Domineca + Santiago | Houston same day edit

Last fall we had the opportunity to shoot an incredibly fun save the date with Domineca and Santiago at the Kemah Boardwalk in Kemah, Texas (you can find it in the archives). This past Sunday we shot their wedding and below you will find the same day edit. The great thing about shooting a save the date is the opportunity to spend some time with the couple before the wedding - and in this case I spent about half a day hanging out and getting to know them.

For this wedding I was incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to shoot alongside Jamie Honce of Jamie Honce Productions from Rochester, Michigan and my brother Johnathan assisted us as well. Typically I shoot a lot of Steadicam throughout various parts of the wedding but this time Jamie took care of that and I had the opportunity to see things differently then normally, which was really cool. Although it is important for us to see each wedding differently I certainly broke any routine this time and went through the entire day without touching a Steadicam for the first time since we started using Steadicam in 2008. Another big switch we made last fall was progressing to HD-SLR filmmaking and this is the first wedding we shot 100% with HD-SLRs - using 4 Canon 7D cameras and a variety of lenses. The last few weddings we shot almost entirely with those cameras but rolled tape through the ceremonies as well - but it was refreshing to not rely on a conventional video camera at all and the creative and visual limitations associated with traditional video.

Their DJ Jose Avitia was incredibly helpful and did a nice job throughout the day. He kept us well informed of the timing of all the important events and went out of his way to ensure we were completely ready for everything well before it happened. It is great to work with other vendors who really love what they do and care about the couple - it makes all the difference in the couple's experience and helps us create a better film.

Jamie and I went to the NAB show in Las Vegas the next morning and that could be an extensive blog post in itself, but now as I settle in L.A. for a couple of days of corporate work I've finally had the opportunity to get online and share this piece. Domineca and Santiago were married at the beautiful Pelazzio ballroom in Houston and it was an honor to travel to be part of their special day. There are so many storied that each couple has on their wedding day - for Domineca and Santiago's same day edit we paid attention to the obvious, but kept a close eye on some of the smaller details such as the family gathering early in the day at a nearby hotel where the couple got ready, the significance of the wedding rings and the ceremonial exchange of rings, and a special temporary tattoo that Domineca had placed on her neck. Enjoy!

jeff

Attention Brides & Grooms! 2010 wedding film collections almost sold out!

I've been getting a lot of calls for last minute wedding films lately, many of which I've sadly had to turn down because we already were booked with another great couple. I can only take on a limited number of weddings each year so we can provide every couple with an incredible wedding film. Currently we are within a few weddings of capacity for 2010. With the level of attention to detail and post-production that goes into creating each wedding film it would be impossible to book every date every weekend, so the good news is I do still have several dates available, but once we have booked our limit we will stop booking for 2010. Most Saturdays are booked throughout the summer but if you are interested it certainly doesn't hurt to send a quick email with your date!

Planning a wedding for 2011? 2011 is filling up even faster then 2010 so get in touch soon if you love our work!

Happy wedding planning! :)

jeff

Janah + LeMarcus part 2 - the highlights

We had such a great time shooting Janah + LeMarcus's wedding in Houston. Not only was it great to escape the winter weather for a bit but these two were so much fun to be around and you can really feel the love they have for each other.

They were going to be married in the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, which was damaged severely during hurricane Ike in 2008 and for a while they weren't sure if it was going to be ready in time for their wedding. About a month before the wedding Janah told me that the ceremony was going to be at The Houston Club - their reception venue. I could sense the disappointment in her voice since the church renovations wouldn't be completed in time, but then they soon got the great news that the church would be ready in time and they were the first couple to be married their since it opened back up.

One of the most incredible moments of the day was an amazing performance of Beyoncé's "Smash Into You" during the processional, and Janah took over singing as she walked down the aisle with her amazing beautiful voice. I used the original piece for their highlights, but rest assured the live performance will be part of their feature film.

If you haven't seen it, check out their love story which I posted a couple weeks back. We premiered their love story film before Janah and LeMarcus were introduced as they watched from the balcony.

Enjoy the highlights...

jeff

Yama Zakura - Worcester's Best Chef

To say I love sushi may be a bit of an understatement. I eat a lot of it and I've had it from countless restaurants in many different cities. Chef Anna from Yama Zakura in Northborough, MA makes the best sushi dishes I have ever had. Its no surprise that she won the Worcester's Best Chef Judges Choices Award in 2008 and 2009. On January 31st, 2010 she won the 2010 People's Choice Award and I was fortunate enough to be there to capture it all and sneak in a few samples as well. :)

jeff

The booth uplighting, GOBO and video display were done by Anthony of Revelation Productions. RP also DJ'd the entire event and the YZ animation at the end of the video was also done by RP.

music: "If Ever There's a Reason" by Derby licensed through with etiquette

Janah + LeMarcus | a show stopper & a drum major love story

I just got back from Texas and on Saturday we were so lucky to have the opportunity to film Janah + LeMarcus's wedding in Houston. About a month ago I flew down to film their love story, which we premiered just before they were introduced Saturday night. I love how we get to know so much about our couples so quickly.

"This is a great story..."

wedding film coming soon :)

jeff