1st Wedding, 1st Same Day Edit... for my Sister

History:
I've been doing photography since 2007, so I wasn't ever a pro or near that level. However, I got into video this past summer and got the crazy idea of doing event videography. So, I swapped over all my photo equipment to video, got a nice new PC to edit HD files from dSLR cameras. I've been studying a lot of different styles and edits, looked at what I hated about old wedding videos, and I came up with what I show today.

My sister didn't have a videographer. She was going to have family friends set up handicams just because she didn't really care too much about the video. So, I said let me do it and it'll be worth it. I shot down to New Jersey to film the e-session, then lugged all my setup and computer to NJ for the wedding day. My girlfriend and I woke up at 8am to shoot groom prep part I; got to my sister's for bridal preps at 9am; back to groom preps part II at 12:30; got ready for the wedding and put the tux on while my girlfriend got fancy in her dress; ceremony at 2pm; wedding photos at 4pm (1 hour till sunset SHEESH!); break from 5:30 to 7pm to setup for reception; reception till midnight.

3 60D bodies
Tokina 11-16
Canon 35L f1.4
Canon 85 f1.8
Canon 24-105L f4 IS
Canon 70-200L f2.8 IS
Steadicam Merlin
Igus Slider
2 Manfrotto tripods
1 Manfrotto monopod
2 Zoom H1 w/ AudioTechnica mics
2 Sennheiser MKE400
Dell Studio XPS 9100 and monitor
luggage and stuff to spend time with the entire family all weekend.

I have a serious respect for you guys doing this full time. I'm not in it for the money, or the long term business. This is a hobby of love, and after this weekend I'm definitely going to keep it that way. I had some ideas for the SDE that I forgot to throw in, because I was constantly having to edit some, mingle with family, go back to editing, eat with family, mingle more, and edit. If I could do it all over again I would, and I'd make sure to have a story board written down so I don't forget the little details

Also, I had the SDE finished around 9:30-10pm. However, I forgot my DVI-HDMI cable to hook up to the TVs in the reception hall, and the DJ was extremely helpful in trying to figure out a workaround. While we were brainstorming, I published a DVD of the video and we ended using that. 11pm, SDE shows, and the crowd went nuts. My sister practically never cries, and I had her in tears from the moment Temper Trap was heard through the speakers. Oh yeah, she had no idea I was doing any of this... every time I was shooting something I'd hear, "What the heck are you recording? It's just a simple wedding video." Little did she know what HDSLRs can do with some elbow grease.

PLEASE C&C.

Beth and Toan | Same Day Edit on Vimeo

It is a great video! I liked the colors, composition and the editing style. Did you color correct the footage?

Great video. love the merlin glider, as i ordered one myself for my handycam, cant wait for its arrival. im in the process of trying to upgrade my body to a new body that does hd video, cant wait. also what song is that? is it by U2? great. love it... I also love the idea that you did the video and didnt have to worry about the pictures. Sometimes that is enough to juggle. Im not pro either or even close also, Great vid!

Here at work can't view vimeo nor youtube but Ill be sure to watch it later.

My younger bro was doing his first wedding and first SDE for my sis back in late 2008, when 35mm adapters were emerging. The SDE was great and got the crowd excited but at the end of the day, the time was wasted doing the SDE instead of capturing the event. I hope that didn't happen to you.

At the end of the day, I don't have much respect for trailers or SDE. It's all a big flair w/o knowing the actual full feature video bc thats what the client wants, not the 3-5min glimpse. I am not sure if you had a crew shooting while you're editing/authoring. For my sis, there wasn't enough footages bc the work flow was different and had bigger challenges.

btw, why didn't you just render it out to HD and play it on a computer?

The e-session was colored, cause it was overcast that day. The wedding day was all straight from the camera, as I had to juggle family time with editing time. I will color correct the ceremony and photo session for the full feature film due to the lighting (it was dusk during the photo shoot).

I know what you mean about shooting the reception while I was editing. I was also worried about missing out on things, but this worked out perfectly for my sister's wedding. I didn't start editing until the main events were done, and I had my girlfriend get the other stuff while I was running back and forth. We both got to enjoy the wedding, cocktail hour, reception, and shoot all in the same day. My sister was worried I'd miss out on her wedding, as well. But we got to do so much and still capture the event that it all worked out. My girlfriend and I had a blast this past weekend. Plus, the flair of the SDE brought my sister to tears. The gratitude from my sister and brother in law made all that hard work worth it.

As far as the full feature film, my sister specifically told me she wants a 30-40 minute video detailing the main events. Either way, we got about 150GB of HDSLR footage on 1080p across 3 cameras. I just need to go through and check to make sure my Zoom H1 recorders captured all the audio I need. I'm sure if she wanted full documentary of everything, I'd be missing some parts here and there. So, if I do decide to offer this to regular clients I'll be sure to offer only a product similar to what I did/am doing for my sister.

Thanks for the positive comments. I definitely am happy with this video, though I do wish I didn't forget the few things to include in it.

Oh yeah, the song is Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition

Fantastic job! And what a great gift to give! Good motion and comp. Great song choice too. Fits the video well.

Great job! That looked great

Just watched it. It was good for first timer. You definitely had footage from another day to help.

Song sounds familiar. heard from another SDE or highlight.

Keep up the good work.

Good job on the SDE! I know how stressful it can be! It turned out pretty good, especially for your first time!

Some critiques: There were still some shaky shots, and some out of focus shots as well. Also, your steadicamming was a bit wild - I felt like I was bobbing on a boat in the ocean. But otherwise it was good!

Trey T wrote in post #11327137
My younger bro was doing his first wedding and first SDE for my sis back in late 2008, when 35mm adapters were emerging. The SDE was great and got the crowd excited but at the end of the day, the time was wasted doing the SDE instead of capturing the event. I hope that didn't happen to you.

At the end of the day, I don't have much respect for trailers or SDE. It's all a big flair w/o knowing the actual full feature video bc thats what the client wants, not the 3-5min glimpse. I am not sure if you had a crew shooting while you're editing/authoring. For my sis, there wasn't enough footages bc the work flow was different and had bigger challenges.

In my experience, lots of couples actually want the SDE more than the full feature video. Many couples will even get an SDE package only, and don't even worry about the full feature coverage. However, the majority get both the SDE along with coverage of the rest of the wedding. We do this with a team of three, and adding an SDE certainly does not compromise our coverage of the rest of the wedding. We have two dedicated videographers, and one editor who also does some shooting.

it depend on the client, but for the extreme ones like asian ppl w/ unique ceremonies, you can't tell a full story in 5min. I author the full feature under 45min for my clients.

Ainoko, how many traditional chinese or vietnamese wedding have you shot over the years?

Trey T wrote in post #11328737
it depend on the client, but for the extreme ones like asian ppl w/ unique ceremonies, you can't tell a full story in 5min. I author the full feature under 45min for my clients.

Ainoko, how many traditional chinese or vietnamese wedding have you shot over the years?

I can see your point about conveying an entire ceremony into a 5 minute production. I don't think I've done any Vietnamese weddings, but we do lots of Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino weddings. We've also done Persian, Jewish, and Catholic weddings.

The purpose of the same day edit for us is to convey a short story about the couple and their wedding day, and have a video at the end to showcase to all their friends and family while they are all together. It makes the couple feel like the stars.

And we don't do solely SDEs. We also offer full ceremony and reception coverage.

I thought it was a beautiful video, especially for your first time. Would have loved to have seen more as far as the ceremony and reception went, but the colors were gorgeous and the composition was great!

I agree. SDE and Highlights is just a showcase or a big flair, like I stated above.

again, props to the OP.

Thanks guys. I'm still learning to use the Merlin better, though things are improving. You are also correct that I had footage from another day to use. The E-session and book went into the first 1/3 of the video, and the rest was just dropped in from the wedding day from prep to the reception. I was so nervous about this edit that I left out some choice-select ceremony and prep shots. I also was so nervous that I forgot how to stabilize the Merlin outdoors in the wind.

Overall, this was my first video ever, as well as wedding shoot of any kind (photo/video) and I managed to make my sister and brother in law happy as ever with the SDE. Thanks for all the great feedback! I'll definitely keep improving as I work more with video.

PS, all three 60D bodies ran all day like champs. You could feel the thumb grip getting warm, but they did not overheat or throw error codes once. Also, I used Transcend 32GB Class 10 cards, and they worked great!

at the end of it, if your viewer is happy, you've succeed.