The Pfister is Pfun

On Halloween this year we got the chance to work with Jason and Kate.  We had previously filmed Kate’s sister, Maggie’s wedding so we knew the whole experience would be fun and fun it was.  To make it even more enjoyable for us we got to work with Caitlyn from Expressive Photography.  We always enjoy working with Expressive and just have a blast the whole day working as a team.  Thank you Caitlyn for supplying the above image of Jason and Kate.

The wedding took place at Gesu Parish on the campus of Marquette University.  After the ceremony we were off to the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee to work on their Same Day Edit.  The Pfister Hotel is a very historic hotel and according to a TV news report on Friday, “anyone who is important in Milwaukee’s history has passed through the Pfister”.  To make it even more appropriate for a Halloween wedding many believe the Pfister is “haunted”.  NBA teams stay there when visiting and some players even sleep with baseball bats for protection.  The Pfister, what a Pfun place for a Halloween reception. 

After dinner was served the Same Day Edit played on the giant screen.  It was preceded by a nice slideshow created by the Jason’s mom.   What a Pfun day at the Pfister with Jason and Kate (and their whole family).  We felt like we were family for the day.

Ok…I know you want to see the Same Day Edit so here it is.

  Get the Flash Player to see this player.

 

Lets step “outside the box”

Lets step outside our box of usual bridal video thinking for a moment.  Back in July Sherry and our intern for the summer, Nicole attended a 2 day training class for cinematic shooting techniques held in Chicago.  The class was taught by one of our industry’s leaders, Jeff Wright of Blue Skies Cinema in California.  I was along as well to write an article about the class for our industry magazine Event DV.  What a great time.  The class had a few hours of class room time and then lots of hands on shooting with a model bride all around downtown Chicago.  The theme of the class was to help all the attendees get amazing footage to create a Bridal Spotlight video. 

You’re probably asking, “What’s a Bridal Spotlight video?”  A bridal spotlight is basically a bride in a dress showcasing her beauty in many places, some of which are not typical to wedding imagery.  You may be thinking about the Trash the Dress movement that swept the industry a few years ago.  This isn’t Trash the Dress but it does get it a little dirty.  It is trendy and not what you picture for a bridal video.

After the class was over Sherry mentioned we needed to have a practice day for ourselves.  We found a young lady from our church and set out to create a Bridal Spotlight video of our own.  Our goal was to make it very unique by filling it with footage shot completely in our hometown of Stoughton, Wisconsin.  It’s not urban Chicago but has some pretty cool locations if you think a little outside the box. 

Our footage was shot over 2 days in early August.  On the second day we got some photographer friends, Derrick and April of Creative Look Imagery, to come along and shoot stills for themselves.  They appear in a few scenes of the video as you will see.  Their images can be found on their blog at Creative Look Imagery.  Derrick and April did call the day a Trash the Dress shoot. 

Your probably thinking where a Bridal Spotlight video would fit into a wedding movie.  Well there are a couple of ways.  If  you are game an inexpensive dress could be obtained from a thrift store or the clearance rack at a bridal store and we could create the video to be shown at your reception.  Imagine the reaction of your guests at the reception if they viewed a video like this.  It would be entirely possible to incorporate the groom into a video like this as well.  All the fun stuff could be tailored to the interests you both share.   Another way to create the video would be after the wedding as an additional option.  You could use your actual dress or get another inexpensive one just for the shoot.   

This was a blast to shoot and the star of our video, Bethany, had a real blast.  She was amazing to work with and did a great job.  So the question is are you an “outside the box” kind of person.  If so we can create one of these cool videos for  you.  We know they are not for everyone but those who have done them have a blast. 

Will you become the next Bridal Spotlight? 

Here’s the video…I know you are anxious to see it.  Enjoy!

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

 

Why I have been so busy.

For the month of August we were going crazy around here.  I had been assigned a “top secret” job that took much of my time.  Now that it is over I can talk about it.  My “top secret” job entailed being one of the 5 judges for the Wedding and Event Videographers Association (WEVA) Creative Excellence Awards (CEA).  We won a CEA Gold last  year for a memorial tribute and this year I got to judge many entries.

It all started in early August when a box of 128 DVDs arrived on my doorstep.  I had to watch all 128 DVDs and critique/grade each one and pick the best 5 in the 7 categories I received.  There are 16 categories overall but I only had 7.   After getting all those done in a weeks time I shipped them back and a week later another box showed up on my doorstep.  We got to also judge the DVDs from another judge to make sure we got the best entries to the finals.  My second box only had 75 DVDs in it but many were stage productions that often go 1+ hours in length.  Overall I watched and judged over 200 DVDs in those few weeks. 

At the end of August I finally got to meet the other 5 judges in Chicago to do the final judging.  We spent the better part of 3 days, about 11 hours a day, in a conference room doing the final judging.  It was very tedious and seemed long at times but it was a blast as well. I saw amazing stuff from all over the world and got some ideas from a few I watched that have already morphed into some of my work.  It was educational as well. 

After it was over everyone asked if I would do it again.  I said, “Yes but not for a few years.”  Part of the reward for the judging is we got to help present the awards to the winners in all the categories at the opening night gala at our international convention held in the middle of September.  We got our conference fees covered because of our service so it was a real treat.

I also got to present part of a seminar while at the WEVA convention.  I also spent lots of time at the tradeshow at the booth of my editing software company demo’ing it’s power as an editing application.  What a fun time. 

The highlight of the trip though was on Tuesday night.  Panasonic hosted a late night party and part of the draw was they were giving away a small pro-level camera valued at $2000.  You guessed it, we won the camera.  Here’s a picture when I won it….guess I was a little happy. 

Overall August was busy but fun and our trip to the WEVA expo was a blast.  Not only did we win the camera but we got to renew our friendships with many of the leaders in our industry and make many new friendships.  The best part of the conferences are the discussions in the hallways.  I had plenty of those. 

Things are back to a more normal flow now but it was a fun time.  I know I had told some people about business trips and other stuff in August but couldn’t divulge what they were.  I just wanted to let everyone know what I was up to.

A fun day in Milwaukee

On September 19, we were once again in Milwaukee for Anne and Tom’s wedding day shooting their wedding movie.  I knew Anne and her mom were fans of our work when her mom told me she checks the blog all the time to see what we are doing.  Well….this post is for you Anne and Victoria.

 

The wedding was held at the historic Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church  in downtown Milwaukee.  We worked there once before and learned it was the first Catholic Church in the city of Milwaukee.  After the ceremony it was off to another historic location for the reception, The Wisconsin Club  just a few blocks away. 

 

One of the fun things about the day was we got to work with Sarah Immel from Sarah Immel Photography.  We had just worked with her 2 weeks prior so it was a real treat to work with a fun photographer like Sarah.  We always have a great time working together so that was a real treat for us.  Thank you Sarah for supplying the image for Anne and Tom’s movie poster shown above.

 

The whole day was fun from start to finish.  Thanks for letting us be part of your special day.

 

I know you want to see the movie trailer so here it is.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

A day at the farm.

Well it was a day at the Badger Prairie Farm for Scott and Heather’s wedding and reception.   The wedding was outside in a beautiful setting and the reception was inside the restored and remodeled barn.  A really cool place. 

 

Here’s the kicker though.  The weather.  For the second time this year we had weather affect the wedding day.  The weather held pretty well for most of the day and we got lots of great footage around Madison.  We had fun because Heather wanted to go places that weren’t called, “The State Capitol” or “Memorial Union”.  She wanted some urban and different types of settings for the photos and fun video.  Their photographer, Casy Bower of Casey Bower Photography found some cool places.  We ended up on Willy Street, then an old abandoned building behind Olbrich Gardens and then on the Merry Go Round at Ella’s Deli.  Casey provided me with the photo for the movie poster.  Thanks Casey.  You can see a few of her images in her blog at Casey Bower’s Blog.

 

Once we were back at the farm and ready for the wedding start what do you think happened.  It started misting and drizzling.  It was a quick ceremony and then into barn for the reception.  Here’s the cool part.  Scott and Heather had a dramatic waltz planned but the dance floor was too small so they had it outside in the grass….in the drizzle.  It was dark but we found a few lights from the barn and lit up the place.  They had their dance area outlined with little lights so it made for a pretty cool look with our little bit of lighting.   When I started thinking of music for their movie trailer (they had upgraded to our wedding movie package) the dramatic look of the first dance stuck out in my mind as a cool focal point.  I knew the exact piece of music.

 

 

Here’s the movie trailer.  I think you will agree the music was perfect.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

A day at the lake

We recently got to shoot Nate and Kimberly’s wedding at the Oconomowoc Lake Club.  I remember last October they came to Lake Geneva for a wedding show just to see us and learn more about our wedding movies.  I knew then we would have a good time with them.

 

Parts of the day were traditional but some many things were different too.  Kim had an idea to make an outdoor setting indoors so the Lake Club was transformed into a forest like setting with trees and butterflys.  It was really quite cool. 

 

It was just a fun time all day long.  You can see in the trailer below that both are fun loving and have a fun quirkiness to them (in a good way).  We got to work with Gretchen from Expressive Online Photography.  We are great friends with everyone at Expressive Online so we knew there would be fun all day long.  Gretchen supplied the photo for the movie poster shown above….what a great pic.  We went with Gretchen and the wedding party to a Bed and Breakfast for a little picture/video fun after the ceremony and had fun….I caught the guys in a few incriminating situations….Actually I put them up to it for fun. 

 

 

 

I’m sure Nate and Kimberly will be getting me some intersting music selections for their main edit but in the meantime we created this little movie trailer for them.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Over the river and……off to The Julien.

Last Saturday we got to shoot in a city we have never been to, Dubuque.  Ryan and Jessica had us film their wedding at the historical St. Lukes United Methodist Church downtown.  A sign outside the church states it is the first church established in Iowa….now that’s historic.

The wedding was beautiful and then it was off to Hotel Julien just down the street to start the frantic process of creating a Same Day Edit to show during dinner.  Hotel Julien recently had a complete restoration and remodel throughout.  It was so new I could smell the fresh wood and carpet in a few places.  They did a super job of bringing this historical landmark back to life.  While we were editing the SDE Ryan and Jessica were off around town with the photographer Eric of Elite Images show was cool enough to give me the above picture to show off on the blog.  We had a good time working with Eric and documenting the day for Ryan and Jessica.  Thanks Eric. 

It was a fun day in a beautiful place.  Us Wisconsin people like to pick on Iowa sometimes.  You know…. the usual state rivalries that exist everywhere.  I have been to Iowa twice and both times I was very impressed with how nice and friendly everyone was.  I can also tell you Dubuque is a beautiful place.  Sherry and I would like to return someday and explore the historic downtown area.   I think I hear a motorcycle ride in the works for that.

Anyway…..you’ve heard me mention the Same Day Edit a few times.  I’m sure you want to check it out so here it is.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

 

A day by the Bay.

Well at least it was a day at Bishop’s Bay, the location for the reception of Taylor and Krystine.  We had done Krystine’s brother’s wedding in February so we knew getting to work with the family again would be a fun time.  The day started at Krystine’s parent’s house where the girls were getting ready.  We met the  photographer, Kate, from The Artist Group there as well.  There were so many great places around the house for neat images as there was a horse farm there as well.  The ceremony was at the historic First Lutheran Church in Middleton.  Krystine had mentioned as a little girl that she was going to get married in that church everytime they drove by it.  She was right.

After the ceremony it was off to Bishop’s Bay for the reception.  The weather was supposed to be questionable but it all turned out to be amazing.  Gorgeous puffy clouds and temps in the upper 70s.  It was perfect for a tent reception by the Bay.  The reception was a fun time as well with Austin from Juke Box Bandstand running the party.  It turned out to be a wedding right out of a story book.

I also have to mention the wedding coordinator, Linda Kruse, of Classic Coordination for keeping everything moving along great and making the day a storybook type affair. 

I’m sure you would like to see a glimpse of the day….well here’s a little movie trailer we put together.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

 

Rainy day, no problem

Saturday, August 8, 2009, we did a Same Day Edit for Sean and Kendra.  After a week of gorgeous weather rain moved in Friday night and into Saturday.  Bummer.  The hardest part for us was the Same Day Edit was supposed to have a section of footage dedicated to all the pretty spots where they went for offsite pics.  What to do?

Well when it was time for Sean and the guys to have their pics the rain had let up a little so it was off to the Capital with the photographer, Michael, from Krakora Studios.  After a few shots there it was off to Camp Randall Stadium while the weather was holding up.  Well it didn’t hold up long and as we arrived at the stadium it started raining.  Thankfully Michael had brought a whole bag of umbrellas so out into the rain we went.  Do you  know how hard it is to shoot video while walking and carrying an umbrella?  Eventually it let up enough that we could get a few nice shots with the stadium in the background. 

Then it was back to the Concourse Hotel to pick up the girls for pics.  By then the rain moved out and the sun started peaking through….and the humidity set in.  We had a few minutes at the capital with Michael and the girls complete with umbrella props as well and then it was back to First Congregational Church for the ceremony.

After the ceremony ended it was off to the Concourse Hotel to start working on the Same Day Edit.  After the cake was served it was time to debut the video for the guests.  You are probably thinking, wow, that was a lot of stuff to deal with between the rain and pictures and everything else.  We actually stayed on time the whole day…..how you ask?  Well we had a good wedding planner that’s how.  Angela Dupont from Top Shelf Weddings and Events kept everything going on schedule and some how in all that craziness found the time to beautifully decorate the reception ballroom.  She made the day flow with no problems.  Great job Angela.   Gotta put in a plug for Ryan from Celebrations Entertainment who MC’ed the reception and had the dance floor full all night….well except for that one song where half the dance floor went downstairs for a big family portrait.

 

I know, you are wanting to see the Same Day Edit so here it is.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

 

A fun few days.

On Monday and Tuesday, 7/20 and 7/21 Sherry and I, and our intern Nicole (did you know we have an intern this summer) headed to Chicago for 2 days of hands on training with one of the wedding videographer industry’s best.  Well at least Sherry and Nicole trained with Jeff.  I was there on behalf of EventDV Magazine writing and article about the workshop and chronicling all Nicole and Sherry learn. 

It was a great few days of hands on learning for the participants.  Even though I didn’t have a video camera to practice all they were learning I gleaned a few ideas to implement and use with my camera.  Nicole and Sherry had a great time and are all excited to try a few new things.  They both commented that we needed to schedule a practice day so in a few weeks we are going to take a model in a wedding dress out and about and have a little fun making a bridal spotlight video. 

If you want to see a sample of a bridal spotlight video you can see one as the opening video on Jeff’s website at www.blueskiescinema.com  Jeff has some crazy skills and abilities as you see in the video.  During the class the participants practiced camera techniques to get shots that will give their footage a more cinematic look and feel.  We have a model bride and practiced ceremony and reception techniques to improve our footage.  After working on that all morning and early afternoon it was off with our model bride to scenic locations around Chicago where the participants could get footage for their own bridal spotlight video.  We were at a hostoric windmill on Monday evening and then downtown Chicago all day Tuesday.  The fun part for me was seeing all the people on the streets of Chicago stopping to watch it all.  Lots of questions by the onlookers as  you can imagine.  Here are some pics from the 2 days so you can see what we were up to.  By the way….if you are a bride/customer and would like to do something like this either before or after your wedding contact us.  We would love to shoot a few of these.