View Full Version : South Asian Highlights


Kevin Shahinian
April 13th, 2009, 12:07 PM
Its really an honor to share this highlight/trailer with you guys:

Neil + Jigna's Wedding Trailer on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/4055730)

Special day; special couple. Went for a 'heavenly' feel with some jib shots for the ceremony and tried to portray the energy of the group in the finale of the piece with some high speed shutter.

Select shots incorporated the Cinevate Brevis 35mm adapter & rails + Canon FD primes: 50mm Macro & 85mm 1.8; & Steadicam pilot.

Enjoy!

Travis Cossel
April 13th, 2009, 01:12 PM
You know how I feel about your work. This piece especially. I think I caught a steadicam shot where you switched the color grading mid-shot, yes?

Warren Kawamoto
April 13th, 2009, 01:41 PM
Exceptional! Just out of curiosity, what's the ballpark budget figure for these kinds of weddings?

Ram Purad
April 13th, 2009, 01:53 PM
Great work Kevin. Being a videographer who does 90% of the work in Indian/South Asian market, I can see that you captured the joy and celebration of an indian wedding very well. I'm sure the couple and more importantly the family will enjoy this clip.

Great use of Jib arm. Overhead view of the agni (fire) and the mandap (ceremonial stage) gives a unique perspective. Not sure if the ceremony shoot could have benefited from a light as it seems a tad dark. I like how you shifted the CC in middle of the shot. That was clever.

Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing.

Jawad Mir
April 13th, 2009, 04:02 PM
Hey Kevin,
I saw your video when it was posted on vimeo while back saw the wedding highlights. Great Stuff.

I have filmed lots of south asian weddings and you nailed it.

All the best

Kevin Shahinian
April 13th, 2009, 04:26 PM
Thank you all.

Travis: Great compliment, thanks man. Yeah, you caught that; it happens twice but the first time is pretty quick. (Btw, I really enjoyed the experimental edit/style on the Mark & Elizabeth clip!)

Warren: the basic South Asian package starts in the $5k-6k range, which includes the wedding day only (full day, usually no time limit) w/ 3 or more shooters depending on the guest count. We price the jib, Mehndi & other pre-ceremony parties seperately - its usually all custom packaged & priced for each client.

Ram & Jawad: I think you both can attest to the beauty of a South Asian wedding, and how important each specific tradition is to the two families. I was torn re: lighting the ceremony & ultimately decided it would have been a little too obtrusive w/the sacred factor - but I appreciate the critique.

Thanks for watching & for all your comments!

-K

Terry Taravella
April 13th, 2009, 06:55 PM
Fabulous Kevin! Love those jib shots.

Thank you for sharing!

Prashanna Jayaseelan
April 14th, 2009, 08:14 AM
Nice work Kevin
I too found the ceremony dark but I understand that you didn't want to be obtrusive. I have found out that for us "videographers" to get our shot we gotta be unobtrusive but at the same time obtrusive - if that makes sense. Do you use your brevis kit in the ceremonies and receptions? or just outside? I can imagine the lightloss inside without lights.
I have seen videos where they have used numerous audio tracks and did not blend properly but I found your music to be on point.

-Prashanna

Oleg Kalyan
April 14th, 2009, 11:48 PM
Kevin!
Excellent video of a modern Indian wedding, the piece conveys greatly the mood of the event and the characters of the guests.

There was one or two cranes?
Curious which cameras you've used? (all same kind ?) How long was a crane? I am about to shoot a wedding with 4 cameras with a 6 meter crane in Moscow (thus won't be able to make it to NAB this year:(

Going to India for a wedding or to film a pre wedding love story is my dream! Such a imagery rich country! (Been there once in Bangalor shooting a documentary for Art of Living Foundation)

Darren Smith
April 15th, 2009, 12:40 AM
Hi Kevin

That was a great piece, so much action and colour and celebration, you really have captured the energy of the whole day. On a personal note I would not be as confident with so many motion shots, that is something I am coming to terms with and hope to incorporate more of in my work. The jib shots look great by the way, certainly adds to the production value and cinematic feel of the clip, but doubt that it is something we could successfully get away with here in australia, maybe I'm wrong.

Certainly a lot to aspire to with your work!

Cheers
Darren

Kevin Shahinian
April 15th, 2009, 03:27 PM
Thanks, Terry!

Prashanna: we try to incorporate the Brevis whenever possible - more now & moving forward than before. One of the reasons we chose the Brevis was its extremely low light loss. Blending tracks can be a trick; I try to focus on making the transition at a rather precise moment for a natural inevitability.

Oleg: you and me, both! Too bad I won't see you at NAB... Next time for sure.

Darren: I rarely see aerials and jib shots in event vids these days & I think most shy away from the added challenge w/ a false belief in a high obtrusiveness factor. There are ways around this - even ways to make the obtrusiveness work to your advantage - & I think the yield is an equal if not greater return. If you have any questions about adding a jib to your set up, feel free to email me anytime.

-K

Nicholas Valentine
April 15th, 2009, 07:37 PM
Awesome piece, loved every frame. The colors, the shots, the editing and the emotion were all great.