As videographers move towards the world of HD, delivery is still a problem. One issue is the format war. Even though the balance seems to be tipping in favor of BluRay, HD-DVD still needs to be considered. The other issue is media. BluRay writers are out there for around $500. HD-DVD burners are more difficult to find. Media costs are still quite high. In addition software can be an issue, particularly for Mac users. Apple’s DVD Studio Pro at this time only supports HD-DVD, while  Windows users have a number of BluRay authoring products out there.

Regarding media, there is a solution to producing HiDef DVDs without investing in a new writer. Both BluRay and HD-DVD can be written to a standard (red laser) DVD. Using H264 encoding it is possible to put 30 minutes or more of HD video on a single layer disk and more than an hour on a dual layer disk. I have made HD-DVDs using H264 that play fine on my Toshiba A3 HD-DVD player. For wedding videographers this means that we can put our short form and highlights videos on a single disk. That is what I plan to do when I go HD.

Of course a lot of experts say that neither BluRay or HD-DVD will ever catch on. There is certainly some good reasons to believe this. Most people are quite happy with the image that today’s up-scaling DVD players deliver. If there isn’t a significant jump in quality, the public won’t buy. This happened a few years ago when two competing high resolution audio formats, SACD and DVD Audio,were introduced. The improvement wasn’t noticeable to most people. In addition all DVD Audio disks (as well as some SACD disks) would not play in an ordinary DVD player. At the same time, online delivery of music was getting popular. As a result consumers stayed away, and both formats died out.

This could happen to HiDef DVD video.  If the consumer isn’t interested, and online delivery of video takes off, High Definition DVDs could fade away. I for one hopes that this doesn’t happen. My clients would not like it if they only way that they get their wedding videos in HD is to download them. When we have gone HD we will still deliver our videos on standard definition DVD. In  they will still look great, even on a big HD television. We will be watching how the BluRay HD-DVD war plays out. Most likely we will also deliver on one (or both) of those formats. There is also the option of creating a high definition file that can be played on a computer. If high definition DVDs fail in the marketplace, we may give clients the option of getting their video in HD on an external hard drive.

Both the videographer and photographer work harder than any other vendors on your wedding day. We are there from the time the bride is getting ready, to the end of the reception. That can often be a 12 hour day. When we leave our work has just begun. Videographers have anywhere from 20 to 80 hours of capturing video, editing, and making DVDs. Photographers spend a similar amount of time working on the photos.

You can help make our day better with a few simple tips:

• If you are planning both photos and video, let the photographer know that you are having both. While videographers usually assume that there will be photography, photographers don’t always do. The vast majority of photographers and videographers work well together, but there is a small minority who don’t. If you have any objections, you should consider hiring someone else.
• Let your photographer and videographer know when events are occurring during the day. If we don’t know about the special toast that your uncle will be giving during dinner, we can’t cover it. You can appoint a member of the bridal party to keep us informed.
• Let us know who is special to you. If you have an elderly grandparent who you really want photo and  video of, let us know.
• Meals. We work a long day. It is considered good form to make sure that all vendors who will be at the reception are fed. The photographer and videographer should eat when the guests eat, as this is when there is not many photos or videos being taken. As mentioned above, make sure that if something does occur, that we know about it beforehand.
• We don’t expect tips, so don’t feel that you have to. But we do love a compliment. Let us know if we did a good job. The best compliment of all is a referral. If you like our work, recommend us.

Most professions have their organizations. Wedding videography is no exception. We currently have two, the Wedding and Event Videographers Association International (WEVA) and the 4Ever Group. Both of these groups represent the interests of the wedding and event videography industry. Both have annual conventions. Many videographers (myself included) belong to both. What they do not require however, is any form of professional certification or licensing. WEVA does offer a certification, but few have obtained it. Anyone who calls him or herself a professional videographer can join.

Does this mean that being a member of these groups says nothing about the professionalism of your videographer. Not necessarily. For one thing, membership dues are high enough that someone who is not making a serious commitment to this business is less likely to join. The other thing is that both organizations put a major effort into education. The 4Ever Group has their convention in January (just concluded), and WEVA has theirs in August (with a second smaller show this month). These are incredible opportunities to learn and to take event video to a higher level. I always say that the couple who’s wedding I am editing right after the WEVA Expo is lucky, for they are the first to get the benefit of all that I have learned there. Like any profession, education never ceases.

Besides WEVA and 4Ever Group there are a number of local organizations. These in my opinion, are even more valuable than the national organizations. For it is here that videographers really exchange ideas and learn from each other. As a group, event videographers are very open. The good ones do not feel threatened by their competition. As a result, ideas flow freely. In Philadelphia our local organization is the Greater Philadelphia Videographers Association (GPVA). It is one of the largest and most active in the United States. GPVA’s membership is also one of the most talented. This year four of our members made the EventDV 25 list of the top 25 event videographers in the world (Dave Williams, Tim Sudall, Glen Elliot, and Darrell Aubert). That raises the bar for all of us. I have learned from all of them, and it makes me better at my own work.

Finally there are the online forums. While these don’t qualify as professional organizations in the classic sense, they are a fantastic source of information. I have learned as much if not more here than from WEVA or GPVA. If your videographer frequents them, they will be ahead of the game. The two main ones are Video University, and WedVidPro.

Does all of this mean that if your videographer is not a member of a professional organization that they are not as good as someone who is? No. There are a lot of excellent videographers who for reasons of their own, do not want to join. The point here is that being an active member of an organization (or online forum) indicates a desire to improve one’s skills and professionalism.

This past Saturday (1/26/2008) we rolled out our new website design. The content is mostly the same but has been redone for easier navigation. Our sample videos are now in an integrated player that allows the user  to select any video without leaving the page. The blog has been integrated into the rest of the website with the same look and feel. We are now using WordPress as a Content Management System which will allow us to update the site frequently.

We hope that you like it.

One thing that I notice when talking with other videographers or looking at their work it how different we all are, even if we are covering the same thing.  When viewing someone else’s video, I often think “why don’t I edit that way?” or “I would never thought of using that camera angle”. The fact is that as individuals, we each bring a different way of looking at things.

Like most of us, I am influenced by what I see my peers doing, as well as what I see on television or in the movies. All of this affects my own style. But that doesn’t mean that I am copying others. I have my own style because that is how my mind works. I can’t (and would not want to) get inside someone else’s head.  So, what I produce is my own way of seeing things. And that is true for everyone else in this industry.

 My style is what I would call “cinematic/documentary”. It uses a lot of music, soft imagery, slow motion. I believe that I appeal to the bride who wants a soft, romantic story of her wedding day. That said, I have been making some changes. I have been using less slow motion, and have been adding more fast cuts (particularly during the reception coverage). Why? Because of what I have seen others doing. I liked what I saw and want to incorporate this into my own style. But it is still my style.

What does this mean for the bride and groom looking for a videographer to cover their wedding? The important thing is that they find someone who’s work fits their personality. Some couples want soft/romantic, others fast/cutting edge, others do not want anything more than a basic no-frills record of the day, without any interpretation (we can give you that in our Basic Package). When shopping for a videographer, the first stop should be to visit their website. Many videographers have samples  right on the site (including us). If they don’t or you can’t view them online, call and ask for a sample DVD. Even if you can’t afford them, look at samples for the top videographers in the country (try Googling “EventDV 25″). Now most of us are not in that rarefied category, but we still produce very fine work. What it comes down to is simply what do you like. What moves you. It is a personal decision. There is no one right or wrong style. It comes down to how you would like YOUR wedding day to be recorded.

Beyond basic competence, it really is all about our style fitting your style. If you educate yourself on the range of styles that we are doing, it will be easier to find that videographer who is “just right” for you.

Note: This review was first posted in the Video University Members Only forum on Jan 13, 2008.

Last Sunday I used the Canon XH-A1 for the first time at a wedding. This wedding is being delivered as 4:3 standard definition. However to get used to the A1, I shot some 16:9 HDV. The 4:3 guides on the LCD were turned on to keep the important action within a standard frame. The ceremony was inside a building with light coming mostly through skylights. So I white balanced the camera to 5500K using the manual color temperature control (thanks to Darrell Aubert for that suggestion. Much better than using a white card). There was enough light to shoot open at 1/60 sec with 3 to 6db of gain. I used the “Panalook” custom preset that I found on the DVinfo site (it is supposed to emulate a DVX100). This preset gave me very rich color, with nice skin tones. The result was very pleasing. At 6db gain, there is some noise, but nothing objectionable. As noted above, colors are rich but natural.

For the reception I tried both 60i and 24F. The room was typical, with light coming from incandescent fixtures in the ceiling. The toasts were shot as above (except for changing the white balance). I used my NRG Varilux light with the 60% diffusion filter. Using that filter really didn’t put out enough light. In the future I may use the 30% diffuser or shoot with the bare lamp.I experimented more during the dancing. I tried a couple of “high gain” presets that I found, but didn’t like the results. I also shot a large portion of the dancing at 24F. Using a shutter speed of 1/24 allowed me to shoot in lower light with very nice results (very film like). I was able to use my Sony 10/20 with 6db gain selected. At least there was some light on the dance floor at this reception. The results may have been different if they turned the lights down as they so often do.
What I like about the A1:

• An iris ring on the lens barrel.
• Peaking in the viewfinder. This makes manual focusing much easier.
• 20X zoom.
• 24F mode. Much better than the faux cinema mode on the Z1 and FX1.
• Audio level controls on the side of the camera. This is much nicer than the audio setup on the PD170.
• Excellent image stabilizer. Better than the GL2 and much better than the PD170. Hand holding is really easy with this camera.
• Instant auto-focus. Works quite well.
• Zebras can be selected from a range of 70 to 100 IRE. I used 75 IRE during this shoot.
• Extensive customization. There are a lot of parameters that can be modified. Much more than the Z1. This allows the user to get a lot of different looks. Some have commented that the A1 doesn’t look that impressive out of the box, and that you really have to tweak it. Fortunately there are lots of presets to be found on the Internet.

What I don’t like:

• The iris ring is too close to the zoom ring. Too often I ended up stopping down the lens when trying to zoom manually. I also found myself moving it inadvertently when reaching for other things. I am sure that I will get used to it though. The autofocus switch is too small and hard to find. A nitpick, but I am used to the PD170. The same thing with the menu button.
• While I love the ability to select zebras in a range to 70 to 100 IRE, I would like to have the ability to switch between two settings without having to go into the menus.
• The LCD could be bigger (but then I am used to the equally small LCD on the PD170).
• The viewfinder and LCD were hard to use in sunlight.
• The viewfinder needs a bigger eyecup, and the LCD needs to be a hybrid like the LCDs on Sony camera.
• Low light – I shouldn’t complain here. If I wanted to have PD170 low light capability, I would have to spend more then twice as much for a Sony EX1. Running the camera at 1/24 sec shutter speed in 24F mode helps a lot, but it is no 170. I am keeping my PD170 for those cases when I can’t use an external light. However the A1 seems to be the “best of the rest” if you don’t count the EX1 (although Z1/FX1 owners would argue otherwise).

Overall I am very impressed with the A1. For what I paid a couple of years ago for a PD170, I have a very configurable, well built HDV camcorder. Canon really listened to what videographers wanted. The positives far outweigh the negatives. I am hoping to get another one later this year so I can start shooting weddings entirely in HD.

I haven’t been posting on this blog much recently. Work (both video and non-video) and family issues have been keeping me away from here. Well I am going to keep this blog updated on a more frequent basis. Currently I am working on a redesign of the bonnie-blink.com website using WordPress, not just for the blog, but for the entire site. This should go live in the next few days.

We have also made a few changes with Bonnie Blink Productions. For one thing we have started the move towards High Definition production. A Canon XH-A1 camera has been purchased and we hope to add another in the coming months. This will enable us to film an entire wedding in HD. While we will shoot and edit in HD, we will still deliver standard definition DVDs that can be viewed on any television. While it appears that BluRay will win the HiDef DVD format war, most people do not have BluRay (or HD-DVD) players yet. We hope to be able to provide HD video content to those who do however. One thing that the move to HD will do though, is to allow us to shoot in widescreen, perfect for those widescreen televisions.

We are also restructuring our Deluxe Package. In the past we have offered in addition to the Highlights video, a Documentary style video of the complete ceremony and main reception events. This was presented as a single long program, similar to what we deliver with the Basic Package. In the future we will be dividing this up into individual segments (ceremony, first dance, toasts etc.) for easier access.  Other than that, it will be the same content.

Congratulations to Larry Murray and Jun Liu on their recent (Jan 6, 2008) wedding. Best wishes to both of you!