thoughts on raj + carolyn's sde

at reframe we spoke on really immersing yourself in the shoot, forming connections with the couple, and letting their story emerge. one of the biggest things we tried to share was about taking the time to breathe before you shoot.

when it came to raj + carolyn's wedding, we had something very unique. a short rehearsal dinner friday night, a catholic wedding all day saturday, and an indian wedding all day sunday. those who have shot indian weddings know just how intense and jam-packed they are. add to that having footage from the day before to also go through and prepare in the couple hours we had in the evening, it was quite the challenge and oppurtunity to be a part of this wedding.

we wanted to share this piece as it really exemplifies everything we tried to get across at reframe, as well as the art of wedding cinema talk we are doing at some local videographers associations. by taking the time to breathe, even amid the chaos, by connecting with the couple and feeling what this was about to them, and by putting thought into the frame, the shot, the sequence, and the whole piece i feel we were able to create something very special to us.

tech notes:
shot mostly with the MKII with lots of primes.
used the pegasus and steadicam flyer for movement, and the cinevate 5d rig for support on the 5d.
shot in 30P due to timing issues to get the 24P conversion.
the garba and reception footage is 5D on the flyer.

blog:
stillmotion photo + cinema blog // emotive art - speechless // raj + carolyn's sde (trackback link to this post)

vimeo:
raj + carolyn // same day edit . TN on Vimeo

P.

[Michael Padilla]

Originally Posted by Patrick Moreau

hey monday,

we use the 16-35 a lot and really play with the distortion, and we also use the 24 f1.4. not sure what shots in particular your referring to. i think this piece is our best yet, and what excites me is that it is an sde to boot.

P.

yeah.. no joke - this really is one of your best! I'm sure you'll be submitting this one.

[Patrick Moreau]

Originally Posted by Ram Purad

Hey Patirck,

Outstanding work as usual. Love the (gliding) transitions between the two events. Awesome first (ring) shot. Hopefully no antes are harmed in making of this SDE :-). Keep on inspiring.

hey ram,

glad your enjoying this piece. i know you shoot a lot of indian weddings so i was hoping you would chime in here. no worries though, the ants escaped untouched.

P.

[Patrick Moreau]

Originally Posted by Susanto Widjaja

I like the fact that the better you become, the less fancy shots you produce and just focus on story telling and classy shots like slow steady movements and minimal focus pull.. very very very very top class production.

its like the "lord of the rings" version of wedding video..

I won't say Titanic cause it would sound too cheesy eventhough its love story..

but yeah.. unbelieveably.. epic..

hey susanto,

i know what you mean but i am not sure i agree. i would like to think that the shots haven't necessarily become less fancy but have become more motivated. take something like the ring/ant shot - that was tied in to where they had lunch at the catholic wedding - it was a farm that they trucked everybody into and that was the fence. i think the shot is very 'cool' but it also has that layer beneath it that ties into the story. i would agree that our shots have become less fancy for fancys sake. we had some crazy ones we cut out of this too just because it didn't add to the story.

P.

[Jason Bowers]

Robert,
Yes I was being sarcastic. Patrick I am sure understood as I am probably their biggest advocate in Canada. Their work is always pushing the boundaries. Just trying to keep it real. LOL

[Matt Barwick]

Ha - I actually missed the ants in the opening shot initially because of the vimeo playback controls - had to go back and have another look. Beautiful idea and as usual, totally original.

Amazing stuff Patrick - if I didn't know the details, I would've said this looks less like an SDE than a very refined, polished production - one that you've been able to take your time with and go over and over (and over) again adding different layers of detail and story with each review. The fact that this IS an SDE is even more amazing. Out of this world in fact - I can only imagine the reception it got.

Well done in inspiring a lot of us.

Cheers,

Matt.

P.S. Then again...on the other hand, maybe I agree with Jason - you might want to get rid of your gear and try your hand at some Ford commercials... ;)

[Noel Lising]

I'll take a cue from the title I am speechless.

Playing devils advocate: Should it be called an SDE, you have 2 days to pull it off. LOL

[Ian Lim]

What!?? The ant shot wasn't a CGI??

*speechless... and starting to bang my head on the wall...*

[Patrick Moreau]

Originally Posted by Noel Lising

I'll take a cue from the title I am speechless.

Playing devils advocate: Should it be called an SDE, you have 2 days to pull it off. LOL

thanks for the comment noel. if you want to get technical, we started editing after the catholic ceremony and garba on saturday and showed it 24 hours later at the reception after the hindu ceremony. it was 24 hours from when the edit started, but we did cross over days :) if only we had stayed up till 12am and started then we could have really called it a same day edit.

P.

[Susanto Widjaja]

same here matt, I also missed the ant shot..

vimeo what are you doing!??

[Bruce Patterson]

Maybe it should be called a TDE then (2-day edit).

Great job, P...you know I'm a fan and I love what you're doing by shooting more methodically with the Steadicam - I can really feel more warmth in your work and to echo what many others are saying I'm definitely connecting to the couple more.

I'm not 100% sure I like the song, but you can't argue the shot selection, editing, shooting and composition. Love seeing my fellow Canadian CONTINUING to push the envelope!

GREAT JOB!