The Magical Sound of a Movie in a Projector

Maybe it’s just me, (let me know), but there’s something magical about the darkened room, the light of the projector flickering on and the sound of the chattering projector as it sends the dancing picture out onto the screen.

There’s a kind of magic as the image of two people, in love, move across the screen, happier than any other day of their life, the real moments of their day recorded on celluloid.  Those are images that no video camera can capture quite like this. 

The soft interplay of light as it falls across the face of the bride, the nervous tapping of the groom’s foot, the tears of Mom and Dad, they all come to life.

There are no “created” moments where the cinematographer set up the shot.  There is nothing fake about this art film.  It is just real emotion captured in small moments on film.

Of course the delivery system is the same these days.  We don’t really want to have to set up the projector and screen, but what a feeling to see actual movie film bringing the day to life in a way that isn’t too literal but rather, impressionistic.

That is the beauty of Super 8 film for weddings. 

That is medium that captures the magic!

 

High-def Wedding Videos, Steadicam Shots and Rapid-fire Editing – Just No Emotion!

I was watching an old wedding film from the 1940s and it’s remarkable how it still stands the test of time. This was the heyday of this home-movie boom, and people were documenting every important event, and the footage lasts in remarkably great shape still today, 60 years later!

There’s something that is so different about this kind of historical document and the wedding videos most companies are producing today. It is like night and day. There weren’t any spinning steadicam shots and rapid-fire editing styles.

All those fancy camera moves and cutting styles mean nothing without the content–the emotional moments that make up the day. That play in the interior of the scenes.

I have seen more HD wedding videos of steadicam shots flying through empty reception halls and churches and every time I wonder, why not wait until the people are there? I know the technology is cool and the moving camera is fancy, but there’s no emotion in front of the lens.

It’s all style, without substance.

Or it’s a series of set-up shots of kissing and walking together for the camera–it feels very orchestrated, and not very real.  Posed love.  Hollywood directed.  (How many takes were made?)

I like creating real stories using the tender moments of the day. The small elements that tell the big story.

Cheesy Wedding Videos

I love the word “Cheesy”. I see it in print everywhere. It’s such a great word because it represents something so specific, something embarrassingly bad!

I’ve never shot a wedding on video because there is such a stigma present about wedding videos. Boring. Tedious. Time to go, honey. Bad special effects. Too long. Sappy music. Endless dancing. The list goes on.

But a wedding film, shot on actual film, has texture, depth. It doesn’t look so real, but more “representational” or “impressionistic”. It looks vintage, timeless, beautiful.

Have you seen one? The final wedding film is still delivered on DVD for viewing convenience, but the look is night and day from digital video or HD. In fact, HD is so clear and sharp, I think it lacks all magic whatsoever.

Super 8 film has that look that says “past tense”, not reality TV. It says quality, not cheap.

On the right is my Super 8 camera, a Canon 1014XLS, one of the highest quality movie cameras ever designed. I also use a Canon 814XLS and a Beaulieu 2008 (a vintage French camera).

Being a Storyteller

I don’t know why it is, but I love to shoot motion pictures. I think it’s more because I am a storyteller than anything else. I love to sit around the fire and socialize.  I love a good conversation and the sharing of stories.

Wedding films give me the chance to tell the story of the day. Since a wedding film averages only 10-15 minutes long, it is not a full documentation of every minute of the day.

It is more like a collection of special moments, emotional moments, that end up in the final edit. (I think my years working as a photojournalist for a major daily newspaper really honed my skills for finding the storytelling elements!)

And isn’t that what you want to remember, some of the details? Not the whole day shot as a surveillance video or reality tv show. I don’t want to create a documentation of your day with which you replace all your memories with my footage.

But I want to tell your story. With a tight shot of your face before you head up the altar. With the last minute check of your bouquet by your maid of honor. By the small moments that tell the big story.

In black and white. And color. Film!

A Wedding Archive…

I shoot video for a living for commercial clients and I love video for what it can do, but I believe it is not suitable for the majesty of a wedding, where I need to create with a form that creates a more lasting image.

And “lasting” is a literal term. Many people do not know this but a wedding DVD is not an archival format. In fact, a wedding DVD is a compressed file to fit on that disc. A DVD is not guaranteed to have a shelf life for decades.

Whereas film, the old movie films of your parents and grandparents day, are still fine and quite playable. That medium has a shelf life (stored properly of course) of at least 100 years–we have the history to prove it, film has been around for over 100 years!

So, when I shoot a wedding, the bride and groom receive a copy on DVD, but they also have the original filmstock to archive, so that they truly will have something to show their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Seeing the Difference…

I think the best example to see the difference between what film looks like and what video looks like would be if you were switching channels and saw a scene from THE NATURAL and then clicked to ESPN to see an actual live baseball game.

THE NATURAL was shot on film. The ESPN sports shows are shot on video. THE NATURAL looks like “past tense”, and the ESPN game looks like “present tense”. Once you see what I mean, you will see it all the time.

One looks timeless (film) and one looks disposable (video). It’s how we perceive motion images.

Try it and see.

Something Magical about a Cinematic Image…

I don’t know what it is, but I feel it. Everytime I watch a movie screened, I get a feeling that the film has somehow organically captured a moment in history. Unlike video, which has such a sharp definition–it almost feels like watching surveillance video–a piece of film feels more like an expression than a literal depiction of the event. It feels lyrical as the light dances across the grain to create the image.

Have you noticed how on TV, they use video for things like the news and soap operas and reality shows, things that don’t really have any lasting value?

But film is used to shoot major motion pictures and the more “important” TV shows like 24 and CSI. Why do they still use it? Because, I think, it has a perceived feeling of something richer, something that can last. It looks “bigger budget” and thus, more valuable.

Film vs. video, it’s a feeling and I will try to show it to you in examples throughout this blog! It’s why I shoot weddings in film only!

Good ol’ Film! (Super 8 Film, that is.)

Welcome to my blog for Old Timey Wedding Films. This is a blog to celebrate and share the retro look of shooting today’s weddings on the timeless medium of super 8 film–you know that old film stock that your parents and your grandparents shot their wedding movies on and showed on the family projector!

More info can be found at OldTimeyWeddingFilms.com