I'm setting up my new website (changed company names recently) and I just re-edited a demo that I had from last year. If anyone has three minutes to spare and is willing to critique it I'd appreciate it. Just go to http://www.endlessimagesutah.com and click on the Video Gallery picture. It's the only one in there so it'll start playing when you click on that gallery picture. Thanks for your thoughts.

Hey Mike,

Okay, I have some comments.

For the positive, it's very well shot. Well framed. Perfect exposure, which is really difficult in sunny setting like that. Great quality (what camera is it? What are you using to encode and at what settings?)

What would I change? Well, that opening shot (which is great) is begging for a title, for starters. The second shot is too long.

I would look for shots that help you tell a story. Right now it comes across as a series of the same shot, so it feels too long. Laughing bride and groom, kissing a lot, but nothing happens. You do have one walking shot about halfway through that I remember, but it's not enough. Mix it up a bit if you have the material. Where are they? Where are they going? Do you have shots of them in transition, preparing to get to the next spot, more inserts, whatever...

Get away from the constant dissolves. This is perhaps too subjective a critique, but I find constant dissolves for no reason make a video 'mushy'. Dissolves can be a beautiful effect, but lose their power if that's all there are. I'll never forget a friend of mine telling me that his film prof told him "When you can't solve...dissolve." I think of that every time I edit a video.

You might want to consider some colour correction to give the video a 'look'. Right now it's very realistic, which is fine if that's what you are aiming for, but perhaps you are not, I don't know...Even just to warm it up a bit could be nice. The outdoors make it so blue.

Anyway, that's it off the top of my head. Nice work, though.

Cheers,
Vito

Was this a Mormon wedding? I ask because of the look of the church, the style of her dress and the fact that there is no ceremony footage. If so, it is one of the MOST INTERESTING Mormon wedding videos I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!!! WOW!
The colors and scenery are beautiful. The bride and groom are beautiful. And her dress (for a modest/plain one) is gorgeous.
If I am correct, i understand why there is little footage to shoot/choose from and I think it's beautifully done.

ETA: I just saw that you are from Utah which would be reason #4 why I make the above guess! ;)

I think thats being over critical.

You obviously shot this as a Love Story type edit (The fact that the ceremony is not in it tells that) and therefore the couple are the focus.....it doesn't need anything else to be going on.

Dissolves are part of this kind of video and as it is a wedding.....your only real audience pleaser is the bride and her friends because in case you have not noticed.....women invented "mushy" lol.

Everyone has their own way of doing things, thats what makes video an art form but I think this is a well shot video.

I think thats being over critical.

Over critical? Mike is changing his business name, setting up a new website, posting a new demo and asking for critique. He is being smart to ask what the demo says to others, especially his peers who might have valuable feedback for him.

Do you think he wants us all to come here to stroke his ego?

I don't know anything about Mormon weddings, or the material he has, but I know video. I'm telling him how the video reads to me when I watch it. He can either ignore my feedback, or use it as he wishes.

I appreciate ALL of the feedback that you've given. I do appreciate your honest comments Vito, and I don't think you're being over critical. I will say that Cara is dead on in her guess. Let me explain a little background about LDS (aka Mormon) weddings that will explain this video a bit more.

As Cara said, the ceremony is not open to the public. It is done inside the temple, the large white building seen in many of the shots. When the couple comes out that's when the video and photo shoot begins. That's why you see the couple exiting the building at first and then move on to other things. Most of the shots are just candid shots of the couple during the photo shoot. Some shots are staged (liked the rack focus between her in the foreground and him in the background) but most are not. I did focus on the couple specifically for this demo as I'm targeting brides. =) Normally there would be more group shots with the family and such, but I wanted to keep this demo short and to the point. So, hopefully this explains the video a bit more. I'm glad I left out these details at first though as it gave others a chance to just give their honest opinion of the video itself. Now that's it been given some context maybe that will change things.

As Vito said, I don't want my ego stroked, I want honest criticism that will enhance my "product" and bring in more business. I'm very glad to hear that Cara liked it, as she seems at least somewhat familiar with Mormon weddings and has presumably seen a few. On the subject of dissolves, personally I prefer them because they are not as jolting as a cut or a rougher transition. I know they are simple and can get boring, but I feel that they let the video flow nicely from one point to the next without interrupting the viewing experience. On faster paced videos cuts or other transitions would be more appropriate, but for the slow ones like this I like to keep it flowing.

If anyone else has comments I'd love to hear them. Thank you all again for your thoughts thus far.


Edit: Vito, I shoot on a DVX100A and I was using Sorenson Squeeze to compress this to Flash Video. Think I used the On2 codec. I can check my exact settings when I get home if you're interested. Thank you for the kind words on my framing and exposure. Thank goodness for ND filters.

Think I used the On2 codec. I can check my exact settings when I get home if you're interested. Thank you for the kind words on my framing and exposure. Thank goodness for ND filters.

Yeah, I would be interested. I have Squeeze, so it would be helpful. Thanks a lot.

I know that the ceremony in LDS weddings is closed (private). But I was wondering if it is permissable to place (hide?) an iRiver or such on the groom and record the audio. It might be able to be used quite creatively in a video?

I know that the ceremony in LDS weddings is closed (private). But I was wondering if it is permissable to place (hide?) an iRiver or such on the groom and record the audio. It might be able to be used quite creatively in a video?

My guess is they (LDS administration) are not fine with ANYTHING leaving the temple. Since I live out here in Idaho, the state with more Mormons per capita than even Utah, that is just a hunch. An educated hunch though.

A better tactic which would avoid causing religious problems, would be to have the B&G redo the vows in post for VO sections.

I know that you're both just trying to be helpful (Jason and Terry) but it's not the same type of ceremony inside the temple as it is in most churches. Even if you could get a recording device on the groom, there are no "vows" to record. I appreciate the suggestion, but I just wanted to clarify that it's not something that's really possible to do. The Church doesn't allow it, and there's really nothing to record.

Hey Mike,
My 2 cents would follow along with Vito's comments. The images look fantastic, but I would also want something to "happen" here. Regardless of the ceremony being closed off or whatever. We know something happened. Photo shoot is not enough to carry us through a whole video. Maybe this is the norm in LDS but I would want to be more interested in the couple. Great looking footage though...
Bill

1. I really liked the focus change on the kiss blown backwards.

2. I liked the white out and in on the kiss.

3. I liked the walk they were doing.

4. I bet you enjoyed having a couple that played to the camera.

I'll give you a top score with just one minus, the minus is because of my jealousy over your backdrop. Nice video dude. :}

Bill and Steven, thank you for your comments. I agree that it could be a bit more "driven" or tell more of a story. This is quite standard for an LDS video, but I agree that it could be more.

The groom in the video was I guy I had worked with for about 3 years and his wife was great. Both very funny individuals. It was an easy shoot.


Now, with all of this said I am doing my next wedding on a Glidecam as it seems to add another level of energy to the video. I am much more comfortable with the style portrayed in the video. I know this will be a fairly big adjustment and I can't help but wonder if it is worth it. I keep telling myself that it can take things to the next level, but there's always this nagging fear. I think that's usual for any type of change, but that doesn't mean I like it. Just wanted to voice that fear, if for no other reason than to get it off my chest.

Thanks again everyone for the comments. I really do appreciate it.

Hey Mike,
This would be a way to set you apart from other LDS videographers if you could make story driven... good luck.
Bill

Yeah, I'd grab them, throwem in the back of my Nissan, drive up into them thar hills and do some scenic stuff. Man, what a nice looking backdrop.

Bill, good point. Any thoughts on how to do that in terms of the actual wedding day? Let me give you a quick rundown on how a "typical" LDS wedding day goes. The bride and groom usually have their ceremony in the morning, if they schedule far enough ahead. They come out of the temple, spend an hour/hour and a half on pictures and video (similar to my demo). Then they go have a wedding lunch. Then they'll go to the reception location, have another photo shoot, have the reception, leave. There's probably a few other Utah videographers on here, but if you can think of any way to spice that up and make it story driven I'm all ears. I have done love stories before with the bride and groom, and those are fun and can be really great. But I've not thought of how I could change up the actual wedding day.

Steven, the terrain here is awesome. Just one of the great reasons to live here.

I realize the ceremony is private, but is there any way to incorporate a few of these things:

1. Bride getting ready/arriving at the church.
2. Groom getting ready/arriving at church.
3. Bride and or groom and family or attendants entering the church for the private ceremony.
4. Crowd reaction as couple exits the church.
5. Caravan leaving church/arriving at lunch and/or reception.
6. Recording special messages/promises/prayers (that sound vow-ish) from bride and groom to use as voice over later.

I also assume that your regular length video includes reception coverage or is this also kept private?

Cara,

Thanks for your suggestions/questions. The reception isn't private, just the actual ceremony inside the temple. Let me address a few of your other suggestions.

1-2: The bride and groom don't get in their full dress apparel as they change into completely white clothing inside the temple. But you could get some shots of the bride getting her makeup and hair done, as those are done before the ceremony.

3: Yes, you could get shots of them entering the temple. Only trick with this is that they usually don't all arrive at the same time (not even the wedding party). But it'd be relatively easy to station yourself outside and get shots of them coming in. It just doesn't have the same emotional impact of the entire wedding party arriving at a church.

4: Crowd reaction, definitely possible. In the full length form of this video (shortened for demo purposes) there were more shots of the family as the couple exited the temple.

5: Again, there's usually not much of a "caravan" as typical in other types of weddings. Most extended family members leave as their role in the photo shoot ends.

6: This suggestion would work and is a great idea. I should try to incorporate something more like this into it. Thanks.

Mike, I would also add that some natural audio goes a long way to drawing you into the couple and what they're up to. I don't come away from this knowing the couple at all. One of the benefits to capturing the preperation stuff would be to get the natural audio, comments, understanding of their situation and what the day means to them. I would almost say that in this situation that the "love story" might have to be a requirement for me. Imagine along with these great images, if you even just had them telling their story. Beforehand in the studio, nice & controlled and just overly that at the appopriate times in this video. It would be much stronger "story" wise. Good stuff. This is what we should all be doing (including me) focussing more on the B & G and their day, and what we're there for.
Bill

PBS did a great docu on Mormons that may be good to use for research for those who have a high volume of mormons in their market. It gives great insight on why and how they do things like weddings. Given that it may be alot more info than you need but it's a good watch anyway. It can be seen online here:

http://www.pbs.org/mormons/

While the intent of posting that documentary is great, I don't think it's the most objective documentary out there. Nothing wrong with doing research, it's just nice to find the best sources. If you want information about "Mormons" and how they view things I'd recommend LDS.org (http://www.lds.org) as a better source of information.

Bill, you're idea of having a love story intro is one I hadn't considered before. That could be a cool lead-in/expansion of the traditional video. Thanks for all of suggestions everyone. I really appreciate them.

Over critical? Mike is changing his business name, setting up a new website, posting a new demo and asking for critique. He is being smart to ask what the demo says to others, especially his peers who might have valuable feedback for him.

Do you think he wants us all to come here to stroke his ego?

I don't know anything about Mormon weddings, or the material he has, but I know video. I'm telling him how the video reads to me when I watch it. He can either ignore my feedback, or use it as he wishes.

Cool your jets Vito.....I'm from Ireland and here we do not "stroke" egos....we tell it like it is and if his video was rubbish and I didn't like it then I would have told him so.

Weddings are mushy.....they are the Brides Day.....she is your audience and whose wishes you seek to please......what was happening was a wedding....it's about the two people.

While the intent of posting that documentary is great, I don't think it's the most objective documentary out there. Nothing wrong with doing research, it's just nice to find the best sources. If you want information about "Mormons" and how they view things I'd recommend LDS.org (http://www.lds.org) as a better source of information.

I just posted that because I thought the documentary was quite good. But you're right that you could also find alot of good on their own web site.

I just wanted to comment on the webpage itself. It is, and I do not mean to be condacending because my own needs so much work, rather thrown together at the last minute looking. I understand it is just started, but I'm just going to tell you my first impression. I use a T1 line, and the video did not buffer well at all. It could be due to too many hits on your site at once, I don't know, but I would recommend a pre-loader on the flash clip. The site itself just needs asthetics, I'm sure you could find yourself a graphic artist/webmaster among your friends or aqquaintances who would help you out. (We are everywhere, and we multiply if you offer to pay.) Check out some free font websites and get away from the Windows fonts. The photos you use are awesome, especially the one on the contacts page. Maybe more photos of a smaller size? A collage of them for a background, slightly alpha washed? Small things like that would bring not only the site itself, but your visitors and clientell way up.

Josh, thanks for the comments on the site. I'll be the first to admit that I'm no graphic designer. I know it's nothing cutting edge, and I'll be changing things (or having someone else change them) when I get the chance. For the moment I just wanted to get something up for my prospective clients to see. That's not good that the video didn't buffer well for you. I haven't had any problems on my connection, though it is a 7Mbps connection. How would I go about adding a pre-loader for the Flash video? I'm sure I can research it but any help would be appreciated.

It's really a simple process, on your first two keyframes of flash you will put in some script and a few graphics to be your loading animations. I can't remember the "proper" way to do it, you can find that easily enough on www.actionscript.org. My code for pre-loading was made custom for a specific loading system, and I never had luck with buffering the video. The standard preloader should work on the video, again check out www.actionscript.org (no, I am not a member, it is just a gold mine of flash info)
On a side note, how are you on a 7mbps connection? Isn't that close to T3? Non-consumer if I remember my webmastering correctly.

Thanks for the info Josh. I'll check into that pre-loader information. As far as my connection, it isn't a consumer connection. It's two DSL lines combined and it's through my day job's business. So you are correct.

Very nice way to get high speed. If you do need some fonts or graphic work for your site email me and I'll give it a try, not so good with photos but I can do the text and other graphics. Keep posting updates to the site, I'd like to see it grow.