In the field of wedding photography, fusion films are catching all the attention these days. Photographers these days merge their photography slideshows with short awesome video clips that they make. These “Fusion Films” have turned out to be huge hits as the clients just love them and they are obviously a priceless keepsake for them. But what if someone doesn’t have a camera that has an option to capture videos?
This is where the concept of stop motion film comes in. In simple words, instead of taking single shots, you shoot a series of images in sequence and then put them together to make a video. The clients love this concept if you just put some creativity in them and the films are really easy to make too. You just need to follow some basic steps and you can create a wedding film yourself.
1. Plan: Just like you have a list for the single shots you want to take, in the same you should also make a list for the sequences of the shots which you need to take. For example, you might want to go for:
- The bride getting her makeup done.
- The guys tying their ties.
- The first look the couple has at each other.
- The arrangement of the flowers being done.
- The interaction of the couple with each other like holding hands, dancing, making funny faces etc.
- The greetings being given by the well-wishers.
- The signing of the marriage certificate.
- The parents hugging their children after the ceremony.
- The party after the wedding, including pictures of dancing, running and jumping etc.
- And finally the exit.
2. Anticipate: One of the things really enjoyable about these stop motion photos, and which is not present in still photos, is that you are given the freedom to capture the expressions any way you like. You need to keep your eyes open for scenes where you can get some interactions among people and especially the couple as that would add much value to your movie.
3. Be prepared: One thing you need be prepared for is that you would be using a lot more memory than you anticipate. For example, if you are a guy who uses 15 Gig for taking single shots in a regular wedding, then you should be prepared to use about 10 Gig additionally. So you need to have an extra card ready with you because once you start the photo shoot you don’t want to be embarrassed by running low on memory.
4. Using light: An important aspect for making stop motion films is to remember that while shooting you would require some good and natural lighting to take these photos. Your flash usually won’t be able to keep up with a burst of shots that you take in a sequence, so make sure you have natural light around.
5. The tech specs: To take good pictures in a stop motion sequence, the following settings might be helpful for your camera:
- Set the shutter speed to priority so while shooting your aperture settings don’t bother you.
- Switch the camera to the multiple shots mode to capture the required number of images in a sequence.
- If you don’t want to use a slower shutter speed and still want to have images that are evenly exposed then set your camera to ISO 250.
6. Sequence Lengths: When you are in the post processing phase, you will speed up your images. Therefore if you take about 6-7 images for a sequence they will not be good enough. To make a good sequence the photographers Edinburgh should at least capture 15-25 photos of it.
7. Post processing: There are various Slideshow programs that you can use to put your sequences in order together. These films can also be created in iMovie. Following is a typical workflow that would help you get an idea about how you’re supposed to carry yours out:
- First import a single sequence of images.
- Then set the timings for the images. The timings are normally from 0.3 seconds to 0.5 seconds.
- Now export each of the sequences as a clip.
- Make a new project.
- Import the single images first and set the timing for them. The timing can be 2 seconds on average.
- Add transitions.
- Drag the clips and drop them on the Timeline wherever they need to be. Fix the timing; add music and you’re done!
Conclusion
You just created a stop motion film for your wedding photography Edinburgh! With time you will keep getting better. Therefore make sure to make many films before you make one for your clients. Once you’re familiar enough, you will start to add your own creativity to the films to make them unique!
