Same day edit from last weekend's wedding

Woo hoo!!

Last weekend marked a monumental day in TruVision Media; we did our first same day edit reception montage.

If you're not familiar with a same day edit (SDE), it's when a videographer (typically at a wedding) shows edited footage from earlier in the day at the reception (via a projector and big screen)

I know.

"And?!"

It's sound simple I know, but it can be (and was) quite stressful.




A couple of things to consider for Same Day Edits:

1) Time - Depending on how much coverage you're going to show, you're going to need the time to upload....edit...AND encode. Some SDEs I've seen show everything up until the vows. Pretty amazing considering receptions are typically an hour or so after the ceremony. And sometimes immediately after.

2) Coverage - Remember, the wedding is still going on and you still have to capture footage. If you don't have partners to back you up, then you could miss something. Although nothing major happens in between the ceremony and reception (typically just picture taking), some B/G want you at there side 24/7 regardless.

3) Place to work - Unfortunately we don't have a trailer to work out of, so the best you can hope for is a quiet coffee shop (which means no Starbucks..haha) with outlets.

4) Editing - Because of the time factor, you need to streamline this process. I suggest using a song that will pretty much go with any footage you have (enya anyone?) and using jump cuts (no cheesy transitions). And don't worry about the effects. The couple will be so impressed with the fact that the footage playing is from earlier in the day that they won't care if you didn't include a few checkerboard transitions : p


Well last weekend we had a 3hr break between the ceremony and reception. And we didn't need any coverage as the B/G went back to their hotel to chill until the reception.

My partner and I found a quiet cafe/lunch spot equipped with more than enough electrical outlets. We walked in, I told the person working there that we would be there for a few hours and we went to work. We had lunch and a few drinks, so they were cool with it. Funny how everyone that walked in was curious to see what we were doing (something about a 17" laptop gets people's attention).

It was my first time, so it definitely helped to have my partner there to collaborate with. Most editors go at it alone, while their partner(s) continue to shoot. I can tell you first hand, editing with a timeframe is very stressful. I can't imagine doing that alone.

The great thing about it was our client's ....a) didn't expect it....and...b) didn't pay for it. So it was all icing for them. For all they knew, all we had was a picture slideshow to present (not included with the SDE now...possibly upload it this week). So if things hadn't turned out well at the cafe, we would've abandoned ship and just showed the slideshow.

Well, it did work out and our clients were very impressed.

Whew!!

Enjoy!

Comments pleeeease!

Al