Creating a Memorable Wedding
I see a lot of different weddings and the only thing that you can count on is that two people will be getting married. There are a lot of standard traditions, the bride’s father gives her away, the couple kiss at the end of the ceremony, there are toasts at the reception, and the bride an groom dance. Beyond that anything goes. We are encountering fewer couples who do the bouquet and garter, sometimes they will do just the bouquet (there was even one wedding where there was just the garter), or nothing at all. At one wedding this year there was a wedding cake but no cake cutting.
Couples are free to dispense with anything that they don’t want. When I got married we did away with the first dance and bouquet & garter. If fact we didn’t even have a DJ. And I handed a camera to a friend and asked her to film the wedding. That was a big mistake. I wasn’t a professional wedding videographer then, but I did know how do edit. No matter what I did, there was no way that the video would ever look good. In retrospect we both wish that we had a better video. As far as anything else is concerned, it is up to you. It is your day. If you do what you both want, you will have a memorable wedding. Don’t bow to family pressure. If what they want isn’t what you want, don’t do it. The same goes with friends. Don’t feel that you have to outdo your friends. It isn’t a competition.
Last but not least, remember that your video and photos will be the only tangible memories that you will have when it is over. Don’t decide that it isn’t important, they are.
Read MoreBonnieBlink Productions profiled on Sorenson Media’s website
We were recently profiled on Sorenson Media’s website on how we use Sorenson Squeeze (a video encoding application) in our studio. For the past year we have produced all of our web video using Squeeze. In addition we also produce video for playback on the iPod and iPhone using this product.
Read MoreAnother angle one of our previous wedding trailers
Sometimes I will rework a previously delivered video to try out new ideas. This is one that we did last summer. We posted the short highlight piece from Amber and Dan’s wedding on this blog in July. In that video clip I used the Father of the Bride’s moving toast. But he wasn’t the only person to have something significant to say that day. The rabbi delivered some beautiful readings and I wanted to work them into a short highlight clip with a different feel.
Pushing the Envelope
On Wednesday I attended the New Jersey Videographers Association’s meeting which featured two seminars, one by Patrick Moreau, Konrad Czystowski and Casey Warren of Stillmotion in Toronto (Patrick & Konrad) and MIND|Castle Studios in Seattle (Casey), and the other by Chris Jones of Mason Jar Films near Austin Texas. Both were outstanding and both gave me a lot to think about.
Chris gave an excellent seminar on the editing workflow and how to organize the edit for more efficiency. What I learned was that the way things are done now just wastes time. Modern non-linear editing software is designed with the idea that there will be a well organized shot list of scenes and takes. In the film world there is a script. In event videography there isn’t. As a result the standard editing workflow isn’t necessarily the best method for us. In addition to improving our workflow Chris also talked about focusing on the task and how we too often let distractions cut into our editing time. There were some good lessons there.
The Stillmotion/MIND|Castle presentation featured some of the most incredible wedding videography that I have ever seen. As I watched those clips I wondered how could I ever even approach that level of artistry. But that why we (as wedding videographers) were there. Even if we never get to that level, we are still raising the bar on our own work. For myself when I look at what I did last year compared to this, I see a significant change. That is because of people like Patrick, Konrad, Casey and Chris who are willing to share their expertise. Those of us who are willing to put aside what is comfortable and familiar, and are willing to push the envelope are the ones who will excel.
Read MoreA First Dance Revisited
In July we did a wedding where the Bride’s sister (and Matron of Honor) recreated their First Dance during the reception. As we had shot that wedding too, I pulled the tapes and edited them together. This was a lot of fun to edit as Katelyn and David had choreographed every step of their dance so I could cut them together. You can view the wedding itself on our site. Here are the links for both the short preview clip and the complete Wedding Story:
Kelly and Josh – Wedding Video Preview
Kelly and Josh – The Wedding Story
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