my sister is getting married next weekend and i have been told that the vicar says i need a license to film inside the church !
i am not a professional or use pro level equipment ... (Panasonic tm700) and was hoping to use my zoomh2n audio recorder for the vows ect
i am obviously not charging my sister for the video, its my gift to them.
i have been making films as a hobby for 5 years now and am reasonably skilled at editing and filming so the results will be pretty good, not "hollywood standard" but not uncle films with out of focus shaky handycam !
i filmed my brothers wedding at a country house and there was never any complaint about me filming and everyone loved what i produced
the only thing i was not allowed to film was the signing of the license which is understandable.
can anyone point me to what the UK law is or tell me as i cannot believe that a family member should need a license for this ... sounds like bad communication or a blatant attempt at extorting money !
Welcome to the forum and the murky, almost unfathomable, world of copyright.
The short answer is that you need a license to record just about any music played in church.
Take a look here http://www.iov.co.uk/showarticle.pl?id=4202;n=10
There have been many threads on this subject in this and other forums, just try searching any combination of wedding, copyright, MCPS, PRS, license etc.
Lots of vicars have had bad experiences, and as a result they don't trust people to do it properly - thinking that somehow they would be responsible for the rights breech, as the person in charge who permitted the act to happen. There's probably a bit of truth there, but I doubt anyone has ever taken a vicar to court?
The organisations many video people belong to (like the IoV) have put together simpler systems to license wedding stuff, than trying to do it yourself. This is perfectly possible, but a pain - so for those that do videos regularly in church, the IoV license is something the vicar will understand. You could do it yourself, and it would be fine, but the vicar expects a piece of paper he understands, so not having one or having different paperwork may convince him to say no, and that IS his right.
It's the music that's the real issue - so you could promise him that none of the music from the service will be used in the video you produce - and if it's in writing, then he may say ok. The rights issue is two separate issues. The person who composed the music and the person who recorded it are the focus. Most traditional hymns in a church are well out of copyright - 70 years after the composer's death, but if it's a CD of somebody, or an organist playing it - then they have a right to control the work. The organist could refuse his/her permission for their performance to be recorded - especially if they have had a bad time with video people, and if you find the music is Aled Jones, or Myleene Klass singing fight the good fight - then they (or their record company) will need compensation. The two agencies are PRS, for the composer and PPL for the record company/artiste. The licenses issued by IoV can clear most things, as can the licenses issued by PRS/PPL.
You have to satisfy the vicar it's all legit. It's a shame he's been burnt, or has a Bishop who's been annoyed.
thanks for the replies
i looked at the prs website and for the limited license its £25 for 1 to 5 copies of a dvd , but i wont be able to get the license in time anyway.
but talking to my sister there is only an organist playing, no recorded music so the license is for that i suspect
she is going to play the emotional blackmail card when she see him next as he was not told it was her brother filming and it is my wedding gift .... im only interested in recording the entrance, vows and exit and will be happy to
assure the vicar that the organists music will not be used if i record any of it, i can easily dub over some of my own musical composition's or use some old recordings that are out of copyright.
it would be extra work but as this is a private gift, copyright should not apply although the law which is an ass imo says it should, its disgusting that it should apply to this situation as the fee already charged should cover everything.
the funny thing is i cant see the vicar demanding that the 200 guests will not be permitted to record with their phones while in the church ....... there might be a riot, now that will be a wedding video to remember.
"but i wont be able to get the license in time anyway"
Have had a few of the LL's in the past and they are very simple to obtain. Just pay your fee and print it out same day.
Harry
All I can add is that you don't want to spoil your sisters day by falling foul of the vicar 
Some vicars ask for sight of the licence, other vicars only allow filming from the back of the church, although they are usually fine at the front if you guarantee that you won't interfere with the ceremony by jumping around, I've usually agreed my boundaries at the rehearsal.
I have seen a vicar stopping the service for a split second authoritatively to stop flash photography at a christening (It wasn't me), the same may happen if filming interferes with the ceremony, the vicar has the right to pause the proceedings until order is restored.
I hope all goes well for your sister and you, Good luck.
As said before, vicars etc sometimes get difficult through past experiences with photographers & video guys not behaving themselves. I heard of one video guy who tried to stop the ceremony during the vows because he was badly positioned! Needless to say the vicar threw him out!
I take it you are going for the Banns route? Well there is another option called a Special Licence, it costs a little more I believe but could be worth it. Ask if you attend the church regularly if that will count. In my case the parish boundaries had changed and I had a link to the church through school and a very good vicar so it wasn't a problem for us! I would suggest talking to the vicar and seeing what he/she can do for you and if he is not accomodating try applying for a Special Licence.
They don't ask what or who's music you will be using.
So where does the cash go.
I now seem to spend a lot of time arguing with inanimate objects
The wedding was a long time ago, but PRS distribute the income to their members based in these cases on stats - not actual individual songs. It means people like me ma have their music used, but I don't get anything. It's how it works. Oddly, funerals are now much better, because most councils use on line sources for their music, which gives very accurate data of what is being played. Not a perfect system, but the best one we have to date!