audibility and loudness was projected. The combo was done well and each time, the music fades away slowly to usher in her voice. However, on few occasions, noise from the audience could be heard especially during the interview. Also at the very beginning of the show, the host seemed not to be ready because the camera was on her for about a minute before she started talking and as usual the commercial break was too long.
24th October 2010
There was a pre-wedding show where the bride-to-be was getting herself prepared for the occasion. A wedding expert was interviewed and she brought out some useful wedding tips. The camera angles and movements were good. During the recitation of the vows, the pastor put the microphone very close to his month which produced some signals but he was quickly corrected. The signal-to-noise ratio was accepted considering the fact that there was a lot of noise in the background. The sound quality was good and so was the picture quality. However there were some “P” and “B” sound alterations from the groom during the interview which could have been taken care of during the editing process.
31st October 2010
The show started with the parents of the bride walking her into the church and the pastor took over the ceremony. The camera angles and lighting system used were good during the ceremony as they helped in pronouncing the emotions in the room. The reception started with the couple and their families and friends dancing to the tune of some traditional music. The sound and picture quality was good also in the reception. Everything went well except for during the vow recitation when the microphone presence was very poor as the pastor could be heard very well while the couple was barely audible. When the programme was over, the master monitor was not turned off but the presenter did not know this so all that she said after wards was aired as well.
7th November 2010
This was a good wedding which was unique in the fact that the congregation of witnesses also partook of Holy Communion. The camera angles used were spectacular as they made it feel like the couple was one with the crowd. The crowd looked involved in the wedding and not just like observers. The fact that a dolly was used in the reception was evident as the viewers could see every part of the couple even the tiny but beautiful wedding rings bestowed on their fingers. Everything was good except for the fact that so much editing had been done that it made the wedding seem fake like a movie and not reality.
14th November 2010
This wedding was set in an outdoor setting and the camera angles used were mostly to demonstrate the number of wealthy guests attending the glorious event. The camera focused on the luxurious Bentley that the couple arrived in at the Zen Gardens and how beautiful they looked getting out of the car together. It was clearly an expensive wedding not to be missed by anyone. The lighting used was adequate as no mishaps could be spotted. The sound system was quite audible as there were no moments of strenuous listening. The camera captured the dances between the couple meticulously and also focused on what the guests were adorned in.
21st November 2010
This was a beautiful event where the bridal party were a sight for sore eyes. The arrangement of the grounds was also very welcoming as the seating arrangement was well specified, especially the VIP area which was especially well decorated. The feature of the show though was the wedding cake. It was a beautiful seven tier chocolate brown cake which towered as high as the expectations of the day. The cake was captured in close range and was still zoomed into as it was being cut. This was followed by a showing of past cakes also featured on the show. The final part was as the cake was being enjoyed by the bridal party.
28th November 2010
The part of this wedding was the night party as the colours did not depress but added mystery to the ballroom detail. The lighting helped in achieving these details. The interior decorations were also spectacular and the ambience achieved was indeed a good achievement. The guests could be seen to be having a good time as the camera panned from table to table at their smiling faces. A dark red tint had been achieved which went well with the black dress code. This made the gathering appear classy. The sound quality was also good as Noni talked about the newlyweds.