Lago di Garda wedding

vimeo.com/50847093

As mentioned, I've a lot of important projects right now, so I'm not going to go super in-depth here, but again I'll just list a few points.

Opening shots & cuts, as it's a gentle guitar strum & not a hard beat, & because the topic is light & romantic, I'd actually prefer a crossfade instead of a hard cut. It's easier on us emotionally & more fitting for the mood & genre.

Hadn’t heard this song before, as the vocals began I wasn’t overly receptive, but it grew on me & by the end I was a believer.

I’m not entirely 100% on the light you first show our bride in, I would prefer it a little softer & less stark. A hard light is very unforgiving & the blue eye shadow & age of the woman factors could be made slightly more flattering with some gentle adjustments.
In art it’s the very subtle shifts, almost imperceptible that really set a piece off.
We have something a little different here with her voiceover, at first I’m unsure, but her passion & joy soon becomes infectious, she is radiant & we can’t help but fall in love.
What a smile, so beautiful.

Absolutely ecstatic with your next dolly shot thru the wrought iron banister. Unfortunately Andrea (him not you), looks a bit stern in his prep time (like he’s the contender in a prize fight), maybe nerves.

You’ve got a couple of shots next that almost look like crane or jib shots. Nice effect. The second one over the garden moves into a slight lens flare, I wouldn’t mind you adding an actual lens flare effect at the apex of your rise then maybe a slight flash transition to the groom shot next. As it stands, all these cuts are still a bit hard…

The dolly shot along the car is beautiful with all the reflections, but I’m really missing something at the end of it. The other day we talked about mastering slow-mo, another great effect that would be so perfect here is Alex’s zoom in & out feature. As we come to the end of our car shot, she’s getting in, we should zoom in a bit thru our open door, as if we’re getting in with her. Physically & emotionally connecting us with her, the event, the moment, this adds value.

Alex has named it Grow & Shrink Over the Lifetime of Clip, granted the title’s a bit unwieldy, but I’ll remind you of this one again - fcp.co/forum/9-free-fcpx-plugins-and-tem...e-lifetime-of-a-clip

There are many advantages to mastering these effects. In this case as the editor, you can create apparent camera effects after the fact. You could even make your cameraman look better. When watching he might think, “Hmm, I don’t remember doing that, but I should have…”
She’s resplendent in the sun, the wind & the veil are beautiful, you missed an opportunity for a little slow-mo here. The kiss is perfect, again slight zooming in effect adds value, but just come in a few degrees.

Next at 2.17 where daddy is bringing daughter into the church, we have the perfect opportunity, no necessity for adding the zoom effect. Why? Because as it stands our eyes are naturally drawn to the action, which here is a jiggling fat arse shouting “Hey, look over here!” Instead, we could have had a beautiful smooth diagonal zoom across the tops of the steps as we go into the church door. Next shot too, I would add a very slight zoom as we approach them walking the aisle. Even just a moving in one meter during the course of the clip, adds value. They’re moving, we’re moving. Then when you have a moment of stillness it’s even more powerful, like the kiss in the sunlight.

We missed the ceremony, no shot of priest or vows, ring exchange or kiss… a curious omission. Some lovely shots in that section though. He finally looks joyful with some light reflections dancing on his face. But there is a shot at 2.58 that is masterful. You hear me often talking about contrast, elsewhere I told how a famous Italian cinematographer drummed it into me on a Hollywood film set. Here we see an example that is so perfect. First you’ve got your rule of thirds, then you’ve got this woman so delicate almost frail, this accentuated by the bare shoulders, she appears so soft & right beside her movements is the hard solid wall of granite stone, yet atop it is a soft shape that comes into focus as a bouquet of roses, at the very moment that she playfully peers in childlike innocence. Wow, I love it.
The final act is also lovely, the castle, the cake the candles with their smoke rising in the night. (Slow-mo op!) Just ramp the smoke down 10% & see what that does. Perfect finish too as we fade to black & the names.

Yes you’ve been flooding us with weddings, but I can’t say I’m growing tired of them. Especially with such a doll as this bride, so photogenic & so full of joy & love. We can’t help but be drawn in & feel it too.



J. Matthew
Global•Watch•Media•Consulting
www.GWM2.com