I have said this before and in this case it is especially true. Often, our most recent Highlight is our favorite. Well this Highlight is our current favorite, for many reasons.

For one, this was an awesome couple to work for, both the day of the wedding as well as after the wedding.

The minister was very close with the couple. They referred to him as their spiritual father. He played a critical role in their teen years and has continued on to this day. For that reason, we used more of his words from the ceremony in their Highlight than we typically do. I especially liked the way Trisha used his comments about love to close out the Highlight.

Usually if the couple wants us to use some VO, we capture it the day of the wedding. For the first time ever, we had this couple come in a month after the wedding. They gave us some great VO to work with. We sprinkled it throughout the project and you will hear some of it in the Highlight.

www.TulsaWeddingVideos.com/video/CJHighlight.wmv

Wow... that's quite a tear jerker you got there! Excellent job as always... I really like the VO in this one, like you mentioned, its different in a very good way.

HEY WOW... THAT WAS AWESOME! I don't post a lot here, but I have to say that I look all over the Internet for video samples. That was some of the best work I have seen to date!

To me great Highlights Vids create great emotion. I also measure how well a vid is put together by how well I feel 'connected' to the couple. That is to say, even thought I do not know them, I still feel connected and care about them.

Your video does this with great magnitude! Well done :)

Mark,

Everytime I see a new clip from you and Trisha, I get more excited about coming to Tulsa for "One on One." Great work! See you in a couple of weeks!

-Dave

That was really great Mark! I've seen a lot of your shots but the closing shot you had was one of my favorites. It really stood out and looked amazing.

I think it worked great using the pastors vo for the entire piece. It really complimented what the couple had to say and was a great all around audio score.

Was it easier to do the couples vo after the wedding? I find that it is because I can lead the questions in a direction that will help support the final video and help to fill in the areas that need some additional comment or explanation.

Nice piece.

Ben

Wow... that's quite a tear jerker you got there! Excellent job as always... I really like the VO in this one, like you mentioned, its different in a very good way.

Hi Nick,

Thanks. The VO really makes it. For educational purposes, I made two versions of their Highlight. One with VO and one without. The one with VO is so much more emotionally moving that the one without VO.

HEY WOW... THAT WAS AWESOME! I don't post a lot here, but I have to say that I look all over the Internet for video samples. That was some of the best work I have seen to date!

To me great Highlights Vids create great emotion. I also measure how well a vid is put together by how well I feel 'connected' to the couple. That is to say, even thought I do not know them, I still feel connected and care about them.

Your video does this with great magnitude! Well done :)

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the kind words. It's interesting that you said even though you don't know the couple, that after watching the video you not only feel connected to the couple but also care about them. Wow.

Mark,

Everytime I see a new clip from you and Trisha, I get more excited about coming to Tulsa for "One on One." Great work! See you in a couple of weeks!

-Dave

Hi Dave,

We are looking forward to seeing you in Tulsa. Caleb and Julie are a great couple and you will really enjoy working with them.

That was really great Mark! I've seen a lot of your shots but the closing shot you had was one of my favorites. It really stood out and looked amazing...

...Was it easier to do the couples vo after the wedding? I find that it is because I can lead the questions in a direction that will help support the final video and help to fill in the areas that need some additional comment or explanation.

Nice piece.

Ben

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the kind words.

It was easier to do their VO after the wedding. It took about an hour. It was much more relaxed than getting the VO the day of the wedding and you are right, you can lead them in the direction you want them to go.

As I said, this is the first time we did VO after the wedding day. We are now making it an additional upgrade. Not only was it an hour of VO time, but much more time in post.

She said some great things about her Dad that we used in the processional. The VO sprinkled throughout their DVD really took it to another level.

Mark, both clips (the highlight and closing) are really moving. What music were you using on them? Were you using a wideangle on some of the shots (for example, the little girl shot from above)?

Mark, both clips (the highlight and closing) are really moving. What music were you using on them? Were you using a wideangle on some of the shots (for example, the little girl shot from above)?

Hi Greg,

The Highlight is from the soundtack Castaway and the Closing is from Shawshank Redemption.

Yes, I was using a .7 on several of those shots, including the little girl from above. Good eye.

Lovely! You do good work. How did you get that single tear rolling down the bridesmaid's face??

Lovely! You do good work. How did you get that single tear rolling down the bridesmaid's face??

Hi Michael,

Thanks. The minister had known the couple for many years and was very close with them. When he started talking about those early years the tear came.

Hi Michael,

Thanks. The minister had known the couple for many years and was very close with them. When he started talking about those early years the tear came.

Kudos to you or your cameraperson for being sharp enough to catch it so beautifully.

I am sure the B&G just went..."wow" when they saw this! Simply breathtaking and more than they expected.

What type of set-up do you have when they come to do the VO after the wedding and do you show them a few clips to get them talking? How does that whole process go? I am thinking about adding this as an option bcs. everytime a Bride says OK to messages...on the wedding day they are too nervous to say anything. Just wanted to get a feel for how you sit down with them and get them to open up...and I know every B&G is different...what are you using to record audio?

Thanks for taking the time to post your work...it definitely inspires me!

Sorry to be ignorant, but what is VO stand for?

Stelios

Voice Over...VO

this is the best highlight clip i've ever seen and a true inspiration for me. thanks mark.

I am sure the B&G just went..."wow" when they saw this! Simply breathtaking and more than they expected.

What type of set-up do you have when they come to do the VO after the wedding and do you show them a few clips to get them talking? How does that whole process go? I am thinking about adding this as an option bcs. everytime a Bride says OK to messages...on the wedding day they are too nervous to say anything. Just wanted to get a feel for how you sit down with them and get them to open up...and I know every B&G is different...what are you using to record audio?

Thanks for taking the time to post your work...it definitely inspires me!

Hi Seth,

I use a couple of wireless lav mics, the same ones I use on the Minister and the Groom on the wedding day. I record their audio with my camera. I use this setup for a couple of reasons.

One, they almost forget they are wearing them compared to physically seeing a mic setting in front of them that they are always aware of.

And two, I wanted them to interact with each other and I wanted them to feel free to move a little and not be hampered by a mic on a stand.

I went through the tapes and captured some key moments I wanted them to talk about. We did this a month after the wedding and I was concerned I may not get the responses I was looking for if I just tried to paint a visal picture with my words.

So I had all of these clips on my timeline and I would play a clip for them and then let them talk. I told them I didn't just want them to just talk about what they just saw, but I wanted them to tell me or each other what they were feeling at that moment.

this is the best highlight clip i've ever seen and a true inspiration for me. thanks mark.

Hi Mark,

What a great name. Thanks for the kind words.

Wonderful clip. I just want to know if you are using a monopod or a tripod on wheels to show the moving shots especially when they were dancing and also when you show the food.

Stelios

Wonderful clip. I just want to know if you are using a monopod or a tripod on wheels to show the moving shots especially when they were dancing and also when you show the food.

Stelios

Hi Stelios,

Thanks.

I don't have a tripod on wheels. I did use a monopod on two of the moving shots, rising above the flower arrangement and rising above the cake. Everything else was done handheld.

Here's a few keys to getting smooth fluid motion without a stabilizer or Glidecam.
1. Keep the lens wide, do not zoom in.
2. Brace your camera against your body and get motion from your body moving and not just your arms moving.
3. Use foreground elements as you track left and right or forward and backward. Foreground elements increase the sense of motion.

If you want to really see how we do it, we have a training DVD that shows behind the scenes footage of us as we are using the technieques I have described. The video was shot on location in real wedding venues, so it is not just some theories on camera movement, but practical techniques that really work.
http://www.tulsaweddingvideos.com/videographers.shtml

Mark, i cant get over how clear the audio is on the minister. did you spend alot of time in post cleaning up ambient noise... or is it that clear to begin with?

Mark, i cant get over how clear the audio is on the minister. did you spend alot of time in post cleaning up ambient noise... or is it that clear to begin with?
in most cases, its called micing up the minister... pity so many priests down here are so finicky about that kinda thing...

Hi Mark,

I always mic the minister and the groom. The ministers voice had a lot of low end to it, so I removed a little of the lows, but that was it.

When I used Azden and Samson wireless mics I always had to do a lot of audio work. Now that I use the Sennheiser G2 wireless system I do very little if any audio work.