Is this any good?
 

Hey guys, I've never posted my stuff on here before, but I thought I'd give it a try. Feel free to critique me and let me know what you think. This is the last wedding highlights video I made.

http://klondikesamuelson.com/Andrew%20%26%20Mary.html

Josh I really thought that your composition on most of the shots were great. And I also loved the shot selctions and change of pace from real time to slow mo or fast forward with the glidecam shots.

The only suggestions I would make if to color correct the white balance of the low light shots from the reception, as they apprear to warm and yellow and don't match the clips where you used a light or were in better lighting. And possibly using some voice over audio for more impact (couples vows under ceremony clips, groom laughing, if there is a good small clip a toast during the reception etc.). Not many just a couple sprinkled here and there.

Besides that I loved it.
Especially the dancing girls during the reception (made for great video).

i love it... the camera work was excellent, editing must have been a breeze

what song was that? good choice

Hi Josh,

Awesome song choice :)

I think it worked well. You had some great shots in there in terms of the glidecam and angles and you also caught some great expressions.

A couple thinks I would probably take a look at:
-some of yor blur transitions were really quick and seemed a bit jarring. I would lengthen them a bit and if your using Final Cut, you can also turn down the blur a bit so it does a half blur, which seems to flow a bit better.
-I would agree with Michael that some of the reception stuff could really use some color work. With a song like the one you chose, I would really work with the colors to bring out the drama. You had a couple dancing shots near the end that were rather overexposed and would probably look great in black and white.
-Preps are always very tough to cover and make artisic. I think you had some great shots and it worked well but if your looking for some opinions on where to go from here, I would try and use objects a bit more. Try looking through things with the glidecam going over and under objects/subjects a bit more to give some of those filler shots more drama.

Thanks for sharing.

Patrick

I dig it
 

Cool! Thanks guys for your comments. I totally agreed with what everyone said. I wish I understood coloring and when, where, and how to apply it to my videos. It seems like the really good wedding videos are colored in a way that emphasizes the mood dramtaically. And I know I suck at white balancing! Honestly, I've never white balanced my camera. I don't even think I know how. I'm still really new to Final Cut and videos and I'm basically just trying to learn it on my own by using books, and this forum as a guide. I've had my eye on those Magic Bullet filters, does anyone know if those are a good buy?

Wow
 

that was really sweet!! good music, some really cool shots..I think it looked incredible; you definitely caught the emotion and fun in the air...and I doubt the client really cares too much about the minor color inconsistencies..what kind of camera did u shoot with??

brendan

Its all part of the final product and while they may not stop and catch that the coloring is specifically good in one clip versus slightly off in another, the overall impact of the piece definitely will change. I think the color work is just as important as the editing, audio, and shooting. It all comes together to form the final piece and I think you should never skip over one part because 'they'll never notice'. Even if it made no difference to that couple, if you want to get better and attract higher end clients, they surely will notice.

Patrick

my trusty xha1
 

Hey Brenden, thanks for the compliments. I shot it with my trusty XHA1 teamed up with the steadycam merlin. I think those two make a great team.

Patrick, I agree with you about the coloring. Whether the couple could tell or not, I sure can. It's definetely something I've been working on the last few months. Getting the coloring right at some of these receptions is the biggest pain in the ace!

yeah, you're right about that Patrick..the consistency in colors does tie a everything together nicely in most cases..it just sux when you work very hard to make something perfect and people don't even notice...but it is all about peace of mind i guess..and the higher end clients probably do pay more attention to that sort of thing...

It takes more than one day to become a master at color correction. Hey, there must be a reason entire books have been written about this subject alone.
However I find that a simple addition of some blue for example can already make a big difference. It's not difficult and it doesn't take that much time.

I thought it was a very nice piece. What I think could make it better is the following.

1. There are a couple of shots where the bride looks angry (like when she getting out of the car)... I'd lose that shot, or make it real short, especially since you have a great shot of her smiling right afterwards. During the processional she's smacking her tongue or something. Again you can start the processional after that, or for this highlights end it before that, or cut to something else and then come back to it.

2. Stop moving the camera so much. I did this a lot myself, and have been trying to stop doing it. Think about which shots look absolutely awesome when you glide the camera. Maybe the cake shot, when the dance for the first time, a subtle glide that exposes a scene. Settle on those shots and only move the cam for those shots. Trust me when I tell you that they will stand out more and make more of an impact. If you don't believe me, next time try taking a shot without movement (compose, focus, record for 10 seconds) and then shoot it again with the gliding you wanted. In post see which works better.

Where was this Greek wedding taken place? Is it in South Africa by any chance?

Stelios

Main thing...

USE MANUAL IRIS!!!!!!!

Other than that, good shooting work - a tad jittery/out of focus and slightly off frame with the glidecam shots, but nothing major, but definitely turn off auto exposure

Great video! great audio/video edit, great website, and you guys are great!
Thanks for sharing and wish you the best!,
P.S.
low light sucks, but just a bit :-)