Love In
Slow-Motion
The well-known idiom ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ rings most true on your wedding day. From walking down the aisle and hugging well-wishers, to your first dance as newlyweds – your wedding day can go by in the blink of an eye. Amidst these fast-paced moments of pure joy, your videographer is there to capture every second. And what better way to soak in your marital bliss than with the romance and poignancy of slow-motion film? In conversation with Andrew Dinh – At Last Film & Photography’s Creative Director – Lucy Wadelton and Penny Robinson explore the movement and life that slow-motion can bring to wedding videography.
Photography by At Last Film & Videography
Chasing A Moment
There are few events in one’s life more cinematic than a wedding day. Surrounded by friends and family, the loved-up couple find themselves centre stage. Now, with the proliferation of advanced technology, it’s possible for your wedding to be captured like the feature film it felt like on the day – and even slow certain moments down to relive them over and over again. A perfect, moving technique for wedding videography, slow-motion film was invented in the early twentieth century by Austrian priest August Musger, and is “such a unique choice to make for a video edit,” says wedding videography expert, Andrew Dinh. “Time on a wedding day just moves far too quickly and you’ll have moments that should be slowed down and felt.” By choosing those special moments to draw out, your wedding video can offer a new perspective and effectively allows you to experience time differently to how you ever would in real life. While the memories of your wedding day will never fade, a great videographer will create a keepsake of those especially soul-stirring slow-motion moments for you to cherish and share forevermore.
Baby, Let’s Slow Down Time
When Dinh is editing a wedding video, the decision over which moments to make slow-motion, and which to run at a normal speed is “absolutely instinctual”. In fact, he goes so far as to say that “to apply a blanket rule would be foolish”. Each wedding film is unique to every couple; their personalities, love story and celebrations heavily impact the final pace and feel of the film. That being said, Dinh highlights moments he often finds that truly shine in slow-motion. The first is the kiss at the ceremony: “The culmination of your morning getting ready, your meaningful
vows and your sacred religious traditions lead to this moment. It’s the physical declaration of love and unity that often deserves to be stretched out and felt.” The second is a stunning display like sparklers or fireworks: “They’re absolutely visually fascinating. Seeing these moving slow-motion draws significance to the emotion of the moment,” notes Dinh and are honestly “just really cool to see in slow-motion, especially if you and your partner are dancing through them.” The last is less tangible and requires the wisdom of an experienced videographer to capture – moments of emotional vulnerability. “There are rarely any days where you and your loved ones will be in such genuine and warm moods. You might see tears and expressions you might never have expected. These moments are often fleeting but hold deep meaning and are well worth stretching out.”
Another example of well utilised slow-motion can come from the opening shots within a wedding video. Scenic shots of sprawling landscapes captured with drones or camera stabilisers can serve as a stunning, cinematic introduction to your special day. By opting for slow motion in these instances, the beauty of your venue can be put into sharp focus, giving the viewer an opportunity to take in every detail that’s captured. This can be especially useful for an outdoor or destination wedding, displaying the picturesque locale in stunning slow motion, before transitioning into the ceremony itself.
Turn Off The World
To ensure the use of slow-motion doesn’t lose its impact within a wedding video, Dinh recommends utilising the function sparingly and only for moments that hold emotional significance. “If you use it for everything then it’s no longer special, nor does it stand out,” he explains. His main advice
is to try not to use slow-motion too often, and to be calculating when you do. This is because it can really slow down the pace of an edit and “even slow down exciting moments so that they lose that sense of bombastic exhilaration”. Ensure that the footage you decide to slow down are full of movement and dimension that can be lifted, rather than hindered, by the slow-motion effect. “Be careful using slow-motion for moments that are already slow or without much movement of camera or subject. This can just feel a bit too static or photo-like,” the videographer aptly explains. When used correctly, a wedding film’s slow motion augment a loving look or a private moment and magnify the sense of intimacy within the frame.
“It’s not easy to capture a day with many moments that only happen once, not to mention capturing it well,” Dinh admits. On the day itself, the videographer needs to be efficient, and follow their instinct to capture the right moments at the right time without interfering with the magical memories as they form. He is candid when he describes the job as stressful, but that there’s “real meaning in the work”. “I’m privileged to be able to be with someone during some of the most meaningful moments of their life,” he explains. Once in the editing room, the challenge continues – choosing when to montage or focus on an instant. With slow-motion, the craft is strategic, and can elevate a wedding video to new heights. At the end of the day, when the videographer has looked back on the film he’s created for the wedding couple it all becomes worth it. “The hours upon hours of work suddenly become light on your shoulders because you’ve given a gift that is going to hold meaning for a lifetime, maybe longer,” he affirms. “It’s a beautiful and humbling experience that helps to remind me of what’s really important in life.”