DreamBIG Promo - Must Watch!!

DreamBIG Promo - Must Watch!! · November 24th, 2008, 10:48 AM

I just finished up our brand new promo trailer (3 minutes & HD), and I think it's something special. Check it out and let me know what you think!

DreamBIG Promo Trailer on Vimeo

Glen Elliott · November 25th, 2008, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Travis Cossel

lol .. I'm just going to roll with the "StillMotion" references and take them as great compliments. Hopefully in the future I can define my own style a bit more.

Glen, I'm using Canon A1's. Funny, I just asked you about this in your thread, but I shoot without presets .. I shoot flat. I used to use the 3-way-color-corrector for all grading, but I'm experimenting with a levels filter now. I still don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm making my stuff look better I think, so that's good. I think I need to take a color theory class or something. d:-)

The Still-Motion comment was a compliment. Patrick does exemplary work. Nice to hear you are on A1's as well. I thought the imagery looked great.

If you are going to grade it is, indeed, best to shoot flat out of the cam and tweak in post. As I described in the other thread, I do the exact opposite of this.

John J. Arnold · November 25th, 2008, 10:40 AM

A lot of nice shots there Travis and nice Steadicam work. Do you wear a vest most of the day or are you going handheld with the stabilizer?

Arif Syed · November 25th, 2008, 10:54 AM

Also, there was no DOF lens used on any of these shots?

I just did my first event a couple days ago for my cousin (he had a professional there, but I got permission to shoot my own) and I wish I can get to this type of quality soon.

EDIT: I realized you are the one who posted in my topic about my first shoot, so you are a little more familiar with my situation.

Travis Cossel · November 25th, 2008, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glen Elliott

The Still-Motion comment was a compliment. Patrick does exemplary work. Nice to hear you are on A1's as well. I thought the imagery looked great.

If you are going to grade it is, indeed, best to shoot flat out of the cam and tweak in post. As I described in the other thread, I do the exact opposite of this.

Thanks then. I'm loving the A1's. Do you have your gain set to -3 usually? I have mine set to 0, but I know a lot of people set it back to -3 and I'm wondering if that really improves the image clarity. I thought your imagery looked a bit more sharp than mine (although I did diffuse mine in post a bit to soften it up).

Travis Cossel · November 25th, 2008, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John J. Arnold

A lot of nice shots there Travis and nice Steadicam work. Do you wear a vest most of the day or are you going handheld with the stabilizer?

I'm going handheld all day, and it's a back-breaker for sure. I don't own a vest yet. I'm not sure how well the Merlin vest works with the Merlin in terms of shot improvement. I know the Flyer and Pilot are excellent systems, but I'm not sure about the Merlin vest.

Travis Cossel · November 25th, 2008, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arif Syed

Also, there was no DOF lens used on any of these shots?

I just did my first event a couple days ago for my cousin (he had a professional there, but I got permission to shoot my own) and I wish I can get to this type of quality soon.

EDIT: I realized you are the one who posted in my topic about my first shoot, so you are a little more familiar with my situation.

No DOF adapter on any shots. I try to use the space I'm in and subject distances to create DOF when I want it, and sometimes I enhance the DOF in post. Thanks for watching and commenting.

Travis Cossel · November 25th, 2008, 02:32 PM

For anyone interested, the final version is now online on my website: DreamBIG Productions - A Different Kind of Wedding Film

The intro titling is now slower-paced and gold instead of white. I switched a shot out and actually reversed another shot, and adjusted coloring on some shots. Nothing major, but there you have it.

Patrick Moreau · November 30th, 2008, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Adams

Concerning the StillMotion look... I think it looks fabulous, so why not use it?

Why not use it?

1. because it isn't original, and originality makes our jobs more meaningful and our products more valuable

2. it is rather offensive to encourage copying our look just because it is 'fabulous'. I hope we inspire others and it helps them to find their own look- not simply imitate ours

3. we put our work out there to share with others and hopefully inspire many who view it. as it gets copied more and more, we need to hold more back, and as a result those who enjoy our work and our inspired by it lose out

4. as an industry, i think we will develop much slower and with much less diversity if we all look to imitate whats hot at the time

5. our shots are thought out to fit into the sequence, to mean something to the couple, and to add to the overall piece. all of that context and meaning is lost if you take a shot and try to replicate it in another scenario.

6. StillMotion wouldn't be StillMotion if they imitated Jason Magbanua everytime they went out. We have a great respect for his vision, unique style, and amazing talent but for us to imitate his look would have been a disrespect to both him and ourselves. Do you want to be the original or the knockoff?

For the record, I think your demo is awesome Travis. That second shot is something else. Personally, I can see that we have inspired you within that demo but it certainly doesn't scream StillMotion to me, it screams DreamBIG Productions.

P.

John Moon · December 5th, 2008, 10:32 AM

Hey Travis...very nice. I didn't watch this before reading the "other thread". I thought it was very well done. Very nice shots.

Travis Cossel · December 15th, 2008, 04:03 PM

Patrick, thanks for saying that. If there's anything I've ever tried to duplicate with my films it is the "mood" that you guys create. You can't do that simply by duplicating shots or using the same music or anything like that. It's a full process, and over the course of time I've realized that the "mood" I'm trying to create is different than the "mood" you guys try to create. The biggest difference I see is in color grading. Your work tends to be on the less saturated side, whereas I tend to lean towards a more saturated look. I also think my editing style is different, since I tend to edit more with the beat of the music and you seem to edit more to the shot selection. This is why I was initially confused when people started saying my promo "screamed StillMotion". I'm just glad you know that I'm not trying to duplicate what you guys do.

John, thanks for watching and commenting.

Jason Magbanua · December 25th, 2008, 08:13 AM

That was an excellent trailer Travis.

I am amazed at how you are pushing your talent, drive and creativity.

I love your black and whites (especially of the third or so shot of the bride inthe bird's nest veil).

Try to watch your reds as they tend to be too saturated.

"Lincoln" lends itself well to actual audio, did you consider using vows or exhortations? I think that would help with the emotional build-up.

You are going to book a lot of clients with this demo.

Cheers!

Travis Cossel · December 26th, 2008, 03:15 AM

I would agree with you on the "red" comment. I've heard it from several others and I see it myself. I'm still trying to nail down a way of changing the look of the video without changing skin tones as much.

I didn't want actual audio in this piece because I felt it would slow the video down too much. My target for the video is wedding show brides, and they have a tendency to just keep walking unless something grabs their attention. So I tried to create something that could grab your attention no matter what point you happened to look at the screen.

I hope you're right about booking brides!

November 25th, 2008, 02:32 PM	#37
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	For anyone interested, the final version is now online on my website: DreamBIG Productions - A Different Kind of Wedding Film The intro titling is now slower-paced and gold instead of white. I switched a shot out and actually reversed another shot, and adjusted coloring on some shots. Nothing major, but there you have it. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

December 5th, 2008, 10:32 AM	#39
John Moon Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 446	Hey Travis...very nice. I didn't watch this before reading the "other thread". I thought it was very well done. Very nice shots. __________________ John J. Moon www.northernlightfilmworks.com - Event DV Top 25 Recipient

December 15th, 2008, 04:03 PM	#40
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Patrick, thanks for saying that. If there's anything I've ever tried to duplicate with my films it is the "mood" that you guys create. You can't do that simply by duplicating shots or using the same music or anything like that. It's a full process, and over the course of time I've realized that the "mood" I'm trying to create is different than the "mood" you guys try to create. The biggest difference I see is in color grading. Your work tends to be on the less saturated side, whereas I tend to lean towards a more saturated look. I also think my editing style is different, since I tend to edit more with the beat of the music and you seem to edit more to the shot selection. This is why I was initially confused when people started saying my promo "screamed StillMotion". I'm just glad you know that I'm not trying to duplicate what you guys do. John, thanks for watching and commenting. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

December 26th, 2008, 03:15 AM	#42
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	I would agree with you on the "red" comment. I've heard it from several others and I see it myself. I'm still trying to nail down a way of changing the look of the video without changing skin tones as much. I didn't want actual audio in this piece because I felt it would slow the video down too much. My target for the video is wedding show brides, and they have a tendency to just keep walking unless something grabs their attention. So I tried to create something that could grab your attention no matter what point you happened to look at the screen. I hope you're right about booking brides! __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

November 25th, 2008, 10:40 AM	#32
John J. Arnold Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Santa Fe, N.M. Posts: 55	A lot of nice shots there Travis and nice Steadicam work. Do you wear a vest most of the day or are you going handheld with the stabilizer?

November 25th, 2008, 10:54 AM	#33
Arif Syed Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Elmont, New York Posts: 143	Also, there was no DOF lens used on any of these shots? I just did my first event a couple days ago for my cousin (he had a professional there, but I got permission to shoot my own) and I wish I can get to this type of quality soon. EDIT: I realized you are the one who posted in my topic about my first shoot, so you are a little more familiar with my situation.

December 25th, 2008, 08:13 AM	#41
Jason Magbanua Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Manila Posts: 317	That was an excellent trailer Travis. I am amazed at how you are pushing your talent, drive and creativity. I love your black and whites (especially of the third or so shot of the bride inthe bird's nest veil). Try to watch your reds as they tend to be too saturated. "Lincoln" lends itself well to actual audio, did you consider using vows or exhortations? I think that would help with the emotional build-up. You are going to book a lot of clients with this demo. Cheers!