Same-Day Editing with Kevin Shahinian

Acclaimed videographer Kevin Shahinian, known for his highly sophisticated wedding and concept videos, added same-day edits to his business, Pacific Pictures, in 2009. As a destination shooter, he’s acquired a near 100 percent Hindu and South-Asian clientele, which means (as if shooting, editing and presenting a 3- to 5-minute wedding video all on the big day wasn’t enough) he’s working with footage that spans over two or three days, from pre-wedding day activities to the often elaborate ceremony.

“We want to tell a story and make it personal, but at the same time we want to make it impressive and entertaining,” says Shahinian. To tackle this undertaking, he partners up with a second shooter and an editor, and, equipped with the essentials—Canon 5D Mark IIIs and Final Cut Pro 7 or Adobe Premiere (the team often doesn’t bother with lighting because most of these high-budget weddings are so extravagantly lit that it’s hardly necessary)—they tackle one of the trickiest video offerings.

Before the Gig
Shahinian starts by deciding on the concept of the shoot (an underlying plot or theme, inspired by the couple’s story) and picks the video’s music, usually from musicbed.com or songfreedom.com. He then goes to the shoot’s location a day before shooting and films establishing shots.

Pre-Wedding Events
Filming and “rough-cutting” footage (quick, preliminary editing) on his laptop, Shahinian is joined by the editor during the pre-wedding festivities to get familiar with the material that’s been shot so far. The second shooter arrives shortly after and prepares to help Shahinian cover the big day.

The Ceremony
Shahinian and the second shooter cover the entire day, from the getting-ready period onward. They’re looking for key shots, which are different for Hindu
weddings—to have done his job well, Shahinian says, he and his team need to get the bride’s parents giving her away to the groom’s family, and the groom placing the necklace around the bride.

Putting it Together
Equipped with their own laptops, each shooter rough-cuts his or her own footage from the day to give to the editor, who’s set nearby. “I used to hand everything over to the editor at once and stand there while we cut the footage together,” Shahinian says, “but having each shooter rough-cut is so much faster; they know where their best shots are.”

If the couple’s asked for the 45-minute video that Pacific Pictures offers, the team’s dealing with a whole new beast; they’ll have to edit the unmanned safe cameras they’ve set up around the venue that are filming the entire event.

Luckily, there’s typically a 3- to 4-hour break right after the ceremony, which for Shahinian and his team is a godsend; they use this time to huddle up and rough-cut as much footage as possible, with the “master project” living on the editor’s computer. Once it’s all done, they get ready to present it at the client’s wedding reception.

The wedding of Avni and Abhishek became a big affair in Utah. “I don’t think Salt Lake City has had a wedding like that ever,” Shahinian says. “The father of the bride is a prominent member in the community. He has standing with the governor, so there were secret service agents. It was extra pressure, and they invited 800 or 900 people, but I was feeling good about it; I knew what their plans were for the wedding, like the hot air balloon, so I had ideas ready for scenes.” Photos © Pacific Pictures

Shahinian’s Takehome Tips
1. Work as a second shooter or editor first. Observing the day as a shooter helped him figure out how he’d want to conduct his own process.
2. Test yourself before you start. Shoot and assemble at least two same-day edits before offering them, just to see how they go.
3. Invest in high-performing gear and people. Fast hard drives, up-to-date laptops and a team that’s used to working under pressure will lower the stress level.
4. Get backup for blowout weddings. Shahinian has used a DJI Phantom drone for establishing shots, and
he hires an operator to man a 20- to 25-foot jib.
5. Save color-correcting for last. Make sure you have time to edit everything the way you want it, and color-correct if there’s time.

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