Want feedback for side work-

Hey everyone, just finished another wedding video for a couple sarah and josh.
let me know what you think (Trix Trax, you out there?).

i had a second shooter with me on this for half a day. i also lens whacked a bunch of it.
feel free to poke around my vimeo site for the other two I did-
kind of fun side work i must say. for what it's worth

vimeo.com/56518256

I like it, the only thing that bugged me where the white Color transition.
Out of curiosity what gear did you use?

Yeah, I guess I could find an alternative to that transition i suppose. could seem a little jarring. Thanks Scrubelicious-

We used a couple of 5D IIs armed with a 24-70, and 70-200IS canon L lenses.
The stuff that looks like it's been shot with a tilt shift lens I was using a nikkon 50mm 1.6 flapping around outside the canon body for effect. a real low light performer too.
The lock off shot during the ceremony was a Sony FS100 with kit lens. I had to zoom in a whopping %150 in post because my assistants framing was a little sloppy.

Thanks for the share, Pippin. I think the jarring white flashes he's referring to aren't your flash transitions in act one, but rather the solid white flash that is repeated right near the end in the final seconds.

For me the early white transitions are a great choice, though I wouldn't mind them softened a bit perhaps adding some of the blurring & light leaks leading into it, as featured in the limo scene.

Not sure if I have time at this moment to go shot by shot, but I'll write some more in a few minutes.

Overall, I loved it, our first Jewish wedding here that I can remember. It's an expansive experience for us to be exposed to different approaches to the iconic wedding video. Not that I'll ever tire of Andreas' stellar work in this genre, but you've shown some wonderful style & substance, taking creative risks yet presenting them beautifully. Gorgeous focus work thru most of it, the B&W shots adding another velveteen level of filmic value. Your emotional content is rich & satisfying, you had me weeping for the beauty of it all. The joy & love is resplendent throughout, you've definitely displayed your bride in a lovely light. He perhaps a bit reticent to bare his emotions, unlike our European cousins, still he softens up a bit as things progress.

A few shots & scenes I didn’t care for & some that stood out as particularly golden. Ok, here we go… looks like I’m in this deep, might as well grind my way thru a complete review - in for a penny in for a pound, the Brits say.

Not crazy about the title font. Yes we want delicate, I mean that is the wedding way, but this one’s just a tad squirrelly. The music for act one is absolutely perfect. Beautiful choice to emotionally draw us into the event. I’m kind of ambivalent on your opening shot, just a static view of the waterfall. It doesn’t really do anything for me. I’d prefer we went from that white screen with the title to a gentle fade into bokeh focus sunlight dancing on the water’s crest up close, then as we pull back into focus we see the water falling, river of life, etc.

Next the shot of the bride from the rear quarter lingers a bit long, so I find myself counting earrings. I mean, she’s so gorgeous when we first see her profile in color, I really wish I hadn’t been introduced to her ear that way. I understand you want to reveal her to us gently, start with B&W but I’m just not quite sure that’s the right shot for it. Perhaps if it was a gentle pan tilt up over her dress, shoulder, gliding up her neck, fading as we get to the ear accouterments, it could work better. The static shot is just saying, hey look at this, whereas camera movement caresses her beauty as she deserves.

Fastening up the dress, fading in & out of focus in B&W is breathtakingly beautiful with this song, we’re in love. You’re presenting her as a 50’s film star. Gorgeous.

Oops, here I see my first white flash, not a transition, but a flash. Are you trying to simulate flashbulbs testifying to her celebrity status? The concept is appealing & might be worth playing with a bit, always cognizant that if it detracts we abandon it. However you could use a few more photog’s flashing, & they’d have to be dialed back because as it stands they seem to be a solid white frame or two, which is jarring & unpleasant. I’d prefer a real flash from different sides, gently kissing her with bursts of light accompanied by subtle old-timey flash bulb sizzle sound effects, but set low enough in the mix so as not to interfere with the musical mood. One or two from each side front angles could give her the star treatment, all done effectively in post with a little FX knowhow.

We go from a light leak above her face to stark cut of him walking. Maybe if he had some light leaks or a lens flare over his sunny day walk, it might ease us into that scene. His slightly slowed tempo works well. He looks a bit young, almost awkward, but the way he lights up with a smile from the heart at seeing her, is infectious. We’re feeling it.

Their hug, her commitment in that moment, her face, we’re really feeling it. Beautiful. Five or six shots follow the hug to complete this scene, each have some gentle camera movement, all good. But the first of that group cuts on a bit of a camera dip, which is a slight negative. Note the other shots have a gentle dreamlike lateral sway, matching the water movement, her arm with bouquet, etc. The dip is from a higher vantage point & from further away, the camera’s movement doesn’t fit with the other dreamy flow feelings we’re getting from the other shots.

The white flash transitions here are the right color but I feel I need it to be more gentle, like I said, if you experiment with some blurs, light leaks & fades with that transition it can add to the dream, rather than jarring us from it.

Another thing to contemplate when shooting; our man doesn’t have the strongest profile. His weak chin is better shot head on than from the side, probably about his eye level or a bit below, not above which reveals his lack of height. We always want to make our stars look even better than real life.

Great forward tracking movement as he carries her train. Did I mention how perfectly this music frames our mood? But this is the first time I feel flat video instead of depth of field, I wouldn’t mind a slight something added to detract from this sensation. Hey, what are those picnickers doing in our background? Sort of a tiny neg here, our two are becoming one, meeting in this magical place, all alone together. Fantasy…. screech! Back to reality, a couple of squatters sitting next to the road, they’ve got a great park, who sits by the road? You’re the director, get that limo guy to back his beast up five feet, block the interlopers from our frame. Or, since I already love your diagonal track as you move the camera to the right, if that shot can accommodate it, perhaps slip edit that section so you’re already further to the right & we never see the two lawn ornaments to the rear.

Limo interior scene is more magic for me, you’ve really taken some relatively dull footage & brought it to cinematic life with your blurs, light leaks, flares & fades. We’re introduced to a few costars, & you’ve tactfully handled their slightly less than star quality. Perhaps even a little more of your tweaking could assist here. The smiles & flowers are marvelous, but girl in blue & guy next to groom could do with a touch more glamorizing & or less screen time. He goes from profile to profile, neither of which are flattering, though he’s obviously joyous. For him I’d say take out those two end positions & just have his movement thru the centerline of our POV but slow it down maybe 20%

Nice light leak at the end of the limo exiting shot, but remember we’re coming FROM the dreamlike limo scene into the stark outside world of direct sunlight, we need that light-leak fade at the beginning of that shot not the end. We’re floating sweetly thru the park following our bride with some nice focus & light work. How perfectly the butterfly graces the scene. Serendipity.

Up next we have my least favorite section, starting with the seated posing in what looks like a green & white plastic structure with a giant ugly shoe over her head! Tired of me always describing the things I love? Well, there’s something I unequivocally hate with a vengeance. The golf cart playful boys part is ok, nothing great, but then the posing troupe in front of what someone passed off as modern art. That section looks like a flat video downgrade from the cinematic style we’ve been enjoying. No depth of field equals less value & less interest.

Lovely light leaks during the hanging of the Chuppah (also spiritually appropriate, yes I had to look that up). Then we suddenly go ominously dark for two shots (spiritually inappropriate). Back to brightness & the signing, then one of my favorite shots, I absolutely love the little girl marveling at the dress, who can watch that without grinning from ear to ear? Three princesses, it’s all good. Light leaks to pan of crowd, great shot, but front row of conspicuously empty chairs. If there’s not going to be a Clint Eastwood speech, it’s overly optimistic to expect an army of Elijahs to arrive.

Focus work thru the crowd works well as we’re led to the nuptials. Here we see him from his best angle, while she, of course looks gorgeous as ever. Compliments on your sound quality recording the Rabbi, though there is a mic bump or similar sound after he says “together,” which could possibly be addressed in your audio tools. Nice touch including the Rabbi’s joke, it works well to express the lighthearted mood in contrast to the solemnity. She is such a natural, laughing with her whole being, totally photogenic, beautifully embodying the moment.

Some of the longer shots here, like the one thru the sheafs or the even longer ones down the aisle could do with a touch of misty light leaks just to continue our mood. Love the Chuppah waving in the breeze, as well as the pollen floating by. I wouldn’t mind those slowed 10% or so, just to see how it looks. It might add a subtle grace, especially to their walk which is never easy in that dress.

Act three begins with darkness which I’m not fond of here. I would have preferred we went from their walking the aisle to some light play which gently crossfades to your bokeh lantern lights, pulling back to reveal the passage of time to the reception. So the two lantern shots need to change position, thus we start with the closer view & greater bokeh, then fade to the longer shot which fades to the lights on the tables (roughly the same size).

I know our tempo has shifted considerably from our opening piano piece, but certain shots could still be slowed incrementally, like the opening doors to applause. This ups our drama quotient just a tad, lending more to the epic quality of the event. There are a few more flashes here & I’m beginning to think the loss of camera flash look I’m experiencing here might be due to Vimeo’s delivery system. We’ve had lack of smoothness issues with panning before, but I still like Vimeo.

Our first shots of the couple dancing, might be an ideal opportunity to experiment with a little vignetting, just to draw us in a bit more. Speaking of drawing in, that shot could also use a very slight Ken Burns zoom, maybe just 5-10% over the span of the clip. Next we see some of what you refer to as appearing like tilt-shift on the people toasting, it works well here.

Next section is another favorite for me. Perhaps she can attribute her candor to her father, he’s so genuine & sincere despite reading from a script. This sense comes mostly from your deftly crafting the scene with the beautiful shots of daddy releasing his little girl.

Artistic focusing on the cake & then we dance. Intriguing kissing couple to bride in her unabashed splendor, but it’s the third shot I love, slowed down older girls introducing a little boy to dance. More radiant smiles. The shot with them dancing round the circle hands held could be slowed down 10-20% which could lower the stumbling difficulty of moving sideways & up the joyous celebration aspect.

We close on them lifted up during the Hora dance, & here we see the flashes again. I’m certain now that the jarring effect of the flash is caused by Vimeo’s playback of regular flash cameras. I’m getting white solid half frames top down, which is really weird.

Never the less, I won’t let them rob me of the joy I’ve experienced while vicariously visiting this lovely wedding thru your artistic vision. Thank you for sharing, Pippin, your talent is a gift growing, we look forward to your next offering.








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

Twitter - @GlobalWatchM3