My first wedding film, my first demo

my first wedding,my first demo on Vimeo


this is the first wedding i have filmed after purchasing a sony hvr v1 and a mac pro with final cut, i have not colored this as i did not have a clue how to use those tools when i made this and i understand there are things wrong, im hoping to get a merlin for christmas


please comment as honest as u like

regards
luke

[Luke Oliver]

oh, and i only put new era at the beginning because where i live in guernsey no one really films them with style

[Matthew Craggs]

Good job, just a couple of things I would do differently, like the still frames and slow motion. I would cut out the stills and speed up the slow motion because they made the piece drag a for me. The clip was three minutes long and it felt a lot longer. I would also replace the still of the rings with a video clip of the rings.

I would also put all of my contact information into one title and have that play longer, rather than flipping between contact methods (though that's a minor gripe). I would also change the font and spiff it up a bit. Maybe put a stroke or a drop shadow on it.

Overall, it's good though. I wish my first wedding turned out half as good as yours did. I also like the tagline, "From real to reel."

[Luke Oliver]

cheers for the info dude, ill play around with some text stuff, just not really sure how to do much else yet.

[Bill Busby]

it went poof! :-\

[Luke Oliver]

DEMO FOR VIRTUOSO FILMS on Vimeo

sorry here it is , please be as honest as u like

regards
luke

[Chris P. Jones]

Luke,

Looks like you're getting a good start on your business.

A few suggestions.

In my opinion, your best shot was of the bride with her veil blowing behind her. My attention was drawn away from her by the text on the screen. Since this was a money shot, you should do nothing to take away from it.

Did you record vows with a wireless mic? Some good vows voicing over would add a lot as well.

It looks like you've probably got some pretty good first dance footage. This is always such an emotional moment for couples, and they can't get enough of it.

So you're getting a Merlin? I'm very high on that tool. It gets the shots I need, and it packs well. There's nothing like traveling light!

I look forward to seeing more from you,
jones

[Jim Cowan]

Hi Luke,
I thought you did a very nice fade/cut with the champaigne(sp) to
the couple dancing.

I don't know if I'd have used the airplane, a little out of context
(or maybe I just lived near LAX too long even though I love planes).

good luck

thanks
jim cowan

[Jason Robinson]

unlike some, I happen to really like well placed stills in a movie. but never ever completely static. I always Ken Burns them a little. Like a very slight slow zoom, or a slow rotation. IF the eye sits on a static picture for more than about 4 seconds it gets bored. If the pictures is moving, even slightly the eye must constantly figure out what is moving, where it is moving to, what is coming next etc.

I would leave off the "Contact [first name]" part and instead just put the contact info there. Unless your name is something people should already know, they probably don't care who it is they need to call (though I'm guilty of exactly the same thing on my web site).

The song kind of killed the momentum in the middle. THe pictures did match it though... you moved to more subtle / softer scenes. But it did seem to get slow at that point. I don't know if a demo is something that should maintain a pace, or vary the pace. I have not made an actual demo yet, so that will all be new to me.

[Luke Oliver]

thank u for all your replies
To try and reply to all.......i do not have a wireless mic yet, i was gonna order the g2 schinersser or something but now i have been reading that people pick up too much noise frequency form phones and stuff, is this true???. what is a good system for around 200 pound or 400 dollers. I use theTechnica AT897 shotgun mic which has proved good so far and i have shot one for free and charged for the other. Both loved it. Lucky where i live on the island of guernsey u can always go to practice their a day before (its only 7 miles by 4 ) to know where ur gonna be standing, and its usually at the front. Still i would like wireless, any ideas????

Regarding the stills i agree they might not be necessary in the demo but form the 2 i have done that is one of the things the couples commented on and loved, not many but a few here and there. I would have used shots of the ring instead of a still but i did not have a shot , and cause it was my second time and i was still unsure about what shots are must haves.
Pacing in demos????? well i guess its nice to have a build, climax or so on, i want the viewer to think hell yeah , i wanna book this guy at the end, leave their last emotion to be a high one. make them emote during the trailer.im sure most film trailers have a pace which quickens, doesnt the dark knight ( i know its not a blockbuster movie but all the same) I have received so many demos from england which use rubbish pop music, jack johnson, razor light and stuff like that which i hate. Its too easy almost. Boring in my opinion.

and regarding the plane, yeah i know its totally outta context but it was there at the wedding and i got that shot so i thought why not display my cinematography skills even if it was a lucky one.

does this make sense??
but yeah lots and lots a and lots of room for improvement, cannot wait to get a merlin for chrimbo to add that finesse

just so much to learn with compressor , dvd studio, final cut , getting there slowly.

how old are all u guys by the way ??? i hope i can go full time someday , there is only one other company over here and husband and wife and my odds look good


many many regards
luke

[Luke Oliver]

oh and in regards to jason i know the still pic is a bit rubbish, your totally right about the motion.

and in guernsey everyone knows everyone, so name is a big thing. I wanted to be called virtuoso films but pro photographers over here said your own name will sell you the work


cheers for your feedback man
taken all onboard

luke

[Jason Robinson]

Originally Posted by Luke Oliver

oh and in regards to jason i know the still pic is a bit rubbish, your totally right about the motion.
and in guernsey everyone knows everyone, so name is a big thing. I wanted to be called virtuoso films but pro photographers over here said your own name will sell you the work
cheers for your feedback man
taken all onboard
luke

Good call on the name then. Me having no idea what the culture is like over there, I can only talk, where as the other pros know the clientele. In my city, people don't care too much about your personal name. They just want to see good work. Though if you have some dumb nonsensical name I assume that might turn the brides away from the beginning).

I have an unfair advantage in that I have a (recent) wife. She is still relatively in touch with what brides like these days. Especially since her cousin is getting married this spring (And I think I'm shooting that one too).

And my wife likes the strategic still photos in the video look. Now I don't always hit it right with the stills I put in (especially because she is the semi skilled photographer for all the stills I put in my videos) but I think they do add value.