hi everyone!

i thought i'd share a rough cut for a bridal prep that was shot just this past saturday.

i added mb, but no color correction on this pass, so some of the shots are blown way out (even moreso than my usual). also, i've yet to incorporate any of the shots from the 2nd camera.

link is here (quicktime 6 or better):
http://www.infinite-studios.com/movies/PrepAngie.mov

enjoy!

Awesome! I have no idea what the words to that song were/or meant and it didn't bother me one bit. The camera work was a perfect match for the music. Angie should be thrilled with this video.

hi everyone!

i thought i'd share a rough cut for a bridal prep that was shot just this past saturday.

i added mb, but no color correction on this pass, so some of the shots are blown way out (even moreso than my usual). also, i've yet to incorporate any of the shots from the 2nd camera.

link is here (quicktime 6 or better):
http://www.infinite-studios.com/movies/PrepAngie.mov

enjoy!

A. J, when I first saw the video, I was thinking how much it looked like San Diego before I saw where you are located. I was there for my son's Marine Corps. graduation and I was staying at one of the hotels where this piece was shot. Anyway, I have one piece of advice for you. ALWAYS check your lens for cleanliness. There is a very noticable piece of dirt on the lens throughout the clip about 1/3 of the way from the left and just down from the top.

regards,

-gb-

hi craig, and thanks for the comments. the music is from sigur ros, and from what i've read, they sing in jibberish.

hi greg, there are actually 4 hairline scratches on the actual lens i was using. infuriating! i didn't find out until the night before when i was cleaning the equipment. i'll be removing them digitally before final delivery, and i'm already shopping for a new lens.

I like the music pick, different and it works nicely. Here are some thoughts. Keep in mind you asked for feedback and I am pointing out the things I would do different and not all the things I liked and by no means am I an expert.....

A couple of shots seemed too long. The opening shot for instance. I think I would also open with a steadier shot. I liked the one down the railing into the marina. I did, however, really like the way you did the white flash to the static shot - cool, I might borrow that one from you.....

You have the same affinity for focus pulls and depth of field work that I do but be careful not to overuse it.

Lots of wide and medium but a little short on tight stuff of the bride. You get some nice detail on make up and such though. This is something I am learning from my partner right now and really makes a difference in the cut. Real tight shots of eyes, jewelry etc can pop the video a bunch. Hard to get (for me) but they really express something.

Anyway, just some thoughts off the top of my head. Hope it is useful!

Mike

hi mike! thanks for the comments!

as i said earlier, i've yet to incorporate any of the shots from camera 2, which has lots of cutaways, ecu's and other shots that i missed. camera 2 has a snap on wide angle for ecu's as well as the regular lens.

i find that (for my purposes) it's best to use a wide angle lens for the ecu's, but you have to get really close in, which is fine for inanimate objects, but it might make your human subjects a bit uncomfortable.

I've stayed at that hotel several times and it's a wonderful place.

I liked the 'look' that you gave the material. You had some great film shots that added to the day.

I did get bored with it however. It just seems like the slow music kept going and going. It was all cut together well and looked great, but things just kept going. Maybe the cut could have been tighter and only half the song used?

I never thought I'd say this about handheld footage, but I really loved that opening shot. The rythem of the camera movement fit the song and made you feel a part of the scene.

Overall a nice piece.

Ben Lynn

AJ,

Can you tell me specifically which SLR lens you chose for your Letus and why? I liked the results (but I can see how someone could be tempted to over use it) - although I'm not sure how much of it was magic bullet and how much was Letus35. Anyway...

(I'm out of control, two months ago I got a camera crane, and now this 35A adapter).

You said you were getting used to shooting upside down but do you know any more about this "magnet trick" used to flip the LCD image? I keep hearing/reading mentions of it but never any specifics.

Thanks-

The music is from 'Sigur Ros'? If I'm not mistaken, that's what is used in the movie VANILLA SKY with Tom Cruise, correct? Very nice! I've been looking for that music for quite some time. Where did you get it?

Loved the video too!

The music is from 'Sigur Ros'? If I'm not mistaken, that's what is used in the movie VANILLA SKY with Tom Cruise, correct? Very nice! I've been looking for that music for quite some time. Where did you get it?

Loved the video too!

thanks for the comments! the song is titled "Track 4" from their album "()". seriously.

i think the song you are referring to is "Svefn-g-englar", from the vanilla sky soundtrack, also from sigur ros. i've been a fan of their music for a long time now.

you can find them on amazon and itunes, but i suggest getting their physical albums. start with "()", as it includes an awesome dvd of their videos, which are visually stunning.

found info on magnet trick-

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=49103&highlight=magnet

AJ,

Can you tell me specifically which SLR lens you chose for your Letus and why? Thanks-

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the magnet trick does not work for all cameras. for the vx series sony cameras, for example, there is a physical switch. since it is not possible to shoot a whole event day in 35mm (you lose 1 stop of light), and since it requires taking apart the vx, i opted not to do this.

i don't suggest using the 35 for weddings. it is easy to miss moments because you are out of focus. i'm testing it out for a feature film we are shooting in the winter, and i also have 2 other cameramen. a good number of brides who do not know anything about film will think that 35 is a step down, as it is a softness in focus and shallow dof. most brides want to see everything clearly, and do not care for shallow dof.

my brides, on the other hand, know that this is my style, so i can get away with it. same reason i can shoot really shaky, for that old 16mm look. i have other guys that are shooting the same scene smoothly, so in post we can pick my dirty artsy-fartsy pass or go for the safe shot.

oh, and as to the lens i am using, it was a 28mm lens that day. and that brings to mind another reason why 35mm is not practical for a live event: i'm on a fixed lens. no zoom. if i want to get close, i have to physically get close. i'm going to use a 35-70 this weekend, but until i get the footage back, i won't know if it works well. i have yet to find a review of someone using a zoom fd lens with a 35mm adapter.

hope this helps.

No intention of shooting entire weddings with it and I have another camera for primary footage during pre-ceremony & post-ceremony coverage - I'm not stuck using anything shot with it. Quyen recommends a 50mm f1.4, but have not heard anything about using a zoom FD with it - I suspect it won't work well or at all.

No intention of shooting entire weddings with it and I have another camera for primary footage during pre-ceremony & post-ceremony coverage - I'm not stuck using anything shot with it. Quyen recommends a 50mm f1.4, but have not heard anything about using a zoom FD with it - I suspect it won't work well or at all.
the zoom lens should be fine. i'm getting one today so i'll bite the bullet and be the guinnea pig. the best complement would be to have a 25, 50, 70, 100 set of lenses, which is going to be great for my feature, but not good for weddings at all. also, keep in mind that the bigger the lens, the more weight you are putting on the threads. a rod system would be best.

anyway, i'm going off topic, so i'll leave it at that.

cheers!

thanks for the comments! the song is titled "Track 4" from their album "()". seriously.

i think the song you are referring to is "Svefn-g-englar", from the vanilla sky soundtrack, also from sigur ros. i've been a fan of their music for a long time now.

you can find them on amazon and itunes, but i suggest getting their physical albums. start with "()", as it includes an awesome dvd of their videos, which are visually stunning.

The untitled track was used in the final credits if I'm not mistaken. I feel like my little personal mystery of finding where this music came from is solved! Thanks!

for the vx series sony cameras, for example, there is a physical switch.


AJ - Pardon my ignorance but where is this "physical switch"?

AJ - Pardon my ignorance but where is this "physical switch"?
keep in mind, i have not opened my vx up, but it's supposed to be on the inside of the hinge for the lcd. there's a single screw holding it togethre.

Maybe I'm inept in some way but I could not get the magnet trick to work on my VX-2000 or PD-170. Tried a few different ones too.

I saw two screws holding the LCD on and I think I'll opt not to dissasemble, so I think I'm stuck with upsidedown shots or mirror method.

Maybe I'm inept in some way but I could not get the magnet trick to work on my VX-2000 or PD-170. Tried a few different ones too.

I saw two screws holding the LCD on and I think I'll opt not to dissasemble, so I think I'm stuck with upsidedown shots or mirror method.
like i said in a previous post, the magnet trick does not work for all cameras. unfortunately, this includes the vx2x00's.

the zoom lens should be fine. i'm getting one today so i'll bite the bullet and be the guinnea pig.

update: a couple of weeks ago i used a canon fd 28-100 lens and it was fine. no vignetting, and the picture was good. i have footage on a different thread somewhere under "alt. imaging methods", but it's not edited so i'm not going to link on this thread (it being o.t. and all).

i'm behind 10 wedding edits and i'm trying to clear my plate for a music video and a feature, but when i get around to it, i'll share the outcome.

I've stayed at that hotel several times and it's a wonderful place.

I liked the 'look' that you gave the material. You had some great film shots that added to the day.

I did get bored with it however. It just seems like the slow music kept going and going. It was all cut together well and looked great, but things just kept going. Maybe the cut could have been tighter and only half the song used?

I never thought I'd say this about handheld footage, but I really loved that opening shot. The rythem of the camera movement fit the song and made you feel a part of the scene.

Overall a nice piece.

Ben Lynn

i can't believe i just saw this. thanks for the comments ben!

running time is 5:53. it's not much longer than my usual prep, and the bride loves it, so it will stay pretty close to this length when it's done. i've still got to add more footage from the second camera too, which will hopefully add some more pop. i see what you are saying, though.

re: the handheld stuff, i always take at least 2 passes, with varying stability, unless it's live, then i go with whatever i feel. the other exception is the ceremony, where i'm pretty rock solid and smooth. everywhere else, the second camera is always taking smoother shots, so i have a safety during a one-off moment and i can take risks. i don't know why i love handheld, but i'm always trying to recreate movement of old 16mm-style home movie shots. i sometimes get it wrong, but when it comes out right, it's amazing to me. my favorite shot in this whole day is the shot from 5:27-5:38. imho, it's got that "wonder years" feel. ;-P

the zoom lens should be fine. i'm getting one today so i'll bite the bullet and be the guinnea pig. the best complement would be to have a 25, 50, 70, 100 set of lenses, which is going to be great for my feature, but not good for weddings at all.

Care to comment yet on the performance of the Letus with zoom lens A.J.? I am currious to know if/how well it worked?

Care to comment yet on the performance of the Letus with zoom lens A.J.? I am currious to know if/how well it worked?
hi craig. i used a 28-105 lens and it worked out well. i'm backlogged 10 wedding edits behind this one, so i just captured some random footage and threw together some random clips. here it is:

http://www.infinite-studios.com/movies/letusclip.mov

no color correction, no magic bullet, just what was caught on the ccds. also, note that the letus35 has a problem of having some metal shavings get loose after delivery (you'll see some bits of them in the footage). i think the best way to break the letus in is probably to shoot random stuff and carry it around for a couple of days, then open it up and clean it proper prior to a real shoot. problem is, i've got some shavings between the achromat and the macro lens, which i'm not sure how to get to. i hope i have it figured out in time for this evening's shoot. ;-P

also, if anyone here knows of a good freelance editor in the san diego, ca area, i may have some work for them... i've been playing editorial catchup for some time now and may need a hand.

That was good work. The only gripe I have is you showed me some sick leaves in the beginning. I didn't like that. Kind of like how a real estate agent doesn't want and brown house plant around when they show your house. I would have gone more quickly to the people. Too much scene setting in the beginning is not a good thing.

Reall Good Though,

Mike

I think most videos lack enough "scene setting" shots. If you consider the length of the song - I think this one was 7 plus minutes & just precermony! That's quite a bit of music to sync. Easy to judge - harder to do.

hi mike, thanks for the comments! that's funny, i didn't really notice that the leaves were browning at the edges! but hey, it's an october wedding. one thing i'm trying to get better at is being aware of more than just the composition of what i'm shooting and paying attention to details like that... i'm the kind of guy that will spend time composing a really cool closeup candid shot and not even notice my tripod in the background. ;-P

re: less establishing and cutting to the people sooner: the location means a lot to this couple, so i included more of it.

each of the edits i've done has been different. for this one, i felt that in all the times i talked with the couple that they wanted something less finessed, less polished, less glossy, and more arthouse, gritty, real, i don't know what you'd call it. i guess i'm trying to get a cinematic feel by doing the exact opposite of what a cinematic videographer would do. is it working? i don't know, but i showed them this cliip and they love it, which is all that counts, i guess. for me, it was a chance to do something different from the swoopy and glossy stuff that most of our brides request, which is refreshing. it will also show some range for future consultations, as we can show this stuff alongside the usual stuff and make a determination on how we shoot according to the couple's reaction.

this is by far the longest bride prep i've edited, and it's not even done yet (still have to add the footage from the second unit camera). that said, i still want these shots to run long and kind of meander, as it definitely caught the feel of the day, and will be a strong contrast to the reception edit. the ceremony was a bit rushed and happened very quickly, and the reception is the payoff and everyone had a lot of fun and there was a lot of energy, so i wanted the beginning to ease into the day and take its time, so you felt like you were there with them, hanging out sipping on an appletini with the girls as they got ready.

appletini seems to be the "in" drink... if they're made well, muy delicious!