Bridal prep documentary style

Hey all,

It's been a while. I've been busy with other things, but finally working on another wedding. I thought I would post a bridal prep in a straight journalistic/documentary style (or whatever you want to call it).

This is probably the most untouched type of video I've ever done. There's only one transition; a dip to black. The one dissolve was a mistake that I didn't bother to fix for Vimeo. No slomo. Ambient sound left under every clip.

I thought it would make it easier, but it was actually much harder, which was a good learning experience. I wanted to get out of the rut of choosing a bunch of beauty shots, add music, slomo and bake till done.

I like the feel, like you're actually there. And it lets the emotion and humour come out more clearly. You may not agree, however, so feel free to shoot some slings and arrows!

jillian on Vimeo

Thanks for any feedback. And is it just me, or does Vimeo compression darken the video?

[Don Bloom]

Vito,
I didn't notice any unusal darkening but then I like a slightly darker look anyway so if Vimeo did darken it it didn't bother me.

As for the piece itself, I have to say I really liked the natural feel of it. IMO you hit it right. I really smiled at the dad walking in without his pants. Cute. I also liked to natural audio, it really made a difference.
While this type of piece might not be right for every bride it seemed that it was 100% right for this one. I base that on the way she "worked" the camera, the things said and the laughter.
For me, it hit the spot. Nice job.

[Noel Lising]

Nice work Vito. I love how you made the Bride say something before boarding the limo. I am going to copy that this Saturday =).

[David Schuurman]

Vito, I too loved the clip where the bride gives a message to the camera before getting in the car.
How do you approach this? do you say "do you have anything to say to the camera?" or "...to the groom?" or do you just say like "how are ya feeling?"

I feel that is my weakness, communicating with the couple to elict a response I want.

[Vito DeFilippo]

Thanks, Don. You're right, I knew that I needed a couple with a great sense of humour to try and do it this way. I think they'll like it.

Noel, go ahead and steal that! I'm sure I'm not the first to do it, and won't be the last.

David, I do this at every wedding. At the groom's house, I grab the groom and put them on the spot to say something to the bride before I leave. It's never been a problem. Sometimes I warn them ahead of time, usually not. I remind them that if they screw up, we can just redo it.

At the bride's, I just say "say something to your fiance before you get in the car" and see what comes out. It usually works great.

[Jordan Brindle]

Hi Vito,

This is really interesting, because this is how the majority of weddings are filmed over here in the UK. I think American's are more fond of the feature-film/hollywood style that you described, while our client's generally prefer more banter and atmosphere. I shoot in the middle-ground, going from music-video style to documentary/fly off the wall throughout the day and within the same segment. It just gives you more freedom with content and allows you to maintain a decent pace throughout the film.

It's good to not be shy when it comes to 'directing' people throughout the day, when i have some spare time i will always go and talk to the best man / groom / bride / father of the bride etc, and ask for a small piece to the camera. You will be surprised at the funny stuff some of them come out with. Start by asking them things like ''how was the ceremony'' and ''what was your favourite part?'' soon after.

I'm no expert, so won't try to lecture you, but well done for trying new things! It looks good to me. If you like i will post up a segment of my own work soon.

[Vito DeFilippo]

Thanks, Jordan.

This clip might come off as less "cinematic" (whatever that means) because it's in the middle of the video. Most of the stuff posted here tends to be highlight sections, and they are usually the least realistic, I find, because they're meant to show a romantic/emotional overview of the day, almost like a movie trailer.

The groom and bride prep sections are more journalistic, at least in my approach. l don't know about the approach of others cause we don't see much posting of stuff from within the body of the wedding video.

This time, I took it to the max in terms of trying to be as realistic as possible.

For sure post your own stuff. It's great to get feedback and get a sense of what your peers think does and does not work. It's the best feedback, though often the most painful! You have to have a thick skin and remember that people are donating their time and energy in trying to help.

[Jordan Brindle]

Originally Posted by Vito DeFilippo

Thanks, Jordan.

This clip might come off as less "cinematic" (whatever that means) because it's in the middle of the video. Most of the stuff posted here tends to be highlight sections, and they are usually the least realistic, I find, because they're meant to show a romantic/emotional overview of the day, almost like a movie trailer.

The groom and bride prep sections are more journalistic, at least in my approach. l don't know about the approach of others cause we don't see much posting of stuff from within the body of the wedding video.

This time, I took it to the max in terms of trying to be as realistic as possible.

For sure post your own stuff. It's great to get feedback and get a sense of what your peers think does and does not work. It's the best feedback, though often the most painful! You have to have a thick skin and remember that people are donating their time and energy in trying to help.

Good stuff. How did the bride and groom respond? Did they like it/know what to expect?

[Vito DeFilippo]

No, they haven't seen it yet. They'll know what to expect generally from seeing samples, but I haven't showed this to them. Soon, though. I'm almost finished!

I'll let you know what they say.