Cabo Shoot by Vlad

 

Cabo wedding from Vladimir Chaloupka on Vimeo

Some might think 5 days in Cabo as a sort of vacation, but when you’re a one man crew carrying 2 tripods and 3 cameras it can be quite a challenge. Chris and Tamra’s wedding, a lavish 5-day affair shot in Oct. 2007 in Cabo San Lucas, was my first shoot with the Canon XH-A1 and first time editing with Final Cut Pro after having used Adobe Premiere for a few years. My backup cameras were the Canon HV20 and Sony HC7, so during the ceremony, for example, I was able to set up these small cameras on tripods as I roamed around with the XH-A1 on a Steady Stick. That way I could cut to one of the tripod cams while changing position with the main cam.

The entire event was also documented by a crew from the WE TV for their Platinum Weddings show. I think it was 3 shooters, a sound guy and a producer (man, maybe it’s time I hire some help for some of these weddings of mine!)

For the opening sequence I wanted something different and fast paced, so I used a drum sequence from Videocopilot and as the bride is walking down the aisle, it’s as if she’s imagining what will happen in the future–thought that was kind of cool! For the rest of the edit I used a techno beat from Triple Scoop Music.

Of course the trip wouldn’t have been the same if I hadn’t been joined by two extraordinary photographers, Ben Chrisman and Brett Butterstein. These guys are amazing and I always shoot better when I’m on assignment with one of them. At 2:02 into the video, Ben is almost dragged into the swimming pool by the groom!! With a couple of 5Ds and lenses around his neck this would not have been a great way to end the night, but Ben’s masterful Ninja skills allowed him to escape unscathed, but a close call for sure!!!

 

Vladimir Chaloupka