First Submission at DVinfo.net

First Submission · March 29th, 2010, 10:48 AM

Obviously nervous, as this is my first submission, but I'm looking for suggestions. I have made a few equipment improvements since the most recent post that will help with lighting. These videos are shot with Canon HV40s, so low-light is sometimes an issue. Feedback welcome - I definitely value everyone's opinion here.

Videos - Chattanooga Tennessee Wedding Videographer

Yunisbel Marrero · March 29th, 2010, 02:36 PM

your site was blocked by my company because of ponography content.... uuummm!!!!!

Jawad Mir · March 29th, 2010, 03:10 PM

I didn't get that :)

But I have a feeling your company doesn't want you watching youtube or any form of video so put that note up.

my thought :)

Michael. They are good videos as your first submission. A suggestion would be not to make shots too long and perhaps try different angles. That helps the story better.

Thanks again for sharing

Michael Clark · March 30th, 2010, 08:45 AM

The blocked message must indeed be because the link contains embedded youtube videos - sorry about that. No inappropriate material, unless the B&G first kiss is considered too racey!

Thanks for the feedback about the clip length. I usually have tons more footage I could edit into the trailer, but was worried it would feel rushed.

What do you mean by different angles? I've got a glidecam now (no low-mode adapter though) but that will hopefully help. Do things look too stagnant, as in I don't do that many pans?

Jawad Mir · March 30th, 2010, 12:27 PM

When I started out, I used to film photoshoot just with glidecam (no vest)

I used to get my steady shots but then I would put the glidecam on the ground from a 45 degree angle and pointing it upward and use it as tripod.

When you are working solo, you just gotta be innovative and do as much as you can. It helps in long run for your product and makes you a confident shooter/editor

Lloyd Ubshura · March 30th, 2010, 12:33 PM

Something I picked up in the first 1-2 seconds is the fact that the cameras were handheld and moving all over the place. Very distracting. Try a tripod or put the little HV40 on a Steadicam Merlin or something similar to get rid of the seasick-maker.

Also editing. This is purely personal, but I would have liked to have seen the climatic music build up and cut to the bride or groom. The emotional build up seems to get bigger and bigger and about ready to burst till it becomes anticlimatic with granny and grandpa walking in the scene. (Minute 0:35+)

Nothing against granny, but the music build up left me feeling like I had been dooped.

You asked for criticism. Please don't take these comments to be rude. But I think the shaky camera was the worst part. But very very good for your first go around.

Dimitris Mantalias · March 30th, 2010, 01:27 PM

Indeed very good for your first one (I watched Jamie and Meghan)! If I'd like to mention something (and this is also a personal opinion), is that I'd prefer a little bit more aggressive color grading, something to the cinematic side of things! :) Also I'd agree that -maybe- you should cut a bit more often. But as I said, for your first time around, it is a very satisfactory product!

Sorry if I drive the thread elsewhere though, but I'd like to say something about the handheld camera. Going handheld and shaky may be because of a not so good control of the camcorder or because you do it on purpose. What I want to say is that although we have much equipment for smooth shots (glidecam, flowpod, omnitracker, glidetreack and even a crane for extreme situations), we never say no to some shaky handheld footage, especially with a 35mm adapter. I personally like very much the shaky cam in many new-wave American movies or the amazing British "Children Of Men" (also I love Von Trier and Greengrass but that's a bit extreme technique for a wedding, or maybe not) and I think that if used properly it can add a lot of quality, even in a wedding. As a style that commonly acceptable in Hollywood, I don't think it's bad to use it on purpose during a wedding. Of course it's not at all a simple things, and I am not trying to justify the use of it by Michael, just want to point out that using this style is not certainly something "beyond rules" (I don't think there are rules anyway).

That's my 2 cents, and sorry if I went off-topic! :)

Michael Clark · March 31st, 2010, 06:09 AM

Thanks for all the feedback - not taken personally at all. Again, I respect everyone's opinion here very much.

Regarding the shaky camera footage, I might try using my monopod more often. I never really gave it a full chance because I feel like there's still some sway when I use it, but I probably just have to become more comfortable with it. If I can't feel good about it, I'll just go the tripod route.

Good point about the climactic music. I initially edited the footage to a different song, then when I switched, I didn't fully switch things around to make it fit as well.

I just bought Magic Bullet for FCP (I don't have any of those videos up yet), so hopefully that will help me feel more comfortable applying different looks. From what I've seen so far, Magic Bullet has a lot of potential for me. I'm surprised at how easy and straight forward it is, but wish the render time was faster. I'm just running it from a dual core iMac though, so I know that's a major factor.

Aaron Jones · March 31st, 2010, 03:51 PM

Most points have already been addressed. However I would add that it would have been nice to have some natural audio - especially from the B&G. It would have helped drive the narrative of the story you are trying to tell.

Damian Heffernan · April 1st, 2010, 10:40 PM

The handheld was the first thing that stuck out to me also. One thing that sets pro's apart from the friend/brother taping a wedding is the tripod or stabilized shots. Handheld with a small camera like the HV's is just a bit amateur looking.

With a bigger camera you can shoulder mount and shoot ENG style but with the little one's it's a challenge. You should experiment with putting the camera on a tripoid and picking up the whole thing to reposition your shots. You will get the hang of it quickly and be able to move fast enough to repo to not miss anything. Getting a tripod with a ball head so you can level fast will also help.

I agree hand-held can look great in productions but it best when it's deliberate and not frequently. Also hand held with a bigger cam looks better than hand held with a little camcorder IMHO. Perhaps you could look at getting some sort of shoulder rig like they're using for the DSLRs now.

March 29th, 2010, 02:36 PM	#2
Yunisbel Marrero Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Orlando, Fl Posts: 62	your site was blocked by my company because of ponography content.... uuummm!!!!! __________________ Please excuse me for any miss-spelling, English is my second language. www.hydreamsproductions.com

March 29th, 2010, 03:10 PM	#3
Jawad Mir Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 371	I didn't get that :) But I have a feeling your company doesn't want you watching youtube or any form of video so put that note up. my thought :) Michael. They are good videos as your first submission. A suggestion would be not to make shots too long and perhaps try different angles. That helps the story better. Thanks again for sharing __________________ Jawad Mir / Cinematographer . Filmmaker Film Style Weddings http://www.filmstyleweddings.com Jawad Mir http://www.jawadmir.com

March 30th, 2010, 08:45 AM	#4
Michael Clark Major Player Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 244	The blocked message must indeed be because the link contains embedded youtube videos - sorry about that. No inappropriate material, unless the B&G first kiss is considered too racey! Thanks for the feedback about the clip length. I usually have tons more footage I could edit into the trailer, but was worried it would feel rushed. What do you mean by different angles? I've got a glidecam now (no low-mode adapter though) but that will hopefully help. Do things look too stagnant, as in I don't do that many pans? __________________ www.clarkvideoproductions.com

March 30th, 2010, 12:27 PM	#5
Jawad Mir Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 371	When I started out, I used to film photoshoot just with glidecam (no vest) I used to get my steady shots but then I would put the glidecam on the ground from a 45 degree angle and pointing it upward and use it as tripod. When you are working solo, you just gotta be innovative and do as much as you can. It helps in long run for your product and makes you a confident shooter/editor __________________ Jawad Mir / Cinematographer . Filmmaker Film Style Weddings http://www.filmstyleweddings.com Jawad Mir http://www.jawadmir.com

March 30th, 2010, 12:33 PM	#6
Lloyd Ubshura Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 204	Good for first Something I picked up in the first 1-2 seconds is the fact that the cameras were handheld and moving all over the place. Very distracting. Try a tripod or put the little HV40 on a Steadicam Merlin or something similar to get rid of the seasick-maker. Also editing. This is purely personal, but I would have liked to have seen the climatic music build up and cut to the bride or groom. The emotional build up seems to get bigger and bigger and about ready to burst till it becomes anticlimatic with granny and grandpa walking in the scene. (Minute 0:35+) Nothing against granny, but the music build up left me feeling like I had been dooped. You asked for criticism. Please don't take these comments to be rude. But I think the shaky camera was the worst part. But very very good for your first go around.

March 30th, 2010, 01:27 PM	#7
Dimitris Mantalias Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Arta, Greece Posts: 342	Indeed very good for your first one (I watched Jamie and Meghan)! If I'd like to mention something (and this is also a personal opinion), is that I'd prefer a little bit more aggressive color grading, something to the cinematic side of things! :) Also I'd agree that -maybe- you should cut a bit more often. But as I said, for your first time around, it is a very satisfactory product! Sorry if I drive the thread elsewhere though, but I'd like to say something about the handheld camera. Going handheld and shaky may be because of a not so good control of the camcorder or because you do it on purpose. What I want to say is that although we have much equipment for smooth shots (glidecam, flowpod, omnitracker, glidetreack and even a crane for extreme situations), we never say no to some shaky handheld footage, especially with a 35mm adapter. I personally like very much the shaky cam in many new-wave American movies or the amazing British "Children Of Men" (also I love Von Trier and Greengrass but that's a bit extreme technique for a wedding, or maybe not) and I think that if used properly it can add a lot of quality, even in a wedding. As a style that commonly acceptable in Hollywood, I don't think it's bad to use it on purpose during a wedding. Of course it's not at all a simple things, and I am not trying to justify the use of it by Michael, just want to point out that using this style is not certainly something "beyond rules" (I don't think there are rules anyway). That's my 2 cents, and sorry if I went off-topic! :) __________________ "A successful wedding videographer is the one that offers for viewing some excellent videos and some boring videos, and gets positive reviews for both".

March 31st, 2010, 06:09 AM	#8
Michael Clark Major Player Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 244	Thanks for all the feedback - not taken personally at all. Again, I respect everyone's opinion here very much. Regarding the shaky camera footage, I might try using my monopod more often. I never really gave it a full chance because I feel like there's still some sway when I use it, but I probably just have to become more comfortable with it. If I can't feel good about it, I'll just go the tripod route. Good point about the climactic music. I initially edited the footage to a different song, then when I switched, I didn't fully switch things around to make it fit as well. I just bought Magic Bullet for FCP (I don't have any of those videos up yet), so hopefully that will help me feel more comfortable applying different looks. From what I've seen so far, Magic Bullet has a lot of potential for me. I'm surprised at how easy and straight forward it is, but wish the render time was faster. I'm just running it from a dual core iMac though, so I know that's a major factor. __________________ www.clarkvideoproductions.com Last edited by Michael Clark; March 31st, 2010 at 12:07 PM.

March 31st, 2010, 03:51 PM	#9
Aaron Jones Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 88	Most points have already been addressed. However I would add that it would have been nice to have some natural audio - especially from the B&G. It would have helped drive the narrative of the story you are trying to tell.

April 1st, 2010, 10:40 PM	#10
Damian Heffernan Major Player Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: c Australia Posts: 234	The handheld was the first thing that stuck out to me also. One thing that sets pro's apart from the friend/brother taping a wedding is the tripod or stabilized shots. Handheld with a small camera like the HV's is just a bit amateur looking. With a bigger camera you can shoulder mount and shoot ENG style but with the little one's it's a challenge. You should experiment with putting the camera on a tripoid and picking up the whole thing to reposition your shots. You will get the hang of it quickly and be able to move fast enough to repo to not miss anything. Getting a tripod with a ball head so you can level fast will also help. I agree hand-held can look great in productions but it best when it's deliberate and not frequently. Also hand held with a bigger cam looks better than hand held with a little camcorder IMHO. Perhaps you could look at getting some sort of shoulder rig like they're using for the DSLRs now.