Wedding Highlights--Shot with 2 Canon XH-A1 at DVinfo.net

Nick Weeks · November 10th, 2007, 08:09 PM

Not to double-post or anything, but I thought I would bring a little attention to a wedding video I shot with 2 Canon XH-A1 cameras.

This was shot using no custom presets, all color correction was done later in post. Circular polarizer and UV Haze 0 was used throughout.

http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?p=773440

Steve Yager · November 15th, 2007, 03:17 AM

Hey, Nick, how'd you get those crazy fast zooms with the A1? You you speeding them up in post? It doesn't look like it.

Michael Padilla · November 16th, 2007, 11:15 PM

..since the last time I replied to your footage.. which was a while ago.

I saw a lot of "don't like" comments which are intended for improvement.. but I think I have to commend you're strengths here as you have come a long way.

Loved the through zooms and the indie feel; great job of filling the frame, blurring etc.. and hey.. you got off the tripod! Excellent!
The date(Nov..) was cool only for a moment as it looked like it was on the grass.. after that it sucked and was cheezy :) sorry.
Great pan up the back of the dress; I liked the first pool break shot - great angle. The behind the scenes steadicam shot was cool. Good edits; like the audio inserted. Have you been watching my footage?

Ohh..Way too much food.. food is not good in video IMO.

Ok, I was writing and watching at the same time.. afterthoughts - didn't notice the ceremony.. was it in there? Also I liked the feel, but it left me with a bad taste; so although your footage was good and your editing good it lost its impact and romantics.

Alright the ceremony was there.. I double checked but it landed on a few fast cuts.. not ideal.. if anything fade out the music make the entrance/vows/rings whatever noticeable and then move on.

Overall great job; you could shoot for me any day!

Roger Lee · November 17th, 2007, 09:58 PM

Hello Nick,

Don't know if you are still looking for comments as your last post was on the 10th.

I've watched your video a couple of times now. My kids are at the age of the folks getting married...sort of tells you where I'm at age wise. :)

First off...I liked your video.

Throughout, there was this healthy, fun, happy, family feeling I got from watching what you did. I recognized a couple in love and enjoying their day together. Your video...for them..will be a treasure as the years go on.

For me, here's what I'm not sure how to resolve....

I think, from what I've read of the reviews of your video, that viewers are looking for that 'Hollywood' look from your couple....something special when they are more than they actually are in real life.

What I mean by the 'Hollywood' look.....

Ever watch 'Survivor' or some 'real life' situation on T.V. It's presented as what ordinary folks look and act like. Only, it's not real life...it's actors....or rookies who want to be actors.

And that's what I think may be the problem with putting someone's wedding video on-line....

People are going to expect that they may see a 'Hollywood' or 'Hollywood like'(for lack of a better description) look alike presentation on-line.

And again....enjoyed your video.

Rog Lee

Nick Weeks · November 17th, 2007, 10:44 PM

Wow, I haven't even checked this thread.. almost forgot about it.

Steve,
I achieved the fast zooms with the custom function option "high speed zoom"... It's on p.87 of the english section of the manual. Nothing was done in post.

As the manual says, the auto focus can be troublesome when you use the high speed zoom, and I've only seen it once or twice. Despite that, I leave it set all the time because its much quicker making adjustments, plus you can get that snap zoom "look" of a real manual lens.

Michael,
your videos have always inspired me in one way or another, I especially like the "indie feel" of any wedding video, I think it sets us apart from the "norm". I now despise the tripod! The only time I use the tripod now is during a ceremony when I only have 2 cams. If I do a ceremony with 3 cams and a helper I'm on the Glidecam the whole time, otherwise I'm handheld. I mounted a quick release plate on my sled, and it's the best $50 I ever spent; I can take the vest on and off in less than a minute and the sled stays balanced.

Yeah, the text coming out of the grass was my first intention, but it was too short, and I just didn't know what to do with it, so I got a little carried away! :) I'm replacing that with a cu of one of their napkins, it has their names and the date and works just as well.

Good comments always leave me with a good feeling, especially coming from more experienced videographers. I am certainly happy you feel I've come a long way, and I have to agree.

By the way, the videos on your Web site have not been working for me, neither on my mac or PC... when I click the image, no popup ever loads or anything... thought you might like to know.

Roger,
I'm glad you enjoyed my video, I always keep working on videos until I'm happy with them myself before actually delivering them to my clients; I'll never give them something I wouldn't want for myself. I try to get unbiased input from outside sources occasionally, especially this time because I have changed both my shooting and editing style, not to mention added the glidecam to my arsenal.

I agree... some people do expect hollywood actors' look, but I try not to pay attention to it and just focus on what I think looks best. I do have to agree with some of the comments about the girls putting on the makeup, I may not have chosen the best shots. There is definitely room for improvement there.

Thanks again for all the comments. I'm actually working on a second clip, and I plan to re-post it, hopefully to gather some of the same users' comments from the first version. All in all, the rest of their video is coming together quite well. I focus mostly on the highlight video because its the first thing they see when they stick the DVD in their player, so I always try and let it leave the best impression.

Michael Padilla · November 18th, 2007, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Weeks

Wow, I haven't even checked this thread.. almost forgot about it.

By the way, the videos on your Web site have not been working for me, neither on my mac or PC... when I click the image, no popup ever loads or anything... thought you might like to know.

Yeah.. Sorry about that Nick. I've been in the process of updating and just really never get around to either fixing it or updating it.. too busy editing etc..
One of these days I'll get around to posting some recent footage.

November 10th, 2007, 08:09 PM	#1
Nick Weeks Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Birmingham, AL USA Posts: 722	Wedding Highlights--Shot with 2 Canon XH-A1 Not to double-post or anything, but I thought I would bring a little attention to a wedding video I shot with 2 Canon XH-A1 cameras. This was shot using no custom presets, all color correction was done later in post. Circular polarizer and UV Haze 0 was used throughout. http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?p=773440

November 16th, 2007, 11:15 PM	#3
Michael Padilla Major Player Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: O.C., CA United States Posts: 337	You've gotten much better.. ..since the last time I replied to your footage.. which was a while ago. I saw a lot of "don't like" comments which are intended for improvement.. but I think I have to commend you're strengths here as you have come a long way. Loved the through zooms and the indie feel; great job of filling the frame, blurring etc.. and hey.. you got off the tripod! Excellent! The date(Nov..) was cool only for a moment as it looked like it was on the grass.. after that it sucked and was cheezy :) sorry. Great pan up the back of the dress; I liked the first pool break shot - great angle. The behind the scenes steadicam shot was cool. Good edits; like the audio inserted. Have you been watching my footage? Ohh..Way too much food.. food is not good in video IMO. Ok, I was writing and watching at the same time.. afterthoughts - didn't notice the ceremony.. was it in there? Also I liked the feel, but it left me with a bad taste; so although your footage was good and your editing good it lost its impact and romantics. Alright the ceremony was there.. I double checked but it landed on a few fast cuts.. not ideal.. if anything fade out the music make the entrance/vows/rings whatever noticeable and then move on. Overall great job; you could shoot for me any day! __________________ -M www.visualmasterpiece.com

November 15th, 2007, 03:17 AM	#2
Steve Yager Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 157	Hey, Nick, how'd you get those crazy fast zooms with the A1? You you speeding them up in post? It doesn't look like it.

November 17th, 2007, 09:58 PM	#4
Roger Lee Major Player Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Western Minnesota Posts: 227	Hello Nick, Don't know if you are still looking for comments as your last post was on the 10th. I've watched your video a couple of times now. My kids are at the age of the folks getting married...sort of tells you where I'm at age wise. :) First off...I liked your video. Throughout, there was this healthy, fun, happy, family feeling I got from watching what you did. I recognized a couple in love and enjoying their day together. Your video...for them..will be a treasure as the years go on. For me, here's what I'm not sure how to resolve.... I think, from what I've read of the reviews of your video, that viewers are looking for that 'Hollywood' look from your couple....something special when they are more than they actually are in real life. What I mean by the 'Hollywood' look..... Ever watch 'Survivor' or some 'real life' situation on T.V. It's presented as what ordinary folks look and act like. Only, it's not real life...it's actors....or rookies who want to be actors. And that's what I think may be the problem with putting someone's wedding video on-line.... People are going to expect that they may see a 'Hollywood' or 'Hollywood like'(for lack of a better description) look alike presentation on-line. And again....enjoyed your video. Rog Lee

November 17th, 2007, 10:44 PM	#5
Nick Weeks Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Birmingham, AL USA Posts: 722	Wow, I haven't even checked this thread.. almost forgot about it. Steve, I achieved the fast zooms with the custom function option "high speed zoom"... It's on p.87 of the english section of the manual. Nothing was done in post. As the manual says, the auto focus can be troublesome when you use the high speed zoom, and I've only seen it once or twice. Despite that, I leave it set all the time because its much quicker making adjustments, plus you can get that snap zoom "look" of a real manual lens. Michael, your videos have always inspired me in one way or another, I especially like the "indie feel" of any wedding video, I think it sets us apart from the "norm". I now despise the tripod! The only time I use the tripod now is during a ceremony when I only have 2 cams. If I do a ceremony with 3 cams and a helper I'm on the Glidecam the whole time, otherwise I'm handheld. I mounted a quick release plate on my sled, and it's the best $50 I ever spent; I can take the vest on and off in less than a minute and the sled stays balanced. Yeah, the text coming out of the grass was my first intention, but it was too short, and I just didn't know what to do with it, so I got a little carried away! :) I'm replacing that with a cu of one of their napkins, it has their names and the date and works just as well. Good comments always leave me with a good feeling, especially coming from more experienced videographers. I am certainly happy you feel I've come a long way, and I have to agree. By the way, the videos on your Web site have not been working for me, neither on my mac or PC... when I click the image, no popup ever loads or anything... thought you might like to know. Roger, I'm glad you enjoyed my video, I always keep working on videos until I'm happy with them myself before actually delivering them to my clients; I'll never give them something I wouldn't want for myself. I try to get unbiased input from outside sources occasionally, especially this time because I have changed both my shooting and editing style, not to mention added the glidecam to my arsenal. I agree... some people do expect hollywood actors' look, but I try not to pay attention to it and just focus on what I think looks best. I do have to agree with some of the comments about the girls putting on the makeup, I may not have chosen the best shots. There is definitely room for improvement there. Thanks again for all the comments. I'm actually working on a second clip, and I plan to re-post it, hopefully to gather some of the same users' comments from the first version. All in all, the rest of their video is coming together quite well. I focus mostly on the highlight video because its the first thing they see when they stick the DVD in their player, so I always try and let it leave the best impression.