when we get to the color phase of our films we often work in FCP using the 3-way color corrector, RGB balance, and a couple other native filters. the tiffen dfx suite then steps in for some more advanced grading or fixing bigger problems. when we get a film that inspires us to do a really different look and feel with the color, that is when we head over to color (the apple app). color looks quite intimidating but really doesn’t take much to get a hang of. if you know photoshop you are more than half way there. with that being said, there is a ton of power under the hood and that can take quite the time to master. the primary room is very robust for most of your corrections and simple grading, but once you learn the secondaries, color fx, and geometry then you can do just about anything.
for patty and eugene’s wedding, she brought in many personal details and vintage items she has collected over the years. the seating chart was written on old windows. she brought in old trunks that held all of the props for the photobooth. a lot of her styling, form her hair, to her veil, to her umbrella, also had that vintage feel. when it came to the color i wanted to help convey that and really give the film an old and worn look. it took quite some time to get exactly what i had in mind, and the finished look combines quite a few corrections in the primary room, secondary, as well as a pretty big node cluster in the color fx room.
i’m really pumped with how it all came out and looking at the before and afters, i really feel the difference i was hoping to get across. i wanted to share some of the samples here as i think it is a pretty fascinating interface and program.
this grabs are from their same day edit, though the work in color wasn’t done the same day. we got asked to show the edit quite a bit earlier than planned, so i did a quick pass to clean up the color and that opened up the door for me to take some extra time the day after to process it how i wanted.
P.
one of my favorite frames (when in motion) from right before their first meeting in the forest.
a before and after grab from the finishing touches of patty getting ready.
a before and after grab from a shot with patty’s window frames that she collects.
the color interface. this is in the ‘primary in’ room.
Absolutely gorgeous. My ambition is to start getting clients interested in just this kind of editing/CC.
It’s a nice and also challenging variation to common CC.
[...] this toning because patty loves to collect so many vintage things, from trunks, to chalkboards, to window frames. many of them were then tied into the decor of her wedding. that paired with what she wore on the wedding day made me think that a vintage tone would convey their story and mesh with it so much better. if your interested in reading more about that, check out my personal blog post about the color on this film here. [...]
Yeah, Color is suite…er…sweet! Seriously, I love and hate that program. Intuitive? No. Rewarding? Affirmative! Great job with the the tonality! Very vintage, so that’s a “mission accomplished”, in my book. See you in Portland!
you absolutely could. i find the time we spend on color goes up each workshop. with a section on apple color going further and further each time, i think it certainly gives you a good start
P.
Jeff Brouillet - June 29, 2010 1:56 pm
This is really interesting – you could probably do a whole workshop on color grading. I’ve played around in Color but there is so much to learn there… I’ve really enjoyed the Tiffen filters – amazing results rather quickly.
color is more for the advanced looks, like this one. tiffen is all about power in simplicity and efficiency. we will actually be going over both, and native filters, in detail. we open up color and ealk you through each room, the workflow, and process footage on the spot with you.
At Calumet, you folks used primarily Tiffen as your color grading tool(plus 3 way). Apple Color is a new way of bringing out the geography/feeling of a video for you now. Will you be teaching this at the SME?
-Joshua
a wedding their way. a nice country setting, jeans and cowboy boots, a reception in a barn, and their own special words to each other.
dana grew up on a farm, hence the nickname ‘dairy’, so it seemed very fitting to capture some of what was happening there that morning aside from the preps. stu’s father has passed and they lit a candle in his memory at the beginning of the ceremony. that, in conjunction with their very moving vows, led the priest to actually stop the ceremony for a moment just to let everybody wipe their eyes. looking around the crowd, i’m not sure i’ve seen that many people that emotional at a ceremony before.
amina and justin will be following up with some of their images later this week, which i’ve heard a lot about but haven’t seen yet, so i’m pumped.
soundtrack by zachary lucky ‘our new home’ licensed through with etiquette.
Just when I thought you guys couldn’t top yourselves…what an awesome SDE! I’m always impressed with how well you capture the most essential emotions of the day. great, great job guys!
we had the pleasure of traveling to jamaica recently with serena and leonard for several of their wedding celebrations. we love being able to cover more than just the wedding day as i find it gives you much more perspective on a couple, a bigger window into who they are, and it also makes their film that much more original. whenever we have other events that we can tie into the wedding film it always makes for such an original narrative. serena and leonard had us there for their wedding day, the rehearsal the day before, as well as an all white cruise with family and friends.
quenna and i worked on this piece together and i am really excited with how their whole film came together. their main feature is going to be on display in our studio for any of our couples or potential brides who want to see more :)
the soundtrack is ‘fall’ by one of the newest artists to with etiquette, two seconds away. you can license this song, and many others, on the w.e. site.
the feature is generally 15-20 min (though theirs is about 24) and is very similiar in pacing, depth and structure just a more complex story that takes longer to tell. we apply all the same rules though.
P.
Serena - June 20, 2010 9:31 am
Hey Patrick
Thank-you so much for this…I’ve only watched it 646 times…at that’s just this morning:) We love it! You and Amina are truly gifted at your crafts.
We look forward to the feature!
Sincerely,
Len and Serena
Mr Chuckles - June 20, 2010 12:31 am
Wonderful imagery as usual.
You mentioned “their main feature” and I’ve seen so many of your SDEs and trailers. How long are the main features? And are they done in a similar fashion as the SDEs just longer and more “complete”?
when we first met suelyn she joked that her wedding was more about an excuse to have a huge feast more than anything else. in a day filled with sushi in the morning, a martini mashed potato bar at the cocktail hour, a ten course chinese banquet, as well as a midnight buffet of burgers and fries, she really let her obsession for food shine through.
the reading they had at their ceremony, an excerpt from ‘the art of french cooking’ was such an original and fitting choice. it also inspired much of our morning coverage.
their first dance was also very meaningful to the both of them. they had been practicing for quite some time and suelyn wanted a chance to practice the day of the wedding with her dress on. when you listen, it sometimes feels like these stories just tell themselves.
the soundtrack was used with permission from katie herzig and the song is entitled ‘wish you well’. you can find many awesome tracks from her on itunes here.
Fantastic video – can you tell me what camera and lenses were used?
R
zsozee - July 23, 2010 7:55 pm
Man, such a good work!
i’m starting, whit a friend and family to enter in this little word of recording special things.
i would like to know what soundtrack you used.
thank you a lot!
:D
Yosep - July 9, 2010 9:36 am
Beautiful story… I like the groom + bride speech during the matrimony… so fun :) I always admire your work P. I think you’re born to tell a couple’s story & shoot :D always wonderful and artistic!
That was such a powerfully sweet film. You guys really captured the connection and the innocent delight of their love. Great work!!!
Jeff Brouillet - June 14, 2010 11:20 am
that was magic… it amazes me how you can capture so much about the couple. so when you put the rings in a piece of sushi do you eat the sushi after? i would. :)
a month or so ago i was asked to do an interview for a show hosted by a friend of mine, ron dawson. ron has a couple different web based shows, one primarily for photographers (f-stop beyond), and his new one that delves into the cinema world, crossing the 180.what i really enjoy about his podcasts is that they are less about the gear and technical side of things and more about the people, philosophies, and current issues within the industry. it was great to get a chance to catch up with ron, chat about the changes at sm, where we are headed, city of lakes, as well as our whole nfl story. if you’re (thanks Mr T) interested in checking out the interview, it just went live today and you can listen here.
i would love to hear your thoughts and any questions that may have come from the chat.
there is something about a blending of cultures that i always find amusing. a classic sm film was raj + carolyn with the blending of hindu and catholic weddings. recently we shared dan and shalimar’s wedding, with dan happy to partake in a traditional hindu wedding because he knew how much it meant to shalimar. for rudy and karman, we had a greek and chinese mixture of events. on rudy’s side we had a greek ceremony, on karmen’s side we had both a tea ceremony, as well as lion dancers for their introduction.
when people find out that you film or photograph weddings they often ask if it gets repetitive doing the same thing so many times every year. to me it sounds like such a silly question. there is so much originality in each couple and each event that we get to be a part of that it truly makes every time we go out and shoot so exciting and so novel. i also find there are so many neat parallels between the events that happen within different cultures that it makes each one a new challenge to plan out the edit and filming.
if your wedding features a blending of cultures, leave me a comment with some of the interesting ways your bringing the two together. if your in the industry, i’de love to here some of the events you’ve been a part of where the mix of cultures was a big theme.
the soundtrack here is ‘city lights’ by our newest with etiquette artists two seconds away. you can check out more of their awesome tracks on withetiquette.com
we just locked down the dates for our last evo of the year and i wanted to share it with everybody here. the workshop will be in mississauga over three and half days, and will focus on finding you unique voice as a cinematographer. one of the biggest things we will deconstruct is the idea of effective communication (aka storytelling). understanding all of the tools already available to you can be a tremendous help in developing your style, impacting your audience in the right way (whatever that is for you), and getting more satisfaction and connection out of the films you produce.
in october we will be traveling the world from paris to australia to hong kong and we are so excited to be able to feature weddings from our trip during this evo.
for a detailed description and to apply for the workshop, check out our experience site.
christine and ben are one of those couples that have a blast together in whatever they do. the morning of the wedding they wanted to go for a hike together (which is something they frequently do together) and decided to also pick up some senior’s scooters for their grandparents to get around yosemite. the walk was rather reflective and romantic, but as soon as the scooters were revealed, pure mayhem broke out. you can see where ben’s daughter, who was doing random interviews throughout the weekend, get’s it from :)
the ceremony was at the ahwahnee hotel, nestled deep inside yosemite national park. all of their family and friends came together on a bus from SFO. being so far from anything, it is very tough to get cell service, so your completely surrounded by an incredible diversity of nature and almost completely cut off from the rest of the world. it is definitely a highly recommended place to visit.
being a same day edit, it is often tough to weave together so many different elements of the day into one cohesive piece. for christine and ben, i couldn’t be happier with how everything just seemed to fit so perfectly and tie into each other so well.
the soundtrack is ‘NADUS 03C spring’ by daniel dixon, licensed through withetiquette.com
Absolutely beautiful. What aperture do you guys typically shoot at? There were several clips that seemed to have a much deeper depth of field then what your lenses can do. again, stunning as usual.
Wow – the video is astonishing and gorgeous even the second (and third!) time I watch it. Having it available the same night as the wedding for everyone to see was … magical. Thank you guys.
-Ben
Congratulations!! It was a beautiful clip showing the beautiful relationship the two of you share. It was truly fitting that your had your ceremony in the Yosemite Valley surrounded by the beauty of nature and the love and caring of family and close friends.
May your future together bring you beauty, laughter and joy.
With my heart full of love for the two of you,
Fran
OUTSTANDING! so how many more times will I watch this video and enjoy this event again!?
as well as working with the best artists to create this entire wedding so perfect ! thank you
Ben - May 18, 2010 5:21 pm
Wow – the video is astonishing and gorgeous even the second (and third!) time I watch it. Having it available the same night as the wedding for everyone to see was … magical. Thank you guys.
-Ben
Christine Sloss - May 18, 2010 4:39 pm
Patrick, The clip is beautiful. It’s difficult to find the words to describe how I feel, just watching the movie brings tears to my eyes, tears of joy and delight. It is amazing you created this lovely clip in one afternoon. And for me, it was the perfect way to finish the evening. thank you for capturing memories.
connie - May 18, 2010 1:37 pm
ahhh you guys keep doing better and better work. i can’t wait to secure a date just so i can chat with you guys more about working together! <3
Love this a-linear story. Recently took Capture Studios workshop and he spoke very highly of you as well as just mentored with Brianna & Ewan Phalen and they love you too.
Beautiful work. It was seamless and it delivered goosebumps the entire time. Great Job. Love your work.
sometimes some very brief moments can speak more about somebody than volumes written ever could. to me, that is a big part of the magic of film and why i love to cover all of the little random happenings on a wedding day. konga is one of those people that you really need to meet to truly appreciate. while many of you already known jess, it is my hope that this piece will help shed some light on who jess’ new husband, konga, is as well as the love and laughter they share.
we get to travel to some really amazing places and while being on an airplane almost weekly can get quite tiring, the places we get to see and the culture we can take in surely make it all worth it. this week we got the pleasure of sharing the wedding day with ben and christine in yosemite national park. you know your in a gorgeous place when half the people you see are taking photos or painting on canvas. on the way out of yosemite today we stopped to take a couple pics and ended up staying at the always classy ‘america’s best value inn’ right outside of the yosemite gates. for dinner we went to the closest town, grovetown, which had a really neat texas vibe going on. ben and christine’s same day edit will be debuting later this week and i can’t wait to share it. racing around in seniors scooters, mile long hikes with the steadicam, and not enough rabbit are just the beginning for this one.
Such fun photographing a wedding alongside with you, Patrick. The wedding is a special one (out of so many I’ve done) to me, only because of how special these two individuals are. Your (no wait, it is mine ;) ) same-day edit rocked!
- MS
thanks so much paul. it was great meeting you and danielle as well. the trees certainly were quite the spot to stop. i couldn’t help but pull out the ts-e.
Hey Patrick, It was great meeting you guys at the wedding. I stopped by to see if the video was up yet and I noticed the pictures you took of the burnt down trees in the valley on the way out of Yosemite. On our way out Danielle turned onto that street and we followed the road all the way down, she looked ta me and said “This is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen”. It was a surreal spot for sure. The Iron Door Saloon was cool too although we didn’t stop. Just got home a couple of hours ago. Good luck on your next trip wherever that may be. -Paul
thanks for the suggestion. i wish it wasn’t in the opposite direction as i would love to check it out. now you have us tempted to get up at sunrise and head out there…
P.
link - May 17, 2010 12:50 am
Love the tilt-shift effect; a great way to showcase Yosemite’s vastness. :) If you’ve got some time to kill, drive out to Bodie. It’s a real live ghost town. http://cl.ly/15ZT
one of my favorite frames (when in motion) from right before their first meeting in the forest.
a before and after grab from the finishing touches of patty getting ready.
a before and after grab from a shot with patty’s window frames that she collects.
the color interface. this is in the ‘primary in’ room.
dairy // in front of all of my fathers . sde
Absolutely gorgeous. My ambition is to start getting clients interested in just this kind of editing/CC.
It’s a nice and also challenging variation to common CC.
Thanks for great and generous inspiration.
[...] this toning because patty loves to collect so many vintage things, from trunks, to chalkboards, to window frames. many of them were then tied into the decor of her wedding. that paired with what she wore on the wedding day made me think that a vintage tone would convey their story and mesh with it so much better. if your interested in reading more about that, check out my personal blog post about the color on this film here. [...]
Yeah, Color is suite…er…sweet! Seriously, I love and hate that program. Intuitive? No. Rewarding? Affirmative! Great job with the the tonality! Very vintage, so that’s a “mission accomplished”, in my book. See you in Portland!
Lovely tones! Is this video on vimeo? ;-)
Very nice!
you absolutely could. i find the time we spend on color goes up each workshop. with a section on apple color going further and further each time, i think it certainly gives you a good start
P.
This is really interesting – you could probably do a whole workshop on color grading. I’ve played around in Color but there is so much to learn there… I’ve really enjoyed the Tiffen filters – amazing results rather quickly.
jeff
color is more for the advanced looks, like this one. tiffen is all about power in simplicity and efficiency. we will actually be going over both, and native filters, in detail. we open up color and ealk you through each room, the workflow, and process footage on the spot with you.
P.
Wow, looking great. Luving color as well.
At Calumet, you folks used primarily Tiffen as your color grading tool(plus 3 way). Apple Color is a new way of bringing out the geography/feeling of a video for you now. Will you be teaching this at the SME?
-Joshua