a trash the dress shoot in 24P

Patrick Moreau · July 11th, 2007, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dana Salsbury

It's definately your best one yet. I think we all could learn a ton from you about color. I was also taken back by the photos. Show-stopping. What was the song?

I'm out to scout some new locations...

Thanks Dana. I think my personal favorite is the highlights for the trailer I posted here not too long ago, but this clip would be a close second.

The song is 'My man, my moon' by feist.

Patrick

Dawn Brennan · July 11th, 2007, 08:25 AM

Thanks for the inspiration, both as a wedding video professional and as a bride attempting to do a "trash the dress". Amazing work as usual. i am looking to do a session with a photographer in my area to trash my dress, because the cleaner pretty much ruined it anyway, so i'll just finish it off. Your video opened my eyes to other things than the typical pool or beach, which is all that has been done in my area. Thanks for sharing!!

Dawn

Patrick Moreau · July 11th, 2007, 08:34 AM

Thanks Dawn.

It really helps that we do photo and video together so we can really make the most out of the 'trashing'. If you want to come up here to get rid of your dress, just let me know.

Patrick

Dawn Brennan · July 11th, 2007, 01:14 PM

Actually, thats something I may consider... I was a winter bride, so I'm thinking trashing it in the snow may be fun. What are the winters like in Ontario? Shoot me an email if you are interested!

Patrick Moreau · July 11th, 2007, 05:20 PM

Hi Dawn,

I sent you an email with some details.

Patrick

Victor Kellar · July 11th, 2007, 05:38 PM

Patrick, all can I say is, as a guy who makes his living by editing only, I see your work and say "Why can't I get camerwork like that?" The poor studios I cut for usually pay in some way after I see your stuff .. (OK, so why didn't you use this angle and ...)

As said, I loved your locations. The move down from the loft of the barn to the couple was stunning. How you match video to photos is about as good as I've ever seen

You and I have different takes on music but you always make it work

Sweet

Travis Cossel · July 11th, 2007, 06:03 PM

Great video, as usual. Like someone else said, post something "bad" to make me feel better, lol.

I gotta say, that shot of the bride on the hay looks perfect for a "movie-like" wedding video cover shot. Beautiful work.

Richard Wakefield · July 12th, 2007, 02:26 AM

right come on then Patrick, the decision has been made, U MUST POST A BAD CLIP, go on i dare you...your reputation on this forum can hardly be damaged :)

going back to the clip, i have to say my favourite shot was the aerial one of the bride in the water...i'm imagining it with different music in a blockbuster romance or even thriller movie, LOL ...sorry, my imagination runs overtime when i've had little sleep!

Noa Put · July 12th, 2007, 02:48 AM

The clip looked very nice and professional, about matching up the photo's and video which has mentioned by victor I don't completely agree with. Now I'm not a photographer but I find the photographic work you produce stunning, but when you mix them up with the video the photo's are much brighter and richer in colour. The footage from the camera looked great but the colours appeared to be more washed out compared to the photo's.
Also what I see a lot with cameraoperators owning a glidecam device is that they sometimes overuse the thing, if every single shot is a "flyby" with switching to different angles it's too much for me.
I really like glideshots but only when it's executed with a slower movement and if there are enough "static" shots inbetween for a good balance.
Don't get me wrong and I don't want to sound negative, because I really liked to look and feel of the video as it looked very professional, only the glide cam flybys were a bit over the top for me. The aerial shot though at 02:45-02:46, now that was a great one which looked very cool.

Patrick Moreau · July 12th, 2007, 05:46 AM

Victor,

I too really love that shot in the barn. We had to do about 7-8 takes with the crane to get it right, but I like how it came out.

Travis,

I think there are several shots that look really movie poster-ish. There is a another with the bride standing on the hay bale doing a superman pose, but you actually have to go to the photo gallery listed on the blog to see the rest. We used external flashes and reflectors for the shoot, since we had the space and time and were not worried about being obtrusive, and it really gave us amazing lighting for the photos- well that and Amina's Photoshop work.

Richard,

I was actually quite tempted to take some shots from the fountain sequence and do a really epic 40 seconds trailer set a romance or thriller sort of theme. Some of those fountain shots are my favorite of the shoot as well.

Noa,

Thanks for your comments and honesty. Regarding the colors of the video, lots of time actually went into making it look the way it does. I have some other styles that are brighter, more saturated, and have more contrast but that wasn't the feel I was going for in a more grungy video. I decided to make this one look more like a cross-processed look for the beginning and a bleach bypass effect for the fountain shots. Regarding the steadicam shots, I have definitely heard the 'overused' comment several times before, but that is our style and especially with a shoot like this that has less content, I like to really use the motion to mobe the piece along. In a highlights clip for a wedding, I would use less motion as there would be more content in going in tight and static for several key moments.

Thanks again for the comments.

Patrick Moreau · July 12th, 2007, 07:06 AM

It looks like the clip and photos just got featured on weddingbee.com. It will be interesting to see how brides respond to everything.

Patrick

Jon Anderson · July 12th, 2007, 08:38 AM

Patrick, I am really impressed with the locations, cinematography and editing, particularly the color stylizing... all very nice. Congratualations on some excellent work.

Not to throw water on what seems like a very fun kind of shoot (a lot more fun that a typical reception) and another way to make some money (always nice), but I've found myself a bit disturbed at the concept. These dresses are so expensive, it all just seems, I don't know, so wasteful. Seems like if a bride doesn't want to keep her dress for posterity or to pass it on to later generations, it seems like it would be much better karma to give it to a charity so some less-fortunate bride could use it.

Just my two cents.

Patrick Moreau · July 12th, 2007, 08:54 AM

I can see where that is coming from. We actually just offered a free trash the dress shoot on our blog and part of the entry form asks brides why they want to do the shoot.

From their perspective, this seems to mostly be about a release from the wedding stress and all the constant planning. It is a chance for them to just let go, enjoy the moment, in a cathartic sort of way.

Other than trashing the dress, their options seem to be either selling/giving it away, passing it on to future generations, or preserving it in a closet. Preserving seems like a waste to most as it can be costly (about $500) for something that they will never wear again. Most also don't like the idea of somebody else wearing something so special that was such a big part of their day, and they don't like the idea of 'passing it on'.

While it may seem wasteful, I can assure you it sure doesn't feel like that to actually be on the shoot and share the results with the couple. I think for them it is a really fulfilling experience (the shoot itself more than the final result), and an awesome creative outlet for us as artists as well as the couple.

Hope that provides a bit of perspective from the other side.

Patrick

Noa Put · July 12th, 2007, 10:24 AM

Now I'm not supposed to say this because I make a livin out of capturing weddings but the only reason why I do this is because I like the creative side of it. The filming day itself is often very stressfull and not allways fun, unless you enjoy suffering. ;) Only when I'm back in my editing studio I'm enjoying every bit of it when trying to turn that hard labour into a piece of art (That's nice said, isn't it? :D)

Only if I see what money these couples put into their weddingdays it's sometimes halucinating, I consider not only the dress, but a whole weddingparty a bit of a waist. My second marriage f.i. was very simple and very cheap, with only the closest of friends and family and the feeling I got from it was no less then my first wedding which probably costed 10 fold. It's just tradition to spend a year on preparation and a lot of money one day just for the feeling that it was their most beautifull day in their life. Actually it just starting then. :)

Last week I met a guy who's wedding I filmed last year and he allready was divorced again (Don't know if that had to do with my weddingdvd :D) and they had a very expensive wedding with all the bells and whistles. Now talking about a waist of money then. :)

Jon Anderson · July 12th, 2007, 11:05 AM

Patrick,

Thank you for your thoughtful and gracious response. I totally get what you're saying and I can understand a bride's motivation to release the stress and have some fun after all the headaches of wedding planning, ect. And for what it's worth, I never really got the idea of 'saving' the dress, either, but could understand perhaps giving to a daughter or granddaughter or neice or whoever.

What I don't understand is not wanting to give it away. Weddings, rightfully so, are very self indulgent...the bride's day to be a princess. And there's nothing wrong with that. I just think it would be a little more grounding for them to realize, hey, there are a lot young women who could never afford this dress, who would absolutely love to wear it on their special day and pass it along.

It's like throwing away a perfectly good used car. You may be done with it, perhaps even find it very cathartic to blow it up, but there are plenty of people who really could use that car.

I dunno, it just seems there's so much that's become disposable in our culture these days ("starter marriages" come to mind), I just think it's a pretty sad commentary that some women would chose to trash a dress, perhaps the most expensive dress they'll ever buy, rather than opt to pass it forward.

I've been to a lot of countries where people have nothing. They could live, litterally, for years on the money that's spent for even a modest wedding dresses here. And even here in the U.S., there's so many who could use a helping hand, especially on the most special of days.

I know, it's their dress and their choice. I just think it's sad.

July 11th, 2007, 06:03 PM	#22
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Great video, as usual. Like someone else said, post something "bad" to make me feel better, lol. I gotta say, that shot of the bride on the hay looks perfect for a "movie-like" wedding video cover shot. Beautiful work. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

July 11th, 2007, 08:25 AM	#17
Dawn Brennan Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 193	Thanks for the inspiration, both as a wedding video professional and as a bride attempting to do a "trash the dress". Amazing work as usual. i am looking to do a session with a photographer in my area to trash my dress, because the cleaner pretty much ruined it anyway, so i'll just finish it off. Your video opened my eyes to other things than the typical pool or beach, which is all that has been done in my area. Thanks for sharing!! Dawn

July 11th, 2007, 08:34 AM	#18
Patrick Moreau Still Motion Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,186	Thanks Dawn. It really helps that we do photo and video together so we can really make the most out of the 'trashing'. If you want to come up here to get rid of your dress, just let me know. Patrick

July 11th, 2007, 01:14 PM	#19
Dawn Brennan Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 193	Actually, thats something I may consider... I was a winter bride, so I'm thinking trashing it in the snow may be fun. What are the winters like in Ontario? Shoot me an email if you are interested!

July 11th, 2007, 05:20 PM	#20
Patrick Moreau Still Motion Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,186	Hi Dawn, I sent you an email with some details. Patrick

July 11th, 2007, 05:38 PM	#21
Victor Kellar Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 239	Patrick, all can I say is, as a guy who makes his living by editing only, I see your work and say "Why can't I get camerwork like that?" The poor studios I cut for usually pay in some way after I see your stuff .. (OK, so why didn't you use this angle and ...) As said, I loved your locations. The move down from the loft of the barn to the couple was stunning. How you match video to photos is about as good as I've ever seen You and I have different takes on music but you always make it work Sweet

July 12th, 2007, 02:26 AM	#23
Richard Wakefield Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Surrey, UK Posts: 680	right come on then Patrick, the decision has been made, U MUST POST A BAD CLIP, go on i dare you...your reputation on this forum can hardly be damaged :) going back to the clip, i have to say my favourite shot was the aerial one of the bride in the water...i'm imagining it with different music in a blockbuster romance or even thriller movie, LOL ...sorry, my imagination runs overtime when i've had little sleep!

July 12th, 2007, 02:48 AM	#24
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,509	The clip looked very nice and professional, about matching up the photo's and video which has mentioned by victor I don't completely agree with. Now I'm not a photographer but I find the photographic work you produce stunning, but when you mix them up with the video the photo's are much brighter and richer in colour. The footage from the camera looked great but the colours appeared to be more washed out compared to the photo's. Also what I see a lot with cameraoperators owning a glidecam device is that they sometimes overuse the thing, if every single shot is a "flyby" with switching to different angles it's too much for me. I really like glideshots but only when it's executed with a slower movement and if there are enough "static" shots inbetween for a good balance. Don't get me wrong and I don't want to sound negative, because I really liked to look and feel of the video as it looked very professional, only the glide cam flybys were a bit over the top for me. The aerial shot though at 02:45-02:46, now that was a great one which looked very cool.

July 12th, 2007, 05:46 AM	#25
Patrick Moreau Still Motion Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,186	Victor, I too really love that shot in the barn. We had to do about 7-8 takes with the crane to get it right, but I like how it came out. Travis, I think there are several shots that look really movie poster-ish. There is a another with the bride standing on the hay bale doing a superman pose, but you actually have to go to the photo gallery listed on the blog to see the rest. We used external flashes and reflectors for the shoot, since we had the space and time and were not worried about being obtrusive, and it really gave us amazing lighting for the photos- well that and Amina's Photoshop work. Richard, I was actually quite tempted to take some shots from the fountain sequence and do a really epic 40 seconds trailer set a romance or thriller sort of theme. Some of those fountain shots are my favorite of the shoot as well. Noa, Thanks for your comments and honesty. Regarding the colors of the video, lots of time actually went into making it look the way it does. I have some other styles that are brighter, more saturated, and have more contrast but that wasn't the feel I was going for in a more grungy video. I decided to make this one look more like a cross-processed look for the beginning and a bleach bypass effect for the fountain shots. Regarding the steadicam shots, I have definitely heard the 'overused' comment several times before, but that is our style and especially with a shoot like this that has less content, I like to really use the motion to mobe the piece along. In a highlights clip for a wedding, I would use less motion as there would be more content in going in tight and static for several key moments. Thanks again for the comments.

July 12th, 2007, 07:06 AM	#26
Patrick Moreau Still Motion Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,186	It looks like the clip and photos just got featured on weddingbee.com. It will be interesting to see how brides respond to everything. Patrick

July 12th, 2007, 08:38 AM	#27
Jon Anderson Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Dayton, Ohio Posts: 46	Patrick, I am really impressed with the locations, cinematography and editing, particularly the color stylizing... all very nice. Congratualations on some excellent work. Not to throw water on what seems like a very fun kind of shoot (a lot more fun that a typical reception) and another way to make some money (always nice), but I've found myself a bit disturbed at the concept. These dresses are so expensive, it all just seems, I don't know, so wasteful. Seems like if a bride doesn't want to keep her dress for posterity or to pass it on to later generations, it seems like it would be much better karma to give it to a charity so some less-fortunate bride could use it. Just my two cents.

July 12th, 2007, 08:54 AM	#28
Patrick Moreau Still Motion Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,186	I can see where that is coming from. We actually just offered a free trash the dress shoot on our blog and part of the entry form asks brides why they want to do the shoot. From their perspective, this seems to mostly be about a release from the wedding stress and all the constant planning. It is a chance for them to just let go, enjoy the moment, in a cathartic sort of way. Other than trashing the dress, their options seem to be either selling/giving it away, passing it on to future generations, or preserving it in a closet. Preserving seems like a waste to most as it can be costly (about $500) for something that they will never wear again. Most also don't like the idea of somebody else wearing something so special that was such a big part of their day, and they don't like the idea of 'passing it on'. While it may seem wasteful, I can assure you it sure doesn't feel like that to actually be on the shoot and share the results with the couple. I think for them it is a really fulfilling experience (the shoot itself more than the final result), and an awesome creative outlet for us as artists as well as the couple. Hope that provides a bit of perspective from the other side. Patrick

July 12th, 2007, 10:24 AM	#29
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,509	Now I'm not supposed to say this because I make a livin out of capturing weddings but the only reason why I do this is because I like the creative side of it. The filming day itself is often very stressfull and not allways fun, unless you enjoy suffering. ;) Only when I'm back in my editing studio I'm enjoying every bit of it when trying to turn that hard labour into a piece of art (That's nice said, isn't it? :D) Only if I see what money these couples put into their weddingdays it's sometimes halucinating, I consider not only the dress, but a whole weddingparty a bit of a waist. My second marriage f.i. was very simple and very cheap, with only the closest of friends and family and the feeling I got from it was no less then my first wedding which probably costed 10 fold. It's just tradition to spend a year on preparation and a lot of money one day just for the feeling that it was their most beautifull day in their life. Actually it just starting then. :) Last week I met a guy who's wedding I filmed last year and he allready was divorced again (Don't know if that had to do with my weddingdvd :D) and they had a very expensive wedding with all the bells and whistles. Now talking about a waist of money then. :)

July 12th, 2007, 11:05 AM	#30
Jon Anderson Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Dayton, Ohio Posts: 46	Patrick, Thank you for your thoughtful and gracious response. I totally get what you're saying and I can understand a bride's motivation to release the stress and have some fun after all the headaches of wedding planning, ect. And for what it's worth, I never really got the idea of 'saving' the dress, either, but could understand perhaps giving to a daughter or granddaughter or neice or whoever. What I don't understand is not wanting to give it away. Weddings, rightfully so, are very self indulgent...the bride's day to be a princess. And there's nothing wrong with that. I just think it would be a little more grounding for them to realize, hey, there are a lot young women who could never afford this dress, who would absolutely love to wear it on their special day and pass it along. It's like throwing away a perfectly good used car. You may be done with it, perhaps even find it very cathartic to blow it up, but there are plenty of people who really could use that car. I dunno, it just seems there's so much that's become disposable in our culture these days ("starter marriages" come to mind), I just think it's a pretty sad commentary that some women would chose to trash a dress, perhaps the most expensive dress they'll ever buy, rather than opt to pass it forward. I've been to a lot of countries where people have nothing. They could live, litterally, for years on the money that's spent for even a modest wedding dresses here. And even here in the U.S., there's so many who could use a helping hand, especially on the most special of days. I know, it's their dress and their choice. I just think it's sad.