A bridal prep clip I did....

[Glen Elliott]

Finally got around to showing you guys some of my wedding related work. Shot on a PD-170 and VX2100, edited in Vegas 5. Comments welcome....

http://home.comcast.net/~g.elliott3/...Prep_Intro.mpg

[Ken Tanaka]

Glen,
Caveat: I am perhaps among the worst reviewers of wedding work. I greatly respect those who do this well but have a general disdain for the overindulgence of many weddings and do not follow the trends for wedding coverage.

Technically I think your montage is excellent. Very nice motion shots. Nice collection of detail shots.

Aesthetically, two things jumped at me after two watchings. First, there is no coverage of a groom. Lots of church details, lots of bride details, but no groom to be found anywhere.

Second, the music selection seemed somewhat unusual to me. It made the piece feel like I was watching a sports montage. Like watching a lead-in for a Monday Night Football game. Very heavy and foreboding. (Hey, maybe that's appropriate for this particular couple for all I know!)

As I say, mine is an opinion to be discounted. But I did watch your piece and thought I'd throw my pence in, since you solicited them. As long as the bride was happy (and paid the bill) that's what counts!

[Glen Elliott]

<<<-- Originally posted by Ken Tanaka : Glen,
Caveat: I am perhaps among the worst reviewers of wedding work. I greatly respect those who do this well but have a general disdain for the overindulgence of many weddings and do not follow the trends for wedding coverage.

Technically I think your montage is excellent. Very nice motion shots. Nice collection of detail shots.Thank you

Aesthetically, two things jumped at me after two watchings. First, there is no coverage of a groom. Lots of church details, lots of bride details, but no groom to be found anywhere.
This particular client didn't choose the preceremony coverage option. I offered it to her a week before the wedding when we were finalizing the agenda. I felt I needed more bride prep footage to help sell that option in the future. I have it as a two-tier...with the option of adding groom prep as well.

Second, the music selection seemed somewhat unusual to me. It made the piece feel like I was watching a sports montage. Like watching a lead-in for a Monday Night Football game. Very heavy and foreboding. (Hey, maybe that's appropriate for this particular couple for all I know!)Depends, this couple is actually pretty light hearted and fun. I conveyed this in other areas of the video. I wanted the opening to be dramatic rather than light.

As I say, mine is an opinion to be discounted. But I did watch your piece and thought I'd throw my pence in, since you solicited them. As long as the bride was happy (and paid the bill) that's what counts! -->>>
Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

I thought it was very nice. I'd rather eat worms than do wedding videos, but I'm editing my son's for him now. You gave me an idea or two.

I agree with Ken: The music reminded me of the opening shots for the Olympics. But you know what? It fit, strangely. Not bad.

[Billy Dalrymple]

Nicely done! Loved the videography.

I do have to admit though that the sound track while the dress is being zipped up, and the lipstick builds up such that you expect her to barge out on the football field. I dont know if I was biased to that since I read the postings before I viewed it. I will say that the cutaways were well timed to the music and varied just enough. The last sene of the clouds rapidly passing the chapel was excellent.

Other than that though I really liked it.

Questions...

1) Nice star effect of sun through the trees... Howd you do that?

2) Were you using a a tripod or stabalizer when showing the dress and apparently walking around it?

3) Howd you do the last scene with the slow zoom but with the fast clouds? Nice touch.

[Stylianos Moschapidakis]

Glen, very, very good work (if not...excellent)! I found both your shooting and editing techniques to have worked out just great for what you intented to do. The first time I watched your clip the soundtrack did not sit well with me at all, though the second time it felt a little more...appropriate. One shot I would have added at the end of your clip if I were you might have been an EXT. static long shot of the church and its surroundings. From what I can tell, the church and its surroundings must be worth getting a long shot of, plus that way you could "break off" the CU-to-MCU-moving-shots technique.

[Chris McKee]

Very nice. One thought... the transition to the dress felt a little awkward to me. Maybe a quick fade from white?

[Carl Walters]

Glen, what a good show. Technically I don't think it can be faulted.Regards the music selection, I have found that the modern day brides wants or rather demands something different. As wedding videographers we have to move with the times. Long gone are the old style traditional ways, certainly from the brides we get. A recent wedding we did the bride walked down the aisle to the Beatles, "And I love her", and back up the aisle to Frank SInatra "Got you under my skin" and it looked really good. I'm working on one at the moment, the "getting ready" footage has Bon Jovi playing "Always".

I offer a similar structure either filming the bride getting ready or both the bride & groom, most want just the bride. Hey, it's their wedding, give them the choice.
I loved the closing shot, was it a windy day or have you "touched" it up?

Keep up the good work.
Carl

[Glen Elliott]

<<<-- Originally posted by Billy Dalrymple : Nicely done! Loved the videography.

I do have to admit though that the sound track while the dress is being zipped up, and the lipstick builds up such that you expect her to barge out on the football field. I dont know if I was biased to that since I read the postings before I viewed it. I will say that the cutaways were well timed to the music and varied just enough. The last sene of the clouds rapidly passing the chapel was excellent.

Other than that though I really liked it.
Thank you

Questions...

1) Nice star effect of sun through the trees... Howd you do that?
Just shot towards the sun- my lense naturally created the star effect.

2) Were you using a a tripod or stabalizer when showing the dress and apparently walking around it?
No, handheld. I'm working on improving my fluidity with handheld shots.

3) Howd you do the last scene with the slow zoom but with the fast clouds? Nice touch.
Locked the tripod down for about 3 minutes and sped it up in post. The slow craw was added in post to give the shot more depth.

[Glen Elliott]

<<<-- Originally posted by Carl Walters : Glen, what a good show. Technically I don't think it can be faulted.Regards the music selection, I have found that the modern day brides wants or rather demands something different. As wedding videographers we have to move with the times. Long gone are the old style traditional ways, certainly from the brides we get. A recent wedding we did the bride walked down the aisle to the Beatles, "And I love her", and back up the aisle to Frank SInatra "Got you under my skin" and it looked really good. I'm working on one at the moment, the "getting ready" footage has Bon Jovi playing "Always".

Agreed. Music is very subjective- one peice one person loves another will hate. Modern wedding videography isn't as much into cliches- it's getting more cutting-edge. After all most couples getting married are in their 20's. They wan't something less cookie cutter and more contemporary. I have yet have a couple dislike my musical selection- at times if I feel it is questionable I'll contact the couple to give them a sample to see how they like it.


I offer a similar structure either filming the bride getting ready or both the bride & groom, most want just the bride. Hey, it's their wedding, give them the choice.
I loved the closing shot, was it a windy day or have you "touched" it up?

It was a breezy day and the clouds were visibly moving- however the clip was sped up in post to roughly 300% to accentuate it.

[Glen Elliott]

<<<-- Originally posted by Chris McKee : Very nice. One thought... the transition to the dress felt a little awkward to me. Maybe a quick fade from white? -->>>

Thanks, I'll take a look at it. The timing and style of transitions are always the things I find myself tweaking to the very end.

[George Ellis]

Great opening placement Glenn.

Funny me, I think the music works. It has a solemn feel to it. Although, I could also see the music used as the pan back from the final battle in the Scottish Highlands with the dead hero's bleeding, broken body on the hilltop ;) But, great sync to music and catching the dramatic changes.

Great images. You started as a still photographer, didn't you? ;) Good, clean cuts. For the piece, the soft FX and eliptical matte works. Did you keep the same eliptical matte throughout or just in the intro?

[Glen Elliott]

<<<-- Originally posted by George Ellis : Great opening placement Glenn.

Funny me, I think the music works. It has a solemn feel to it. Although, I could also see the music used as the pan back from the final battle in the Scottish Highlands with the dead hero's bleeding, broken body on the hilltop ;) But, great sync to music and catching the dramatic changes.
LOL...I know what you mean- that's why I like it. I tend to drift toward more dramatic scores.

Great images. You started as a still photographer, didn't you? ;)
Actually started as an illustrator, then graphic designer, now video. I shoot stills as a hobby as well. I think it's helpfull to have an arstistic eye for videography. It sometimes can make the difference between you and someone that does it with no prior art background.

I try to approach video with the same aestetic standard as still photography. The only difference is you have to factor in motion.

Good, clean cuts. For the piece, the soft FX and eliptical matte works. Did you keep the same eliptical matte throughout or just in the intro? -->>>Yes throughout. I've been pining over removing it over the flashes to white...during which time it's more "visible".


Thank you for the kind words.

[Chris Thomas]

I am new to the whole thing, so forgive my elementary question, but I like the frame you used, how did you create that? I notice that the thin borders are semi transparent.

[Jason Slazinski]

Wedding vids are definately taking a turn in a new direction. I have a very normal couple getting married in October that wants their entire wedding cut together with TOOL music along with b-roll that is very subjective and nightmarish looking. I can't wait to get my hands on this one. Their opening credits are to mirror the opening of Rob Zombie's House of a 1000 Corpses!!! minus any nudity of course....






<<<-- Originally posted by Glen Elliott : <<<-- Originally posted by Carl Walters : Glen, what a good show. Technically I don't think it can be faulted.Regards the music selection, I have found that the modern day brides wants or rather demands something different. As wedding videographers we have to move with the times. Long gone are the old style traditional ways, certainly from the brides we get. A recent wedding we did the bride walked down the aisle to the Beatles, "And I love her", and back up the aisle to Frank SInatra "Got you under my skin" and it looked really good. I'm working on one at the moment, the "getting ready" footage has Bon Jovi playing "Always".

Agreed. Music is very subjective- one peice one person loves another will hate. Modern wedding videography isn't as much into cliches- it's getting more cutting-edge. After all most couples getting married are in their 20's. They wan't something less cookie cutter and more contemporary. I have yet have a couple dislike my musical selection- at times if I feel it is questionable I'll contact the couple to give them a sample to see how they like it.


I offer a similar structure either filming the bride getting ready or both the bride & groom, most want just the bride. Hey, it's their wedding, give them the choice.
I loved the closing shot, was it a windy day or have you "touched" it up?

It was a breezy day and the clouds were visibly moving- however the clip was sped up in post to roughly 300% to accentuate it. -->>>