first time Wedding Video FCPX

My 1st time shooting wedding video. I know it sucks, but hey, i've learn a lot on time management and workflow in FCPX. We shoot this for free for training purpose and the client wanted same day edit, seems fair huh?

Great effort, first time out, Keldramon. Interesting for us too as we learn of another culture's customs in the universal ritual of weddings. I'm guessing somewhere in Indonesia, but I could be wrong. Cultural, ethic differences aside, there are certain factors to a wedding which are the same for all people for all time. Of course Love (usually), the joining of two, the witnessing of family & friends, usually some kind of preparation, a ceremony or ritual, then a celebration. Deeper than these basic ingredients are the mystical intangibles, I would sum up these various slightly more ethereal emotional components with the term, Romantic Hope.

You'll notice the universal factors fall into the classic storytelling 3 act structure, the same structure all great books, films & even commercials follow. We've had a lot of great wedding videos shared in this forum, many from our friend in Italy, Andreas . If you check his page for posts in this category, you can watch his videos & read the various comments people have shared, including myself.

Essentially, what we're talking about here is mood. This is a memorable occasion, the recording of it is something very special, almost sacred, but definitely something of emotional value to the couple & the families. You can imagine them sharing it with others over the web who were unable to attend, or .. (& this is something you will want to remember to tell potential clients as you build your business), this video can become a family heirloom shared with their children years from now.

So with the whole concept of mood & romantic idealism, you need to filter your process thru that lens. When you're about to add an effect or make a cut, you can ask yourself, does this action add to or detract from the romantic ideal. Sure there's plenty of room for you to exercise your artistic expression within those parameters, but if you can amplify the romantic idealism of the event in your video, you will build a business that will dominate your sector & region.

That being said, do I think all the light leaks & split screens added more emotional value to the romantic ideal, maybe not so much. Personally I enjoy light leaks at certain moments to emphasize an emotional crescendo of sorts. We understand it's your first venture into this territory & you're like a kid in a candy-store, there are just too many goodies to pass up. FCPX is chock full of them, a little restraint here can give your video a bit of subtlety & nuance. The light leaks & softness works in our favor, maybe the tiltshift not so much, same with the split screen for me, though thankfully you waited for later in the piece to use it. Some of these effects are best suited for other sorts of videos; music, corporate, etc.

When shooting & assembling a wedding video, remember how important this little film is to the couple, in particular the bride. Win her, you win everyone in your region. Do a search here for "wedding." You'll see plenty of videos on the subject, while watching them, see for yourself what works & what doesn't. If there's one you like, watch it again, taking special note of the music, shot lengths, camera angles, lighting, pacing, duration, color treatment, etc. It's definitely an art-form but once developed can be not only lucrative but also artistically fulfilling.

Looking forward to your next share...





J. Matthew
Global•Watch•Media•Consulting
www.GWM2.com

@GlobalWatchM3

wow, i've never even expect anyone to comment on this video, being a first-time poster. Thank you for welcoming me in this forum. (i've never had such experience in other forum)

Yeah i agree with every one of your critics/suggestions, i was basically too anxious too try all the effects in fcpx, looking back it was embarrassing even.
Such a rushed job (it was same day edit), i promise next time i should take into account all the emotional impact from the effects that i chose. And i know i need to learn more on my storytelling skills.
Just yesterday i found out the guys at stillmotion.com provides some tutorial on storytelling technique for wedding video, definitely gonna check those out.

About the location, you were almost right, it's in Malaysia (just next to Indonesia). We have many similarities anyway.

Once again, thanks for the constructive criticism, much appreciated. Next time i'm gonna improve.