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There’s something that is so different about this kind of historical document and the wedding videos most companies are producing today.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.
