"Summer at the Beach" personal video project
We vacation at the beach every summer... this year, I wanted my kids to have more than just photos to remember it by. I'm not a videographer and don't proclaim to be any sort of expert, but I'm very proud of this video for one reason: it makes all of us smile. :) My kids laugh and sing along as they watch, and I know they'll enjoy it even more throughout the years.
The video was pretty easy to shoot... I used my Nikon D800 with the 50mm 1.4G lens (the only lens I brought to the beach). I handheld it most of the time- my brother is a producer of a reality TV show and told me that "dirty video" is really in right now (lol), so I didn't worry about shake. After All, many times I was laughing too hard to hold the camera super steady. :) Then I used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit. From start to finish, this video took me one week to make.
A few personal notes about the video:
1. The very first part was the first footage I took. It was important to keep this part because it was my kids' first moments running out to the beach and they were so excited. You can hear Sasha scream, "Freedom!!" lol!
2. Most of the footage was authentic and unstaged. There were a few exceptions... for example, there is one part where Sophie opens the blinds (love that part). I was lying in bed and she opened the blinds to see the beach. I noticed the gorgeous light, grabbed my camera and asked her to do it again. I'm glad I did that, because Sophie ended up doing that each morning :)
3. The first draft of the video included only clips of the kids. Then I realized that I'd likely regret that one day, and that it was important for my husband and I to be in the video too. I know my kids will cherish having video footage of us one day. So special thanks to my mom and my husband for filming those parts.
4. There is a clip with Sasha in a pink dress on the beach. I kept the sound because what she said was so cute, "Who's photographing me? Ohhhh It's my MOM!!" :)
5. I also left the sound in the clip of the kids goofing around inside. You can hear me laughing at the end. I want my kids to know how much they made me laugh...
6. Special thanks to Colbie Caillat for allowing me to license "Brighter than the Sun" which was the perfect song for this video. And also a big thank you to "Sol" the golden retriever and to his owners who let my kids play with him on the beach!
7. My VERY favorite part of the entire video is the part with Sophie holding the shell, and when I pan up to her happy proud face, the lyrics are, " 'cause your so damn beautiful". We were looking for two things on the beach: shells/rocks shaped like hearts, and shells with holes so we could make necklaces. Sophie actually found this shell with a heart shaped hole! I cry every time during this part of the video. (If you have a favorite part, I'd love to know what it is... )
I don't accept comments on this blog, but I'm happy to answer questions if you leave one in a comment on the post about the video on the Florabella Facebook page. Again, I'm not an expert and still learning, but I'm happy to share about my experience making this video because it was so rewarding (I'd challenge everyone to make one this summer - you won't regret it)! Since the point is to make something fun and special, it really doesn't matter what you shoot it with... in fact, I think I'll try using my iPhone for my next video. And you can even edit it using iMovie on your iPad. The point is, to just do it. :)
Have volume turned up :)
The video was pretty easy to shoot... I used my Nikon D800 with the 50mm 1.4G lens (the only lens I brought to the beach). I handheld it most of the time- my brother is a producer of a reality TV show and told me that "dirty video" is really in right now (lol), so I didn't worry about shake. After All, many times I was laughing too hard to hold the camera super steady. :) Then I used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit. From start to finish, this video took me one week to make.
A few personal notes about the video:
1. The very first part was the first footage I took. It was important to keep this part because it was my kids' first moments running out to the beach and they were so excited. You can hear Sasha scream, "Freedom!!" lol!
2. Most of the footage was authentic and unstaged. There were a few exceptions... for example, there is one part where Sophie opens the blinds (love that part). I was lying in bed and she opened the blinds to see the beach. I noticed the gorgeous light, grabbed my camera and asked her to do it again. I'm glad I did that, because Sophie ended up doing that each morning :)
3. The first draft of the video included only clips of the kids. Then I realized that I'd likely regret that one day, and that it was important for my husband and I to be in the video too. I know my kids will cherish having video footage of us one day. So special thanks to my mom and my husband for filming those parts.
4. There is a clip with Sasha in a pink dress on the beach. I kept the sound because what she said was so cute, "Who's photographing me? Ohhhh It's my MOM!!" :)
5. I also left the sound in the clip of the kids goofing around inside. You can hear me laughing at the end. I want my kids to know how much they made me laugh...
6. Special thanks to Colbie Caillat for allowing me to license "Brighter than the Sun" which was the perfect song for this video. And also a big thank you to "Sol" the golden retriever and to his owners who let my kids play with him on the beach!
7. My VERY favorite part of the entire video is the part with Sophie holding the shell, and when I pan up to her happy proud face, the lyrics are, " 'cause your so damn beautiful". We were looking for two things on the beach: shells/rocks shaped like hearts, and shells with holes so we could make necklaces. Sophie actually found this shell with a heart shaped hole! I cry every time during this part of the video. (If you have a favorite part, I'd love to know what it is... )
I don't accept comments on this blog, but I'm happy to answer questions if you leave one in a comment on the post about the video on the Florabella Facebook page. Again, I'm not an expert and still learning, but I'm happy to share about my experience making this video because it was so rewarding (I'd challenge everyone to make one this summer - you won't regret it)! Since the point is to make something fun and special, it really doesn't matter what you shoot it with... in fact, I think I'll try using my iPhone for my next video. And you can even edit it using iMovie on your iPad. The point is, to just do it. :)
Have volume turned up :)