I dread them. Those double-header weekends. Wedding shoot on Saturday, wedding shoot on Sunday, over one hundred miles apart.
Each wedding had its rehearsal the evening before the wedding, meaning we could not attend the second wedding's rehearsal. Instead, we scheduled a walk-through with the couple for Thursday evening.
There were only a few bridesmaids and groomsmen and this wedding would be held outdoors, so I wasn't too concerned about not having a full rehearsal, since there would be plenty of room for setting up cameras and little chance of having a camera blocked by the wedding party.
I did have concerns about the weather though. The wind was predicted to be 17 to 25mph and there was a 30 percent chance of rain. The castle-like mansion had a beautiful third-floor balcony (or whatever you call a balcony when it's attached to a mansion), where I would setup a camera for an overall view.
The photographer was a professional, but also a relative of the groom, meaning I would have to mind my manners. The DJ, who would be providing sound for the ceremony as well as the reception, had emailed us about connecting to his sound board, saying he didn't have a clue how to do that. Not a problem, since I have learned not to rely on board-taps anyway. We would mic the loudspeakers.
We met the couple (I'll call them "couple 'B'") at the mansion on Thursday evening. They were friendly, very intelligent and articulate. Within about twenty minutes, we'd gone over everything we needed to cover. The mansion was open to the public and seemed fairly busy, so I was a little surprised with the attention and helpfulness of the staff. They'd be sure the key was available to unlock the gate to the upper balcony and they allowed my camera crane (with some admonishment concerning the chandeliers) and offerred every assistance.
The next best thing to reading a critique of your wedding video, is reading one on someone elses wedding video. In fact, it's far easier on your ego, so here goes..
( I wrote this before reading his letter, telling us that a more experienced videographer shot the preps but didn’t work the rest of the wedding. )
We’ve just finished watching the second (reception) DVD (we watched the first one last night), so I’d prefer to critique it first since it is freshest in my memory. Before I begin, let me say that your presentation materials (DVD cover; case & advertising card) just blew us away. These are so professional!
After watching the opening (first DVD), as the ceremony began, we were impressed and nearly certain that this was going to qualify for certification. Unfortunately, as the ceremony began, that opinion changed.
Some times we’ll review a video and not see any promising signs that there is a budding professional videographer who might soon blossom. By the time the ceremony had begun, we’d already seen definite signs of real promise here. Good technical skills and creativity were evident in this first part of the first DVD.
OK, now for the critique of the reception DVD (transcribing from notes made during the video) –
We felt that your openings (for both DVDs) should have sound – music, voice, something. This lets viewers know that their sound is working and lets them adjust their volume so they can relax and enjoy the rest of the video.
We thought you overdid the music and copyright warnings a bit and discussed whether it was proper to put your company advertising before the video, rather than after. There was some discussion over whether your DVD menus had too-small images and text and perhaps fewer choices per menu or a different style might be better. All this was very subjective though and entirely based on personal preferences.
For some time now I’ve been making it a point to attend the NAB Show and this year is no exception. It’s an experience that is tough to fully describe until you actually see for yourself. There are tons of content to browse through and you can speak with many professionals involved in the development of the products that interest you.
You can find the ins and outs of current/upcoming software or get your hands on the latest video & audio technology. Along with that, there are many demonstrations from practically every vendor you see. This is definitely the place to be for discovering the future of our industry and to find better ways to help achieve those business goals.
You could spend a bit of money to attend some of the conferences but it really isn’t necessary unless there is something that highly interests you. An “exhibits pass” is free for industry professionals. All you have to do is register early and they will send you your badge and you are good to go. (Click the "read more" link below for the rest of this article)
