There was a thread posted not too long ago by Mark asking about the use of slow motion. Joel and Chris then posted faster highlights within the thread and I thought this one would fit well in that category, but the thread kinda died since then.

I also wanted to share this as there are a couple shots in there that I absolutely love. One is the shot of the camera across the front of the necklace with the bride out of focus in the background.

This clip is a little different from what I normally do, and the couple is also very unique, so I thought it would be interesting to share. The bride has a real model look to her and was very comfortable with the camera so I did a lot more actual directing shots where I asked her to look at the camera, which I normally don't do at all. They also had a very unique style- the bride had a stainless steal bouquet, black shoes with her white dress and much more. Other than that, I was also a little concerned with my song choice, so any thoughts on that would be appreciated.

Enjoy.

http://www.smcouples.com/demetri/highlights.mov

Patrick

Patrick that was very nice. Well done! Loved the glidecam work and nice touch on the selective coloring. The song was different but worked pretty well. The fonts at the end was very different. I was expecting something Script like, but then it looked like it was a font from a horror movie. Timing was very good and very easy to watch all the way through. I personally like editing more upbeat highlights but am limited by the clients preference alot. One thing I'm learning that Chris Watson said and I seen you did in this clip is to use slow-motion to help bring out a scene when dealing with this style. Thanks for sharing another clip.

Monday

I liked it alot, i like how you used the glidecam, and I like the directed look of it. Very nice looking.

May I ask what song that was, I have seen it used many times, and really like it!

Nice work Patrick!
The camera work was great and the fast motion looked good as well. I'm trying a similar approach in my current wedding - a little more upbeat. I agree with Monday, not the font I expected but great piece over all.

Very Nice Camera work!

You cut timing was bad in my opinion. It is usually not a good idea to make the cuts at the same time as a peak music event. It makes the video very hard to watch and not flow well. The cuts should come several frames before or after the peak music event, in your case the base drum. This is a suttle thing but very important.

Mike Smith

Nice work patrick..what were you using to fly the camera? glidecam? or steadicam? Amazing job

Very Nice Camera work!

You cut timing was bad in my opinion. It is usually not a good idea to make the cuts at the same time as a peak music event. It makes the video very hard to watch and not flow well. The cuts should come several frames before or after the peak music event, in your case the base drum. This is a suttle thing but very important.

Mike Smith

With all do respect Mike, I disagree! It drives me nuts when the transition is a couple frames early or late.

Patrick, Absolutely loved most shots. You are really fluid with those stabilization shots. The only slight nit pick I have is about 1/3 of the way through it I noticed that almost every pan/movement was left to right. After several in a row with no right to left it got a tad monotonous. I only mention this because it is something I have been trying to work on myself. We get comfortable moving in one direction and forget to mix it up.

just my 2 cents

Dan

I agree with the last statement about music cuts. Cut ON the beat not before or after UNLESS you are trying to syncopate the rhythm. (This is from an old time drummer) There is a time and place for cutting off the beat but in 99% of cases you really want to cut on the beat. Watch most music videos and you'll see it there as well.

Don

Don syncopating the rhythm is a much more advanced technique and often ends in a mess for inexperienced editors as well as musicians. When it works (in music or in video) the piece really pops out - but it's a lot to ask for in a wedding video. Staying on the beat is OK but you have to vary the length of the shots. If the cuts are occuring with predictatble regularity then a clip is going to lose its sparkle, its excitement. Its ok to build a relentless monotony as long as it resolves, but if it just continues until it loses impetus the net effect will tend to be somewhat dreary. I should say the clip wouldn't play for me so I'm not sure if that is the problem here, but it's certainly a problem I see in a lot of wedding video. A heavy handed editing style will inevitably focus too much attention on the editors "cleverness" which is very rarely what the client wants.

Just my .02, no biggie.

loved it.. the cuts were fine,
Predictable when synced cuts are used this often, but for the styling, i think it was fitting.

technically, I dont think half these pans and motions would be possible on a progressive scan camera or playback device, so if theyre runnign it trhough a plasma be aware that really fast shots and pans can sometimes be ruined or blurred with dodgy HW
deinterlacing...

I liked it.. i thought the steadicam shots were nice.. there were many of them but it wasnt done like "hey look, ive got a steadycam and look what it can help me do"
It was just nice and tight enough to not really notice that the cam was stabilised. Makes a difference to me anyway...

I really liked most of it. Good job and hats off to doing something against the flow of the pack.

Someone tell me if they agree or disagree that it looked like something out of National Geographic. For some reason, the colors of the church and the framing of the shots gave me that feeling. Consider that a compliment.

I only have two points to consider. I think I would like to have a more varying flow instead of all fast. Think of a piece of music that has different movements and tempos. Also, the font at the end looked "dirty" and hard to read.

Loved it. I agree with editing the footage to the beat of the music. If I'm off by a frame or two, it just drives me crazy.

Patrick - What was the music?

Patrick,

I have a question. This is obviously a highlight film - and a great one. What else if anything did the you deliver to the bride and groom. Does anyone just deliver a well made highlight fillm, or does it just depend on what you contract for? Also, what stabilizing unit did you use so gracefully?

Patrick that was very nice. Well done! Loved the glidecam work and nice touch on the selective coloring. The song was different but worked pretty well. The fonts at the end was very different. I was expecting something Script like, but then it looked like it was a font from a horror movie. Timing was very good and very easy to watch all the way through. I personally like editing more upbeat highlights but am limited by the clients preference alot. One thing I'm learning that Chris Watson said and I seen you did in this clip is to use slow-motion to help bring out a scene when dealing with this style. Thanks for sharing another clip.

Monday


Thanks for taking the time to watch the clip and post your thoughts. In the end, the font style was strcutly a reflection of the couple and their style. I had smething more traditional in there firs but it just wasn't them. I also really enjoy the effect of slow motion clips put among much faster ones.

I liked it alot, i like how you used the glidecam, and I like the directed look of it. Very nice looking.

May I ask what song that was, I have seen it used many times, and really like it!


This was the first clip with a more directed feel that I have done in quite a while and I really like how it turned out. I'm not sure about the name of the song as it was provided to me to be used in a love story (which I posted here not too long ago as well).

Very Nice Camera work!

You cut timing was bad in my opinion. It is usually not a good idea to make the cuts at the same time as a peak music event. It makes the video very hard to watch and not flow well. The cuts should come several frames before or after the peak music event, in your case the base drum. This is a suttle thing but very important.

Mike Smith


I like the idea Mike. I did try that for several of the cuts but it really seemed ot throw the piece off. I must have watched it several times in that fashion and it just didn't feel right but perhaps I wasn't doing it exactly right. In the end I opted for the safe, to the beat, route.

Billy,

I used a Magiqcam which is alike a glidecam, but also has the vest and arm. For the past couple weddings I have tried shooting with just a glidecam and have been comparing it to the Magiqcam and, in the end, I really find that the vest and arm provides many more advantages over disadvantages for prep style footage.

Dan,

Thanks for the comments. I just watched the clio again myself to try and catch that and ended up not noticing it as I got caught up in the clip. That is something I try to avoid but the larger problem is that I have found my camera movement is much easier in that direction with the Magiqcam, so naturally more of my shots end up that way, which makes it tough when it comes to the editing.

Patrick,

I have a question. This is obviously a highlight film - and a great one. What else if anything did the you deliver to the bride and groom. Does anyone just deliver a well made highlight fillm, or does it just depend on what you contract for? Also, what stabilizing unit did you use so gracefully?


Hi Terry,

On certain dates we do offer a highlights only package as an add-on to our photo service. This particular package also included a short-form ceremony, speeches, an artistically edited first dance, and a reception montage which often takes as long or longer than the highlights (due to split screen, timing effects etc).

The stabilizer was a Magiqcam. From a fun point of view, this is a great stabilizer. It really gives you a lot of options and can be used for long periods of time.

oh too bad, I really liked that song and wanted to use it.

Hi Patrick,

I just wanted to tell you how much I really, really enjoyed your piece! I know some other people have asked you this, but I was wondering if anyone else here knows the name of the song you used. Thanks.

Ben,

I'll see what I can do about getting you the name of the song, as well as the others who posted here. I will talk with the couple who gave it to me and post back if I find out more.

Thanks a lot Patrick, it is much appreciated.

Ben,

I'll see what I can do about getting you the name of the song, as well as the others who posted here. I will talk with the couple who gave it to me and post back if I find out more.

Thank you very much, I am very interested in the name of the song.

Nice work Patrick. What camera was that clip shot with?

-Don B.

Don,

It was shot with 2 VX2001, a PD170 and a PDX10.

Patrick

Thanks for the reply Patrick. I'm the guy (one of many I assume) that is going to be buying a cam (s) in the next month or so and is on the fence between getting a Vx2100 and a PD170 or getting a Z1 or FX1 and using my XL1 as a second cam. I'm still on the fence. I know nothing can compare with the VX/PDs in low light. Maybe I'll end up getting them (and end up with cams with very little value n a year or so). It's a tough time to be making this decision but I want to be able to get soemthing in january so I can be used to the new cams by the time wedding season comes around. Any further thoughts on my "dilemma" are appreciated.

-Don

Don,

If it was my purchase I would go with a used 2100 or 170, which ever comes up first at the best price. They are so cheap now, when you get them second hand, that I really wouldn't worry about the value drop. The low light and overall picture quality, in my opnion, is very good for what clients are looking for today, and by the time you need HD, you will have gotten the value out of this cam already. I had the FX1 for a while and sold it, decided to stick with the 2100 and PD170 until the HD cameras aren't a step back in low light.

Thanks again Patrick. I agree that it looks like the thing to do for me now is go with VX/PD. As I said, I own a XL1. I've budgeted about $5000. I think I'll take your advice and look for one used VX and one used PD and use the XL1 as my "spare".

Very interesting to hear that you went with the FX1 for a while and still came back to the PDs. I have been thinking it'd be best to wait until the HDVs come out with more light sensitivity. Your comments have me thinking I've been thinking the right thing. :) I appreciate the input.

I guess the thing that has kept me on the fence is when I hear someone say it would not make sense at this time to get a 4:3 SD camera. I think until the technology evolves a bit more (HDV in lowlight as well as HDV delivery/viewing) I will do just that. I figure I'll make my $$$ off those cams even if I only use them for one year.

-Don