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Weddings & Events

Discussion in 'MōVI Pro' started by Chris Jack, Mar 28, 2017.

  1. Chris Jack

    Chris Jack New Member

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    Hi All,

    I have a quick question and was hoping that someone who owns or uses a Movi Pro might be able to help. I run a fairly high end wedding and events filming company and was considering purchasing a Movi Pro. We have been using a Defy G2X for the last few years and it has proved itself to be very effective, however it is not powerful enough to run anything heavier than a Sony A7S with a 16-35mm. I would like to be able to use one of our 1DX mk2's on a gimbal and perhaps something heavier for future productions.
    My question is will the Movi Pro be just too big to run around with during a wedding/event? We like to be discreet and it worries me that it might be too imposing! One of the biggest selling points (perhaps rather sadly) is the fact it has feet! Its pretty exhausting running around with it all day and it would be great to be be able to put it down.

    Thanks for reading and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
     
  2. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Hi Chris:

    Firstly as a wedding photog, you have my respect. Brave soul.

    I'm not sure the MoVI Pro is as "noticeable" as if you showed up for the wedding shoot wearing shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and scuba fins, but it is pretty large and attention-getting (as you've doubtless seen from the YouTube videos featuring it). I'm not sure you could really "mingle" with the wedding party and not have folks feel that they were being observed by a large black insect with handlebars (I'm, of course, referring to the MoVI Pro, not you :) ).

    But as to the merits of using it for wedding photo/video shoots, I'll defer to those brave forum members who still shoot weddings (I decided there were easier things to do decades ago after a few Bridezilla melt-downs while I was shooting), but I think it would be tough.

    So Tabb? How about a "stealth" MoVI Pro, with either camo paint or white lace frou-frou bits to allow Chris to be stealthy during a wedding shoot?:rolleyes:

    All of that said, perhaps you could consider rent one for a wedding shoot or two and see if the entire wedding party starts to track you or whether they just ignore you entirely?

    Andy

    Forensic Software & sUAV / Drone Analyst : Photographer : Videographer : Pilot (Portland, Oregon, USA): Trees=2, Ground=1, Props=11. :(
    The Ground Is The Limit™
    ---------- Forensic Drone Analyst : Forensic sUAV Analyst : Forensic Unmanned Aircraft Analyst : Forensic Drone Expert
     
  3. Chris Jack

    Chris Jack New Member

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    Hi Andy,

    Thanks for the reply. Yup, i know what you mean, we do pride ourselves on being discreet and the size of the thing is a worry. We also do quite a bit of corporate work as well as events so the size isn't too much of an issue there. (We find quite a few of our clients, especially our Russian and Chinese clients find the size of the equipment reassuring. Ahem. The rental idea is a valid one though, I haven't rented anything in all the time we have been in business as a production company so not really au fait in how it works.

    The other option would be to go for a Ronin MX (I know I shouldn't discuss) as its smaller and lighter and I could get the ring with a couple of feet milled for the bottom as a stand. However after adding all the bits a pieces it starts to get a bit Heath Robinson. Thinking about it though, I guess with the ring it would be a similar size anyway. (Although half the price!).

    I have been looking for some instructional films or films of people actually using the thing but there do not seem to be very many?

    Anyhow, thanks for your reply and if you have any other eureka moments don't hesitate to let me know!

    Good luck with everything you do.

    Regards,

    Chris
     
  4. Josh Lambeth

    Josh Lambeth Well-Known Member

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    I haven't shot a wedding in 6 years but I did shoot one 3 weeks ago for a friend. I took the MoVI Pro with me and ended up only using it for about 35 minutes. It was to big and I felt like I was distracting guests so I put it away and just shot handheld the rest of the day/evening.

    Just my $.02

    Josh
     
  5. Chris Jack

    Chris Jack New Member

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    Hi Josh,

    Thanks for your reply and sorry for my late reply. (Been shooting in Austria for the last few days). Yup, size is my biggest worry. (Ahem). Although we do a lot of other work, our bread and butter is weddings and I don't want to pull focus from the couple. I would go for one of the other smaller stabilisers however I want something big enough to mount a 1dx mk2 on and something that I can put down! If you have any other recommendations I would much appreciate it!

    Thanks again for your reply and best of luck with your work.

    Chris
     
  6. Chris Jack

    Chris Jack New Member

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    A couple of other things... Is it possible to take the Pro out of its ring and attach it to the 'handlebars'? Another option I am considering is the M5 with the Adventure package (Ring, toad, etc). Any ideas how the sizes of these setups would relate to the Movi Pro?

    Feeling a little frustrated at he moment as I need to replace the G2X but am worried that the Movi Pro might be too large a package to be swinging about at events! However I don't want to invest in old technology!

    Any help or advice would be much appreciated!

    Cheers all,

    Chris
     
  7. Wayne Mann

    Wayne Mann Member

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    Hi Chris,

    Have you given any thought to maybe using something like the new Panasonic GH5 for the wedding video stuff? With it's sensor stabilization it is a very viable option for stealth video shooting in crowds. Put a speed booster on and some fast glass and it can hang with the best low light cameras. Guys are claiming that they are getting remarkable results handheld with 300 mm lenses.

    Wayne
     
  8. Chris Jack

    Chris Jack New Member

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    Hi Wayne,

    Thanks for your reply. Its really the colour science of the canon we prefer to pretty much everything else. The GH5 is a very capable camera that has a lot of features that really should be in the 5D and IDX range, however it is the low light capability that really lets it down in our humble opinion. We use an A7S on the Defy G2X and it looks fine, great low light, but I just don't like the image as much as that of the canon full frame range. Its also a pain in the butt to grade and match to the canons we already own. (C100's, C300's). Although we do a lot of weddings and events we also cover a lot of commercial work, so the stabiliser we decide on will need to cover all bases. (Or a least the best fit).

    I think we are going to wait until NAB 2017 in a couple of weeks before we make a decision to see what everyone comes up with.

    Thanks for your advice, its much appreciated.

    Regards,

    Chris Jack
     

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