3D Weddings?

[Victor Boyko]

anyone actually filming weddings in 3D? I barely had a client ask me for blu-ray.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Victor

In the land of Oz I haven't yet had a client ever had a client ask for BluRay yet they all seem to have 50" LCD or Plasma TV's but virtually none have BluRay players!!

I might take one step upwards and render their weddings on 1280x720 progresssive as an MP4 and drop it onto a USB stick.... then they can at least watch an HD version on their computer and those with media players can also watch on their TV's too!! I'm still wondering if BD will fade away in a year or so in favor of digital media???

As for 3D...one client had a 3D TV and was complaining about lack of material..he sits and watches the demo that came with his TV!!! Cameras are still horribily expensive...the cheapest prosumer Panasonic is still $21K and that looks like a toy!!! Business wise it isn't worth the investment for me when there is no demand.

There is someone here that DOES do 3D!!! but for now I'm not even considering it...how do the couple give their Grandparents a copy when they probably still have a CRT TV and a VHS player?????

I really hate losing the nice HD image for SD but you have to supply what the client wants and at present for me it's definately not 3D!!

Chris

[Giroud Francois]

currently i shoot 3d even if the customer did not ask, because with the sony TD10 it is so easy, that it is transparent. I plan to go that way as mainstream, and then you can choose in post if you really want the hassle to edit 3D or just leave it as 2D.

[Michael Johnston]

I will never offer it. I offer a free Blu-Ray player with the purchase of a HD pkg and still am only getting requests for DVD's. Who is really going to want to watch their wedding in 3D? I think it's a waste of time and money.

[Corey Graham]

I'll never offer it either. I think it's a fad anyhow, just as it's shown to be a passing gimmick in decades past. I can barely stand to watch a 90-minute 3D movie in the theater, let alone editing hours of 3D footage.

[Jim Greene]

3D is about as popular as the LaserDisc, a passing fad, way too much involvement just to watch something, and not very appropriate for weddings. 3D is just a way to sell TVs. People still think the DVD will be in HD just because they bought an HD capable TV.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Jim

The amusing thing is that few brides can actually tell the difference!! They are more worried about content. I actually ran a post on a bridal forum and the general consensus was they don't care and a lot said that while hubby swore it was at least 10 time better, they honestly couldn't tell the difference!!

We forget that as editors and camera people we tend to look at footage from a technical point of view whilst the bride is simply amazed at how stunning the bridesmaids looked!! As long as the colour is correct and the footage is sharp that's all they need!!

If I scroll thru our local TV channels even I notice that once I hit an HD channel I have to look hard to spot the increased resolution and by doing so miss half the action. We just like perfection the average viewer is more involved with content and story line !!

Chris

[Michael Johnston]

Chris,

You're forgetting that most of the content aired on HD channels is just unconverted SD stuff which looks no different than SD. Watch a real HD program shot in full 1080 HD, such as Discovery's Planet Earth, and you see a BIG difference. I know if I play a Blu-Ray of a wedding I've shot alongside a DVD of the same wedding, it's definitely noticeable.

As far as TV programs, the ones that are shot in HD (including most sports) are 720p which does pixalize when shown on a 1080 TV, making it harder to distinguish from SD.

[Dave Blackhurst]

Originally Posted by Jim Greene

3D is about as popular as the LaserDisc, a passing fad, way too much involvement just to watch something, and not very appropriate for weddings. 3D is just a way to sell TVs. People still think the DVD will be in HD just because they bought an HD capable TV.

Well, with an upconverting player... they actually come pretty close!

And Michael is right on about the mixed quality of "HD" broadcast/content - just was visiting relatives with their new "HD" programming package - the "installer" had hooked up with component cables rather than HDMI, and not even shown them how to access the HD channels - they were a lot more impressed when I hooked things up right and showed them how to find the HD content!

The thing I noticed was that on the "HD" channels there was a wide variety of "D" - commercials were all over the place, letterbox, pillarbox, just plain "box", SD, HD, and some almost no-D... Well shot HD, delivered over a proper HD signal chain on properly set up HD equipment looks great, but that's a big pile of variables!

Brides won't be as interested in the technical details, but it's always nice when the groom notices the extra quality of a proper HD production chain...

[Michael Johnston]

One other thing I'd like to point out. I know everyone loves 30p & 24p and most broadcast shows are shot this way. However, I am not aware of ANY satellite, broadcast, or cable company providing a 1080p signal. Nearly all are 1080i. When you play a progressive video through an interlaced signal you get the flicker effect. I see it on every show my wife watches on TLC and Bravo. Looks terrible. Also, very few Blu-Ray burners and programs will burn progressive to a Blu-Ray disc. Most convert to interlaced before burning. This will seriously degrade the quality. My point is, if you're just shooting for the web then 30p & 24p is fine. But if you are shooting for broadcast or Blu-Ray, you should always be shooting 1080/60i.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Michael

Thanks for that!! I can see the difference but the girls seem not to notice it so much. Yeah, a LOT of broadcast stuff here is upscaled too so it's a bit of cheating. Nature programs from Nat Geo are most definately shot in HD and broadcast in HD too and really anyone should be able to see that!!

My actual point was that brides (as opposed to grooms) are not really interested in the tech stuff at all. If you printed your DVD with the words "filmed in STUNNING HD QUALITY" they would assume that it's HD on the DVD as well. Don Bloom shoots in SD, edits in SD and supplies an SD DVD and his brides love him and most, if not all, his clients would have an HD capable TV too!!

Chris

[Man Yip]

If you can pull it off, offer it, otherwise it might bites you.

[David Schuurman]

I'll never shoot a wedding in 3D, like Corey I can barely sit through a 3d movie in theatres. I watched Conan in 3d the other day and my eyes were so tired afterwards. IMO 3D is a total fad, probably isn't good for your eyes, and it's physically tiring to watch. However, if somehow 3D becomes the status quo I'll be the first to ask for this post to be deleted so nobody will know I didn't think it would boom. lol.