How do you make your wedding dvd's excitiing?

[Kevin Lewis]

What are you full length wedding dvd's like? How do you give your client that same "fun feeling" that they get when they watch a sde, highlight, or trailer. Whats your take on keeping the full length version exciting for the client?

[George Bean]

that is a good question.

we do this for a living and see different weddings each weekend. the bride only sees her wedding.

often,while editing i think about but do not edit something out because it is boring and really does not tell the story of the wedding day. occassionally these boring should be on the cutting room floor moments are the ones the bride likes best of all.

i try to highlight the family and wedding guests in the long form edit. each year that passes these become more emotional as friends and family move away, pass on etc.

just a thought and i would like to hear others on making these emotional and ineresting.

[Jeff Kellam]

I agree with you George. A fun & crazy wedding comes through on the video just as stoic wedding does. Trying to over manipulate the footage just dosent seem to be the way to document the day. I just shot a wedding with no music or dancing at all at the reception. The bride didn't provide any music information at all on the video agreement (some music Q&A on the wedding agreement). So, there is not one piece of music on the entire edit. Not too exciting, but it is what it is, and it's still pretty good.

I look at the wedding video as something to enjoy today, but something to really enjoy 20 or more years in the future with the kids and family. In some cases, the wedding may be the only time ever both the B&Gs families get together. Trying to capture some of that should be one of the videographers goals.

I think sometimes we try to go too hollywood on these videos.

[Taky Cheung]

I always have a blooper chapter in my DVD. All my customers love 'em. Here's some of the bloopers clips I posted on youtube

YouTube - A Cock Will Be Served
YouTube - The Crescent Moon
YouTube - Linda at wedding
YouTube - He's not my husband but my Dad
YouTube - Money In Her Boob

There'll be many funny moments when I interview people.

[George Bean]

several years ago we had a wedding and as always i try to record the family members as much as time allows. even if they are not doing anything special.

i saw the grandmothers just sitting together on a bench and recorded about 45 seconds. recorded them a few other times during the wedding day, very boring nothing artistic.

about three months after the wedding i received a call from the groom thanking me for the video because the brides grandmother suddenly passed away and the wedding dvd was the last video they had of her.

again it was not artistic and not emotional just grandma sitting quietly on a bench at the church, but that 45 second clip and others meant a lot to the bride.

[Jeff Kellam]

I agree with Taky, some or all of the interviews are almost always funny and exciting. Lots are too risque or embarrasing to even make bloopers.

[Philip Howells]

Originally Posted by Kevin Lewis

What are you full length wedding dvd's like? How do you give your client that same "fun feeling" that they get when they watch a sde, highlight, or trailer. Whats your take on keeping the full length version exciting for the client?

I think you might be missing the point a little in your question Kevin. The full wedding is a whole catalogue of emotions and events, some very moving and personal, some very funny. The Highlights or SDE or what we call our "Dream" wedding are just quickies to capture one or two emotions. For me its important that the full wedding programme captures all the emotions and moods of the day.

Making programmes different from each other is another question - I belong to the faction that does so to avoid production boredom but I know other producers in the area who churn out the same forumulaic stuff every wedding. Their point - and it's a valid one - is that brides often choose them because they've seen other programmes they've made so if theirs is too different they may be in danger of disappointing them. In other words the clients expect to see a programme similar to the one that was demoed to them, but with them in the starring role. It's a tricky one.

I personally feel I've failed a bit if the client comments on any of the video/filmic techniques rather than the content. At a recent wedding the groom, when invited to pick up his bride's ring from the prayer book, made a quick gesture as if he was making a choice. His back was to the congregation so only the vicar and the bride saw him. Later when he was repeating the words he hadn't started to push the ring on to her finger. In her eagerness to be married the bride flicked her ring finger up and down to encourage him to start putting the ring on. We captured both little events and both were commented on by the couple - that was very satisfying.

The only exception to the techniques aspect was when the client remarked on the glidetrack shots we'd included in the opening sequence - not because he knew or bothered how they'd been achieved but because he'd not seen yards of dolly track laid out across the garden!

Finally, George is right on the button when he includes the elderly. It's the clincher in the argument whether to have a video - and terribly difficult to include as part of our sales spiel. If anyone's interested how we try to do it, check out the last part of the About Us page of our website - the quote by Ingrid Bergman. If anyone's got a more effective piece I for one would be very interested.

[Tom Hardwick]

You need to put yourselves into the couple's shoes. Many have told me that coming back on the plane after the honeymoon all they can talk about is the mounting excitement of seeing the film of their day on a big TV.

First thing to say is have the DVDs waiting for them upon their return. I've found that this is by far the best way to gather praise for your hard work, and puts you streets ahead of the stills guy who won't deliver for another 3 weeks.

Don't baulk them with intro pages they can't skip, let them get straight into the movie. Make sure their happiest, fastest chosen song opens the film. Keep the titles short and sweet and don't use hard to read silly swirling fonts. Have lots of chapter points but don't be tempted to add multiple menu pages listing them all.

Think how they'll be feeling as your DVD spins up for the first time. Surprise and delight them folks! Surprise and delight.

tom.

[Jeff Kellam]

When I edit the video, Im thinking about what the couple will think when the DVD spins up 20 or more years later. Making them happy on the first spin up is only a bonus.

Young couples, don't know what they want or need in many cases. Our job as experienced videographers is to give it to them.

Thinking you have to have a song on the intro sounds like a boilerplate formula to me and could border on cheesy.

[Philip Howells]

Originally Posted by Tom Hardwick

(snipped) Have lots of chapter points but don't be tempted to add multiple menu pages listing them all.

Tom, how do they navigate to the downstream chapter points if you only give them half a dozen chapters in the menu?

[Tom Hardwick]

Easy - they simply use their 'next' or 'previous' buttons on their DVD player's remote. Thing is, this is what they'll probably end up doing anyway - it's far quicker and easier than hopping back to the menu page.

[Philip Howells]

I take your point Tom but for the trouble of making a proper menu - the sort they're familiar with in commercial film releases etc - I would have thought some might have been grateful, even impressed by your thoroughness. Of course, you know your own market and if it works, good for you.

[Tom Hardwick]

I do indeed have a proper menu page Philip, with a slightly slo-mo movie background, a music track and a choice of five or so bullets - arrivals, service, photography, reception, evening, montage - that sort of thing.

My next and previous remote buttons take them to maybe 5 chapters between each of these main ones, and dont (I feel) require countless menu pages to list them.

[Philip Howells]

Tom, my response wasn't criticism of your practice - as I said if it works for you that's fine.

[Brian MacKenzie]

Originally Posted by Tom Hardwick

I do indeed have a proper menu page Philip, with a slightly slo-mo movie background, a music track and a choice of five or so bullets - arrivals, service, photography, reception, evening, montage - that sort of thing.

My next and previous remote buttons take them to maybe 5 chapters between each of these main ones, and dont (I feel) require countless menu pages to list them.

i agree with this....i will have a menu button for 'ceremony' but i will add chapter markers at each of the different sections of the ceremony, first speaker, 2nd speaker, vows, etc. same thing with the reception...not everything thing needs a menu button