A Bride's Sunrise

Darren Smith · November 9th, 2007, 06:37 PM

Hi All

Something I have been trying with my video's as a point of difference is the wedding day sunrise. I think it is a good option, particularly if the location suits the concept (and the weather allows it). It does make for a long day but the end result I think is a worthy addition to the DVD. It was requested on this last wedding, and the wedding location actually suited the idea. It was an outdoor wedding at "The Glasshouse Mountains Lookout", which is one of our local features here on the Sunshine Coast.

The feeling I am trying to convey is "while you were sleeping...here's what was happening where you have decided to get married."

I am trying to capture the mood of the day, and in this case a bit of the local birdlife greeting the new day. It looks at the finer details that would probably be overlooked, and hopefully adds meaning to the location for the couple.

The website is still under construction and we are still sorting out colour schemes etc, and looking to find a different flash player as this one seems to compress the footage more than the stand alone player I have.

Anyway your feedback is welcomed and critique acknowledged. Hopefully I have learnt from the last highlights video which you generously offered your professional advice. I have not done any colour correction at this stage, I would aprreciate your opinions on this.

Here's the link :

http://www.preciousvoices.com.au/

Daniel Ross · November 9th, 2007, 07:50 PM

Very nice. And, yes, quite an early morning to get all that in. Seems like it turned out worth it, though.

I would remove the birds flying from the third shot. Since it is sped up, the birds flying are confusing, and it would be easy enough to chop out those frames and replace them; with a bit of more advanced FX work, you could even place the birds back in, at normal speed. I might take a shot at it if you want a hand. Concept is interesting.

John Moon · November 9th, 2007, 07:54 PM

Darren:
Some beautiful footage. Maybe get some VO from the B&G and have them comment on why they picked the location, etc. I think that along with the music score would add another dimension to it.
Good job.

John

Travis Cossel · November 9th, 2007, 10:13 PM

I think the sunrise would work better for me if it was sped up more. In other words, it started to feel like it was dragging out too much for the start of a wedding video.

I admire you for doing this, though. I did it for one wedding and decided I wasn't getting paid enough. I had to film on 2 different early mornings. The first was to figuring out where the sun was coming up and exactly when. The second was the actual shoot.

As cool as it was, I don't think the time and energy I invested was repaid by the client's experience of it. They liked it, but not THAT much. Not to mention, like I said already, I wasn't getting paid enough to get up that early two mornings in a row, lol.

Darren Smith · November 10th, 2007, 12:15 AM

Thanks guys

Again some good points.

Daniel...those birds are actually mosquito's and there were thousands of them, luckily I went prepared with the mossie repellant. Point taken though, I will go back and chop them out.

John...I really like your idea of the VO, doh!!!! Why didn't I think of that. I will get the B&G upon return from their honeymoon ( Hawaii...I kindly offered to film the honeymoon for them for no charge if they paid for me to get there, lol!!)

Travis...I was a bit worried about the speed, however it was something they really wanted and given that it was a spot they had specially picked out, I think it is kinda nice to reflect on that moment, particularly if I can get the VO. Maybe I will just put it full length in special features and cut it down in the main vid, I'll ask the B&G what they prefer. The sunrise is not going to be part of my main package, only an optional extra suitably priced, because as you suggested it is a big call if you had to back it up. As it was that made for an 18 hour day for me by the time I got home.

Again thanks for your input gentlemen, and it's off to the editing suite for me.

Cheers
DS

Dana Salsbury · November 10th, 2007, 12:58 AM

I thought I was the only one that sentimental. I filmed the sunrise the day my son was born! ;o)

Dana Salsbury · November 10th, 2007, 12:59 AM

...during the middle of 40 hours of labor!!!

Noa Put · November 18th, 2007, 04:38 AM

That's the same view I get each morning when I look through the window and it gets pretty boring after a while :D (I wish)

That's some amazing scenery, I got a request some time ago to film the surroundings of an old monastery were the evening party would be held. The b & g got married about 200km further and they only wanted to me to film the evening part, since they only arrived at 6 in the evening I had plenty of time to do my thing. I really enjoyed doing this, the guests had not arrived yet and I was alone there, I could also only hear the wind and the birds and it was the first time I felt I was doing it for fun :)
Afterwards when editing I used some extra wind and grasshoppersounds and the couple just loved it.

I think it is a different approach to the usual way videographers do weddings, it gives an extra dimension by giving you an idea how that day "felt", it's like Dana said, the sunrise she filmed had no direct connection with her sons birth but just the idea of knowing how the sun came up that particular day makes all the difference, no?

If you add a voice over as suggested that's an another extra dimension, only thing I would change in the way the sunrise was filmed is to speed it up considerably like some kind of timelaps. In that way you also see the clouds move real fast which is visually nice to look at as well.

This way of filming, even if it lasts only a few minutes on a complete dvd gives something extra that can set you apart, but you should let someone else do this part so you can concentrate on the wedding only. Also if you would count all the extra hours invested considering that the result only lasts a few minutes, would a couple be willing to pay you a lot extra for it if you would charge an hour rate?

Darren Smith · November 22nd, 2007, 04:27 AM

Thanks for the comments Noa...it is a big call to include this in a package, so I price it as an extra, and if the couple really want it, they have to pay the price, it's the same with anything really, if it really means that much to you the price is secondary.
While I agree what you say about getting someone else to do that part of the filming(the extra sleep would be great) I have felt a close personal connection with the couple by doing it myself. It is hard to describe the feeling and hopefully I'm not alone in this thought (maybe I will be???), it's like I'm stripping back the whole concept and complexity of the wedding and revealing life's simple but striking beauty and how easy it is to overlook our creator's masterpiece.

Anyway that's how I feel, I'm a bit vunerable at the moment and this is perhaps an outlet for me so forgive my banter.

I did speed the footage up about 900% in PPro, it was a super still day.
I'm working on the VO at the moment, so it will be memorable for the couple I'm sure.

Cheers
DS

November 9th, 2007, 06:37 PM	#1
Darren Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bli Bli Qld Australia Posts: 93	A Bride's Sunrise - comments appreciated Hi All Something I have been trying with my video's as a point of difference is the wedding day sunrise. I think it is a good option, particularly if the location suits the concept (and the weather allows it). It does make for a long day but the end result I think is a worthy addition to the DVD. It was requested on this last wedding, and the wedding location actually suited the idea. It was an outdoor wedding at "The Glasshouse Mountains Lookout", which is one of our local features here on the Sunshine Coast. The feeling I am trying to convey is "while you were sleeping...here's what was happening where you have decided to get married." I am trying to capture the mood of the day, and in this case a bit of the local birdlife greeting the new day. It looks at the finer details that would probably be overlooked, and hopefully adds meaning to the location for the couple. The website is still under construction and we are still sorting out colour schemes etc, and looking to find a different flash player as this one seems to compress the footage more than the stand alone player I have. Anyway your feedback is welcomed and critique acknowledged. Hopefully I have learnt from the last highlights video which you generously offered your professional advice. I have not done any colour correction at this stage, I would aprreciate your opinions on this. Here's the link : http://www.preciousvoices.com.au/

November 9th, 2007, 07:54 PM	#3
John Moon Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 446	Darren: Some beautiful footage. Maybe get some VO from the B&G and have them comment on why they picked the location, etc. I think that along with the music score would add another dimension to it. Good job. John __________________ John J. Moon www.northernlightfilmworks.com - Event DV Top 25 Recipient

November 9th, 2007, 10:13 PM	#4
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	I think the sunrise would work better for me if it was sped up more. In other words, it started to feel like it was dragging out too much for the start of a wedding video. I admire you for doing this, though. I did it for one wedding and decided I wasn't getting paid enough. I had to film on 2 different early mornings. The first was to figuring out where the sun was coming up and exactly when. The second was the actual shoot. As cool as it was, I don't think the time and energy I invested was repaid by the client's experience of it. They liked it, but not THAT much. Not to mention, like I said already, I wasn't getting paid enough to get up that early two mornings in a row, lol. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

November 10th, 2007, 12:58 AM	#6
Dana Salsbury Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 859	I thought I was the only one that sentimental. I filmed the sunrise the day my son was born! ;o) __________________ www.LegacyHDV.com Weddings \| Corporate \| HMC150s \| FCPX \| Encore \| Lion

November 10th, 2007, 12:59 AM	#7
Dana Salsbury Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 859	...during the middle of 40 hours of labor!!! __________________ www.LegacyHDV.com Weddings \| Corporate \| HMC150s \| FCPX \| Encore \| Lion

November 9th, 2007, 07:50 PM	#2
Daniel Ross Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Marin & Davis, CA, USA Posts: 418	Very nice. And, yes, quite an early morning to get all that in. Seems like it turned out worth it, though. I would remove the birds flying from the third shot. Since it is sped up, the birds flying are confusing, and it would be easy enough to chop out those frames and replace them; with a bit of more advanced FX work, you could even place the birds back in, at normal speed. I might take a shot at it if you want a hand. Concept is interesting.

November 10th, 2007, 12:15 AM	#5
Darren Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bli Bli Qld Australia Posts: 93	Thanks guys Again some good points. Daniel...those birds are actually mosquito's and there were thousands of them, luckily I went prepared with the mossie repellant. Point taken though, I will go back and chop them out. John...I really like your idea of the VO, doh!!!! Why didn't I think of that. I will get the B&G upon return from their honeymoon ( Hawaii...I kindly offered to film the honeymoon for them for no charge if they paid for me to get there, lol!!) Travis...I was a bit worried about the speed, however it was something they really wanted and given that it was a spot they had specially picked out, I think it is kinda nice to reflect on that moment, particularly if I can get the VO. Maybe I will just put it full length in special features and cut it down in the main vid, I'll ask the B&G what they prefer. The sunrise is not going to be part of my main package, only an optional extra suitably priced, because as you suggested it is a big call if you had to back it up. As it was that made for an 18 hour day for me by the time I got home. Again thanks for your input gentlemen, and it's off to the editing suite for me. Cheers DS

November 18th, 2007, 04:38 AM	#8
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	That's the same view I get each morning when I look through the window and it gets pretty boring after a while :D (I wish) That's some amazing scenery, I got a request some time ago to film the surroundings of an old monastery were the evening party would be held. The b & g got married about 200km further and they only wanted to me to film the evening part, since they only arrived at 6 in the evening I had plenty of time to do my thing. I really enjoyed doing this, the guests had not arrived yet and I was alone there, I could also only hear the wind and the birds and it was the first time I felt I was doing it for fun :) Afterwards when editing I used some extra wind and grasshoppersounds and the couple just loved it. I think it is a different approach to the usual way videographers do weddings, it gives an extra dimension by giving you an idea how that day "felt", it's like Dana said, the sunrise she filmed had no direct connection with her sons birth but just the idea of knowing how the sun came up that particular day makes all the difference, no? If you add a voice over as suggested that's an another extra dimension, only thing I would change in the way the sunrise was filmed is to speed it up considerably like some kind of timelaps. In that way you also see the clouds move real fast which is visually nice to look at as well. This way of filming, even if it lasts only a few minutes on a complete dvd gives something extra that can set you apart, but you should let someone else do this part so you can concentrate on the wedding only. Also if you would count all the extra hours invested considering that the result only lasts a few minutes, would a couple be willing to pay you a lot extra for it if you would charge an hour rate?

November 22nd, 2007, 04:27 AM	#9
Darren Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bli Bli Qld Australia Posts: 93	Thanks for the comments Noa...it is a big call to include this in a package, so I price it as an extra, and if the couple really want it, they have to pay the price, it's the same with anything really, if it really means that much to you the price is secondary. While I agree what you say about getting someone else to do that part of the filming(the extra sleep would be great) I have felt a close personal connection with the couple by doing it myself. It is hard to describe the feeling and hopefully I'm not alone in this thought (maybe I will be???), it's like I'm stripping back the whole concept and complexity of the wedding and revealing life's simple but striking beauty and how easy it is to overlook our creator's masterpiece. Anyway that's how I feel, I'm a bit vunerable at the moment and this is perhaps an outlet for me so forgive my banter. I did speed the footage up about 900% in PPro, it was a super still day. I'm working on the VO at the moment, so it will be memorable for the couple I'm sure. Cheers DS