Wedding Videos

[Marc Peters]

I took a BIG gamble doing that! I'd chosen what turned out to be a poor position due to time constraints, so sneeked around and hid behind a few pillars during the readings. Helps that I was using a handheld and am only 5'6, but yes, I took a big gamble that paid off!

Makes me think that I will have to try and sweet talk vicars in the future into "minimal movement that won't meet their line of sight". Doubt they'll have any of it, but you can live in hope!

[GillianG]

Marc, I think your use of the moving camera was very well done, and very steady, and I too like the viewpoint of an unseen onlooker. I do think it can be overdone though, there are times you need to hold still.

At the start I found the shot of the church name board a bit hard to watch, I liked the journey under the trees, but I think you could have ended it a fraction sooner and done a simple dissolve to the church, rather than a fade to black.

I liked the pan up the groom and friends, but as with the lectern later on, once you get to the subject you need to hold still for a bit, not move on.

Rather than follow the same action with fades between, perhaps cutting back and forth between the groom etc, the interior of the church, lighting of candles etc and the bride, would have avoided some of those fades to black and you could have used sraight cuts instead?

I loved the 'walk' around the bride while she was having her veil adjusted.

I don't know whether you had time to get any, but just as a general tip for anyone, cutaway shots of the congregation, taken say while they reassmble the B&G etc at the register table, also help to avoid the use of fades and dissolves between changes of camera angle.

The 'you may kiss the bride' shot was fantastic, but you need to cut it before the camera moves away.

I seem to have gone on a bit, sorry And I know from past comments that you like transitions, whereas I avoid them unless they are really essential


Gillian

[Marc Peters]

Originally Posted by GillianG And I know from past comments that you like transitions, whereas I avoid them unless they are really essential

Infact, it's the complete opposite! But for this "style" I think too many hard cuts don't "make the cut". I doubt I would change this in a re-edit to be honest,

However, I did feel the music was SCREAMING out dip to black at me. I think I was influenced majorly by "One Night Stand" here. (Love Mike Figis). I'm thinking if the sex scene with flash backs in balck and white. It really helps to draw your attention away from what you're watching rather than get wrapped up in it.

I did toy with the idea of mixing up the shots, but decided on grouping to help tell the story. Especially with the limited material I had!

The camera work at the begining? Perhaps a tad too stylised (you'll have seen the same movement before on my videos ) I feel that all too often videos are seen as a means to an end rather than an art form. Like the painter and his brush, the videographer should see the camera as his tool.

Sometimes we get too bogged down in the "reality". I guess that's because video is so true to what we see with our eyes. If monet painted exactlt what he saw, the world would be a poorer place.

Of course, we're talking mainstream with wedding videos so any "experimental video" should be locked away here... but that's not to say it should be treated as a news cast.

I'm afraid the lack of holding on subjects/objects was due to arm fatigue

[Marc Peters]

The 'you may kiss the bride' shot was fantastic, but you need to cut it before the camera moves away.

I love the way the camera moved away from the couple. I think it added something to the kiss to see that everyone was watching them. It's one of the few occasions where people don't think "for god's sake, take it to the bedroom".

I think our styles are very different Gillian!

[GillianG]

I was in two minds as to whether to post that comment of mine, or at any rate quite as I'd written it, but I had to go out and I was being nagged to get a move on - so I pressed send and was told 'unable to connect to server', and I was somewhat relieved. Then I come home and there it is

I agree styles do differ, I have to admit all those fades to black just didn't do it for me.

But wouldn't it be boring if we all made videos in the same style

I have the feeling you are more certain about your presentation since you've argued for it against my comments, than you were before. Which is great. It can often work that way - I've been there myself.

Gillian