Directors Cut edit

Directors Cut edit - First part for review! · March 4th, 2010, 09:01 AM

This is the first part of our directors cut edit. We showed the second part a while back here.

It's about 12 min long so not for the faint hearted! but would appreciate feedback, even if you don't get to the end!

Cheers.

Aaron Jones · March 6th, 2010, 05:43 PM

To be honest. For the first 2 1/2 minutes, I was quite bored with the clip. I felt there were just too many shots that looked the same, didn't add to the flow of the story, and seemed to be just there for padding. I really didn't like the audio from the groom during his speeches, but I imagine you weren't able to secure a feed so not much cold be done about that.

When the change of song kicked it, everything worked so much better. Your style was more evident and the clip was more enjoyable to watch. I loved the great use of natural audio although I felt the levels needed better mixing as the music track and the natural audio are wrestling for supremacy at times.

Your grading is always funky and some of your shots are really great to watch.

I skipped through the last few minutes, but did notice that the groom's mic seemed like it was peaking, and you could barely hear the brides vows.

John De Rienzo · March 7th, 2010, 08:21 AM

Thx Aaron for your feedback. I listened to the mixing levels you talk about and don't personally have a problem with the sound there, but good to hear your opinions.

Not sure it was peaking with the groom! and we don't use a wireless lav on the bride so not much could be done there. There will always be some compromise and I had no idea on the day they were both coming up to the altar to say their vows!

Appreciate your feedback. I'm always one for an upbeat edit so personally find slower sections boring anyway! :) including my own, but the b+g loves them...ha

Forgot to add, this was a one camera operator(two camera shoot, so was a challenge in itself with bride, groom preps etc.

Would love to see longer edits online for review from others!, as I do feel it is so much easier to make a 1-2 min demo that is impressive!

Cheers.

Dimitris Mantalias · March 9th, 2010, 02:19 PM

Just saw it (as usual I watched all of it :) ). I think that I liked it even more than your previous long edits. It's more balanced in editing, it has some really great color grading and I liked the transitions between emotional and fast-paced styles. It worked very well for me. One shot I'd change though. The one at 00:40 with the horizontal-to-dutch panning (the one with the bridal dress). I think I'd keep the next one which was shot in a much better way. Other than that, a real enjoyment.

John De Rienzo · March 10th, 2010, 05:55 AM

Thx for your comments Dimitris. :)

Never ceases to amaze me how we all see things so differently in this industry....

I think I will go back to uploading 1-2min trailers :)

Cheers.

Dimitris Mantalias · March 10th, 2010, 02:29 PM

John, I was recently met and talked with one of Europe's greatest wedding videographers (ok, the greatest in my book) and discussed issues like that. What is clear is that you can't impress with a long form edit as you'd do with a trailer. I don't know, I haven't seen full wedding edits from the top names of the industry like StillMotion for example to be sure of it, but it's only normal that a full edit can't be as powerful (for the rest of the viewers, not the couple or relatives) as a short trailer, specially made to impress. It happens with movies too. You see movies worth of one hundred million dollars and still they have drawbacks, technical problems, goofs and boring or wrongly directed parts. They shoot 40 hours of material and even the 90 minutes of the final product are not always excellent. Add the fact that in weddings almost nothing is staged, and the difficulties increase.

Sure, you have to do the best in the full edit and the best may be sometimes amazing and sometimes very good or even average and that's the truth of the job. But the trailer when it's well made, it may bring you the brides like the good movie trailers bring people to cinemas. Of course the final wedding must be of a high quality or else the trailer is only a lie about our work (now I remembered the movie "Unborn", excellent and promising trailer and the movie sucked so much, I wanted to leave the cinema).

So, my opinion is, make a trailer that can create the "wow" factor and then try to edit the full feature based on the concept and the atmosphere of the trailer. A good trailer may give you incredible positive feedback and bring the clients in. At least that's my 2 cents.

March 7th, 2010, 08:21 AM	#3
John De Rienzo Major Player Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: London Posts: 313	Thx Aaron for your feedback. I listened to the mixing levels you talk about and don't personally have a problem with the sound there, but good to hear your opinions. Not sure it was peaking with the groom! and we don't use a wireless lav on the bride so not much could be done there. There will always be some compromise and I had no idea on the day they were both coming up to the altar to say their vows! Appreciate your feedback. I'm always one for an upbeat edit so personally find slower sections boring anyway! :) including my own, but the b+g loves them...ha Forgot to add, this was a one camera operator(two camera shoot, so was a challenge in itself with bride, groom preps etc. Would love to see longer edits online for review from others!, as I do feel it is so much easier to make a 1-2 min demo that is impressive! Cheers. __________________ De Rienzo Films www.derienzo-films.co.uk

March 9th, 2010, 02:19 PM	#4
Dimitris Mantalias Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Arta, Greece Posts: 342	Just saw it (as usual I watched all of it :) ). I think that I liked it even more than your previous long edits. It's more balanced in editing, it has some really great color grading and I liked the transitions between emotional and fast-paced styles. It worked very well for me. One shot I'd change though. The one at 00:40 with the horizontal-to-dutch panning (the one with the bridal dress). I think I'd keep the next one which was shot in a much better way. Other than that, a real enjoyment. __________________ "A successful wedding videographer is the one that offers for viewing some excellent videos and some boring videos, and gets positive reviews for both".

March 10th, 2010, 05:55 AM	#5
John De Rienzo Major Player Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: London Posts: 313	Thx for your comments Dimitris. :) Never ceases to amaze me how we all see things so differently in this industry.... I think I will go back to uploading 1-2min trailers :) Cheers. __________________ De Rienzo Films www.derienzo-films.co.uk

March 10th, 2010, 02:29 PM	#6
Dimitris Mantalias Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Arta, Greece Posts: 342	John, I was recently met and talked with one of Europe's greatest wedding videographers (ok, the greatest in my book) and discussed issues like that. What is clear is that you can't impress with a long form edit as you'd do with a trailer. I don't know, I haven't seen full wedding edits from the top names of the industry like StillMotion for example to be sure of it, but it's only normal that a full edit can't be as powerful (for the rest of the viewers, not the couple or relatives) as a short trailer, specially made to impress. It happens with movies too. You see movies worth of one hundred million dollars and still they have drawbacks, technical problems, goofs and boring or wrongly directed parts. They shoot 40 hours of material and even the 90 minutes of the final product are not always excellent. Add the fact that in weddings almost nothing is staged, and the difficulties increase. Sure, you have to do the best in the full edit and the best may be sometimes amazing and sometimes very good or even average and that's the truth of the job. But the trailer when it's well made, it may bring you the brides like the good movie trailers bring people to cinemas. Of course the final wedding must be of a high quality or else the trailer is only a lie about our work (now I remembered the movie "Unborn", excellent and promising trailer and the movie sucked so much, I wanted to leave the cinema). So, my opinion is, make a trailer that can create the "wow" factor and then try to edit the full feature based on the concept and the atmosphere of the trailer. A good trailer may give you incredible positive feedback and bring the clients in. At least that's my 2 cents. __________________ "A successful wedding videographer is the one that offers for viewing some excellent videos and some boring videos, and gets positive reviews for both".

March 6th, 2010, 05:43 PM	#2
Aaron Jones Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 88	To be honest. For the first 2 1/2 minutes, I was quite bored with the clip. I felt there were just too many shots that looked the same, didn't add to the flow of the story, and seemed to be just there for padding. I really didn't like the audio from the groom during his speeches, but I imagine you weren't able to secure a feed so not much cold be done about that. When the change of song kicked it, everything worked so much better. Your style was more evident and the clip was more enjoyable to watch. I loved the great use of natural audio although I felt the levels needed better mixing as the music track and the natural audio are wrestling for supremacy at times. Your grading is always funky and some of your shots are really great to watch. I skipped through the last few minutes, but did notice that the groom's mic seemed like it was peaking, and you could barely hear the brides vows.