First Video for Critique
 

Well I have been on this board for a while but have not put up a video for view yet. I see some amazing things and have been working on getting better but would love some constructive criticism. I am shooting with Canon XH-A1. Thanks in advance.

http://vimeo.com/2638625

edit: No password anymore

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hey Jon, thanks for sharing....
I thought that your video had a great flow to it... One thing that slightly bothered me was the audio from the music dropped out way to fast during the vows. Maybe even could have been a slight bit louder... Your shots were very steady,nothing seemed liked it might have been rushed (as you can see most of the time in my shots :-)
Was that a jib in the background of the church?? Towards the end of your video?

Same here with the Drop in volume it should linger in the background and support your next scene building up to it. It appears all the shots were shot on a stick, I would suggest mixing it up abit with tripod, and hand held shots.

Shots
 

Stephen,
Thanks for he comments. I agree about he music and have made that change. The jib belonged to the church and it was huge. We did not get to use it :-(

All shots were done on tripod, but I will look at mixing up some handheld shots in with it. I just need to practice more with that. I tried, but I have a hard time balancing the XH-A1. With my DVC30 it is not a problem.

More comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Hi Jonathan,

Thanks for posting! I think putting your work in front of a valuable community like this is hugely helpful in the development of the product you're delivery to clients. It's also helpful in getting advice, constructive criticism etc.

I thought the footage was all very steady so it was a very professional product. For me, though...the shots lingered far too long, particularly in the beginning when you were revealing all the detail shots. I'm a fan of detail shots like anyone else, but I think it could have been stronger to mix them in with more shots of the couple. I'm also not so much a fan of black and white unless it is used in a very limited/specific way. It seemed like it was too heavy on the B/W.

Please post more clips if you have them in the coming weeks/months though. For a first-time post, I give you all the credit in the World - it's not easy putting yourself out there!

Bruce

Thanks!
 

Bruce,

Thank you for your comments. I tried to use the B&W to enhance the musical change when it popped into color, but I guess it took too long. I was limited on shots of the bride and groom. There was no dancing so after the picture taking was over, that was the last time I had them together (aside from the ceremony). On the DVD, this montage comes after the ceremony so I did not want to use too many ceremony shots. I like your idea of quicker pacing at the beginning to act as a quick preview of the wedding. Thanks again.