Gaetano e Loredana trailer

vimeo.com/60904869

Thank you for sharing another of your weddings with us, Andreas. It’s no secret I'm a big fan & appreciate your work immensely. Therefore I must be honest, this one doesn't really do it for me, in that I mean it's only by about act 3 that I begin to feel the emotional connection. Why is this?

It starts with the song. Though the choruses are rapturous & your cinematic sentiment to those is great as always, the entire beginning leads us in a different direction. The song talks about conflict & strife (yes we're all too aware that these components are parts of relationships, but you're selling the fantasy here). A wedding is the romantic ideal, not the brutal truth of agonizing drama.

So although we’ve got the same kinds of shots we usually have, our musical lyrics are incongruous, pulling us away from where we want to go with your visuals. We always talk about contrast in art, but here, this is the wrong kind of contrast.

Now let’s talk about the visuals. To me it felt like you had a different cameraman this time. Some of the shots just seemed lazy, like you guys are following a standard template now. Tracking shot past hanging clothes; Check. Track in on groom’s shoes; Check. When your work becomes formulaic it loses the life, the magic has escaped. That can be the death of your art.

There’s an over the shoulder shot in the church which is mundane (unlike your usual shots), sorry, a lot of this seems shot by someone that just doesn’t care. Compared to the beautiful engaging shots we’re used to receiving from you, something is off here. It all started with the song (& yes, of course I understand sometimes the client chooses the music, but you have to take charge & explain exactly why their choice won’t work for this particular piece).

In another thread today I was talking about opening sequences setting the tone, putting us in the right emotional mood to be able to receive the flavor of emotion you’re serving, get that wrong at the start & you have a very difficult time at redemption, especially in such a short film. Here we start with “She’s all laid up in bed with a broken heart.” That’s tragic, yet we’re trying to bathe in beautiful fantasy. We end our first shot of him with a fade to black on the word “frustration.” He’s full of joy (positive), the lyrics say the opposite (negative). Cutting the wedding cake the lyrics say “Oh these times are hard, they’re making us crazy,” it just doesn’t fit. Yes, the choruses are great for this package, but the verses are conflicting.

Of course your children are lovely here, the kisses beautiful, the sets & usual joy with guests uplifting & the closing architecture breathtaking, but the formula needs to be broken free from, because here it breaks down.

yes, i admit this not the best trailer! we did have the same cameraman but the problem is that we are following the standard template we have to break free from. for the upcoming season we are trying to think of new ideas or our trailers will look all the same! thank you again for your advice! and i'm honored that you're a fan!

Glad to hear you can accept the vinegar with the honey, Andreas. Always remember, your slight negatives are not really that bad. Your wedding videos are still better than the majority out there. On a positive note, I forgot to mention how much I appreciated your slowing down the rice throwing a bit. Graceful slowmo really takes the sting off the rice.

Also imagine you're a pre-wedding couple, perusing the videos on your site, we really don't want an obvious template to emerge. The 4th or 5th time I see a man's suit hanging in a tree, I begin to wonder, what's going on here?

Certain things are similar in weddings, we accept that, but here's the one thing which is always different - the people. This has always been your strongest component, real people, experiencing real life, not actors. You're capturing timeless moments of joy & hope for the future, something the world seems to be running short of. Showcase that priceless commodity.

Your template melts away as you play with your people in time & space, gently coaxing the emotions to blossom with light & music.

Shoes & coats, are only tiny props in a much grander film.