joelconner Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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Thanks for the feedback all!
jbregar wrote:
I apologize in advance for any hurt feelings this post causes... but you say you want to get better at this, so here you go.
Know (and operate within) the rules for a while before you decide to head off in your own direction. Learn to crawl before you walk/run/fly. Don't be the guy who decides he can "do it better" and refuses to learn the craft because everything else is "formulaic" or "predictable." Sometimes these things are formulaic and predictable because that's what doing it right entails in the majority of cases. There's a reason laptop computers all look the same... because they're more usable if we design them that way. The same goes here. That's not to say you can't break out of the mold, but you need to do so with a firm grounding in the craft or it ends up a mess.
This piece is lacking the craft portion of the art/craft that is film. While it may make you happy, it's not great. It doesn't tell a story, there are glaring technical issues, and it has very little structure. It looks (from the outside, I know this isn't true) like a bunch of grab shots someone edited over some music....Show more →
No worries at all...I can take it. :-) Thanks a lot for the detailed feedback, and I spent a lot of last night thinking about it. Like I said, I fully recognize there are a lot of technical issues. Those really are very easy to fix. I had never done this before, so there were things that I did not have any way to know they would be an issue. Issues like sound and framerate were the biggest ones. There were a few shots were the camera shake was a bit much, but on the whole it did not bother me. Honestly, I am not trying to create a technically perfect, seamless film. I do not want it to be overly refined.
One other thing that comes in to play for me is that I am friends with one of the best wedding videographers in the country. Their work is perfect...and so so good. Honestly, it would take me years and years to even come close to that, and there are already so many others doing the same thing. If I wanted to do something like they do, I would just have them do it.
I understand the importance of having a grasp on the rules before you can break them, but I also know that with a lack of preset formulas, you can also more easily go outside the lines. I am very technical photographer...and I know how that limits me at times. For the films, I would rather risk going outside the lines in a slightly messy way than to be confined to perfection. I am fascinated with old home videos, so that was part of the feel I was going for. Not polished or refined or flashy...just honest.
As for the story aspect, that was actually something I wanted to avoid for this one. I am not sure I will stick with that, but I was not trying to tell a story as much as I was trying to focus on relationships. It's hard to say which aspects of this first film will stay and what will change, but I still want the relationships to be the main part. If I can get by without ever showing video of a bride getting her makeup done, I will be a happy man.
I am sure that years later, I will look back on this and cringe...but that is to be expected. Right now, though, I am proud and encouraged...and I am going to use that feeling to make the next one better and the one after that even better.
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BSPhotog wrote:
How big was your video team? Had they done wedding work before? Did they have strong background in video? Were they using a larger external monitor to more accurately pull focus? Apparently this new 80D use the AF to pull focus from a touch of the rear LCD (or a wifi linked tablet). If you want to do more of this, might be a better tool for the job.
Two people. One who has some experience (probably 5 or 6 weddings, I think), and one who I thought had a lot of video experience (but ended up with very few shots that were usable). So, it was a very new crew on the whole. No external monitors...just the back of the camera. My main girl definitely has a room for improvement on the technical side, but I am very pleased with her timing an ability to get great moments. I would take the great moments over technical perfection any day of the week.
I will look into the 80D...that sounds very interesting. Thanks for the feedback!
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klee.007 wrote:
I know we've talked about it before but what is your main reason for doing video? To have more control of the overall wedding day? To branch out and try something new that you are passionate about? To make more money? All of the above?
I just freaking love film. I am a movie nerd, and I think video has a unique power that still never will. Granted, between the two, I would take stills every time, but I think that both sides of the coin have great value. It's not about money...I will not be making much on it at all. I really want our couples to have something special and intimate that years later they can look back and see them with their loved ones in motion.
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