Hi, and welcome to the wedding filmmaker spotlight series, where I review the best wedding filmmakers in the business. The point of the show is to analyze and figure out what makes these films so great. In this episode, I’m going to be reviewing a film by Costa Sister Productions.

 

Music is everything

The first thing I want to talk about with regards to this film and this style of film is that music is absolutely everything. This is what I would call a punk style, or music video style wedding film, where there’s not really any narrative audio. That is, there’s no audio from the guests or from the couple. It’s just the song. So, obviously the song is really, really important. And the song in this video is Epic. So the song is a big part of making this style of video work. If you’re going to be making a video like this the majority of the the editing time is really going to be spent finding that perfect song.

 

Cutting on movement

The next thing you want to do, if you want to create a film like this is you’re going to want to cut on movement. That’s a part of the shooting style, but it’s also a part of the editing. It’s not just quick movements and it’s not really cut to the beat or anything like that. It’s really just cutting on movement. Everything you see in this video iis moving and that is a big part of what gives the film its energy. It’s not just the song, or the cuts, it’s also the way the filmmakers are adding movement into the shots when filming it. They are constantly adding movement into their shots. If there is a static scene they shoot it handheld. If there is a sign, they don’t just shoot the sign, they go and shoot the sign with a handheld pan and then speed it up in post. This creates constant movement in the film.

 

Non-linearity

They’re also creating interest through non-linearity. So the entire edit is not linear. It doesn’t start with prep and then the ceremony and then cocktails, and then the reception. It’s not a linear timeline. It actually starts at the end, then it goes to the end of the ceremony, and it keeps jumping around in the day. This way of editing is part of what is creating the feeling like this wedding being a fun and chaotic party. 

 

Expose for faces

Part of what makes the film feel so bright and energetic is the way that the filmmakers are exposing the images. I would say they’re not worried about letting things, like the sky go overexposed. Exposing like this gives the film an energy and mood which feels very punk in my opinion. Their images remind me of high-key flash photography, which I associate with punk bands and BTS band photos. I feel like this association suits the filmmakers and their brand very well. 

 

“Whip-pans”

One last thing I’d like to mention about this video is that the filmmakers are using “whip-pan” transitions; made popular I believe by Peter McKinnon. This is where the camera pans or tilts quickly in a direction before or after a scene has played out. It’s a fantastic way to create dynamic movement and seamless transitions in your films. Be warned this is a very stylistic technique and it could be distracting if this style is not what you’re going for. If this high energy style is what you’re going for though the “whip-pan” could be a great addition to your repertoire.   

 

So, what did you think about this Costa Sister Productions film? I personally love the punk music video, home movie vibe that they create. It’s high energy and it feels so fun and raw. If you want to go check out more of their work, go and check them out at costasisterproductions.co.uk.