Molten Sky Documentary Video Cull Edit

Sample Documentary Films

These samples are for viewing purposes. I do not expect the highlights sections (morning preparation, before ceremony etc ) of the weddings you deliver to look like this.

The samples include multi-cam ceremonies,  the multi-cam greeting line after ceremony,  the multi-cam bridal party entrance to reception room, the multi-cam speeches, and the multi-cam first dance.

They also contain all the highlight clips in between.

Please note I do not expect you to rearrange the highlight clips to create a story.

In relation to the highlight section of the projects, these samples are presented to give you an idea of the clips I choose as well as the clip duration.

The samples include, music, you do not need to include songs, I will add these.

 

Grainne + Andrew Markree Castle :  https://mediazilla.com/NHCbiRQKSW

Stephanie + Gary – Kilronan Castle:  https://mediazilla.com/HGVeYmcwOY

Caroline + Brian – Salthill Hotel : https://mediazilla.com/DDsZSQjanx

Lorraine + Remo – Lough Ryan: https://mediazilla.com/PCPn0igySS

Amber + Jack Lignum Restaurant: https://mediazilla.com/1d1bnPYs98

 

Clip Selection and Duration

I want my videos to be fast moving and not boring so clip duration is really, really important to me. 

Laughter and people having a good time are essential to the overall feel of my project. 

Please scan the full clip and use the best part of each clip.

Beware that the start of some clips may be shaky or not level. 

1-2 seconds is long enough for static b roll shots.

2-3 seconds is usually plenty for most other shots unless there is good animation, bridal party laughing, drinking champagne etc. In other words if it is boring shot keep it short, if it is good, longer is fine.

Clips for the groom prep can be a little longer (3-4 seconds) as there is usually less coverage time than the bride.

Drone footage can be longer but I rarely deliver clips over 3-4 seconds

For ceremony, speeches and dancing clips can be a lot longer as they are part of a multi-cam edit.

 

My Folder Structure

When i deliver projects via dropbox, this is the folder structure.

 

1 – Prep ; This is highlight footage set to music.

2 – Ceremony ; This is multicam footage with multiple audio sources.

3 – Greeting line ; Usually one long wide angle with a second angle for the first 2-3 minutes. This is highlight footage set to music.

4 – Sign2Sit: This is highlight footage set to music.

5- Entrance: Multicam footage. Use audio from camera unless speeches start immediately afterwards.

6-Speeches: Multicam footage.

7-Evening: This is highlight footage set to music.

8-Dance: The first dance is multicam footage with 2 angles. The rest of the dancing is highlights.

General Notes

When creating a new library and importing files please choose the ‘leave files in place’ rather than import them into the library file.

Please add the name of the couple and the date on the first few clips. Font Effect; Fade Font; Helvetica

Try not to include footage of videographer or photographer if possible unless it is necessary or a very strong shot.

Please fade in an out for all audio, e.g. at the start and end of speeches, switching audio tracks during the ceremony edit.

If one of the angles is poor composition or slightly soft/out of focus in parts for the multicam for the ceremony and speeches it is ok to leave it out or use less if there is better angles.

Don’t mix in poor shots/angles for the sake of it, used best available — example dancing, vows etc.

Check inside the multi-cam file to make sure all important files are linked and manually link if you have too.

Leave out or cut bad expressions of people, yawning, coughing, scratching nose, looking bored etc.

If the exposure and white balance is changed mid shot, don’t show the change if possible, unless it is a strong shot, chose either side of the transition.

Beware of audio levels, keep them between -12 and -6 db for ceremony, speeches and dancing. 

If there is a long clip of dancing / couple laughing etc it can be cut up and used a few times in a different location

Please take notes of any issues when editing and send them to me on delivery.

 

Project Structure 

All Audio and video files should be imported into the sidebar so I can see them in the browser. This is very important to me, I need to see all the clips that were shot and what is available for the project. 

Clips should be added to the timeline in the order they appear in the browser.

You do not need to rearrange clips / timeshift to create a story.

 

Drone Footage

Drone footage is a very important element of my product delivery.

3-4 second clips work well.

If there is a panning/tilting movement they can be longer.

Please include all usable drone clips unless they are very similar. I can delete them if I want.

Nature is very important for my brand. If there is shots of fields, tops of trees etc please include them.

Don’t include shaky bits or abrupt changes in angles.

If the drone clip dimensions do not match the view window please resize.

 

Multicam editing

Please use the multi-cam feature built into FCPx for all the multicam sections.

If you use the PluralEyes app instead, please include the new audio files that have been ‘audio shifted’

Before the Ceremony (Highlights)

There are usually 4 cameras for the ceremony,  two cameras are set up and run for a few minutes before the ceremony begins. . Please skim through the static cameras and take 4 of the best clips from each, the groom hugging people, looking at his watch, laughing with the groom’s men etc.

Audio for Prep and before the Ceremony

Audio for all the clips for the non multicam parts of the day are to be set to -15-20db.

 

Ceremony (Multicam)

• The ceremony begins when the musicians begin to play. The is usually followed by the congregation standing.
• The ceremony is normally captured with 4 cameras; Aisle cam, bride & groom cam, wide crowd cam and alter/readers cam.
• Ideally I would like the camera angle to cut every 10-20 seconds during the ceremony with a little less emphasis on the congregation camera and the couple camera.
• Of course for the important moments like the vows it is not necessary to swap between all four views all the time.
• For the bride coming down the aisle, please choose the main cam as much as possible with a few cuts to the groom. If it is a very long aisle you  can cut more often.
• Please include all of the ceremony from start to finish, there is no need to cut the silent parts or the in-between bits such as people walking up the do the readings etc. unless there is no steady footage.
• After the vows/kiss it is nice to cut to a wide shot of the congregations applause if available.
• Cut to a wide angle for the readings or prayers of the faithful between the speakers changing.
• For catholic church ceremonies, I normally don’t deliver the Sunday mass part of the ceremony and the communion. After the mothers bring the gifts to the alter I usually cut at the end of the song playing until the priest begins to speak again at the alter after the communion/before the reflection begins. Include it, but you don’t need to cut it. 
• The ceremony sequence ends when the priest finishes talking and everyone blesses themselves. (This may vary for civil ceremonies) Signing the register is part of ‘after the ceremony’ section in church weddings.
• Please avoid shaky footage; there is no need with a few angles to choose from.
• If there is a quiet part of the ceremony where no one is speaking please make sure there is some background audio from one of the recorders even if its just congregation noises.
• Please make sure that if you use plural eyes and some of the clips don’t sync with the software, sync them manually, especially if they are important clips.
• For the audio during the ceremony when cutting to different angles select times when there is a pause between paragraphs or the speaker is taking a breath rather than randomly cutting  mid sentence. It is easy to see this when the audio is detached from the video footage.

Audio For the Ceremony

• All audio files beginning with ‘c’ in the Audio Folder are the ceremony audio files.
• Import all audio files and rename them inFCPx with the original file name
• cReaders is  on the readers podium beside the alter.
• cReaders2 may appear at some ceremonies if there is a second podium beside the alter.
• cGroom is  on the groom.
• cPriest or cCelebrant is on the priest or celebrant.
• cMusic  is  for the band / singers
• cAlter is a back up  recorder placed on the alter behind the flowers to pick up the priest/celebrant. We rarely use this option in the edit.
• cRoaming  is a recorder attached to the main mic the priest or celebrant uses for the vows.  This option is not available at every wedding.
• cSpeaker1  and cSpeaker2  are backup  recorders located near the church speakers. They are rarely used in the edit, normally if one of the main audio sources is poor quality or fails. Sometimes the church speakers are too high for us to reach so we just leave them in random places so the quality can be poor depending on the venue.
• Overlap audio tracks  for a smooth transition.
• Some times it may be necessary to have two audio tracks at once, such as the groom and the priest  for the vows.
• Please  ensure that the audio is level throughout the ceremony, so the audio tracks are between -6 and -12 db so the viewer doesn’t need to continuously adjust the volume levels on their device.
• Detach audio from the video clips for easy access for edit and viewing.
• 5 second audio in/fade out at the beginning/end of ceremony.

 

Typical sequence of events for Irish Catholic Weddings;

walking down aisle
lighting Candles / Introduction from priest (either can be first)
Reading 1 (Guest)
Music between readings
Reading 2 (Guest)
Gospel
Homily
Vows
lighting candles
Prayer of news married couple (most ceremonies, not all)
Prayers of the faithful (Guests)
Mothers brings up the gifts
Consecration/communion
Communion Reflection
Closing prayer/thoughts from priest.

 

After the Ceremony (Highlights)

• This footage usually appears in the ‘sign2sit’ folder
• It is not a multicam edit
• Short clips of signing of the register are fine, 3-4secs. There is usually 5 people signing, bride, groom, celebrant/priest and two witnesses, please include all people when possible.
• After the signing, there is usually a formal shot of the bridal party, please include if available.
• All the audio from these clips can be reduced.
• After the signing include as much usable footage of the bride and groom coming down the aisle .
• There are usually a wide back up camera angle and a hand held zoom shot;  cut between both if possible.
• Use audio from the camera for the guests cheering & applauding as they walk down the aisle.

 

The Greeting Line (Multicam)

• This footage is normally in a ‘greeting line’ folder but may appear in the ‘sign2sit’ folder.
• There is usually 2 angles; a wide on the crowd and 2-3 min angle on bride and groom for the most important guests such as bridal party and family.
• I want all the greeting line included when possible except for shaky bits and when the camera is blocked. Please cut between both angles.
• Please try not to include clips of the photographer/videographer taking gear out of the church after the ceremony and when guests stand in front and block the camera for over 2 seconds or if the couple are just standing there looking awkward.
• Add a dissolve transition when you cut the greeting line to avoid jump cuts.
• You can finish the greeting line as they meet the last few people.
• You don’t need to mix candid shots of guests during the greeting line; they can just be included all together afterwards.

 

After the Greeting Line (Highlights)

• These clips appear in the ‘sign2sit’ folder.
• 2-3 second clips are usually good.
• Include all shots of people laughing and having a good time.
• Don’t use shots of people with bad expressions, coughing, scratching noses, looking bored etc.
• If it is just an average shot of people talking, not smiling etc keep it less than 2 seconds
• If there is video clips of the family photograph session they can be longer, 3-4 seconds. 

 

The Photo Location (Highlights)

• These clips appear in the ‘sign2sit’ folder.
• 2-3 second clips unless it is a very interesting shot like bride and groom walking or people laughing. 
• The shaking of the champagne shot can be as long as need be to show all the animation of the bridal party.

 

The Wedding Reception (Highlights)

• These clips appear in the ‘sign2sit’ folder.
• Use audio from the crowd if they are gathered for the bride and grooms arrival.
• There is usually two parts to the wedding reception, the first is the drinks reception which is usually in the lobby or bar of the hotel or sometimes outside if the weather is good.  The second part is after the bell is rang and guests enter the dining room and sit for dinner.
• Ideally there should be a bell ringing shot and/or guests looking at the table plan and/or  guests walking into the room to seperate the two parts of the reception.

 

The Entrance (Multicam)

• The wedding reception section should finish with shots of bridal party and bride and groom entering the room and sitting at the top table.
• This sequence is usually shot with 4 cameras; wide at door, wide over room, gimbal, and top table angle. If the speeches start straight away the angles may be different for insurance.
• Use the full audio from the hotel manager welcoming them into the room.
• Please include the full bridal party and not just the bride and groom entering the room.
• The sequence ends when the bride and groom are seated and the music stops.

The Speeches (Multicam)

• The speeches are usually captured with 4 cameras. The edit should cut every 10-15 seconds during the speeches with a little less emphasis on the wide camera angle.
• The speeches should start when the hotel manager gives the mic to the best man or applause rather than beginning when the father of the bride speaking.
• Clips can be 10-15 seconds long.
• Don’t cut clips in a continuous pattern /sequence. eg cam1/cam2/cam3/cam4/cam1/cam2/cam3/cam4/cam1/cam2/cam3/cam4/  over and over again- please mix them up.
• 3-4 seconds on the bride and groom can be enough unless there is a lot of animation. I think it is just awkward for them to watch if the clips are too long.
• Cut to crowd cam for applause and laughter. 
• Please include every second of the speeches, there is no need to cut out parts in between speakers.
• If there is grace before or after the meal you can include it but you do not need to cut it. I can cut it if I decide to leave it in.
• Make sure there is no shots that include the photographer or videographer where possible. If you do please mark them so I will clearly see it.
• The speeches sequences finish on applause.
• 5 second audio fade in/out at the beginning/end of speeches.

• Speeches Audio

• There is two Sony recorders attached to the mic, usually labeled speeches1 and speeches 2
• One recorder is usually pointing up towards the speakers mouth and the other down so there is a slight difference in levels.
• Sometimes we have to mic each speaker individually depending on the venue so there may be 4-5 audio files.
• The audio should be just one long clip, it should not be cut up.
• Detach the audio from the video footage similar to the ceremony
• For the speeches audio when cutting to different angles select times when there is a pause between paragraphs or the speaker is taking a breath rather than randomly cutting  mid sentence. It is easy to see this when the audio is detached from the video footage.
• 5 second audio fade in/out at the beginning/end of speeches.

 

Evening Footage (Highlights)

• Most weddings will include some evening footage that usually help bridge the speeches with the dancing.
• The clips can be approx 2 seconds long and all the files appear in the ‘Evening’ folder.
• The ‘cutting of the cake’  footage is usually in this folder, they can be longer clips.
• If there is a couple photography session they can be mixed in with this footage.

 

Dancing (Both Multicam +Highlights)

• FIRST DANCE
• The first dance is multicam, the rest of the footage is highlight clips.
• Include audio from the band introducing the bride and groom on to the floor for the first dance.
• The dancing is usually captured with 2 cameras; one high and wide, the other with gimbal.
• Clips are normally 3-10 seconds depending on how good they are but they can be a lot longer for the first dance.
• I want the first dance delivered as a multicam edit, using as much as the manned camera as possible. Only cut where it is shaky or out of focus or there is a nice clean wide shot.
• If there is a father daughter dance or Mother son dance also include these in full if possible. This very rarely happens.

 

• DANCING HIGHLIGHTS
• After the first dance is over you can just cut highlight clips of the rest of the dance footage, not multicam. There is usually about 3-5 minutes worth. Again clips are normally 3-10 seconds long but if there is a good clip that is only one second include it as I can use slow motion to make it longer.
• Dance footage is very important to me as it is the final part of the film the the couple will watch so I want them to finish on a high.
• There are usually two audio sources, TheDance1 and TheDance1, if they are not available use the audio from the wide static camera.
• Finish the dance sequence with a wide angle if there is a good crowd on the floor.
• Use 6-8 good  wide shots to mix up with the highlight clips.
• Don’t use wide angle shots where the photographer/videographer are the first thing you see / are very noticeable.
• 5 second audio fade in/out at the beginning/end of dance footage.

 

 

Completion Delivery Details

Upload file to dropbox, google drive or similar

Deliver XML file by email in new email with the couples names as the subject.

Please note any issues/ problems faced with the edit in the email or any clips you marked for my attention.

If you are using Plural Eyes include all the audio drift files.

Never delete project files until I confirm I am happy and I have delivered the project to the client.

Please read this brief before delivery to ensure projects are completed correctly.