7D Wedding highlight by Stillmotion [Archive] - DVXuser.com -- The online community for filmmaking

Loic

09-15-2009, 09:12 PM

Michael Olsen

09-15-2009, 09:21 PM

I find it tricky how a guy would have two pre production cameras and go shoot a wedding vid. These cameras are sent around the world to make marking and buzz around the 7D. But two cams? I think the whole shoot was planted by canon with there with the best production crews. Think about it, the guy crys like ten times in the movie. It just seems to phoney to me. Id rather see Perya (Town Fair) - a Canon 7D Short (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=182929) a thousand times then think this vid is genuine.

stillmotion.ca is a well established and, at least in my opinion, very skilled group of wedding filmmakers and photographers who make quite a lot of use of the 5d. this video is definitely on par with their other work.

I see no reason to believe that they were in any way "planted" by Canon. On the upside, I guess it is sort of a weird compliment if people start saying "it can't be done".

bimdas

09-15-2009, 09:25 PM

I find it tricky how a guy would have two pre production cameras and go shoot a wedding vid. These cameras are sent around the world to make marking and buzz around the 7D. But two cams? I think the whole shoot was planted by canon with there with the best production crews. Think about it, the guy crys like ten times in the movie. It just seems to phoney to me. Id rather see Perya (Town Fair) - a Canon 7D Short (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=182929) a thousand times then think this vid is genuine.

Weddings is what these guys do and in my opinion, they do it better than anyone else out there. They've mentioned plenty of times that they are sponsored by Canon, it's not unusual, a lot of photographers out there are sponsored by them, they just happen to do both photography and video. Which is why I'm not surprised they got 2 pre-prod models.

ksrksr88

09-15-2009, 09:28 PM

nice but again what's with the awful highlights ?

xbourque

09-15-2009, 09:28 PM

I think Loic is a Nikon plant. If he tries to deny it, just assume he's trying to deceive everyone.

:-)

xbourque

09-15-2009, 09:31 PM

nice but again what's with the awful highlights ?

At the end it says that the "Standard" picture mode was used. "Neutral" or "Faithful" (with contrast dialed down) usually yields flatter images.

ksrksr88

09-15-2009, 09:38 PM

I am not asking for film dynamic range from $1700 camera
but to me this "standard mode" just looks ugly...
I mean my hv20 handles highlights better than this...
Hope to see some "Faithful" or "Neutral" samples soon

Kevin Dorsey

09-15-2009, 09:40 PM

I find it tricky how a guy would have two pre production cameras and go shoot a wedding vid. These cameras are sent around the world to make marking and buzz around the 7D. But two cams? I think the whole shoot was planted by canon with there with the best production crews. Think about it, the guy crys like ten times in the movie. It just seems to phoney to me. Id rather see Perya (Town Fair) - a Canon 7D Short (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=182929) a thousand times then think this vid is genuine.

I always wondered how Stillmotion created such beautiful wedding films. It turns out they were all fakes. :)

Thanks for cracking the case.

Loic

09-15-2009, 09:43 PM

I think Loic is a Nikon plant. If he tries to deny it, just assume he's trying to deceive everyone.

:-)

Ok , you found my cover. Damn! In fact me and my D90 buddys are preparing a jello hit! Behold the new epic movie where everyone in the theater cant handle 10 min of jello footage and starts barfing on the walls! :zombie_smiley:Or is it my 5D mark ii buddys? He he, 7D and GH1 all the way !:thumbup:

Luis Caffesse

09-15-2009, 09:59 PM

Wow.
Possibly the best wedding highlight piece I've ever seen.
Forget the camera - the composition, the editing, the pacing was spot on.
Fantastic work here regardless of the tech.

That's what I love to see.
:thumbsup:

Jim Klatt

09-15-2009, 10:06 PM

The thing that makes me wonder is the 2 cameras and 1 cinematographer, when there are no wide shots in the highlight video for the unmanned camera(during the ceremony).

Maybe all of the highlights were taken from the manned camera?

As someone who used to wedding videos, I wouldn't be able to use 2 7ds, cause of the 12 minute recording limit. It would be to impractical with an unmanned camera needing to be engaged every 12 minutes.

Okay, my wedding flashbacks are over....it's hard to turn off that part of my brain which has been traumatized by 2 camera/1 person weddings.

Kegan

09-15-2009, 10:59 PM

Absolutely incredible work. Stillmotion really does blow away the competition with regards to the wedding market and are really good filmmakers overall. Glad to see the 7D served them as well as it did. Definitely not only the camera in this case...but certainly nice to see it hold up.

Kegan

John Caballero

09-15-2009, 11:23 PM

You see, this wonderful piece was done by professionals that know how to get the best from their equipment. If this looks so amazing in Vimeo I can only imaging how it looks projected. I don't understand how some people here are surprised when top of the line pros get to test new gear first. It is the way is done with everything that comes out the production line. From high performance athletic shoes to cameras. I can clearly see the point of Canon lending this guys two cameras to prove the point that a second camera would be an excellent addition for a more dynamic production. That way Canon would sell even more cameras. Brilliant marketing of course. And again a beautiful piece of filming.

sblfilms

09-15-2009, 11:26 PM

These guys should have waited for the Scarlet. Making money is a stupid thing to do.

jls4

09-16-2009, 04:54 AM

nice but again what's with the awful highlights ?

I am not asking for film dynamic range from $1700 camera
but to me this "standard mode" just looks ugly...
I mean my hv20 handles highlights better than this...
Hope to see some "Faithful" or "Neutral" samples soon

Wow - I actually thought it looked good. Heck just to see a little of the sky and the faces at the same time is amazing.

My first real project was on a DVX and talk about little to no dynamic range. The V1U worked a little better and at least I had HD, but even it has limitations. Now this $1700 camera looks better than both of my old cams and it's in an "untweaked mode" ? I find that awesome. LOL

NoxNoctus

09-16-2009, 05:13 AM

These guys should have waited for the Scarlet. Making money is a stupid thing to do.

:grin:

I love Stillmotion. It's always something for me to look up to, even if you don't like weddings. They seem to have a genuine joy for doing what they do

mcgeedigital

09-16-2009, 05:31 AM

Storytelling is storytelling, and that was a piece that was well told.

Everts

09-16-2009, 05:32 AM

these guys get married every weekend or so.
.......all those women !

One things forsure its cooler to be the wedding videographer than the weddingsinger.

Tracey Lee

09-16-2009, 08:46 AM

Wow - I actually thought it looked good. Heck just to see a little of the sky and the faces at the same time is amazing.

My first real project was on a DVX and talk about little to no dynamic range. The V1U worked a little better and at least I had HD, but even it has limitations. Now this $1700 camera looks better than both of my old cams and it's in an "untweaked mode" ? I find that awesome. LOL

Agreed. I have done some tests with the 5D, the HVX, and XHA1 and the 5D blows them away with how it treats the highlights.

Everts

09-16-2009, 08:48 AM

it so clean love the dolly shot at 3:16 .

Jordan Berry

09-16-2009, 09:06 AM

I find it tricky how a guy would have two pre production cameras and go shoot a wedding vid. These cameras are sent around the world to make marking and buzz around the 7D. But two cams? I think the whole shoot was planted by canon with there with the best production crews. Think about it, the guy crys like ten times in the movie. It just seems to phoney to me. Id rather see Perya (Town Fair) - a Canon 7D Short (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=182929) a thousand times then think this vid is genuine.

I can understand how you could feel this way. However, please take the time to watch the hundreds of other Stillmotion videos. While this video was great it doesn't compare to many of their other videos shot with a steadicam and a crew of 2-3 people.

it so clean love the dolly shot at 3:16 .

That's the Cinevate Pegasus!

jls4

09-16-2009, 09:39 AM

Agreed. I have done some tests with the 5D, the HVX, and XHA1 and the 5D blows them away with how it treats the highlights.

I'm also excited about being able to customize the gamma through the profiles you can set up. I want to create a profile that shifts close to the top of the range to see if I can pull in more light when outside. Wouldn't use it indoors of course. But would love to see how it looks when tweaked for a specific purpose.

Eddy Robinson

09-16-2009, 09:51 AM

Ok , you found my cover. Damn! In fact me and my D90 buddys are preparing a jello hit!

It doesn't help that your name is an acronym for 'low orbit ion cannon', a well-loved hacking tool of the 4chan set :-)

Eddy Robinson

09-16-2009, 10:00 AM

I'm really blown away by this too - both for what the camera can do and their really creative and thoughtful approach to wedding photography. This is better shot and edited than most TV shows dealing with similar 'big day' subject matter, both in concept and execution. Hell, it's better than a lot of movies - I feel like I know these people :crybaby:

Camera-wise, I'm particularly struck by the silhouette shots and the 'peeping' shots where we see the subjects candidly, though a crack in the door though the canopy of leaves at the end. :-Mark-14(DBG):-Mark-14(DBG):-Mark-14(DBG)

ryan brown

09-16-2009, 10:04 AM

Cranky

09-16-2009, 10:39 AM

> I think the whole shoot was planted by canon
> with there with the best production crews.

Actually, couple of years ago when SM guys were shooting mostly with the XH-A1, Canon approached them to make a showcase piece for Canon products, I think they displayed it on WEVA. Search on SM's blog. SM has an excellent crew for Canon just to offer them their new product and not worry about the result, it is always top-notch.

Canon's relationship with SM seems to hold despite that SM swapped the A1 in favor of EX about a year ago when they switched from naked cams to adapters. Now they are ditching adapters in favor of the 5Dk2 and now the 7D. They only thing I wonder how they shoot long pieces, with 12 minute recording limit. I guess they use multiple cameras with a separate sound recorder, and the edit to the sound.

Tracey Lee

09-16-2009, 12:01 PM

If you had two 7Ds and went between both of them, and used a dual system for audio, then you could get the whole ceremony. Wedding filmers are used to being on their toes so I don't think that extra element would present too much of a problem.

Ian-T

09-16-2009, 03:26 PM

One things forsure its cooler to be the wedding videographer than the weddingsinger....lol...am I guessing correctly when I say that you seem like you are talking from experience?

Otis Grapsas

09-16-2009, 03:35 PM

Hell, it's better than a lot of movies - I feel like I know these people :crybaby:
:-Mark-14(DBG):-Mark-14(DBG):-Mark-14(DBG)

I feel the opposite. I believe a wedding video should have the shooting style and ethos of a documentary not a romantic fiction piece. That would limit one's clientelle somewhat though. Add Demented Forever tattoos and all that:)

dadoboy

09-16-2009, 03:52 PM

Some of stillmotions other wedding videos, done with 35mm adapters, are even better. But the best ones were done with a crew of 2-4 people (as already mentioned).

The pieces are nice, but ultimately, because they are wedding videos and of the way they shoot them, they look and feel stylistically cloned and a bit sterile. The shallow DOF on still objects and the whole make-up bit feels rubber stamped - possibly the limits of shooting weddings and only weddings. But I don't dispute that they are nice looking.

Jim Klatt

09-16-2009, 03:57 PM

I feel the opposite. I believe a wedding video should have the shooting style and ethos of a documentary not a romantic fiction piece. That would limit one's clientelle somewhat though. Add Demented Forever tattoos and all that:)

Most people see Disney versions of weddings and pay for that. They want the rose-colored music video/highlight film. They are paying for you to make themselves look their best in almost all cases.

Running a business built on a documentary ethos in the wedding world is a difficult manuever.

It's kind of like if a band payed you to make a documentary about them. Things are compromised from the start.

f64manray

09-16-2009, 06:11 PM

What do you figure they charge for a video like this?

docrock

09-16-2009, 06:13 PM

"Wow.
Possibly the best wedding highlight piece I've ever seen.
Forget the camera - the composition, the editing, the pacing was spot on.
Fantastic work here regardless of the tech.

That's what I love to see."

I agree wholeheartedly! We have (in the past two years) also been incorporating a 90 second to 2 minute "fast edits" with all of our wedding packages. It seems to be a big selling point for us, as others (in market) have just added it to their options. Easier to email, post on youtube, website, etc. Also, markedly more compelling than making your friends sit through the two hour Director's Cut;) This example, unfortunately, puts mine to shame! I'm going to sit down for a couple hours tonight and watch all their stuff....fantastic wedding videographers, perhaps the best I've seen as well!

Thanks for the link

Also, I agree...If Canon was aware these guys/gals were doing this type of production with their 5d2s....why would they NOT seed them with a couple pre/prod 7ds? Seems like a no-brainer, finding the best in the field using the 5d2 for video production purposes.

J

Jordan Berry

09-16-2009, 06:33 PM

In my opinion they are the best in the world. Jason Magbanua is up there with Stillmotion. He does like over 200 weddings a year and keeps up the same quality for every weddings. He's the one who shot the Perya short. Canon knows who rocks the video world! Wedding videographers!

;)

mcgeedigital

09-16-2009, 06:36 PM

What do you figure they charge for a video like this?

Enough to employ 5 people full time and fly several of them to weddings all over Canada, the U.S. as well as other countries.

I applaud their success. :beer:

Otis Grapsas

09-16-2009, 07:47 PM

Running a business built on a documentary ethos in the wedding world is a difficult manuever.

One could also hung a warning on the wall for clients: ATTENTION! Event photography can defeat the psychological mechanism of repression. Reviewing the material in the future can and will trigger, directly or indirectly, a multitube of negative emotions, sometimes completely unrelated to the event photographed, emotions that would otherwise be safely repressed in the subconscious. Proceed at your own risk and Welcome to Tony's Wedding Videos:)

Jordan Berry

09-16-2009, 07:55 PM

What do you figure they charge for a video like this?

Local wedding video they charge $4,566.46 - $14,817.68.

Destination wedding video starts at $9,226.10

Rakesh Jacob

09-16-2009, 08:03 PM

Still Motion kicks ass!
2:22 is funny, the officiant was trying to get outa there like his car was about to be towed!
Is it just me or was that groom a big p---y? I'm glad he's happy but he lost his man card fast. He was crying more than her.
VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE 7D! And looking forward to Sept 29th, I'm still holding on to the dream. Come on Canon don't fail me...

John Caballero

09-16-2009, 09:44 PM

I feel the opposite. I believe a wedding video should have the shooting style and ethos of a documentary not a romantic fiction piece.

I am 100% sure that the newlyweds were absolutely thrilled with their video. It is not what we like but what the client likes. A wedding is one of the most special moments of anyones life and if you make the video from that day look like a beautiful romantic movie like this one the newlyweds will feel like superstar in it. The Stillmotion guys know their business very well and as real pros know what to give their market.

bimdas

09-16-2009, 10:07 PM

I feel the opposite. I believe a wedding video should have the shooting style and ethos of a documentary not a romantic fiction piece.

If people want a docu then I'm sure the long edit would be just like every other boring wedding video out there, except better looking. If you hadn't noticed, it was the short highlight clip of the wedding where they take the best looking bits and edit it into a little some what of a story.
You'd have to be some type of Speilberg to keep that style up for over an hour for a wedding video.

Eddy Robinson

09-17-2009, 12:13 AM

I feel the opposite. I believe a wedding video should have the shooting style and ethos of a documentary not a romantic fiction piece.

Well, guess you won't be shooting my wedding next year then.

Rakesh Jacob

09-17-2009, 07:22 AM

I feel the opposite. I believe a wedding video should have the shooting style and ethos of a documentary not a romantic fiction piece. That would limit one's clientelle somewhat though. Add Demented Forever tattoos and all that:)

I couldn't disagree with you more without forcing you into a public duel at highnoon :)
I don't care about genre and style as long as the CREATIVITY, STORY and EXECUTION are on point! I don't care if this wedding video genre was Hong Kong Kungfu/Horror/Thriller as long as it was well done, entertaining and made their family and friends happy :)

f64manray

09-17-2009, 07:47 AM

Still Motion kicks ass!
2:22 is funny, the officiant was trying to get outa there like his car was about to be towed!
Is it just me or was that groom a big p---y? I'm glad he's happy but he lost his man card fast. He was crying more than her.
...

LOL, I was thinking the same thing. Sad day when the bride has to man up, dry the tears and comfort her man. I kept waiting for her to put his head on her shoulder and pat him on the back.

My wife and I have a fantastic relationship (still can't believe a woman like that consented to marry me) and have been married for 2+ decades, but I can honestly say there wasn't a tear on the wedding day, not even close. It seems like men are evolving into something else.

Great video, and after finding out their rate, I think I need to get in the wedding video business. But I will say "cut! lets give him a chance to pull himself together....okay, got it together dude? ....Action! :-)

Rakesh Jacob

09-17-2009, 07:51 AM

LOL, I was thinking the same thing. Sad day when the bride has to man up, dry the tears and comfort her man. I kept waiting for her to put his on her shoulder and pat him on the back.

My wife and I have a fantastic relationship (still can't believe a woman like that consented to marry me) and have been married for 2+ decades, but I can honestly say there wasn't a tear on the wedding day, not even close. It seems like men are evolving into something else.

Great video, and after finding out their rate, I think I need to get in the wedding video business. But I will say "cut! lets give him a chance to pull himself together....okay, got it together dude? ....Action! :-)

LMAO!!!
What are their rates? PM me if you don't wanna say here.

f64manray

09-17-2009, 07:55 AM

LMAO!!!
What are their rates? PM me if you don't wanna say here.

Jordan Berry mentioned earlier in the thread their rate is:

Local wedding video they charge $4,566.46 - $14,817.68.

Destination wedding video starts at $9,226.10

Thanks, Jordan

PaPa

09-17-2009, 08:00 AM

i definitely need to start doing weddings. But for that, you really need a crew.

Otis Grapsas

09-17-2009, 08:39 AM

I am 100% sure that the newlyweds were absolutely thrilled with their video. It is not what we like but what the client likes. A wedding is one of the most special moments of anyones life and if you make the video from that day look like a beautiful romantic movie like this one the newlyweds will feel like superstar in it. The Stillmotion guys know their business very well and as real pros know what to give their market.

It's just that a wedding is generally over rehearsed and overproduced by itself. I can imagine what the average customer wants.

Michael Olsen

09-17-2009, 08:42 AM

i definitely need to start doing weddings. But for that, you really need a crew.

Unless you are tricky. Remember this video was shot by one individual and relatively limited equipment.

Otis Grapsas

09-17-2009, 08:59 AM

If people want a docu then I'm sure the long edit would be just like every other boring wedding video out there, except better looking. If you hadn't noticed, it was the short highlight clip of the wedding where they take the best looking bits and edit it into a little some what of a story.
You'd have to be some type of Speilberg to keep that style up for over an hour for a wedding video.

Good point. I bet the long length result will have the exact same style though, it will just be inferior in editing and overall quality.

Otis Grapsas

09-17-2009, 09:32 AM

Well, guess you won't be shooting my wedding next year then.

For most people into cinema this is a compliment:beer: j/k. I do not want a wedding video shot on my wedding, but if I did, it would be more realistic than a bunch of shallow DOF beauty shots. My life is not like this, it does not match my aesthetics in any way, and I wouldn't want me or my loved ones to look like someone else in an important day of my life. Most weddings are plastic in design and execution, they are like a film executed for a large number of first time producers. I wouldn't want to add to that effect.

The bottom line is that any logical person would want his wedding video to capture the moments that made an impression in his mind the day of the wedding. Nobody remembers a shallow DOF shot of a ring or flowers or a wedding dress detail. Nobody really remembers a moment with people in shallow DOF. What is real about shots of people incredibbly self conscious and inhibited by a large crew? The problem in a wedding video is the producers. They want their money on screen, that's all. They want to show how the money was spent and every cent of it. I bet someone will come now and then and ask for a shot of the crew or the equipment because that cost money also:)

Has anyone here shot the wedding of a star? A successful Broadway actor, a film star or anything like that? I'm curious about what these guys would want in a wedding video.

bimdas

09-17-2009, 10:11 AM

Tracey Lee

09-17-2009, 10:35 AM

ydgmdlu

09-17-2009, 10:45 AM

lets face it, the wedding video and the whole ceremony is basically for the bride. Most grooms don't even have a say in any of it. If you leave it up to the woman they are going to want shots of everything and they are going to want to look like a million dollars. They didn't spend hours doing their hair and make-up for nothing.
Exactly. The reason why the glossy and glamorous wedding videos are the most popular, rather than the verite, docu-style ones, is because the brides want them to look like their fashion magazines. Not to be sexist or anything, but if you think like the "average" woman, then it all makes sense. The reasoning behind the docu-style videos is sound, but it's typical of a man's logic.

sblfilms

09-17-2009, 10:54 AM

Otis, I thought you quit the boards forever?

Anyhow, Bride's eat this stuff up and that is why Still Motion can pull $10k+ for one of their shoots.

Cranky

09-17-2009, 11:49 AM

Nobody remembers a shallow DOF shot of a ring or flowers or a wedding dress detail. Nobody really remembers a moment with people in shallow DOF.
I assume your vision is 20/20.

Scott F

09-17-2009, 11:49 AM

From their comments section:

i think we (SM) are seeing a new market emerge for artistic and cared for wedding films.In the past 2-3 years, wedding videography has achieved (I daresay) a level of respect. Not my #1 choice for generating revenue. But personally, I've been trying to look at these gigs from a different angle lately. I credit the youth of today for breathing some life into something that was pretty stagnant.

As for the video at hand: It's great, no doubt....but there are tons of amazing highlight vids floating around on Vimeo. Does this one showcase the 7D in a good light? I say yes.

Question: Why just one operator for two cams? They get away with some hefty rates. For those prices, I'd want two 7D 'cinematographers'.

f64manray

09-17-2009, 12:13 PM

, but if you think like the "average" woman, then it all makes sense.

If you have the super power of being able to think like the "average" woman, you sir, have a gift and have come from a distant planet to help the men of earth.

Jim Klatt

09-17-2009, 12:18 PM

A documentary style wedding can be tremendously interesting and emotionally layered. They age very well, since the content supercedes the style or exposure, etc.

I have seen a few that spent the majority of the time around interviews, understanding the origins of the relationship, and using the wedding day highights in longer form, rather than music-video timed edits. They patiently take you on a journey to get to know the couple, and don't try to wrap everything in a lovesong.

There are people out there who take this approach, and I really respect them, since they take the risks that the audience will be patient too.

This isn't to condemn still motion. The brides who pay the most are usually the ones who want their wedding to look like a romantic fiction piece.

Cranky

09-17-2009, 12:25 PM

A documentary style wedding can be tremendously interesting and emotionally layered. ... I have seen a few that spent the majority of the time around interviews, understanding the origins of the relationship, and using the wedding day highights in longer form, rather than music-video timed edits.
What you see here is just an SDE, and an SDE of highlights. Do you think this is the only video they deliver for $10K? The also shoot a love story, interviews (with the couple and relatives and guests), trash the dress bit, the whole shebang. They just don't upload the whole thing online for different reasons, and I would assume that privacy of the couple being one of them.

The highlights video is just the cherry on the top for easy consuming by less intimately related people. Of course, it also sells SM to potential clients, but this is secondary methinks.

Jim Klatt

09-17-2009, 01:57 PM

I know what is, I had my own business doing this very thing for many years. I have a great understanding of where these people are coming from. I took a similar approach, albiet from a smaller budget.

The "love story" and "trash the dress" are what brides come asking for. They also want to see the highlights, etc. It's like crack! :)

After being in the wedding video business, I realized that I only wanted to hire a photographer, and an artist friend who made films. I told them to do anything they want, but please don't be conventional. I cannot watch highlight films or trash the dress bits anymore, my stomach hurts too much...

PaPa

09-17-2009, 02:45 PM

Unless you are tricky. Remember this video was shot by one individual and relatively limited equipment.

Then i guess the one individual has a list of shots he needs to get, and has been to a sufficient number of weddings that he knows what needs to be shot at what points as to not miss anything.

very talented.

NoxNoctus

09-17-2009, 04:03 PM

What you see here is just an SDE, and an SDE of highlights. Do you think this is the only video they deliver for $10K? The also shoot a love story, interviews (with the couple and relatives and guests), trash the dress bit, the whole shebang. They just don't upload the whole thing online for different reasons, and I would assume that privacy of the couple being one of them.

Yeah I've wondered on this too, especially for $10K

Otis Grapsas

09-17-2009, 04:42 PM

Otis, I thought you quit the boards forever?

It's Out Of Topic (no dress trashing, really, please continue to next post) but since you insist, I said that I will not post on the site as long as the Sparta thread is on the news section because the project didn't look like it deserved being presented as news. I thought dvxuser should check a little on a project before it presents itself on the news section, especially when the thread was linking and advertising. In the process I was told that the moderators had indeed locked the thread at some point, so dvxuser did do something about it. Then the people behind the project stopped posting news about their now cancelled (edit: Los angeles) week event. They also did not post anything about the heavy compression in their "uncompressed TIF" output samples which many people noticed.

In any case, this has nothing to do with this thread. I thought the cinematic bride trend combined with the wonderfully shot stillmotion videos could stimulate some interesting discussion. It's always good to hear the opinion of working professionals on what they like and how that mixes with the client needs.

sea

09-17-2009, 07:30 PM

You can downtalk the whole cinematic wedding video idea as much as you like, but when it comes down to it, that is what most people want. Evidence is in the companies like Stillmotion, Cinematic Bride, Jason Magbanua...the list goes on. They are doing a lot of weddings for a lot of money and people are paying it and wanting it. It really is a mix of beautiful cinema and documentary.

Absolutely people want it. People also want to watch Transformers. And for some reason, Transformers 2. Probably Transfomers 3 through 9, and the musical.

Speaking of Michael Bay, I watched this vid with the sound down. I can only assume the audio track was Aerosmith 'Don't Want to Miss a Thing'? I'm sure the next step for this style of wedding video is 3D; expect a flyover of F15s and explosions carefully tracked in.

Lovely to look at, the guy responsible is incredibly, amazingly talented, but man, I just want a rich benefactor to give him a sack of cash and say 'Go make what you want'.

Between this, Bloom's faces and Perya, I'm utterly, hoplessly sold on the 7D. Damn you Canon. As an aside, now that they've got this level of shooters on-board to do nice PR films for them, what next? Can't be long before they're knocking on Soderberg's door saying 'Psst, fancy making a short film?' Can't wait to see Nikon's response in 6 months time - wedding video's by Chris Cunningham.

John Caballero

09-17-2009, 09:40 PM

Between this, Bloom's faces and Perya, I'm utterly, hoplessly sold on the 7D. Damn you Canon. As an aside, now that they've got this level of shooters on-board to do nice PR films for them, what next? Can't be long before they're knocking on Soderberg's door saying 'Psst, fancy making a short film?' Can't wait to see Nikon's response in 6 months time - wedding video's by Chris Cunningham.

Of course they will. That is what big companies do with their new products, have them tested by the top guys in the industry. Nothing new there.

ydgmdlu

09-17-2009, 10:02 PM

If you have the super power of being able to think like the "average" woman, you sir, have a gift and have come from a distant planet to help the men of earth.
Hey, I'm only talking about stereotypes here, which (unfortunately) have a lot of truth behind them. The stereotypical bourgeois (or bourgeois-minded) woman wants to spend many thousands of dollars on a lavish, large-scale dream wedding, and this is exactly the type that would desire wedding videos in the style of this one.

The women who don't care about fashion and pomp, who don't spend hours ogling wedding magazines and planning every minute detail, are the ones more likely to be interested in docu-style videos. For them, being surrounded by their loved ones is what they want to remember the most, and what they want to record for posterity, rather than the glamor of the event. And that's why they would prefer a documentary, instead of a moving Vogue photo-spread.

Now that's not to say that one group is more shallow than another. It's just a matter of different priorities, and each perspective is respectable in its own way.

Dennis Wood

09-17-2009, 11:07 PM

I know Patrick personally, and we've worked on quite a few projects together. The front page over at www.cinevate.com (http://www.cinevate.com) has two of Stillmotion's video's front and center. We also have close contact with Canon Canada.

I can guarantee this is 100% not a plant, and is 100% a result of Patrick's talent, drive and relentless work ethic. It's no accident that their work sees 25 000 to 40 000 plays every week on their Vimeo channel. We work very closely with Patrick so the DSLR rig they use, the Pegasus mini-dolly system (which Patrick asked us to develop!), Titan Mattebox, hand grips etc, etc, are very much geared to Patrick's style of work which requires very rapid transitions from slider, monopod, steadicam and our Proteus DSLR shoulder rig.

You'll also see Amina's work (the still side of Stillmotion) featured in our first and all upcoming "Shooter Showcase" (http://www.cinevate.com/website/index.php/shootershowcase_casey) features. Both Amina and Patrick spearhead the creative drive of Stillmotion and their very dedicated team. They work ridiculously long hours and do a ton of work for little or no pay. What you're seeing is not silly hype...it's just hard work, dedication and talent.

dadoboy

09-17-2009, 11:32 PM

I've always wanted a woman who would let me spend $30K on a killer short film rather than a mediocre wedding. Luckily, being a broke ass crew dude, I haven't had that moment of truth.

Hey, I'm only talking about stereotypes here, which (unfortunately) have a lot of truth behind them. The stereotypical bourgeois (or bourgeois-minded) woman wants to spend many thousands of dollars on a lavish, large-scale dream wedding, and this is exactly the type that would desire wedding videos in the style of this one.

The women who don't care about fashion and pomp, who don't spend hours ogling wedding magazines and planning every minute detail, are the ones more likely to be interested in docu-style videos. For them, being surrounded by their loved ones is what they want to remember the most, and what they want to record for posterity, rather than the glamor of the event. And that's why they would prefer a documentary, instead of a moving Vogue photo-spread.

Now that's not to say that one group is more shallow than another. It's just a matter of different priorities, and each perspective is respectable in its own way.