Please Halp or critique.
 

I filmed a bit for a couple's wedding reception - basically, they'll introduce themselves before being announced into the room. This will be shown on flat screen TVs in the banquet hall.

I can see some obvious mistakes, like I should diffuse my lighting. Anything else? What do you think? Feel free to be cruel.

*pardon the bumpers. That is what will display on the screens before hand, and after, with "Happy" being the song I will actually announce the wedding party into, so I thought it would be easier to embed it into the video rather than have to switch the song manually. There is nothing at the end once the song changes

*yes, I misspelled 'help' on purpose, hopefully to seem more sympathetic :)

Re: Please Halp or critique.
 

Hi Robert, sound might be one of the main things that stands out. Better to mic them up if you can.

Re: Please Halp or critique.
 

Hi Robert

HALP??? Shame on you! You know everyone here will help you anyway.

Seriously, the concept is really neat. I think I would have worked more on a decent background or even green screened it if need be. The sand/brown wall does detract from the overall image and even shooting it in a living room with a couple of pot plants and a two seater couch might have looked more pleasing.

Yeah probably a lav mic would have been good, otherwise use a room with less echo in it....a few temporary stands out of shots with blankets draped over them will wonder wonders in keeping the sound for having any reverb .... if you don't want to mic them up then either have a shotgun on a stand just out of shot above their heads or if you have to use the mic on the camera, put on your widest lens so you are physically closer to them.

Love the idea though..it's clever, interesting and refreshing ....to kill a bit of boredom maybe shoot a few cutaways of them just walking hand in hand or doing everyday things simply to break away from the talking heads so instead of doing a picture in picture, cut to a full frame and then back to the talent.

Chris

Re: Please Halp or critique.
 

To be fair, the idea is stolen whole cloth from someone else much better than me (Still Motion).

The please "Halp" is because we just watched "The Fifth Element" and I always find it funny when Lelu says it.

So most of the issues stem from the room? I had access to a modest sized meeting room in our office. Maybe 8'x12'. Next time, I'll have to find a bigger space and do it properly. A backdrop, lavalier mics, and more and diffused lighting in a bigger space should take care of audio and lighting issues.

I doubt I'll get a chance to make a video quite like this one again, though. This couple is very goofy and loved every second of this. Half that dancing was to "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant, which I was playing when they showed up - my 5 year old daughter likes the song and it's stuck in my head.

No time for reshoots, this wedding is Saturday. I'll let you chaps know how it goes because it's going to be a crazy day. I'm not the videographer, though I am live streaming the wedding. Then, as the MC/DJ, I'm showing this on flat screen TVs, full room up lighting, and there will be live music through my sound system, in a room for 270 people.