Molten Sky Documentary Video Edit

Sample Documentary Films

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

Link to Music for Wedding Videos

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_DakujttHAFz2CB41fRoUa5KK8XJevxQ?usp=sharing

Delivery Details

I usually deliver by dropbox or hard drive.

I will include the folder size so you know you have downloaded the correct amount. If I forget to include it please ask for the total.

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.

Also create a dropbox/google drive folder where you can drop all the xmls for every project and send me the link so I can bookmark it for easy access.

You will be paid straight away or as soon as I get back to the office, its very rare I don’t pay within 24 hours.

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.

Delivery 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

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.

Fix exposure and white balance on all clips.

I usually only use transitions/dissolves when switching between locations or showing the passage of time.

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 it very little.

If there is video of family photos or bridal party photos mix them in with other footage rather than have them in a row.

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, try and keep them between -12 and -6 db

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

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

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

If you are using plural eyes to sync the multicam footage please send the audiodrift files when you are delivering the xml/library.

Project Structure

All Audio and video files should be imported into the sidebar so I can see them in the browser.

The project should appear in the timeline, not on it, like illustrated in the image below;

Clip Duration

1-2 seconds is long enough for static b roll shots. If they are shaky, convert to slow motion or use the hold option.

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.

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.

Morning Preparation

Open with outside establishing location shots with drone if available.
We usually shoot a few nature shots, flowers, trees, cows, sheep etc. include a few of these after the drone at the start when available.
Followed by 2-3 detail shots eg dress, shoes ring, flowers etc.
Ideally the first person to appear should always be the bride when possible, not family or bridesmaids.
Continue edit in chronological order mixing b roll in every few clips.
If there is lots of usable drone footage, clips can be randomly mixed in with the rest of the footage.
If there is groom preparation coverage, mix 3-4 clip sets with the bridal footage. The groom should also be the first person to appear in these sequences.
Clips for the groom prep can be a little longer (3-4 seconds) as there is usually less coverage time than the bride.
If there is a sequence of make up/hair shots start wide and finish tight.
Introduce the church footage before the bride gets into here dress and then every 5-6 shots add 2-3 shots of the bride prep.
Groom prep should end before the church footage begins.
Pop music for background audio

Before the Ceremony

Open with outside establishing location shots (there is usually drone coverage) followed by inside shots of the church/room, flowers candles etc.
Ideally the first person shot should be the groom if possible, although it is ok to have shots of people arriving at the ceremony before the groom if they appear this way naturally.
Continue in chronological order mixing b roll and done shots in every few clips.
There are usually 4 cameras for the ceremony, sometimes two cameras are set of and run for a few minutes before the ceremony begins. . Please skim through the static cameras and take a few clips for each, the groom hugging people, looking at his watch, laughing with the groom’s men etc.
Be very careful of continuity when using these clips and be aware of chronological order. Don’t have the church almost full in one shot and then half empty in a few shots later.
These angles can be useful to mix in with the brides arrival footage.
The bride arriving at the church is a good opportunity to build up tension and anticipation.
When bride arrives cut every few shots between the bride and groom while he is at the altar. If there is a shortage of groom shots waiting at the alter, mix in a few shots of the guests, I don’t want lots of bride or groom shots in a row.
Ideally the last shot is of the bride or groom before the ceremony footage begins.

Audio for Prep and before the Ceremony

Audio for all the clips is usually set to -15-20db.
If there are loud noises such as hair dryers, the photographer talking or sudden bangs in the highlights section just mute the clip.
The volume can be increased for clips with laughter, champagne popping etc.
Pop music for background audio

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.
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.
cReaders is a Tascam recorder on the readers podium on the alter with a lav mic.
cPulpit may appear at some ceremonies if there is a second podium on the alter.
cGroom is a Tascam recorder and lav mic on the groom. Both Tascam recorders have two audio files at different audio levels, choose the most suitable.
cPriest is a Sony recorder on the priest or celebrant.
cMusic is a Sony recorder for the band / singers
cAlter is a back up Sony 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 Sony recorder attached to the main mic the priest uses for the vows. This option is not available at every wedding.
cSpeaker1 and cSpeaker2 are backup Sony 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 when necessary 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.
I like to detach audio from the video clips for easy access.
5 second audio fade out at the 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 (Psalms)
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

This footage usually appears in the ‘sign2sit’ folder
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 as possible.
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.
Pop music for background audio

The Greeting Line (Multicam)

This footage is normally in a ‘greeting line’ folder but may appear in the ‘sign2sit’ folder.
I want all the greeting line included when possible except for shaky bits and when the camera is blocked.
Usually the first few minutes are shot with two cameras so please cut between both.
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.
Pop music for background audio

After the Greeting Line

These clips appear in the ‘sign2sit’ folder.
Place the 5-6 strongest shots first, usually people laughing and having a good time.
2-3 second clips are usually good.
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, mix them in with the candid guests shots rather than present them in a sequence.
Try to finish with a wide shot of the location if it is available.
Pop music for background audio

The Photo Location

These clips appear in the ‘sign2sit’ folder.
Start with b roll location establishing shot if available and then champagne shots.
The shaking of the champagne shot can be as long as need be to show all the animation of the bridal party.
Mix up the order of the couple shots with the candid bridal party shots.
If there is a set of groomsmen shots and bride’s maid’s shots in a row, mix them up rather than having all the shots of the girls in a row and then all the shots of the guys in a row.
I don’t want lots of couple shots in a row, it does not make very interesting footage, it becomes very repetitive and just awkward for them to watch. Try to mix them in with the b roll and bridal party shots.
Pop music for background audio

The Wedding Reception

These clips appear in the ‘sign2sit’ folder.
The wedding reception should ideally start with an outside establishing shot of the building and grounds followed by guests mingling mixed with details and b-roll such as the banquet room to set the scene before the bride and groom arrive. 8-10shots is ideal.
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.
Mix candid shots of guests with b-roll of location and dining room before they sit for dinner after the bell is rang.
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.
Pop music for background audio

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.
Fade out the pop music for the candids and 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.
The sequence usually ends when the bride and groom are seated and the music stops.

The Speeches

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 to the father of the bride speaking.
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.
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.
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 out at the end of speeches.

Evening Footage

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.
If there is video of group photos mix them in with the other footage rather than one after another.
If there is a couple photography session they can be mixed in with this footage.
Pop music for background audio

Dancing (Multicam)

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.
If there is a father daughter dance or Mother son dance also include these in full if possible. This very rarely happens.
After the first dance is over you can just cut highlight clips of the rest of the dance footage. 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 4-5 random 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.
The video should close with an outside shot if there is one available
5 second audio fade out at the end of dance footage.