Here's my latest highlights video for review and comments. If you watched the promo trailer on my website then you'll recognize a few shots. Enjoy!

Highlights for Bronson & Savannah on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2807817)

Bravo, Travis!!! Looks like you threw some pepper and hot tomale sauce into that recipe. Invite me to dinner sometime. Sure would like to have what your serving.

Tom, you have an interesting way with words. Thanks for watching!

Here's my latest highlights video for review and comments. If you watched the promo trailer on my website then you'll recognize a few shots. Enjoy!

Highlights for Bronson & Savannah on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2807817)

I liked the choice for the color pallet. Seemed to play off the bride's facial tones & freckles very well. Great gliding in there too. You seem to be able to use that Merlin like a jib. No way I could get my glidecam up high enough to do those shots. :-) Also, great clear closeups too. I never seem to get the bride smiling when I want to do a closeup. Must take some good audio cues or the groom helping by cracking jokes. Well done as always!

Travis....plain and simple, you rocked that one out! Excellent camera work and I loved the warm tones.

kudos my man.

very nice, love the shots, great use of the merlin

not sure about the grooms face eating on the kiss, ouch

were all the main moving shots with the merlin, do u use the vest????

I liked the choice for the color pallet. Seemed to play off the bride's facial tones & freckles very well. Great gliding in there too. You seem to be able to use that Merlin like a jib. No way I could get my glidecam up high enough to do those shots. :-) Also, great clear closeups too. I never seem to get the bride smiling when I want to do a closeup. Must take some good audio cues or the groom helping by cracking jokes. Well done as always!

I don't know what's up. I posted a reply the other day but once again it either never showed up or it disappeared. Weird stuff.

Anyways, thanks for watching. My back really hates me when I use the Merlin like a jib. Regarding good closeups, a lot has to do with the photographer (during the photoshoot) and a lot to do with just filming a lot and anticipating what's coming (the rest of the day). Glad you liked the colors. Color grading is my nemesis.

Travis....plain and simple, you rocked that one out! Excellent camera work and I loved the warm tones.

kudos my man.

Thanks Joe! Also glad to hear you liked the coloring. They had a very warm gold theme for their ceremony and reception and I wanted to focus on that. Again, thanks for the comment!

Luke, yeah the kiss went a bit over the top, but the bride was playing around with him. She's just like that. I think if you know the couple it works, but otherwise it does seem a bit off. Either way, I couldn't leave out the first kiss from their highlights video, lol.

I use the Merlin handheld .. no vest. I would love a vest. I would love $2k to buy the vest. I would love whoever gave me the $2k for the vest. Anyone? Anyone?

But yeah, 95% of the moving shots were with the Merlin. Thanks for watching.

Luke, yeah the kiss went a bit over the top, but the bride was playing around with him. She's just like that. I think if you know the couple it works, but otherwise it does seem a bit off. Either way, I couldn't leave out the first kiss from their highlights video, lol.

I use the Merlin handheld .. no vest. I would love a vest. I would love $2k to buy the vest. I would love whoever gave me the $2k for the vest. Anyone? Anyone?

But yeah, 95% of the moving shots were with the Merlin. Thanks for watching.


Travis, I've used several different stabilizers but never the Merlin....when you go from moving shots to handheld stuff, do you keep the cam on the merlin or do you detach via quick release? and if you keep your cam attached does it feel right still being attached?

Travis - the visuals were nice, the stedicam work was well done, but the song choice stunk. I know you said in your Vimeo comments that it wasn't your choice, but I think you should have strongly suggested to the couple that you, the trained professional, pick the music for the highlights and allow them to have that song elsewhere in the video, maybe even see if you could relegate it to a menu screen or something. To me, it held the piece back and never allowed it to be nearly as good as it could have been otherwise. I've found that it's usually fairly easy to talk a couple out of a bad musical decision.

Travis - the visuals were nice, the stedicam work was well done, but the song choice stunk. I know you said in your Vimeo comments that it wasn't your choice, but I think you should have strongly suggested to the couple that you, the trained professional, pick the music for the highlights and allow them to have that song elsewhere in the video, maybe even see if you could relegate it to a menu screen or something. To me, it held the piece back and never allowed it to be nearly as good as it could have been otherwise. I've found that it's usually fairly easy to talk a couple out of a bad musical decision.

I can understand you not liking the song but to say it was a bad musical decision and held the piece back is way off.

I can understand you not liking the song but to say it was a bad musical decision and held the piece back is way off.

We could argue it all day long, it's just a matter of opinion but I don't see how someone can say that the wrong piece of music isn't holding back great visuals. If he had edited those same shots to the "Hokie Pokie" can you tell me it would have been as good?

I didn't ever say the piece wasn't good, just that given the strength of the visual elements I was only left to wonder how much more dynamic it could have been if edited to another piece of music. I'd argue that Travis would in part agree with this being a weak musical choice given his comments on Vimeo saying that it wasn't his song choice. Seems to me that he's distancing himself from the music right there.

Again, good job, nice visuals, but how much better would this have been if edited to another song?

Excellent question, Joe. It really depends on the situation. If I feel like I might be doing another flying shot shortly, I'll just keep the Merlin attached while I go handheld. Sometimes I don't even fold up the arm. It can feel a bit awkward depending on how you're shooting handheld (angle), but it works. It does make for more physical shooting.

If I feel like I won't be flying for a bit, or if I want a shot where the Merlin would be in the way (like a floor shot), then I'll just take it off. The beauty of the Merlin is that when you put it back on you can recalibrate it fairly quickly once you're used to it.

I agree and disagree with you Ethan. I agree that this isn't the best song choice, but mostly because it's a song that has been overused and (for me) has too much of an 80's feel to it. I rarely get to use what I feel is the best song choice. However, I don't think it's a "bad" song. A bad song would be a song like the "Hokie Pokie" because that song has nothing to do with the visuals and the story. This is a love song, and because the visuals are telling a story of love the song fits with the visuals in my opinion.

There are times when I would like to have full control over what song is used for the highlights video, but couples seem to really enjoy having the opportunity to pick something on their own. If they absolutely love this song, who am I to say it's not the best choice, just because it's not MY favorite? Afterall, this is THEIR highlights video for THEIR enjoyment, right?

On a side note, the very first wedding I ever filmed had the highlights video set to this song (and this is the first time since then that I've used it). It was very odd to edit to it again after all of these years.

Luke, yeah the kiss went a bit over the top, but the bride was playing around with him. She's just like that. I think if you know the couple it works, but otherwise it does seem a bit off. Either way, I couldn't leave out the first kiss from their highlights video, lol.

I use the Merlin handheld .. no vest. I would love a vest. I would love $2k to buy the vest. I would love whoever gave me the $2k for the vest. Anyone? Anyone?

But yeah, 95% of the moving shots were with the Merlin. Thanks for watching.

Tell you what, if I get a Flyer (http://www.steadicam.com/videoFlyer.html) you can pay me to take care of all those pesky flying shots, which will free you up to concentrate on those very import locked down tripod shots. ;-)

We could argue it all day long, it's just a matter of opinion but I don't see how someone can say that the wrong piece of music isn't holding back great visuals. If he had edited those same shots to the "Hokie Pokie" can you tell me it would have been as good?

I didn't ever say the piece wasn't good, just that given the strength of the visual elements I was only left to wonder how much more dynamic it could have been if edited to another piece of music. I'd argue that Travis would in part agree with this being a weak musical choice given his comments on Vimeo saying that it wasn't his song choice. Seems to me that he's distancing himself from the music right there.

Again, good job, nice visuals, but how much better would this have been if edited to another song?

I never said wrong music doesn't hold back great visuals because we are certainly in agreement on that. But this tune wasn't the hokie pokie....luckily for travis!

Music choices can certainly be a very tough part of the edit process, especially when we are forced to use certain tracks. i even preach to my own clients that "not all music will compliment their video".

i just didn't think the tune used clashed or took away....thats all.

Excellent question, Joe. It really depends on the situation. If I feel like I might be doing another flying shot shortly, I'll just keep the Merlin attached while I go handheld. Sometimes I don't even fold up the arm. It can feel a bit awkward depending on how you're shooting handheld (angle), but it works. It does make for more physical shooting.

If I feel like I won't be flying for a bit, or if I want a shot where the Merlin would be in the way (like a floor shot), then I'll just take it off. The beauty of the Merlin is that when you put it back on you can recalibrate it fairly quickly once you're used to it.

cool, that's what i thought but good to hear from someone who uses it. thanks.

i just didn't think the tune used clashed or took away....thats all.

Now that we've both clarified our points, we can agree to disagree.

Tell you what, if I get a Flyer (http://www.steadicam.com/videoFlyer.html) you can pay me to take care of all those pesky flying shots, which will free you up to concentrate on those very import locked down tripod shots. ;-)

But I like flying .... d;-)

To me, it held the piece back and never allowed it to be nearly as good as it could have been otherwise.

Absolutely agree. I formed my opinion within 5 seconds after hearing the song choice. I then reformed that as I watched more, but the song certainly held this piece way back- I believe. An excellent soundtrack is as important as composition, color, movement, depth, story and all the other elements that go into a solid production.

P.

Absolutely agree. I formed my opinion within 5 seconds after hearing the song choice. I then reformed that as I watched more, but the song certainly held this piece way back- I believe. An excellent soundtrack is as important as composition, color, movement, depth, story and all the other elements that go into a solid production.

P.

Patrick - Thanks for saying it better than I could.

Absolutely agree. I formed my opinion within 5 seconds after hearing the song choice. I then reformed that as I watched more, but the song certainly held this piece way back- I believe. An excellent soundtrack is as important as composition, color, movement, depth, story and all the other elements that go into a solid production.

P.

Could you elaborate a bit more on how the song held the piece back? I mean, I'm no big fan of the song, but it didn't seem as detrimental to me as it does to others. Is it the style of music? Is it the pace? Is it the time period? I'd love to get some details on this. Thanks!

Travis,

Take it as a compliment that Ethan & Patrick are holding you to a very high standard. The first time I watched, I thought it looked great. But having me and/or many others say it's great, versus having more experienced and refined eyes and ears critique it is certainly more valuable. After reading the comments by Ethan and Patrick, I watched it with a more critical eye (or ear), and heard what they meant. The Music you used is perhaps more suited to a Jamaican beach wedding IMHO. You know the clients, and I'm sure they are ecstatic with the product. But I think that the honest, objective opinions of some exceptional wedding videographers is a valuable tool not only for you, but for the rest of us who aspire for greatness in the field.

Keep up the great work!

BTW, what camera are you flying on that merlin? I really liked the opening shot and just picked up an HV20 to use as a backup for my h1. It's the first time I've held one and it feels like a toy compared to my h1. I want to fly it on something, and the merlin has been suggested as being the best bet for such a small cam.

Ken, thanks for the comments. If there is anyone who posts there work and hopes for constructive criticism it's me. I simply wanted a bit more info on why people were so opposed to the song. Like I said, it's not MY favorite either, but it didn't strike me as a song that would actually take away greatly from the video either. I can see your point about it being more fitting to a Jamaican beach wedding, since it is technically classified as reggae music.

I fly the XH-A1 on my Merlin. I used to fly a GL2, which is half the weight of the A1. So my rig went from weighing about 5lbs to about 10lbs in total (accounting for the extra weight on the arm as well). It's quite tiring over the course of the day, but I do feel that the heavier camera flies better. I also have an HV30, but I don't want to use it because of that. The more weight the better the unit seems to work. You just have to build up the body, lol ... or buy a vest!

music fits well, from my Russian POV :)

Loved first shot. great location, nice stedicam moves..
great shot from above..

Close up shot on earings at the beginning.. not sure about significance..
preparation went well! the ceremony, the hall very smooth..

one thing, that's what I moved towards to, at the end of the last year, to
have more "live" interaction with the B&G, the guests, to get to know them
better, videography by itself becomes boring, (and that's what I hear from
some of my clients :)

CHeers!

Thanks Oleg. It really is important to get to know people. Only then can you truly film what is important to everyone.

The song was definitly not the best pick on the couples behalf and you have to work with, with what you got to work with. If the customer is very persistent in their song choice and it is dear to them, well they are the client after all and THEY are going to be the ones watching the clip a lot more often than you. So i think you pulled it off quite well considering it wasn't your favorite song. I don't know how many times i was stuck trying to start an edit with a song that just didn't do it for me.

I liked how the couple's shots at the beginning where intertwined, it made the story look like they were getting ready simultaneously.

The color grading over all was good but i wasn't too crazy with choice in colors at the reception and the ceremony. The over the top orange look made it seem like the white balance was set on the wrong color temp setting.

Job well done Travis, as always.

I liked the highlight. What program are you using for color? I also enjoyed the steadicam shots within the piece.

Carl, thanks for the comments. Could you elaborate on why the song didn't work for you?

Shaun, thanks for watching. I color grade within Final Cut Pro.

It's not that it didn't do it for me its just that it wouldn't be my first pick with all the new available songs out there. The song on the highlight is so cliche and played out from 1990's wedding videos.

But again its personal preferences, the clients probably have a particular attachment to this one.

Thanks for clarifying, Carl. That was pretty much the reason it wasn't my pick. It's just been done before and it feels dated (but not in a good way yet). I wasn't sure if you had another reason or not. Thanks again.

I didn't think the music held back the piece at all, even though it wouldn't have been my choice. I liked the edit and camera work (again, nice job with the handheld stabilizer). I wasn't into the coloring though. It was consistent, but came off a little flat to me. That's just personal taste though. Nice work.

Thanks for the comments, John!

...it feels dated (but not in a good way yet)...
Travis awesome piece of work here. IMHO, and I am in the minority here, I think the dated nature of it is kind of the point. Look at the bride's dress, hairpiece, choice of jewelry (diamond solitare earrings even though she has multiple holes), hair style, and color scheme. I don't know this couple but i would imagine they were shooting for a retro-chique kind of style and feel and I felt the reggae version of this song added that throwback feel with a new world flavor.

Your video work is superb and apparently your customer service is exemplary. I applaud you for providing your clients a first rate artpiece with music you appear to be hesitant about. Great job, and I look forward to more entertainment from you!

Thanks, Bryan. I always feel like even if the music isn't MY first choice, if it's what will make the couple happiest then it's my job to make it work. Thanks for all your comments. I appreciate it.