The Digital Video Information Network - View Single Post - Canon XH-A1 and weddings

Sean Finnegan · June 19th, 2009, 07:09 PM

I shoot weddings on a Canon XH-A1 for Elysium Productions (Elysium Productions - HOMEPAGE). We were ranked in the top 25 most influential wedding production companies by Event DV magazine. We almost never shoot at 24F since we do so much slow motion work in post. Most, if not all of the footage is logged at 60i with a shutter of 1/60 or 1/48 depending on the lighting. Like you stated, sometimes ballrooms can be a nightmare for lighting but generally we combat that by having on-camera lights.

I use VividRGB so I don't have to spend as much time in post getting colors to pop. And clients generally like very vibrant colors, even if skin tones look a little unnatural. One thing I've learned while working for a big wedding videography company is that clients care very little about the technical aspects of shooting. Instead they're more interested in whether or not it feels cinematic (even though most cinematographers and editors know its not). For instance, since Elysium does a lot of slow-motion work, we shoot at a higher frame-rate. Essentially, we achieve a cinematic feeling through gratuitous slow-motion work, color correction, and transition work as opposed to using the actual cinema standards of film (like 24F).

June 19th, 2009, 07:09 PM	#9
Sean Finnegan Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 40	I shoot weddings on a Canon XH-A1 for Elysium Productions (Elysium Productions - HOMEPAGE). We were ranked in the top 25 most influential wedding production companies by Event DV magazine. We almost never shoot at 24F since we do so much slow motion work in post. Most, if not all of the footage is logged at 60i with a shutter of 1/60 or 1/48 depending on the lighting. Like you stated, sometimes ballrooms can be a nightmare for lighting but generally we combat that by having on-camera lights. I use VividRGB so I don't have to spend as much time in post getting colors to pop. And clients generally like very vibrant colors, even if skin tones look a little unnatural. One thing I've learned while working for a big wedding videography company is that clients care very little about the technical aspects of shooting. Instead they're more interested in whether or not it feels cinematic (even though most cinematographers and editors know its not). For instance, since Elysium does a lot of slow-motion work, we shoot at a higher frame-rate. Essentially, we achieve a cinematic feeling through gratuitous slow-motion work, color correction, and transition work as opposed to using the actual cinema standards of film (like 24F).