Katie and Brandon reviews please!

Shot this wedding a couple of weeks ago in Livermore, CA. Had a couple of technical issues, and a 2nd shooter who didn't white balance. Post production was difficult to say the least. Okay, fresh out of excuses!

Constructive criticism appreciated. Be gentle... :)

Katie and Brandon on Vimeo

[David Barnett]

TBH it looks more like the cameras just don't match moreso than a white balance problem. Some shots look like they are shot on a DSLR, and others on a year2000 MiniDV camera (VX2000, GL2) set to auto. Nothing wrong with it, but when intersplicing both styles, the 2nd cam seems to just be hurting, not helping. Was a 2nd shooter really necessary? The whole day seems to take place at one venue, no travel time, groom prep etc. I don't use a 2nd shooter, I suppose I would if I was paid nicely for it, and there was a need for it that made sense ( or if the bride was just spending lprofusely), but otherwise I shoot alone & I like it that way. Admittedly I do use a B-cam for the ceremony & occasionally for other shots when I wanna test it more (formals, dance floor).

A few shots look like steady handheld when they could have been on the tripod (1:20). And finally it just seems a little long. I'm not sure if this is all you provide or if you also provide a longform DVD but for me 9 minutes as a highlight trailer seems too long, 3-5 would be better especially since some footage/coloring is off. I like the shot of the dress, done very cool.

[Kren Barnes]

Sure thing Ben

1. Stop the stuttering cam movement, Use a tripod or monopod. Its distracting.
2. Plan your angles. Even with just 2 shooters you could have done a better job with your positioning during the ceremony.
3. Get better at framing shots.
4. Your shots lack details.
5. Your video lacks any type of emotion because (see number 4)
6. Lack of reaction shots.


Tip: Plan, Plan and Plan. weddings are about people, details and emotions. picture the shots in your head and how you want to present it and go from there. You will encounter mistakes along the way but you learn from them and refrain from doing it again. If you just want to videotape stuff this is ok but if you want to do one up u can concentrate on the above details and you'll be fine.

good luck!

Kren

[Noa Put]

I too found the shaky footage distracting, better to use a lens that supports image stabilization or even better use a mono- or tripod. Also the framing was quite off at some times, a mistake I often see beginners making is when they place the heads of people in the middle of the frame, not saying you are a beginner but when I see these kind of shots it does give me that feeling. On a few shots the focus was quite off as well and should not have been included in the edit. About the second shooter that did not whitebalance, either give them a camera that runs well in full automode (like a high end handicam) or shoot alone and set up a second unmanned camera when needed.

[Dave Partington]

Well Ben, I was all looking forward to watching this since I live in the UK but spent quite a bit of time in Placerville, not that far from you.

But, alas, all I got was a white screen. Nothing loaded. Is this video still active?

[Adrian Tan]

Hey Dave, I can still see the video working. Are you using an iPhone perchance?

[Ben Creighton]

Thanks to all for the constructive comments. Thing is, all cameras were either on a tripod or monopod 100% of the time. I too agree that some shots are distracting due to shaking. For those shots in question, I was using a 24-70mm on a Canon 7D, on a Manfrotto monopod. I guess I am still too shaky even for that setup. Duly noted. As for framing, I try to always employ the 'rule of thirds' but I felt impeded under the shooting conditions at this wedding. I don't want to use that as a bad excuse but rather would ask how you guys overcome that - things such as photographers who constantly jump in front of you, and attendees who could care less that you are filming and stand where you need to be...

As for focus, I was manually focusing the 7D; no follow focus or any such device. (and I wear contacts and have horrible vision!) Second shooter was indeed in auto mode much of the time, due to inexperience so I had no choice since she could not manually operate the camera.

And finally, reaction shots/emotion is always something I considered myself to excel at. How I came up so short on those this time I cannot explain! These aren't excuses - I know I shot subpar footage this time. Please don't stop with the critique and suggestions. I am determined to excel at this. :)

Ben