Tally Light for Wedding Videographers — Signal Your Second Shooter Silently
You're at the altar position, recording the ceremony. Your second shooter is 30 metres away on the opposite aisle. You need to start rolling at the same moment. Your options: mouth "rolling" across the room, wave your hand, or — if you're using Cue Light — tap a button and their phone flashes green instantly.
Hardware tally lights cost $200+ per unit and require you to be on the same WiFi network. At most venues, you don't control the WiFi. Cue Light runs over cellular — it works anywhere your phone has signal, which is everywhere you'll ever shoot a wedding.
Why wedding videography needs tally
Single-camera wedding shoots don't need tally — you know when you're recording because you pressed record. Multi-camera shoots are different:
- You want both cameras rolling at the same moment for the vows
- Your second shooter needs to hold their shot when you're using it
- During speeches, you want the speaker to know they're on camera
- Getting-ready shots in separate rooms need coordination without shouting
The problem isn't having a tally system — it's that every existing solution assumes you're in a fixed studio with a local network. Weddings are the opposite: new venue every time, unreliable WiFi, crew spread across a large space.
Setup on shoot day — 30 seconds
- Open Cue Light on your phoneGo to cuelight.io/app on your phone. A room is created instantly — no signup.
- Second shooter scans the QR codeTap "Show QR Code." Second shooter scans. Their phone opens fullscreen display mode. Screen stays on via Wake Lock.
- Tap to signal throughout the dayGreen = rolling. Amber = standby, get ready. Off = break. All connected phones update instantly — silently, over cellular.
Every wedding scenario covered
Ceremony coverage
Signal your second shooter across the aisle at the exact moment vows start. No hand signals, no noise, no missed shots.
Speeches
Let the speaker know when you're rolling so they wait for you. Tap green, they see it, they begin. Clean takes every time.
Roaming third shooter
Dance floor, balcony, outside — all on the same room code. Works wherever they have cellular signal.
Getting ready
Bride and groom in separate rooms. Signal between spaces without walking back and forth or calling.
Works over cellular — venue WiFi irrelevant
This is the key difference from hardware tally. Cuebi, Hollyland, and other hardware systems require you to set up a WiFi access point on the switcher network. At a wedding venue, you don't control the WiFi. You're on whatever the venue provides, which may be shared with 200 guests and barely functional during the reception.
Cue Light routes over the public internet using Cloudflare's edge network. If your phone has 4G or 5G signal — which it does at every wedding venue — tally works. The latency is under 100ms. Green on your screen means green on your second shooter's screen in less than a tenth of a second.
Tips for wedding shoots
- iPhone: use Safari. Safari on iPhone supports Wake Lock — screen stays on during the ceremony. Chrome on iOS does not support Wake Lock.
- Android: use Chrome. Chrome on Android has full Wake Lock support.
- Brief your second shooter beforehand. Green = rolling, amber = standby, black dot = connected but not live. 30 seconds of briefing before the ceremony.
- Prop the phone next to the camera lens. Second shooter sees the tally colour without looking away from their shot.
- Charge before the shoot. Wake Lock keeps the screen on all day — that uses more battery than standby. A full charge gets you through the longest ceremony comfortably.
Ready for your next shoot?
Open Cue Light, show the QR to your second shooter, tap green when you roll. 30 seconds, works over cellular.
Start free — no signup