YouTuber does a terrible job as a wedding videographer – and his play-by-play commentary is hilarious

I've just watched Casey Stern from the YouTube channel Camera Conspiracies accidentally become the primary videographer at his fiancée's best friend's wedding. And it's not just a hilarious video. It's the best advertisement for hiring a professional videographer that I've ever seen.

To set the scene, the Canadian presenter turns up on the day with the intention of grabbing some artsy slow-motion B-roll with his Canon R5 II and RF 50mm f/1.2. Perhaps, he muses, he can later set the footage to music as a wedding gift. Noble intentions. Lightweight kit. Zero pressure. 

But then he discovers that the groom's plan for his brother to film the wedding has fallen through. Why? Because the supposed "8K" camera they'd ordered online turns out to be terrible. Suddenly, Casey's holding the only proper camera at the wedding. Panic stations.

What follows is 20 minutes of frantic documentation that perfectly illustrates why asking your mate with "good gear" to make a wedding video is not the same as hiring a professional… not by a long chalk.

Autofocus becomes the enemy

The Canon R5 II is, by his account, a magnificent piece of kit with brilliant autofocus. Except when it isn't. Casey's running commentary as his camera decides to focus on flowers instead of the bride walking down the aisle is painful. "Oh, there's my bride. Okay, focus on them. Oh, no. Not happening, huh?" The mother giving away her daughter? Canon says no thanks, let's look at that bouquet instead. 

We're talking key moments, completely botched by technology that works brilliantly 95% of the time – which isn't nearly enough when you've only got one shot at filming someone's mom walking them down the aisle.

A professional would have had backup plans, custom AF modes or manual focus skills honed over dozens of weddings, and probably wouldn't be shooting wide open at f/1.2 for critical moments. Casey admits he'd have been "done for" without autofocus. That's not a backup plan; that's a prayer.

Audio is a disaster

Casey is woefully unprepared for the task thrust upon him. After all, he's rocked up with no shotgun mic, no wireless lavs, nothing. And this means capturing vows and speeches with in-camera audio from 40ft away. Even with AI noise removal in post, it's a disaster. 

Professional wedding videographers spend hundreds, sometimes thousands, on audio gear because they know you can't fix terrible audio. You can color grade dodgy footage, but you can't resurrect the bride's vows from ambient church reverb and rustling dresses.

Casey shoots everything at 4K 60fps, then doesn't slow most of it down because he needs the audio. So he's got enormous file sizes for no benefit. Meanwhile, he's shooting in standard profile instead of C-Log because he thought the couple might want "raw clips" they could grade themselves. Dude, they were going to film the wedding on a phone; they won't want to colour grade anything.

My favorite bit is when Casey tries to film the first dance whilst simultaneously dancing with his fiancée. He's holding his hand out to her whilst keeping the camera trained on the couple. The stabilization is "a little jerky at times", he notes. You don't say.

Why this matters

This not just about laughing at someone's misfortune. It's also a great demonstration what couples are actually paying for when they hire a wedding videographer. Yes, they've got good gear. But more importantly, they've got redundant audio solutions. Experience at knowing which moments matter. The ability to direct people and manage a scene. 

Backup cameras and lenses. Proper lighting equipment. Years of practice at manual focus when autofocus fails. Knowledge of which settings to use and when. The skill to deliver finished, usable footage. Need I go on?

Casey's setup – a $4,000 camera with a $2,500 lens – is arguably better than what many wedding photographers use. But he still manages to miss key moments, get unusable audio, and create jerky footage whilst trying to be in two places at once. And remember, he's no newbie. He's an experienced videographer with professional gear. His YouTube content is slick and professional. His channel has 172K subscribers. And yet he still struggles when thrown into an unfamiliar situation without preparation. 

So, next time a relative says they can't afford a wedding photographer or videographer, and asks "Can you bring your camera instead?", show them this video. Then tell them hire a pro. They're expensive because they're worth it, and this chaotic, hilarious video shows exactly why.