Hello all,
Just wondering, is anyone out there have a different approach to wedding videos? We seem to all be in a rut, me included. Everybody here generally shoots nice clean 3-ccd images, edited in Slo-mo over some nice Enya music or something of the like.

My question is there someone out there that has some new ideas they would like to show off, something that takes the wedding video to a higher level?

For the most part, all these wedding samples look the same, and unfortunately, mine arn't a whole lot different. Let's hear from the movers and shakers. Even if its radically different, let us know about it, and maybe theres a way we can make the idea work.

Unfortunately by nature the wedding videography genre is limited. It's like shooting a short film with the same script over and over again but with a different cast.

There are definitly different styles- and they aren't all the slow romantic type...I just find that is what my clients prefer. After all 99.9% of the time I'm dealing with the Bride and/or MOB. It take a certain type of client to prefer something other than slow, sweet, and romantic.

Walt C. a member here is one of the ones that I personally know that does some off the wall wild edits. Very fun, light hearted and fast paced. Maybe he'll chime in and even post an example of his more out of the "ordinary" approach.

Actually with HDV there is no advantage to using 3 CCDs because the MPEG2 compression codec simply throws away all the additional color information that is gained by the use of 3 CCDs. So other than an oversampling advantage the benefits are dubious.

Art,
There are many ways to tell the story. Some do short form, others long form, some use lots of slo-mo others don't. Some use lots of effects others don't.

It depends on the style of that particular person.

Remember, the ceremony is not the time to start getting super creative. The prep or pre-ceremony, formal shoot, cocktail time, reception recap, thats the time to let juices flow.

Check out joel Peregrine (Milwaukee), Terry T (New Orleans), Dave Bonner (Canada-by BTW, Walter C works for Dave) Ken Erhardt, Robert A. Erlich (started the 30 minute edit) Art Polin in FL-just to name a few-all have differing styles that still meet the clients requirements. Steady, clean and a great rememberance of the day.

As someone said, every wedding by nature is the pretty much the same and there is only so much you can do.

Don

Hi there, I am relatively different in my presentation style than almost every person i've met. The theory behind it is to take the couples favourite television or movie and recreate an episode of the show with their interests. I've done an intro of the Sopranos, Friends, Beverly Hills 90210, and am doing a Grease wedding in January. The Sopranos wedding had the intro which cut off to a poker table where all the groomsmen were playing, after a short skit we go to the bride and do some skits with her and go to the wedding. It's different but most people are very open to it, especially the young brides. I also do the elegant weddings as I call them, with all the slo mo's and such. Hope this helps.

I know you guys are used to the slow romantic stuff from me but here's something a little different... Its a credits montage (minus the credits titling)

http://home.comcast.net/~g.elliott3///McCoyCredits.wmv

Glen,
Magic as always! What is the name for the shot in which the camera is intentionally angled? You used this quite effectively to introduce 'the cast' and it is even more suited to the longer aspect ratio of 16:9. Are you still shooting with your PD-170s and then converting to 16:9? Well made!

Sigh. Would love to take a look a your videos, Glenn, but unfortunately my home computer is an iMac that won't work with Windows Media 7 without an operating system upgrade, and I just don't want to go all through that to view some video from time to time. Point being, besides me, there are a lot of Mac users that can't view WM7, and I would guess that includes your potential clients.

Just thought I would pass that along for your consideration.

Wouldn't you have to have a pretty old mac OS that wouldn't allow you to download windows media player? The mac market is small enough, I don't think you need to worry about the small portion of that market who also has an older OS.

I really enjoyed the credits clip, very unique. It would have been nice to see it with the titles to see how you would work them in. About the footage you shot outdoors with the bridal party doing various poses, how much footage do you think you recorded to get those shorts clips you use throughout the various parts of your video?

Thanks for sharing.

Patrick

Glen,
Magic as always! What is the name for the shot in which the camera is intentionally angled? You used this quite effectively to introduce 'the cast' and it is even more suited to the longer aspect ratio of 16:9. Are you still shooting with your PD-170s and then converting to 16:9? Well made!

It's called a dutch angle- and yes, it's very easy to over do them. I think I might have in this piece.

I shoot in 4:3 and crop down to 1:85:1.

Sigh. Would love to take a look a your videos, Glenn, but unfortunately my home computer is an iMac that won't work with Windows Media 7 without an operating system upgrade, and I just don't want to go all through that to view some video from time to time. Point being, besides me, there are a lot of Mac users that can't view WM7, and I would guess that includes your potential clients.

Just thought I would pass that along for your consideration.

Wayne, preferably I'd like to render out to MPG1 but right now I have limited webspace. I'm actually in the process of buying/choosing a domain. I'd like to get my site up by this summer.

Thanks for your help, Patrick. As a matter of fact however, I do have WindowsMediaPlayer 7 installed on the iMac, and indeed I should have been refering to WMP9, which will only run on Mac OS X and higher.
"The mac market is small enough, I don't think you need to worry about the small portion of that market who also has an older OS."
Woe is me. I am so ashamed.

As I said, Glenn, it's just for your consideration.

Wayne

"God is a comedian playing to an audience that doesn't have a sense of humor.

Wouldn't you have to have a pretty old mac OS that wouldn't allow you to download windows media player? The mac market is small enough, I don't think you need to worry about the small portion of that market who also has an older OS.

I really enjoyed the credits clip, very unique. It would have been nice to see it with the titles to see how you would work them in. About the footage you shot outdoors with the bridal party doing various poses, how much footage do you think you recorded to get those shorts clips you use throughout the various parts of your video?

Thanks for sharing.

Patrick

Yeah the titling pulls it all together. In this instance I shot only 30-60 seconds of each person. We were in a rush to finish without disturbing the photographers workflow during the session and it was blisteringly cold outside. More time is preferable but I can make it work with less if need be.

OK, Glen, rather than encounter the wrath of anymore Mac bashers, I was able to download your clip, and I will take it to my lair where I will feed it to the fire-breathing G5 and watch it in all its glory on the Cinema Display. I see from your earlier postings that you have limited space, so it's probably not in your interest to post another format for us poor Mac lost souls. Do you have any other clilps posted somewhere I can download? This must have been some wedding; isn't this about your third clip from it? Were all these clips included in their package, or is this something for your own amusement?

Wayne

Hey Glen,

I have some server space available here at DV Info Net. As one of our dearly beloved forum wranglers, you're certainly entitled to a slice of it. Let me know if I can host a clip or two for you.

Hey Glen,

I have some server space available here at DV Info Net. As one of our dearly beloved forum wranglers, you're certainly entitled to a slice of it. Let me know if I can host a clip or two for you.

Thank you Chris.

OK, Glen, rather than encounter the wrath of anymore Mac bashers, I was able to download your clip, and I will take it to my lair where I will feed it to the fire-breathing G5 and watch it in all its glory on the Cinema Display. I see from your earlier postings that you have limited space, so it's probably not in your interest to post another format for us poor Mac lost souls. Do you have any other clilps posted somewhere I can download? This must have been some wedding; isn't this about your third clip from it? Were all these clips included in their package, or is this something for your own amusement?

Wayne

Yes, it's my current project. I'm wraping it up this week- it was my last wedding from last year. The following week begins my 06 season. I'm excited and look forward to employing new shooting AND editing techniques.

sorry for the double post....ignore.

Terry Taravella

Hello all,
Just wondering, is anyone out there have a different approach to wedding videos? We seem to all be in a rut, me included. Everybody here generally shoots nice clean 3-ccd images, edited in Slo-mo over some nice Enya music or something of the like.

My question is there someone out there that has some new ideas they would like to show off, something that takes the wedding video to a higher level?

work.

I know what you mean Art.
Without going into boring details, we have been trying to incorporate more "real time" scenes into our montages, i.e. pre ceremonies, bride preps, vignettes, etc.

We are getting very positive feedback from brides, wedding coordinators, wedding industry professionals, etc.

Feel free to visit our website at www.customvideobyterry.com to see some of our latest work.

I still find myself editing slo motion scenes quite a bit, but adding the real time scenes I feel gives the clip personality.

The first 3 clips posted below were edited by Joe, my son and the last clip was shot and edited by me:

http://neworleans.streamitnow.com/ShaleaReceptVIGHigh.wmv
http://neworleans.streamitnow.com/amykingpreceremonyHigh.wmv
http://neworleans.streamitnow.com/AmyKingBPHigh.wmv
http://neworleans.streamitnow.com/RetrospectiveHigh.wmv

Also feel free to comment or criticize :-)

Terry Taravella
New Orleans

Hello, everyone. Although i'm not new to the whole forum thing, I have never posted any of my wedding work. I notice some of you are doing some cool inovative stuff so i thougt i might toss mine into the pot. Let me know what you think!

http://www.lumierebridal.com/video/erica&graham_large.mov
http://www.lumierebridal.com/video/marilee&davelarge.mov
http://www.lumierebridal.com/video/rebecca&benlarge.mov
http://www.lumierebridal.com/video/amy&ianlarge.mov
http://www.lumierebridal.com/video/michelle&tylarge.mov

It's a little on the edgy side. Not all clients like it but the clients that do, really like it.

Jonathan Houser-
Seattle, WA

I know you guys are used to the slow romantic stuff from me but here's something a little different... Its a credits montage (minus the credits titling)

http://home.comcast.net/~g.elliott3///McCoyCredits.wmv

Wow, glen, that was really cool. That was just the title sequence? HA! I can tell you put some time in. How did you do the T.V. flicker thing? I'm assuming it's a filter. Is it an AE filter? Thanks and good work!

Jonathan-

Wow, glen, that was really cool. That was just the title sequence? HA! I can tell you put some time in. How did you do the T.V. flicker thing? I'm assuming it's a filter. Is it an AE filter? Thanks and good work!

Jonathan-

It's a credits montage that'll more than likely be used in a "special features" or "extras" section on the disc. The TV simulator is a filter built into Vegas4, 5 and now the new 6.

jonathan - that super 8 stuff is... SUPER! I really like that look. Is it expensive to get the film processed? I have no idea what costs are involved.


OK I'll throw my hat in the ring. This is not from a ceremony. It's what the industry calls a "Love Story" video, but I like to call it a SweetHearts Film. I would say this is alternative to your standard slow-mo stuff.

It's not my best work, but it's the only thing I've got accessible right now.
Download and enjoy.(sorry about the compression)

http://www.savvyproductions.com/video%20samples/jenscott2.wmv

OK I'll throw my hat in the ring. This is not from a ceremony. It's what the industry calls a "Love Story" video, but I like to call it a SweetHearts Film. I would say this is alternative to your standard slow-mo stuff.

Wow, I have going into full blown Compositing envy. Dude that is the coolest freshest slideshow I have ever seen. I hopped onto your site and checked out some other stuff too. That Birth announcement? Wow man! I bet they were stoked to give that to family members. What compositing software are you using? Dang, I think ill sign up for some summer courses at the Art Institute. :)


jonathan - that super 8 stuff is... SUPER! I really like that look. Is it expensive to get the film processed? I have no idea what costs are involved.


thanks! I shoot 2-3 rolls a wedding. Mix it up a bit. Film+Processing is about $25 for a roll of TriX. we have a great lab in Seattle (Shameless plug) Forde Labs. One of the best in the country for super8

Keep up the good work!

Wow , its nice to see this topic got so much attention, which also lets me know, other people seem to feel similiar to what I do. Thanks for everyones input, and I will spend some time this week to check out everyones work.

So far I have watched Terry Taravella's demo video, and really liked it alot. Its nice to see some fresh edting and pacing ideas, to waht seems to be an industry becoming a little stagnate.

The quality level of videos used to vary greatly, but now, just about everyone has nicely shot, nicely composed beautiful 3-ccd shots, just the pacing and editing of the final products seems to be very repetitive.

It's nice to see some people are interested, like me, in breaking the mold.
Keep this discussion alive, and lets see what people are up too.

I know you guys are used to the slow romantic stuff from me but here's something a little different... Its a credits montage (minus the credits titling)

http://home.comcast.net/~g.elliott3///McCoyCredits.wmv
Glen, I know it is a little out of date, but I missed this in the original post, any chance of reposting? I would love to see 'something a little different' from you, everything else I see of yours is great, and I would like to see some of the effects you have described.

BTW, I have watched all of the active links from this thread, and I must say WOW, some fantastic talent!

-Chris

Hear, hear! Repost it Glen!

Whatever happened to Chris' offer of server space for you Glen? I'm relatively new here and I'd like to see some of your previous work.

Glen, I know it is a little out of date, but I missed this in the original post, any chance of reposting? I would love to see 'something a little different' from you, everything else I see of yours is great, and I would like to see some of the effects you have described.

BTW, I have watched all of the active links from this thread, and I must say WOW, some fantastic talent!

-Chris


I appologize, I have since deleted the clip from my hd. It won't be the last credits montage I'm editing though. I'll post one in the future.

PS Terry T. and gang are quite talented- Ms.BattleOfTheEditorsWINNER

Walt C. a member here is one of the ones that I personally know that does some off the wall wild edits. Very fun, light hearted and fast paced. Maybe he'll chime in and even post an example of his more out of the "ordinary" approach.

Hey Glen, hope you are recovering from all the rowdyness from WEVA Expo ;)

Art, I don't think I can post inline images, so here's a link to a screen grab from an average Canadian wedding:

http://www3.telus.net/ctp911/wedding.jpg