A Moving Moment, A Different Type Of Wedding Video

As many of you know I (Lee Morris) am a professional wedding photographer. I was never a big fan of wedding videos until I saw the work that StillMotion was putting out. Even if you hate weddings you can appreciate what they do simply from an artistic standpoint. Even though I loved their work, I actually found it discouraging because I knew I could never do their style of video as well as they could so I never tried to film a wedding.

I had the idea for over a year of shooting a wedding video similar to how I shoot stills. If I could slow down the video enough I could deal with basically a moving image, something that I felt a lot more comfortable with. It finally worked out that Patrick Hall had a wedding on a day that I was free and 3 days before the wedding I ran the idea by the bride and then called my buddy Mike to see if he wanted to help me film it. Check out the finished product below and the walk-through after that.

Cameras Used:
Canon 60D
Canon T2i
Panasonic AF100

Lenses Used:
Tamron 17-55mm 2.8 VC
Canon 70-200mm 2.8 IS
Canon 200mm f2
Canon 16-35mm 2.8
Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95
Panasonic 7-14mm F4
Panasonic 14-140 f4-5.8

Other Gear:
Cinevate Atlas Slider
Photoflex Starlite
Ebay LED Panel

I did a voice over of the video and tried to explain how we shot the project.

If you prefer Youtube you can see the video here.

October 17, 2011

Lee Morris

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http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OWIXHRPZ2AK5BZEVIOEHK7XEEM davidb

how did you convert it from 60fps to 24?
what program did you use to do that.
http://door38images.com door 38 images

the third shot, at 21 seconds. it’s the bride and (i think) her mom and bridesmaids.
http://www.rlmorris.com Lee Morris

Just a standard slider shot pulling back and to the right.
http://www.rlmorris.com Lee Morris

I’m not converting anything. We just shot at 60 FPS and then my project was only 24fps so it plays back slower automatically.
James Campbell

Understood! I’ve been doing wedding video for about 3yrs now and I see these short videos as a very strong promotional tool but I don’t know if I could hand a five min video to a client without getting shot haha.. I’ve always been curious about how others use them though.

So I guess if there is anyone reading this that does wedding video, in what way do you use these short videos? As a promotional tool, part of a wedding package, or the final product?
http://www.patrickhallphotography.com Patrick Hall

I’m not sure how this would translate if you used images instead of video. I think you might want to use flash for usable sharp images in twixtor.
http://www.patrickhallphotography.com Patrick Hall

Seems like it’s all in the marketing. If you tell brides this is the type of video you deliver then you will only book those looking for this.

I kind of like this approach because I feel like I will give this bride too many photos (the gaps lee did not include) but those photos will never be printed probably. This video will be watched and show for a very long time…..who ever shows people their wedding video?
http://www.patrickhallphotography.com Patrick Hall

As a wedding photographer, try picking up the sigma 17-50 2.8 OS. It’s not as good for video but still usable for stills. The Tamron is not usable IMO for stills at any fstop but perfect for video
http://twitter.com/apphotograph Adam Pendleton

Not a fan of wedding videos, normally, but this was simply wonderful. Amazing job brother.
nice shooting

Can you confirm…so shot in 60 then in Premiere your sequence setting was 24?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Fernando-Garcia/705346784 Fernando Garcia

Excellent Job!!! I loved how you guys managed to get such amazing shots without being in each others shot. Nice Execution! I enjoyed watching it! : )
Robert Simpson

Wow, Lee, that’s not only extremely impressive, but it’s an incredibly salable product for your wedding photography business. Will we now see you make this option available along with your photo-booth?
http://www.patrickhallphotography.com Patrick Hall

yeah just throw 60fps video into a 24fps sequence and set the playback to 40%
James Campbell

Marketing is everything I suppose! I do like this style and would like to try it myself sometime.
http://www.kymberrae.ca kymber palidwar

Epic, Lee. Absolutely epic. I cried through the entire last half of this video. Powerful imagery paired with powerful music. It’s impressive how you’re able to encapsulate an entire day into one 5-minute motion picture….. I can’t praise enough. I still have tears in my eyes. You are great at what you do.
http://www.facebook.com/sweetspice005 Karina Benninger

This is incredible!!! I love it and thanks for also posting the video explaining what you did!
http://www.facebook.com/nicholas.gonzalez3 Nicholas Gonzalez

I love Stillmotion’s work and am also inspired by their work. With that said, I feel that you’ve brought, through your self described discouragement, a style so new and absolutely beautiful. The way you used slow motion almost highlights the life that would’ve been there in a still image. I thought it to be a perfect balance of motion and stillness all in one piece. Amazing.
http://www.rlmorris.com Lee Morris

Ya for some reason with the 60D I had to choose 40% slower but with the AF100 footage it automatically played back in slomo. Either way, you are not converting anything you are just telling it how to view the frames.
http://www.rlmorris.com Lee Morris

Exactly. I think most wedding videos, even if they are done very well, are so long that you will never watch them. It’s like going on a vacation and taking a million pictures and then never printing or looking at them again. If I start shooting videos at weddings I’ll be very clear about what exactly they are hiring me to do. This video has only been out 24 hours and I’ve already got wedding clients asking me to do it for them. I don’t think people want a long wedding video, it’s just the only thing they know.
http://www.facebook.com/arthurnava Arthur Nava

I’ve also had something like this in my head for quite some time, hopefully my first try will be a successful one. As for your first try, it’s mother effing awesome man.
http://www.facebook.com/kayzar Kayzar Bhathawalla

Do you have any tips for handholding while filming and focusing? Perhaps you could do a video on filming techniques, including hand-held while focusing?
Андрей Кузнецов

Lee, this is unbelievably good. I was never touched by wedding videos at all, but nearly started to cry watching yours. Amazing. You are adding dimentions to this reality. Things you are doing are very inspiring. Thank you.

Andrei
Russia
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1085556554 David Huff

Marvelous.
Parthiban Ingarsal

Great Video Lee,
I was expecting the color to change from B/W to true color, as the new wedded husband and wife, coming out of the cathedral, because the music was mesmerising at that point, it planted this thought in my mine..
After reading the comment you replied for @Bruno Mão de Ferro , I could see your vision for this video…. I loved every frame of yours… Thanks sharing.
robert bates

A great video lee, so inspiring to watch and a joy to view, very well done, looking forward to seeing more.
rob
Nathan Cashion

You’re right on, Lee. Stillmotion has made that point very clear. Even though mothers beg for a longer ‘replay’ video, they just don’t do it. Their videos are 3-5 minutes that highlight the emotion and story of the couple that day. And they get awesome stories back from their clients. One bride came home a week or so after her wedding, only to find her new husband watching their video over and over by himself with tears. That just doesn’t happen with hour long wedding videos!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=754554855 Edd Carlile

Fantastic….loved watching that and the shoot breakdown.
Brilliant!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=890925620 Jonathan David Roberts

Wow. This is definitely an original piece. Cheers to challenging yourself with this. I’m sure the couple will cherish this, and watch it over and over for years to come…

With that in mind, I still feel that, as beautiful as Jonsi’s music is, this piece is too dominated by the music. I would like to hear the words that were spoken to let the couple’s personality come out more (IMHO).

Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff mate.
http://twitter.com/InnovateImages Dave Wallace

Awesome video Lee! It inspires me to shoot a few weddings next season (instead of the commercial stuff I’m doing now). Keep up the great work!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001639505389 Alexander Lupascu

aweseome work lee..i have a tammy 17-50 f2.8 vc too and i’m pretty satisfied with it..dont know why you said that its a lowsy lens for stills..i get very good results with it paired with a d300s,did a comparison with a nikon lens in the same price range (the 16-85 VRII) and it outperforms it by far at sharpmess/contrast/overall image quality..still maybe i was lucky and my copy was really good…nontheless you guys are doing an owesome job :P
http://www.facebook.com/people/Onno-Varekamp/100001094430099 Onno Varekamp

TRULY AMAZING!!! It’s wonderful how you much feeling is in there. I’m a professional video editor and colorist and like to photograph in my spare time. I can imagine the couple wil be in teers every time they watch it. Job well done!
Richard Flores

What an awesome job !!
http://twitter.com/leoevidente leo evidente

Well done my friend!
http://www.rlmorris.com Lee Morris

Well both Patrick and I own this lens and I’ve never done a real test but every image it takes looks soft to me. This is compared to our pro Nikon 2.8 lenses.

I also own the newer Sigma version of this lens and although the VR isn’t as good, it seems much sharper to me.
http://www.rlmorris.com Lee Morris

Here’s a good example of the lens at each zoom range shot at 2.8 http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmk/4094283865/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://sparkflyphotography.com dan cumberland

This is my favorite wedding footage of all that I’ve seen! Great work. Love love love it.
Charles Krueger

My brother turned me on to your video as I do videography for weddings. Love it and got inspired. Thanks.
http://www.facebook.com/castiels.fury Chaz Westwood

I almost cried, I kept thinking “I don’t know these people, I never will” but I couldn’t help being so immensely happy for them being so immensely happy! You capture this amazingly, I don’t usually do video but I must get into it, because this has blown my perspective wide open!! Your awesome Lee.
Mike M

Somehow I missed the one…

For the first 3 and a half minutes the music isn’t that enjoyable, but only melds with the video when it hits its climax imo.

The video work, is stunning though.. Great work Lee.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1313426865 Daniel Pfeifer-Kotz

Really wonderful work great job.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=553331761 Jeremy Dillon

Lee, Patrick:

Great video! Did the bride and groom give any reaction or feedback?
http://www.facebook.com/beckiebritt Rebecca Britt

Score one for Canon! :)
http://www.patrickhallphotography.com Patrick Hall

Yeah Erin and Charlie loved both the photography and the video. We are both good friend of them and strangely enough both Lee and I were out drinking with Erin when she met Charlie; crazy to be part of someone’s first meeting story.
Terri Bleeker

I love the feeling that, as a viewer, I’m getting to move around inside a photograph. Beautifully done!
shane butler

Hi Guy’s excellent job, you’ve inspired me to try some nifty B and W, I really like the black and white. I have the panasonic GH2 and will be buying the 12mm f2 olympus. Any thoughts on that patrick? I really liked your use of the voightlander
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=594911696 Natashaa Selim

beautiful, moving, elegant, sentimental and timeless – exactly how the emotions of one’s wedding day ought to evoked…. loved it!
http://www.facebook.com/JD.madeinthe90s Jay Dawson

Absolutely beautiful Lee, enough to make a 19 year old student cry.
http://www.facebook.com/marcus.standar Marcus Standar

I’m not usually an emotional guy. But this video almost made me cry,
Beautiful work, great compositions. And it looks very good for being your first wedding video.

Amazing that one can get so emotional, for people one don’t even know :)
James Hayes

That’s a powerful video Lee, great work!