This is the last wedding film I will ever do. I had a ton of complaints from the bride on this one and wanted to share and get some critiques on this:

Some of her complaints were the BS kind, such as "I don't like what I look like, or what I'm saying....my mom looks horrible...etc...choppy editing...can you do more effects...are you the same editor as the other ones on the website..."

Thoughts anyone?

july15 on Vimeo

Well, it is ofcourse your fault she doesn't like the way she or her mom looks, don't you have photoshop or after effects?

Ah, just let her nag, I have a bridezilla as well this year, she's annoyed that she has to wait too long (only 6 weeks ago since I shot her wedding) A week ago she send me another mail with one line of text: "when will my dvd be ready?" I reply: "My dad died 2 weeks ago which has messed up my planning, but I will do my very best to finish your wedding dvd asap" and do you think she replies to that? Nope, so I decided to edit the weddings I did after her first so she can wait even longer.

It all depends what you have agreed upon and what demo's she has seen on your website that would cause her to react like that, also your contract can be important in discussions like this. You can tell her that you can't be responsible about the way she or her mom looks and that any editing changes are possible but at a fixed hour rate, works for me as they never want to pay extra. But at least they can't blame you afterwards that you where not willing to make changes for her.

I simply don't get it ...

Don't brides understand you can't change the way they look or what they say. What's said is said, what they look like is what they look like ...

Pathetic reasons to complain about.

In regards to editing? what did she ask for? I would just stand firmly and state it's as similar to my other videos, I mean what else can you do ... All weddings are different.

To be honest, I was expecting a lot worse when I hit play. That's a tough situation if someone simply does not like what they look like on camera. She's a very pretty bride. In fact the only unflattering shot of her I thought was perhaps the reverse shot just before you cut to the first kiss. But even then, not too bad, and I was actively looking for things like that because of your post. Was this much different from your other work? I can see how someone might get upset if their video pales in comparison to all the samples you've shown them. Was there an incident perhaps that got you on her "bad side" prior to her receiving the video? Because then I can see that almost nothing you gave her would please her because she's more upset with you and is taking it out on the video. But I wouldn't give up because of one bride. You have talent.

I enjoyed the video but if you want constructive criticism...and again, everyone has their own style...but I guess I would have liked to see the music fuel the piece more instead of just playing in the background. For example, when they kiss, cue the music. Not in a sappy way, but in way that accompanies the excitement of the moment like in a movie. There was a lot of great moments and great audio captured throughout, but I felt music could have played a bigger part in sucking us into the emotion of the scene. The Reception coverage was fun but I guess I just wished there was that payoff "awww" type moment at some point. Like I said before, she's a very pretty bride and they came across as a fun couple so you did a good job there. Maybe look to get a few more CU's of the bride that make you go "wow, she's gorgeous" while you are shooting it. Flatter her. And him.

I say all this because I was "looking" for things, but overall, I think if you enjoy doing this, don't give up just cuz of this incident. Or, take a day or two and rework it for her. I know that's a pain, but if you can find a way somehow to make her happy and cut out anything that she didn't like, it might end up being a very rewarding experience. Sorry you had this happen to you though.

I can tell that she's a hard one to please....Nothing will be good enough for her.

You did great work and don't let that discourage you. It builds character to handle people like that, so think of it as a "character training session" and just move on....but don't give up on weddings, great work!

Over the last 25 years, I must of filmed 300 weddings, and yes I get the occasion bridezella...my response is something like this.

"I'm so sorry to hear that you weren't pleased with the video, we did everything we can to make sure the picture is perfectly captured, but at times we cannot control certain events or expressions. If there are some parts you wish to eliminate, please let us know....we want to do what we can to make you happy".

Hi Brandon

If she has paid and you have delivered the required DVD's then just ignore her and move on. She seems like the kind of person that will never be pleased regardless of what you give her.

Sure, I would use Julius's suggestion BUT stop at the word "expression" By offering to correct stuff and make tiny little imperfections right means that you are going to have her on your back for many years unless you simply put your foot down.

Not all brides are as bad as that and most are really nice. Don't of course make the mistake of giving ANY a "proof" copy and ask her to tell you what she doesn't like...that's really asking for trouble and she would feel obliged to find a few faults even if they don't worry her. Put her money in the bank, supply the DVD's and leave her to watch her own ugly family, it's not your problem they don't look like film stars

Once that's done, book the next wedding...it will be much better!

Chris

How much did she pay for the wedding video?

I agree with most of what has been said here already, so I won't go into the business or politics of it all.

However, there are some glaring technical issues at hand that I think need fixing in order to call this a professional work. And being completely honest, if I was the bride/groom, I'd probably be a little pissed off as well.

• The color is all over the place. Pick a theme and stick to it. I think the entire film was too contrasty and needed more saturation and warmth in some places. The look of the first 30 seconds was great, but after that things go awry.

• There is a very noticeable audio hiss throughout that sounds bad and needs to be fixed. In my opinion this is the biggest problem. You should be able to fix this with careful EQ or with a program like Izotope RX2.

• No reason to include all the dumb things being said during photo shoots and such. Use your background music like a CRUTCH! I know I do.

• I'm sure your edit software has some stabilization ability – use it.

• Put a vignette on the whole thing and it will jazz it up a bit. That and a very subtle sepia tone filter.

We all have bad days where things aren't always perfect, but I do think there are some simple things you can do in editing to make the whole experience better. While some people here say forget about the bride and move on, I can't say that's the decision I would make myself. You were hired to make a special video for the couple's wedding day, and had a responsibility to deliver. If you can't at least try to make it right, why be in the wedding business at all? It certainly can't be just for the money... :)

Sorry you're feeling stressed out about this. I completely get it and I know it sucks. I have a feeling the bride didn't quite know how to explain what she didn't like in the video and thus gave you some crypic feedback. I don't think it's so much about what she looked like or what someone said, but more that the video needs another pass in order to tie everything together. Good luck.

Brandon,
Your style is a bit different then some I've seen on here but I like it. Great job.

Not sure who's idea the "Retro " treatment was. It works for me but maybe not her.

I really like it though.

Just remember there are nice ways to say "our business is done here".

Hmmm, I agree with alot of the posters here, in that it is really good. However, I think myb its a bit too "artsy". The filmic look/color correction is a little much, bad in some parts. The 0:37 where he parents walk in it not flattering, while you & us may dig it, she might have been expecting a beautiful shot of her parents, who raised her, taught her, and trained her to be the woman she is today. And it ends up being some blown out footage done by playing with levels & curves settings. Another example of poor color correction is the 5:20 scene of the bridesmaids is beautiful, probably the best scene in the very good video, but just :10 seconds later the 5:27 1970s retro film look is just terrible. I think the scene where she keeps saying "I"m five feet behind you. I'm four feet behind you." is stupid & that might be what she's referring to when she says "I don't like what I'm saying".

Nate makes a good point about her feedback being cryptic. Some people cannot explain video editing, or use proper grammer or descriptive terms. ("It looks funny". "I ddon't like me getting ready like that" etc), so you kinda have to do a bit of your own research & looking at it as a blank slate, not the reasoning you did things or your love of the artsy looks. All in all though, it is pretty good & you have some great stuff, I think the mish-moshed coloring kinda taints it, which may explain what she means by "I don't like the way I look", and "My Mom looks bad". It's not that they LOOKED bad on that day, it's that with the playing around of coloring the actual look got messed up, artistic creativity or not. Same for "I don't like what I said". Take out the "I'm five feet away" and imho the silly 7 second jig she gives before the first kiss, and the line "Really we go now?" after the kiss and it might eliminate that concern of hers. We might think it's cute, but she might be embarrased by it.

Again, she may very well be a bridezilla. There's plenty of em out there & for someone to b* tch at this video probably just wants to join in on the "Oh my videographer sucked" club. It's an exclusive membership with good perks. However probably tone down the artsy coloring going forward, you have a great theme & look. Don't get sidetracked into something else.

I agree with the Nate, the color correction is all over the place after the first 30 seconds. Otherwise I think it had a good flow.

• Put a vignette on the whole thing and it will jazz it up a bit. That and a very subtle sepia tone filter.

vignette and sepia tone filter, yikes...:)


She asked for "more" effects so not sure what she meant but it could be that she didn't like the effects that would mimic the older camera, we all might mean well by giving advice about what we think should be different in the editing but that doesn't matter at all, it is what the bride thinks that should be changed, so maybe it's best just to ask her what exactly is bothering her.
Brandon, I wanted to see how your other videos looked like because the bride seemed to have used that as a reference but I see your website is off-line, you really are trowing in the towel?

Brandon,
I wouldn't jump to conclusions. In photography I have run into subjects who are never satisfied with the way they look, even when everybody in the room says they look great.

I did head shots of 14 executives at a corporate office. Everybody was satisfied except this drop dead gorgeous exec that thought she looked terrible in one unexplainable way or another, I had to go back another day to shoot just her . Shot the exact same shot and she was elated. I swear it was exact, it was a head shot for gods sake. but she got the attention a beautiful woman like her is used to getting and all was well.

I think your bride looks lovely and quite sexy . And I bet her friends do too.

Some inner feelings you just cant change.

And as far as your styling and color grade choices brides rarely know much about that either.

Your most critical audience is right here, and I doubt the bride is seeing it that way, so I would take that with a grain of salt too.

I wouldn't change a thing until you know EXACTLY what she is referring to.

I think you did a great job.

I agree with Al too

Don't start changing stuff until the bride contacts you and tells you what she is worried about..it just could be something simple! I have had bride's show me stuff from other productions and they have been disgusted with the results so you shouldn't worry about anything until you find out what's bugging her!

I find that as long as the bridesmaids look good and their delicate pink outfits are not orange in the video and, of course, they are in focus, she will be happy!! Brides often mistake carefully planned shallow depth of field nowdays as an inability to focus correctly from the cameraman ..it might be as easy at that or she might not like the white flash transitions (I personally don't ever use them but that's just me!)

Have a fun weekend coming up and put the footage to one side until she has talked to you.

Chris

Brandon, it looks fine to me...we all have our own styles. The one thing I'd personally lose is that "I loved her first" song, it is probably the worst piece of music ever recorded...but that's just me.
Don't give up mate, and I have to say that she does come across as a bit of a clown...I think she has to admit to herself that it's her antics that make her look stupid than anything you've done.
Why not just take her out the edit completely!

I did not watch this piece but from the post here let me interject my thoughts. It seems we just had something similar with Tariq so my advice is the same.
First, take a breath and relax. After 30 years and well over 2000 weddings I've never had a season when I didn't have 1 (sometimes more) clients who weren't happy with my product and simply couldn't explain why so it became a guessing game.
Second, sit down with the bride, face to face, not emails, not over the phone or texting...face to face and simply ask here specifically what is it that you are unhappy with. Let her talk. Do not interrupt, but write everything down. Make a list. when she's done ask her this (and this is important) "Other than those things, is there anything else that you are unhappy with?" When she says "no", THEN you can proceed.
Watch the DVD with her, as you come to each item she told you about ask here if this is it then explain to her what you did and why (if you did anything) Decide whether or not you will do anything to fix it, write it down on the sheet but don't tell her anything yet. Go thru the entire DVD. A common one is " I
don't like the way I look in that shot"...My response has always been, (with a smile on my face) "OK, what would you like me to do about the way you looked in this shot?" "What would you like me to do about the expression your mother had on her face during this shot" "What would you like me to do about the way your hair looked in this shot"?,,,I've had brides come to me with 5 and 6 pages of "stuff they didn't like" and at the end of the conversation, they not only didn't get anything from me, but the hugged me and thanked me for being so nice and doing such a great job on their video.
This is the point in the process that you start earning your stripes...you've already earned the money now you have to show them you get to keep it. Listen, I'm not saying that you shouldn't do anything for her. If she's got a legit beef, fix it but in most cases it's something else that's bothering them and miscommunication before the event is the biggest culprit. Read thru the thread by Tariq

Such awesome advice from Don ... I just can't see how a face to face meeting can end badly. We're all civilized human beings (some of us anyway). So if anything a meeting should rectify any problems and enable you to keep the payment too.

Messaging via text / emails will result in unnecessary edits and expectations.

I'd say if she doesn't like how she comes across, ditch her major goofing from before the 1st sight. And *maybe* trip down how long it takes to tap him on the shoulder, though I thought it was great. Both the moment and the video overall. One or two things aren't to my taste (the 8mm style clips), but it's not my wedding video...

very good video,
you just need to add some color to B cam, it's desaturated too much;
some brides like to have a bargaining point and start to complain to make you feel guilty and give them a discount, when this happens, very rare, but it does, i offer full refund, no video of course, everything becomes much better looking after that.

Buba,, how do you know she wouldn't have copied the DVD before returning it to you with the complaint and then as you say, offering a full refund?

Wow, thanks for all the advice and posts everyone. I will take it all into account and adjust.

The only way I would ever offer a full refund is if I didn't show up to shoot the job and that has never happened so IMO offering a full refund is ludicrous. Why offer it. The job was shot. Perhaps it's as simple as putting all color back to the way it came from the camera, without any effects. No ones knows since no one has asked the client what it is that she's upset about.
Instead of offering ways to fix the product, let's first find out what she feels is wrong THEN we'll all know what needs to be fixed. By the time she and the OP meet, she might have come back to earth and realized that 99% of the product is exactly what was represented when she signed up with the OP.
Never assume anything. It's easier to ask.

I agree it's good overall, but the color effects are not complimentary, in my opinion, and some shots are underexposed and that throws things off for me.

I would ask her to come and visit you and go over the video together. This will help salvage things a lot.

You need to talk with her. You must extract from her what information you need to fix things. Her personality seems to be of an airy person, the opposite of earthy. She is a feelings-oriented person, it is not her fault. She does not know how to explain things right, and she is frustrated because all she knows is she doesn't like the way things look.

I strongly suspect you can fix things as best as possible without too much work. Some tweaking can go a long way to fix this up a bit and make her happy.

Good luck.

I thought it was shot pretty good, and certainly you should take a little pause but don't give up, do resolve the issues with the bride and move on.

The first wedding video that I did (which isn't that long ago) the brides father had hired me and after hours and hours of editing i finally came up with what i thought was a reasonable account of the day, this was using his Sony VG10 (handheld), but i was confident I'd captured and edited a presentable film in the end.
The day after I had delivered the DVD, I called to his house and got lambasted for; no continuity, poor composition, poor audio etc. he couldn't stress enough how disappointed he was yada yada, i felt about two inches tall leaving there, believing that i had turned in utter crap, my self confidence was shattered, i thought that yeah i should give up this game now before i really ran into trouble and ruined someone's day! A few weeks later I showed to an acquaintance who had a different view on it, there were some technical flaws etc. i eventually realised tho, that the father was bargaining me down and i never knew it. Its like everything, learn from the mistakes, it hurt, being criticized is tough specially if you've put a lot in, but at the end of the day - put it down to experience pick yourself up and get on with it!

apologies for the long post.

R

I think the biggest question is how much did she pay for the video ?

Outside of the aforementioned shakiness, different colour grading, time effects and song choices, your video shows a lot of promise although the editing could also have been tighter. With that said though, don't let one client experience ruin it for you. Like i said the shots are there, its just a matter of practice/experience on how to weave them all together to create a wonderful piece. (i.e. the photoshoot in the beginning of the video does not really belong there, you would have been better off with some getting ready footages.) One thing to keep in mind when choosing a song, adding effects or colour grading is whether they help to bring the story out of the video. If not, you don't necessarily need to use them since they just become distractions.


Cheers!

Kren

I don't think what she paid has anything to do with her belief that she didn't get what she paid for. In fact I think it's absolutely irrelevant.
In her mind she thought she was getting one thing and she feels she got something else...and regardless of what she paid she feels like she got ripped off.
Again before we all try to decide how to fix this let's find out what she really feels is wrong and the only way to do that...is to sit down with the client and ask her.
Til then, we're all blowin' in the wind.

I have only had a chance to watch the first couple of minutes but here is my two cents worth. I think the shooting looks fine so far but I have some questions about the editing.

1. If the bride says she doesn't like what she is sayinig I have a feeling it is probably during some of the photo shoot where you have audio from her where most folks would just have music playing. She is saying some pretty nonsensical stuff there.

2. The vows are the most important part of the ceremony. Rather than feature the bride and groom you have shots of cowboy boots and people being escorted to be seated for the ceremony for a lot of it. I didn't get that.

I am lucky I guess that my business partner is a young woman who is the creative director of our videography business while I handle the technical end. As a woman she seems to instinctively know what is important to most women for their wedding video. As a man you may have to work harder to place yourself in the brides shoes.

I am not saying this bride is being reasonable because it sounds like she is not but I do see some of these things that I think could have been done differently that might have made her happier.

I personally hated the old film video and sound effect you popped in and out of but that is purely subjective I think the danger of doing those type extreme effects is that they are very polarizing. The customer is probably going to either hate it or love it with little middle ground. Of course if the wedding demo's of your work featured these then she should have known what she was getting.

BTW - I lived in Austin for 16 years and have a son living there now. Great place!

OK, glad to see I wasn't the only one that was put off by the "fake 8mm" look... it is jarring. And the bride is a bit "silly", in a good way, but perhaps play that low key - some people are goofy but self conscious if they see themselves doing it!

I will try to address comments and questions, thanks for reading everyone. I did edit another version for her but haven't heard back yet. We shall see.

The "fake" super 8 stuff is something I have done in the past, and in this case she wanted it.

I didn't do any color correction, all from camera.

She got the full ceremony as well, that's why there is a highlight version of the vows during the ceremony area. She actually loved the ceremony portion of the video.

All the songs are based on what was "first danced to" or heard at the wedding.

Also, she paid in full and in my contract I have full control of the edit, and additional editing like this is by the hour at $85 per hour. There won't be a refund. I have fulfilled my part of the contract even if she has negative comments.

Brandon, I think you did a very good shoot. I don't understand her critiques.
But, at least you 're not the groom: he has to live with her b!tchin' for years to come.

Glen, what Brandon is missing is the spirit of what the bride wants. This is a feeling thing, not a logical thing. Being able to convey through video the personality of the bride as she wants to be seen cannot be taught.

Just because a video is technically decent does not mean the customer will like it. Simple tweaks would fix the video, and made the customer very happy. Now she'll end up paying editing charges for a video that may only make her a tiny bit happier, because Brandon is approaching an emotional situation from an logical point of view. It seems to me to be a classic male/female miscommunication issue.

I've been through it, so I understand. When you are busy and backed up, you want the customer to like it the way it's presented, because you want to be done with it so you can move on. Unfortunately the customer is not concerned about that. Instead, they want a video that conveys their personality as they see themselves, or as they wish they were.

+1 Jeff

We all hate doing revisions, but when it the client from a negative situatuon to a positive one, sometimes they're worth it. I wouldn't get in the habit if delivering products your clients don't like. If that takes additional editing hours or not, is your own decision.