Vito from Canada brought up an intersting point on another thread. He mentioned that all of our Highlight was in slow motion.

Can slow motion be over used? What do you think?

We use a lot of slow motion in a Highlight, Closing or even a Same Day Edit, especially if the music is slow and dramatic. It is an element to the style we have developed.

We seldom use slow motion within the ceremony (but occasionally do), the photo session, reception and so on.

Here is a piece that has zero slow motion. If we would have used much slow motion it would have sucked the life right out of it.

http://tulsaweddingvideos.com/video/ChadandCo.wmv

Hey Mark,
Very cool entertaining clip. Loved every part of it. That was very creative and lively. You could've done a hard white flash with a front view (low angle) of them running at her in the truck in slow motion at the end. ^_^ J/K. My favorite style of editing is more on the side of being upbeat, but those projects take more time then traditional slow-mo highlights and not all my clients are willing to pay for it. Oh well. Thanks for sharing

Monday

Mark, First I have to say that that clip was very entertaining. While I have been viewing your work for quite a while I really didn't associate that type of stuff with your style, more of a David Mathew Bonner style from a while ago. Now having said that, it was fun, exciting and I'll bet the B&G loved it! As for Slo MO, NOPE! Not in something like that. Do I think it's over used, yeah sometimes but your style or at least the stuff I've seen over the years dictates it AND of course you're clients know that's what they're getting. Of course it's so well done that it doesn't appear to be overused in your stuff.
What I'm trying to say is that you and Trisha are associated with a particular style which you do amazinly well and slo mo is a big part of it. A clip like this just shows that it's the brain and the eye behind the camera that make for a quality video. It also shows that with a good eye and a good imagination no one needs to be roped into a single style.
Don

Hi Mark,

Vito from Canada brought up an intersting point on another thread. He mentioned that all of our Highlight was in slow motion.

Can slow motion be over used? What do you think?

If an effect carries the message its not overused. If slow-motion is what the client is drawn to and thats the emotional feeling you get on the wedding day then I think its appropriate. Its only overused if it doesn't 'work'. The same is true for fast-cut realtime editing. If things move too fast the content may not have time to be digested and it just becomes a jumble of shots. There is obviously a balance to be gauged. Just like us our couples have different attention spans or have may not have a romantic personality. For me its like pulling teeth to speed up the shot progression and the shot speed but some clients prefer that. This is a recent highlights that moves faster than my normal clips:

www.EventVideographer.com/WEDDING_HIGHLIGHTS

The interesting thing is that I could have cut the highlights slow and romantic - I didn't shoot it any differently than I normally do.

"Can slow motion be over used? What do you think?"

it depends on the context of teh piece were watching and whether or not slowlotion accentuates teh scene as opposed to "being the scene"

this also falls into the category of "are effects overused" where i see people overusing certain effects or not looking beyond the presets of effects.
Yes we have tools, but just because we have them, does it mean we must use them?

If the fotage is fitting, then do what u need and use whatever means to make that footage more than what it is, but only if its really necessary.
IMO, effects and manipulaiton like slow mo should be used to acentuate scenes or set themes and colour schemes based on particualr looks and "vibes" which ur trying to convey.
Too much and they lose their meaning and effectiveness.. too little and the client asks for more...
finding the balance is key...

As for this clip, im yet to find a client whos that ballsy to make a dick of themselves like this... LOL ive seen some tragic stuff in my time believe me... hahahaha
IMO that song, fun as it was, wouldnt be all that appropriate for a wedding... much like a bridal waltz set to "Careless Whisper".. lol if people knew what that song implied... well....

Fun, but not overly fitting. Obviously this isnt ur choice, but i really REALLY like the style cut youve got going here.. fast and fun and thats all that matters

Hey Mark,
Very cool entertaining clip. Loved every part of it. That was very creative and lively... My favorite style of editing is more on the side of being upbeat, but those projects take more time then traditional slow-mo highlights and not all my clients are willing to pay for it. Oh well. Thanks for sharing

Monday

Hi Monday,

I'm glad you enjoyed it. You bring up a very good point, whatever the style, it is important to be paid for your time.

Mark, First I have to say that that clip was very entertaining. While I have been viewing your work for quite a while I really didn't associate that type of stuff with your style, more of a David Mathew Bonner style from a while ago. Now having said that, it was fun, exciting and I'll bet the B&G loved it! As for Slo MO, NOPE! Not in something like that. Do I think it's over used, yeah sometimes but your style or at least the stuff I've seen over the years dictates it AND of course you're clients know that's what they're getting. Of course it's so well done that it doesn't appear to be overused in your stuff.
What I'm trying to say is that you and Trisha are associated with a particular style which you do amazinly well and slo mo is a big part of it. A clip like this just shows that it's the brain and the eye behind the camera that make for a quality video. It also shows that with a good eye and a good imagination no one needs to be roped into a single style.
Don

Hi Don,

Thanks for viewing. You bring up some very valid points.

I'm on dialup so I havent seen any of the clips. Every single star-wipe that was evr used was paid for by someone. That does not stop it looking tacky 10 years later.

Hi Mark,



If an effect carries the message its not overused. If slow-motion is what the client is drawn to and thats the emotional feeling you get on the wedding day then I think its appropriate. Its only overused if it doesn't 'work'. The same is true for fast-cut realtime editing. If things move too fast the content may not have time to be digested and it just becomes a jumble of shots. There is obviously a balance to be gauged. Just like us our couples have different attention spans or have may not have a romantic personality. For me its like pulling teeth to speed up the shot progression and the shot speed but some clients prefer that. This is a recent highlights that moves faster than my normal clips:

www.EventVideographer.com/WEDDING_HIGHLIGHTS

The interesting thing is that I could have cut the highlights slow and romantic - I didn't shoot it any differently than I normally do.

Hi Joel,

It's so good to hear from you. You always have such insightful input. It really is about finding the right mix for you and your clients.

I tried to watch your clip on a couple different computers, but no luck and I was really looking forward to it. It's been too long since I have seen your work.

Hey Mark,

Do you have QuickTime 7 installed? The clip is encoded with the H264 codec in QT7. Anyone else not able to watch it? I don't use H264 for clients for this very reason - it looks fantastic but it'll be a while until the compatibility catches up.



Hi Joel,

It's so good to hear from you. You always have such insightful input. It really is about finding the right mix for you and your clients.

I tried to watch your clip on a couple different computers, but no luck and I was really looking forward to it. It's been too long since I have seen your work.

Hi Mark,



If an effect carries the message its not overused. If slow-motion is what the client is drawn to and thats the emotional feeling you get on the wedding day then I think its appropriate. Its only overused if it doesn't 'work'. The same is true for fast-cut realtime editing. If things move too fast the content may not have time to be digested and it just becomes a jumble of shots. There is obviously a balance to be gauged. Just like us our couples have different attention spans or have may not have a romantic personality. For me its like pulling teeth to speed up the shot progression and the shot speed but some clients prefer that. This is a recent highlights that moves faster than my normal clips:

www.EventVideographer.com/WEDDING_HIGHLIGHTS

The interesting thing is that I could have cut the highlights slow and romantic - I didn't shoot it any differently than I normally do.

Joel,

Thanks for sharing! Awesome, as usual! It has been a while since I've seen your work. I love your Glidecam work! Very classy and not overused.

Seems like the bridal party had a lot of fun together ;)

Hey Mark,

Do you have QuickTime 7 installed? The clip is encoded with the H264 codec in QT7. Anyone else not able to watch it? I don't use H264 for clients for this very reason - it looks fantastic but it'll be a while until the compatibility catches up.

I just downloaded Qt 7 for windows and now I can hear your music, but no video. The music sounds cool, something like Joe Terravella would like.

I just downloaded Qt 7 for windows and now I can hear your music, but no video. The music sounds cool, something like Joe Terravella would like.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for taking a look. Try it now - there is an alternate link to different codec on the page if the embedded one doesn't work. Still QuickTime though. I have a Windows version waiting in the wings if this doesn't work.

That music video piece of yours looked like a blast to shoot. Everyone was so comfortable with the camera.

Joel,

Thanks for sharing! Awesome, as usual! It has been a while since I've seen your work. I love your Glidecam work! Very classy and not overused.

Seems like the bridal party had a lot of fun together ;)

Thanks Peter! They were a upbeat group. No sappy moments really, so my normal style just didn't fit them.

Here is a piece that has zero slow motion.
http://tulsaweddingvideos.com/video/ChadandCo.wmv

Except the second shot, heh, heh. Enjoyed it greatly, completely not what I was expecting. Looks like it took a lot of work and thought, and the result is worth it.

I use a fair amount of slow motion in our demo, which I shot with a Z1 and edited with Xpress Pro. You can see it here:

http://www.ipi-events.com/en/demo.html

So much depends on the music choice. In contrast to the demo, which identical to the highlight section the bride received in her video, I recently completed this highlight:

http://www.romanhurko.com/vito/pam_nick.mov

I didn't shoot it, but it's my edit. Feedback on either video is more than welcome. I'm always willing to learn something.

Because of the music choice, lots of slow motion was out of the question, though I play with ramping speeds a lot.

Interesting thread, Mark. Thanks for starting it.

Greetings from Montreal,
Vito

Joel, beautiful work. Just a pleasure to watch. Makes me want to go out and get a Glidecam, too.

Mark, try opening your Quicktime preferences in Control Panel (are you on PC?). On the advanced tab, check "safe mode" under video. See if that fixes your viewing problem...

Hey Joel,

Nice to see some new work from you. I'm really liking the nat sound and gorgeous colors. Did you make the leap to HD? The reason I ask is that when the video went out to my HD set it was in 16:9. Or was that a quicktime setting? Regardless, great stuff.

As for the topic at hand, I think anything can be overused. In some people's hands (like the Von Lankens) slow motion can be moving and integral to the story being told. In less than capable hands, it can be used as a crutch to cover up bad shooting and end up looking dull and monotonous. There's a difference between a flowing gliding shot of a bride in slow motion and guests sitting down in church in slow motion. For me the rule for slow motion is that the moment has to be extraordinary or emotional. Those are the shots that seem to benefit most from it.

Here's a sample from one of my April weddings that's pretty indicative of the direction I decided to go this year.....

http://www.watsonvideoarchive.com/helen3.wmv

Chris Watson
Watson Videography
www.dallasweddingfilms.com

Nice to see some new work from you. I'm really liking the nat sound and gorgeous colors. Did you make the leap to HD? The reason I ask is that when the video went out to my HD set it was in 16:9. Or was that a quicktime setting?

Its all sd - VX2000. The only thing I do is crop 4 or 5 pixels off the top and sides for the web output. I'm still waiting for an HD camera that isn't a step backwards in light sensitivity.

Here's a sample from one of my April weddings that's pretty indicative of the direction I decided to go this year.....

http://www.watsonvideoarchive.com/helen3.wmv


Fantastic. Pulls you right along. Nice reaction from the couple. Its hard when they exit the ceremony and seem preoccupied with where to go and what to do next rather than living in the moment. It makes our job easier when they are emotional as they were.

Hi Mark,



If an effect carries the message its not overused. If slow-motion is what the client is drawn to and thats the emotional feeling you get on the wedding day then I think its appropriate. Its only overused if it doesn't 'work'. The same is true for fast-cut realtime editing. If things move too fast the content may not have time to be digested and it just becomes a jumble of shots. There is obviously a balance to be gauged. Just like us our couples have different attention spans or have may not have a romantic personality. For me its like pulling teeth to speed up the shot progression and the shot speed but some clients prefer that. This is a recent highlights that moves faster than my normal clips:

www.EventVideographer.com/WEDDING_HIGHLIGHTS

The interesting thing is that I could have cut the highlights slow and romantic - I didn't shoot it any differently than I normally do.

Incredible work Joel.....I hope to get footage like that from my VX2100 one day!

Its all sd - VX2000. The only thing I do is crop 4 or 5 pixels off the top and sides for the web output. I'm still waiting for an HD camera that isn't a step backwards in light sensitivity.

I hear you on the low light. I still shoot second cam for others when I have a weekend off and use their VX 2000's and the one thing I really miss is the extra 2 stops that those cams give me at the reception. But that's the ONLY thing I miss. The widescreen aspect ratio, richer colors (no CC on that clip I shared) and more pixels to play with in post make it a fair trade. The 1080P V1 coming out from Sony in December looks nice although another stop is lost in the process. Guess you can't have it all.


Anyway, I'm glad you liked the clip as your opinion carries alot of weight for me. Keep up the good work.

Chris Watson
Watson Videography
www.dallasweddingfilms.com

Nice reaction from the couple. Its hard when they exit the ceremony and seem preoccupied with where to go and what to do next rather than living in the moment. It makes our job easier when they are emotional as they were.

That's something I've been doing since October of last year (following the couples directly after the ceremony). Some of the best moments of the day happen in that tiny window and you can catch some real gems if you're fast enough to catch it.

Chris Watson
Watson Videography

Incredible work Joel.....I hope to get footage like that from my VX2100 one day!

Thanks Sheldon! Just keep shooting and be your own harshest critic...