Same Day Edit...that wasn't planned!

[John Moon]

We had a great time meeting this couple and decided as we rolled up to the reception to surprise them with a SDE. There was no real buffer time between the ceremony and reception....we just felt like stressing ourselves out I guess. We pulled footage as quickly as possible and started building a timeline. I wasn't too happy with all the clips pulled as there was some Brevis footage we did not use but time was of the essence and had to work with what we had. The video was a hit. I love watching and listening to reactions. It is really a great way to see what works and what doesn't....instant feedback.

Northernlight Filmworks-Indianapolis Wedding Video: Same Day Edit - Scott + Jessica

[Chris P. Jones]

Originally Posted by John Moon

We had a great time meeting this couple and decided as we rolled up to the reception to surprise them with a SDE.

Wow - I barely have time to eat my vendor meal, and y'all are doing SDE's on a whim! Great job.

jones

[Jason Robinson]

Originally Posted by John Moon

We had a great time meeting this couple and decided as we rolled up to the reception to surprise them with a SDE. There was no real buffer time between the ceremony and reception....we just felt like stressing ourselves out I guess. We pulled footage as quickly as possible and started building a timeline. I wasn't too happy with all the clips pulled as there was some Brevis footage we did not use but time was of the essence and had to work with what we had. The video was a hit. I love watching and listening to reactions. It is really a great way to see what works and what doesn't....instant feedback.

Northernlight Filmworks-Indianapolis Wedding Video: Same Day Edit - Scott + Jessica

Amazing job. I have a feeling the only way I could pull off an SDE would be to hire someone else to edit my shots (or vice versa, I edit and someone else shoots reception). Just not enough time in a reception.

[John Moon]

Originally Posted by Chris P. Jones

Wow - I barely have time to eat my vendor meal, and y'all are doing SDE's on a whim! Great job.

jones

Thanks. I ate by my laptop. Jen and I did a tag team job on this. I have some video footage of her lookin all stressed out while logging footage. I need to get a screen grab of that. She would just love me for that :)

[John Moon]

Originally Posted by Jason Robinson

Amazing job. I have a feeling the only way I could pull off an SDE would be to hire someone else to edit my shots (or vice versa, I edit and someone else shoots reception). Just not enough time in a reception.

Hey Jason...thanks for watching. The ideal way is to preplan the SDE and have your timeline all ready with pre-made graphics (if any) and marking the song. Also logging footage throughout the day. For us, the best number is having 3 of us shooting for optimal workflow. Give it a try.

[James Strange]

Great video.

With this being a last minute suprise for the Bride & Groom, what did you guys do for display?

Did you take a TV with you? (size?)

or did you rely on the venue having a TV and/or projector and screen?

Thinking of adding SDE's to my optional extras ection as I think it would be a big hit, my biggest issue would be what I mentioned (how to display it,. TV, projector+screen etc...

If using a projector what do you guys do for sound?

What time do you guys show your SDE's?

Thanks in advance

James

[John Moon]

Originally Posted by James Strange

Great video.

With this being a last minute suprise for the Bride & Groom, what did you guys do for display?

Did you take a TV with you? (size?)

or did you rely on the venue having a TV and/or projector and screen?

Thinking of adding SDE's to my optional extras ection as I think it would be a big hit, my biggest issue would be what I mentioned (how to display it,. TV, projector+screen etc...

If using a projector what do you guys do for sound?

What time do you guys show your SDE's?

Thanks in advance

James

We had with us our projector and screen because the couple wanted the love story we produced playing during the cocktail hour....this was one of the reasons we decided to give it a go. This one we showed the SDE at 10:30pm. The earlier you can do it the better. Larger captive audience. We have a self contained sound system but also work with the DJ and run sound through them when possible.

[Travis Cossel]

Originally Posted by Chris P. Jones

Wow - I barely have time to eat my vendor meal, and y'all are doing SDE's on a whim! Great job.

jones

Yeah, it still baffles me how people pull off an SDE. I usually don't even get to eat the meal, or maybe I get 2 or 3 bites like I did this past weekend. I've only done one, and I had about 2 hours between the ceremony and reception so that made it feasible.

John, great job. I'm not going to critique it as I'm sure you already know what you would change, plus it was a last minute thing it sounds like. I liked the look of the prep shots especially.

[Joel Peregrine]

Hi Travis,

Originally Posted by Travis Cossel

Yeah, it still baffles me how people pull off an SDE. I usually don't even get to eat the meal, or maybe I get 2 or 3 bites like I did this past weekend. I've only done one, and I had about 2 hours between the ceremony and reception so that made it feasible.

At first they do seem daunting, but the only way to get over the stress is to start with expectations for a shorter sde done within a long period of time. Do it for a couple that isn't expecting it and loop it on your laptop near the dance floor. After a few freebies for experience add it to your services. Eventually you'll realize that you've worked your way up to longer projects in a shorter time. When it becomes second nature you get excited to show what you're putting together and its fun, not to mention that its the best advertising you can imagine. It helps others in our industry too because most of the public has no idea what we can do now. People just remember their relative's or friend's vhs tape they saw in the 90's.

This was last Saturday's movie I showed at the reception after the band's first set:

~ annmarie and eric | 9.27.08 ~

It was a long day, literally 16 hours, with down-time throughout the day. So when I was shooting I was capturing and when I wasn't shooting I was cutting.

[Jason Robinson]

Originally Posted by Joel Peregrine

This was last Saturday's movie I showed at the reception after the band's first set:
~ annmarie and eric | 9.27.08 ~
It was a long day, literally 16 hours, with down-time throughout the day. So when I was shooting I was capturing and when I wasn't shooting I was cutting.

I'vealways wondered (especially from the one-man production studio like yourself) how much of the SDe is on the timeline before hand, and how much is done at the reception based on the feel of the footage?

I would be tempted to have a template laid out already with clip placeholders (ie big text that says b-roll of flowers, then close up of something, etc).

If you use that prep style, is that too constricting? Or would that help?

[Travis Cossel]

Originally Posted by Joel Peregrine

At first they do seem daunting, but the only way to get over the stress is to start with expectations for a shorter sde done within a long period of time.

Honestly, it's not the stress that puts me off doing one. It's the literal lack of time at my typical wedding. A typical wedding for me has the ceremony ending at say 6pm, and the reception starting at 6:15pm. Dinner might go until 6:45pm or 7pm before they start doing toasts and cake cutting and first dance, etc. I just can't see editing something with quality in 30-60 minutes. Maybe I'm just not a fast enough editor, though.

[Joel Peregrine]

Originally Posted by Travis Cossel

Honestly, it's not the stress that puts me off doing one. It's the literal lack of time at my typical wedding. A typical wedding for me has the ceremony ending at say 6pm, and the reception starting at 6:15pm. Dinner might go until 6:45pm or 7pm before they start doing toasts and cake cutting and first dance, etc. I just can't see editing something with quality in 30-60 minutes.

That's a really good point and something people should take into account when hearing stories about sde's. Here in the midwest the wedding days are usually long, all day affairs. I rarely shoot a ceremony that starts later than 2:00. Often, as was the case with the sample clip, they start much earlier. Also, I charge extra for additional locations between the ceremony and reception, which is often not something they choose to add. (I do send along a compact camcorder with them and put together a 'home-movie' style vignette, some of which are actually entertaining.) So that leaves me enough time to edit. What I hear from videographers in other parts of the country is that schedules are much more compressed.

Originally Posted by Travis Cossel

Maybe I'm just not a fast enough editor, though.

I doubt that. One nice thing about editing on the day of the wedding is that the footage is very fresh to you so you can feel your way around it very easily.

[Joel Peregrine]

Originally Posted by Jason Robinson

I'vealways wondered (especially from the one-man production studio like yourself) how much of the SDe is on the timeline before hand, and how much is done at the reception based on the feel of the footage?

I would be tempted to have a template laid out already with clip placeholders (ie big text that says b-roll of flowers, then close up of something, etc).

If you use that prep style, is that too constricting? Or would that help?

I don't lay anything out except to have three versions of the song I'm going to edit to on the timeline - one short, one medium and one long. That way you're not shoe-horned into a length and have to drag something out too long or cut it short to fit. I also place markers in the songs so I know where to hit emotional spots. Other than that its all on the fly.

[Travis Cossel]

Originally Posted by Joel Peregrine

What I hear from videographers in other parts of the country is that schedules are much more compressed.

Maybe that's just it. Here in Idaho most ceremonies are scheduled to start between 4-6pm, and receptions almost always follow immediately. Buffet dinners also seem to be more common than "sit down" dinners, so the time set aside for dinner is usually only 30-45 minutes, and then it's right into the major events of the reception. If I were going to do an SDE in the future, I'd have to plan with the couple in advance for more time I think.

[Dana Salsbury]

Same here in Phoenix. I did a SDE once. Once. I covet the few minutes that we get to eat and recharge ourselves. With more energy we tend to get better shots and more usable footage. Plus the 115 degree heat takes a lot out of you!

Hiring someone seems like it would drive the cost up to where it wouldn't be marketable - especially in a recession.