DV Info Net - HD Clip for review

Hi Douglas,

Great creativity on your video - quite different from the rest of the pack and I presume your clients will love it.

Fine job overall on your camerawork. Good composition and the angles add interest and track well with the story.

The soundtrack has good potential and fits well with your bold camera work, however early on the audio mix didn't have the fidelity to do it the justice it deserved; perhaps your compression setting or EQ is amiss - well worth comparing the quality against the source.

The vinette filter is fine yet a tad overdone for my taste (gets diluted after a while, but I sense it's meant to provide continuity through the video). But then perhaps I'm a bit old fashioned so if your client digs it, then go for it.

On the other hand, the wedding kiss was a spectatular effect! Wow, that was a fantastic money shoot with an awesome effect. Great job blowing out the background yet keeping colors balanced on the B&G.

You didn't get too "artsy" with lots of corkscrew glides which some tend to overdo. Your establishment shots seemed to work well, as did your reveal shots via nicely executed zooms (as opposed to lateral glides).

The framework on the Father-Daughter shot was perfect! Cudos on the camerawork capturing the smiling Groom in the background (more bonus points here).

The first up/down angle shot I noticed was two-thirds of the way through the clip (the down angle when they kiss at their table). I'd recommend a few up angles earlier in the video to subliminally bolster the position of the Bride.

Shortly thereafter when they are slow-dancing solo, the cinematography was mega-awesome! The dark blue background looking behind them outside the window was spectacular (more bonus points)

Just a picky point about the Bride's boquet toss - since the guest drops the flowers, I recommend cutting and freezing the shot as it reaches her fingers. Unless the client thinks the metaphor is particularly amusng, it's best to ensure the video maintains its good karma by cutting dropped boquet.

Approaching the end where the cameraman dollies in and out, it's quite clear there's a fairly strong hard-light mounted on the camera. This scene would greatly improve using a softbox to soften the light (there should still be plenty of light to get good resolution for almost all cameras)

Okay, you've made my top 20 best-in-class videos so I hunted you down via google to learn and enjoy more of your video. OMG, indeed you are a pro - I figured as much, master Douglas <wink>
http://www.dvtvproductions.com/index...ion=About%20us

So now I'm going to have to eat a bit of crow about my critical feedback on not needing so much lighting for the final dance, aren't I? I take it you used the HD Sony I see on your website (and listed on your sig file) thus needing extra light to ensure clarity at 1080i or progressive, right? Good for you, yet I'm still stand by the need for a softbox unless you've already tried it and found having to crank up the gain generates too much noise. Please share with us this and other challenges associated with HD video...

We are fortunate to have pros of your caliber submit their work in this forum - thanks again for sharing your creative approach for this client (as opposed to your more traditional approach of the demo at your website). Anytime you want my feedback on your work, feel free to PM me - I could watch your videos for hours!

Awesome work, dude! Michael