Maria & Andrew

As you may have noticed, we can be a bit ambitious. With Maria and Andrew we took it to a different level with an idea we had in our pocket for quite a while. We had always wanted of make a video over multiple seasons. It required some long-term planning as our first shoot would be around 8 months prior to the wedding. We originally entered into the process imagining multiple transitions that switched between the seasons, however it soon became apparent that it wouldn’t be as special seeing it too many times, and we wanted a powerful ending.

So much about what we do as storytellers is to understand structure and pacing, and many times a rule that comes into place is ‘less is more’. Take a look at the final transition scene and you’ll realize that it has much more impact since it was the only one of its kind. If we had used multiple versions throughout the video, that ending wouldn’t have as much power. So we decided to break it up and build up. There is one quick fall/winter intercutting of throwing leaves/snow but it’s a short and quick moment as opposed to the more serene and emotional one at the end which culminates in a final wedding-day shot. And yes, we did go back to the same locations each time to recreate the same shots!

Structure: We start with one fall reveal shot to set the tone of what’s to come. The video begins with Maria’s prep. We kept a shot from the behind the stair banister to rhyme with a similar angle to be used in the groom section later on. Then we continue with a split of segments in this order: a fall segment, groom prep, winter segment, first look, ceremony, final montage, and ending with a multi-season shot. There, now you see our outline :P

We surprisingly ended up using a variety of transitions in this video. The opening shot used the sky to seamlessly enter the bride prep. The next 3 segments use a hard cut, but matching the camera motions (a cross dissolve or wipe didn’t just didn’t feel right). We used a whip pan to leave the prep/season segments to enter the first look. A fade out from the first look before the ceremony. Lastly, we used elements to wipe between the final shots (vail to fall, leaf to winter, snowflake to spring).

There’s even more small details we could tell you about, but hopefully you’ll pick up on them yourself…or just sit back and enjoy :)

creative montage // same day edit //