Miray & Sam

I booked Miray and Sam about a year and a half ago so I’ve really been anticipating this wedding.  The video crew today was Me, Prashanna and we brought Claude along with us for the first time.  Photo was done by Paul; a photographer from Montreal (which is where Miray lives).

The video portion of this amazing event started back in early June with an engagement shoot in Belfountain, Caledon, Forks of the Credit and the Badlands.  The footage that was shot there was edited and ready for the presentation that we were doing at the reception.  This video was accompanied by a SDE (Same Day Edit) that was also played for Miray, Sam and all of the 380 guests later in the evening.

We started with an early morning production meeting because we wanted to give Claude a final rundown of the day, and then we headed out.  Prashanna and Claude left for Sam’s, and I went to Miray’s.  After about 2 hours of shooting at the  bride and groom’s places, we went to the church.  3 video cameras and 2 photographers must have had Miray and Sam feeling like they were going to be on the 6:00 news, but it didn’t phase them at all.  They were stellar!

From the church, we headed to the “park”, which ended up being the Mississauga Civic Center because of the rain storm.  Well, rain or no rain we had a great time at the Civic Center and got a bunch of really cool footage.  The bridal party was really good to work with and they looked phenomenal!  I was shooting very strategically all day for the SDE and as soon as we were done at the Civic Center, I rushed off with Prashanna to the hall so that we could prepare for it.  Prashanna is one of my most trusted and able videographers.  When he said to me, “Joe, you worry about the SDE and I’ll take care of everything else.”, I knew that I had nothing to worry about at all…so I got to the editing.

The time came for the presentation and we set it up.  I was pleasantly surprised to see a pretty large group of family and friends filling up the dance floor and sitting cross-legged to watch the video.  We started with the engagement video and ended with the SDE.  It was a hit! And it was pulled off with the help of my amazing team!

Thanks Miray and Sam for letting us be with you guys on your special day.  Thanks to my team for your awesome work!

Julianna and Kris

Last weekend’s wedding came on the coattails of a trip to Edmonton to shoot a music video, so beleive me when I tell you that I was a bit tired.  Thankfully I was car pooling with my partner-in-crime from Frame of Mind Photography, Anthony.  Sean was also with us shooting candids as usual.  So we met at the studio bright and early and headed off to Kris’s house.

The guys were in great spirits and so easy to shoot.  Lots of family showed up which made for some great candid video along with some of the cool stuff that we set up.  Kris’s mom and Dad were right into it as well; Kris’s Dad having a pocket full of pictures from Kris’s youth, narrating a pseudo-slideshow to the camera as he flipped through some pics of his boy turned man, and Kris’s mom setting up the ribbon to be cut by her son as he walked through the doorway for the final time as a single man.  The bride’s house was a familiar sight to me as I shot Julianna’s sister Michelle’s wedding not even a year ago.  I was welcomed back by Julianna, her parents, siblings and some bridal party members.  As per form and fashion, Julianna looked amazing as did the front lawn that was absolutely covered with a whole spectrum’s worth of coloured rose pedals.

We moved through the church portion of the day relatively quickly and then we headed to the Don Valley Brick Works for pictures.  We’ve been known to pull of some really cool photo and video in the most unexpected venues.  This place was pretty industrial and had some really cool buildings.  After about an hour and a half we decided that we had all the footage that we needed and left for the reception hall.

I was pleased to see that we’d be working with Anthony from DJ Emporium again (amazing DJ and great guy).  Right away I knew that we were in for a smooth sailing night.  Julianna and Kris had a martini bar set up in the middle of the dance floor with an ice fountain in the center.  On the two ends of the dance floor were the Antipasto tables…good stuff.  As the night rolled smoothly along we saw the bride and groom dance with their parents and each other, we ran our Same Day Slide show, ate 5 courses of great food and wound it all up with a packed dance floor, great music and a midnight seafood table that tasted just as good as it looked.

Julianna and Kris, thanks for sharing this day with all of us!  Hope to see you guys again for your next family wedding!  Cheers.

Amy & Anthony

Today started off at 7:45am with the team meeting at the studio so that we could all head off to our first location of the day; Anthony’s house.  Now, we had worked with both Anthony and Amy, having done their engagement shoot in Unionville in the fall of 2008 so I knew they’d be great to be with for the day and easy to work with as well.

When we got there, Anthony was getting ready with the rest of the guys, so naturally we did our thing.  The grooms men and family were really easy to work with and seemed to be game for anything that we had in mind.  We were able to get a ton of awesome footage and pictures in the time that we were there, and it kind of set the pace for the rest of the day.  When we got to the hotel that Amy was at with the bridal party we didn’t want to waste any time, so we scouted the place out before going upstairs to see her.  In doing this we found some really unique shots that we wanted to do (and we did them), so we headed upstairs to begin.  The brides maids were getting ready with hair and makeup and Amy (who looked amazing), was ready for us to start our coverage of the day.

The church went as smoothly as every.  The groom was fitted with a wireless mic so that my video camera picked up all of the speaking, my HD spy cam was set up so that we could get a really cool perspective of the rings, vows, kiss etc, and of course I manned the main video camera. Frame of Mind ran the photo side of things and I also had Eric shooting 2nd camera with his Canon XHA1S.  Total coverage!!!

We went to U of T for the park photos, which started off with a friendly game of basket ball.  The bridal party vs. the guys that were playing when we got there.  Needless to say, the guys (bball players) were a bit better dressed for the game.  We continued through U of T for about 1.5 hrs and we shot a lot of great video and photo, then we headed back to the bus to go to the reception.

On the way to the reception the weather changed.  Actually, it was almost like we were in a tornado by the time we were in the thick of it, and I saw many felled hydro lines, fences were torn out of the ground and the rain was coming down with such force that it sounded like small stones hitting the car.  Oh well, we were done outside!

The reception was at Le Jardin.  As always, the hall was amazing.  Anthony and Amy had a large screen projector presentation of the engagement video that we shot, but we decided to do a same day slide show as a surprise to them.  We got it put together and boy were the bride and groom excited when it started playing.  They were able to show the guests that didn’t attend earlier what had happened.  It was very impactful.

At the end of the night we wished Amy and Anthony all the best and thanked them for allowing us to work with them for the day.  Have a great honeymoon!

Melissa & Jason

Jason and Melissa were an amazing couple that I had the pleasure of shooting and editing this summer.   I shot this one with Prashanna and Bernard.  For this wedding we shot wih 2 cameras and covered the whole day, starting with pre-ceremony coverage at Melissa’s and at Denny’s Resturant with the guys.  It was a lot of fun working with this group, just checkout the park footage!

Melissa and Jason, thanks for sharing an amazing day with us.

more about “Bride’s House – Melissa and Jason on …“, posted with vodpod

more about “The Park – Melissa and Jason on Vimeo“, posted with vodpod

Nelson & Marlene

Nelson and Marlene were an amazing couple to work with. We did the engagement shoot and wedding for them and it turned out to be a great day. Here are some of the edits from thier wedding project.

This is footage shot and edited in 2007 for Marlene and Nelson’s wedding. This is footage of Marlene getting ready before the ceremony.

more about “The Bride’s House – Marlene and Nelso…“, posted with vodpod

This is footage of the park photo/ video session. We were at the Mississauga Civic Center. Shot with Sony FX-1 and edited with FCP and Motion.

more about “The Park – Marlene and Nelson on Vimeo“, posted with vodpod

Lisa & Jason – Oct. 25, 2008

Man! What an awesome day.  I should start by telling you all that Lisa is my cousin. We grew up like sister and brother, which meant two things; I had to really go over and above, and it also meant that all of my family (they that always hear about and have seen my finished work) would be there to see me in action.  No problem, I had a plan for Lisa and Jason.

I had Prashana (video) shoot with Lan (photo) while I worked the detail shots.  I was using the Glide Cam 4000 quite a bit at both Lisa and Jason’s and was able to pull off some really nice shots.  I was using the Sony EX1 and a really nice 0.8 wide lens so no space was too small for me to get in and get some really good group shots, interacting shots etc.  Lan (being the funny guy that he is), got everyone in great spirits which also made for some really nice candid shots.  The rain started at Jason’s house, but we didn’t let that stop us, we just added umbrella’s into the video/ photo session and headed outdoors.  I felt so at home with the bridal party (maybe because my sister, daughter and cousins comprised it), that I had to jump back into work mode shortly after the “family humor” started.  It wasn’t had for me though because I was so excited about the SDE (same day edit) to come later on, that all I wanted to do was capture the ambiance on video.

At the church we set up a 3 camera shoot and as usual, we mic’d the groom so that we could pick up the best possible audio.  Our camera placement strategy allowed us to get opposing shots of the bride and groom during the vows, rings etc. and gave the freedom to get some other really great footage with the the Glide Cam as well.

We were kind of undecided about where we were going to go for the park photos because the rain in the morning left the ground wet and it looked like it was going to come down again.  Regardless or the weather, Lisa and Jay decided on the Guildwood Inn.  Great decision guys!  The rain held off until the very of the shoot and we saved ourselves from having to drive 30 minutes to Newmarket to go to the Tannery Mall.  We were also quite a bit closer to the Blue Danube, our reception hall.

This is where the excitement really started for me.  Prashana got to the lighting and audio preparations right away as I took out my trusty Macbook Pro and started the SDE.  For those who don’t know, a SDE is when some footage from earlier in the day is edited and displayed at the reception for the audience.  SDE – Same Day Edit.  Anyways, this was tough because as I was editing, more and more of my family members started arriving.  I mean everybody, like I said…she’s my 1st cousin.

Prashana had finally moved onto the detail shots and receiving line coverage, and I was still editing.  I told myself that I was going to be in character until the SDE was finished being played and then I’d become a guest, so I put my head down and kept at it. When the edit was done, the reception was just about to start, so I popped on the light with the lighting remote and began the night.  Lisa and Jason, you guys are amazing and your day couldn’t have been better.  Thanks for letting us share it with you.

This is the footage of the photo/ video session at the park.  I’ll post the SDE in a couple of days.

more about “Lisa And Jason – Park on Vimeo“, posted with vodpod

This is the SDE from Lisa and Jay’s wedding. the fo…

This is the SDE from Lisa and Jay’s wedding. the footage was shot with the Sony EX-1 and edited before the reception where it was played on a projector the same night.

more about “Lisa & Jay – SDE on Vimeo“, posted with vodpod

Jackie and David •September 6, 2008

Jackie and David were a really cool couple to work with.  We did their engagement shoot at Sunnyside Park about a month or so before so we were pretty well acquainted.

We started at David’s place.  All of the guys were there and we were just in time to capture the details, the flowers getting put on, some toasts and some live entertainment.  In David and Jackie’s culture it is customary to have the bride serenaded the night before the wedding.  The musicians that did that the night before showed up at David’s house and played music for him as well.  As always, I just happened to have the right microphone for the job in my bag so not only did it look great, it sounded great too.

We arrived at Jackie’s location which is an amazing house in Etobicoke that had no shortage of places to shoot.  The architecture and detail of the house were great and the grounds were a whole other story altogether.

After trying to follow Jackie’s dad to the church in his Ferrari and loosing him on the highway, I turned to my GPS for directions.  No matter, I still got there on time to mic the groom, speak to the priest about what his rules are, scout my shooting spots and catch the bridal party, Groom and Bride all walk the isle.

We decided that after the luncheon at the house, we wouldn’t go to James Gardens to do “the Park thing”, we’d use Jackie’s parents house and grounds.  Great choice, the place (like I said), is amazing.  We also took the picture that was going to be used later on that night for the same-day thank you cards.

We ended off the day at the Bellagio.  We did a large screen projection presentation for the couple of their engagement walk and a photo montage.  They also got same-day thank you cards, each with a picture of the guest in a custom paper frame with the couples names, date and an inscription.  Guests love this, and we do it fast.  Guests were picking up their pictures before the first course was served.  Way to go Anthony!

Jackie and David, I know that you guys will be happy together and thanks for letting us share you day with you.

Congrats you two!

Nichole and Stephen • August 27, 2008

Nichole and Stephen had a great day today and we were there to capture it all with video and photo.  We started at Nicholes dads house where the guys and “Pops” (Nichole’s proud dad) were getting ready.  I got some nice candid video of the guys helping each other out with each others ties, flowers and all the other details that made them as dapper as they were.  After some footage outside and around the area we headed to the bride’s location.

When we got to Nichole’s place the girls were getting their hair and makeup done and were still pretty much…not ready, but that’s cool, we started shooting anyway.  We catured the ladies transformations from shorts and t-shirts into the stunning bride’s maids that they became.

The ceremony was outside at Edwards Gardens and it was a HOT day.  As usual at they ceremony, I put a wireless mic on the groom so that I get really good sound of the priest, Nichole and Stephen, and I don’t get all of the background noise.  As I was scouting my shooting locations I heard someone calling my name and the voice sounded oddly familiar.  To my surprise my sister-in-law was a guest at the wedding.  Actually her boyfried is the groom’s cousin.  Small world huh?  Well, there was now another reason for me to shine today, I had to provide my best for the couple of course, but now I have family and friends watching me work as well.  I know they’ll love their DVD!

Congrats!

Annie and Oneil •August 16, 2008

So this is the Sunday of the weekend and the second wedding of the weekend for me.  What a great day for Annie and O’Neil to tie the knot!  It was really a pleasure to work with both of them as well as the bridal party.

We started the morning at Oneil’s place in Thornhill.  I was shooting with my trusty Sony FX-1 (as usual) and as per form, all of my standard gear.  I also brought along the Fig Rig to really get some interesting shots while at both pre-ceremony locations.  O’Neil and the guys were as cool as ice at the house and we shot some really nice footage of everyone getting ready, getting nervous and eventually getting into the limo.

Everything was just as smooth at Annie’s house.  Her dress was very elegant with a full lace up back (which took 3 girls to tie up).  We set up the jewelery that Annie was to wear, and Roger (the photographer) and I took pictures and video of it as well as the beautifully decorated house, the girls getting their hair done, family and guests arriving, Annie’s decent down the stairs and of course…the look in her parents eyes as their daughter got ready to get in her limo and go to the church.

Speaking of the church…WOW!  This church was huge!  The architecture, stone work, stained glass, and paintings were amazing.  The lighting from the skylights cast almost an angelic spotlight down on the couple which looked really nice for the video.  I was able to have a conversation with the minister that was officiating the ceremony as I usually do, and he told me where he didn’t want me to walk of shoot from.  I was pretty shocked when he told me that I could basically do what I want as far as shooting locations.  This meant that I could get whatever shots I wanted…and I did.  I don’t know if it was because it was warm in the church or out of sheer nerves, but thanks to my trusty wireless microphone attached to the grooms lapel, I could hear him whispering to his best man to daub the sweat from his forehead just before the vows and rings.  Don’t worry O’Neil, I’ll edit that part out.  Man! Do those mics pick up audio.

After the ceremony, we hit Edwards Gardens for some park photos and video.  Edwards Gardens (for those who have never been), is a really nice park with lots of different areas to shoot.  My favorite places there are the Well, the bridge and the staircase…and yes, I used them all.  The bridge shot was especially cool just because of the sheer size of the bridal party (15 in all).  For this shot I like to go quite a distance back and shoot some really wide shots, as well as some closer shots with some nice camera movements.  I also do this shot where the bride and groom kiss (they are in the center of the group), and the whole bridal party is looking at them, cheering.  By this time, all of the spectators are ohhing and ahhhing, so I tell them to join in with the cheering.  By the time the shot is done I’ve involved the whole bridal party and whomever else is standing around and wants to “give it up” for the couple.  We finished off with some very slow, picture-esq walking along a path that’s lined with flowers, trees and other really nice foliage.

My favorite part of the day…the reception.  We celebrated the last part of the day at the Venetian.  I really like this place.  John at the Venetian is amazing!  If ever there were a bride who needed someone to make sure that everyone sticks to the plan, then John is your guy.  We ran a Live-Eye system so that everyone could view the grand entrance of the couple, the dances, speeches, cake cutting and the engagement video on 4 large screen in the hall.

The decor was done very well, with center pieces containing water that was tinted to match the bridal party’s dresses.  The head table was spectacular and (as usual), I was equipped and ready to shoot all of the fine details right up to the grand shots of the hall.  After setting up my lights and audio we were ready for a great night.  Everything went very smoothly…the speeches were recorded with the cooperation of the DJ (he let me plug my wireless gear into his mixer), the dances were shot with the soft light from my soft boxes and not a moment of importance was missed.

Annie and Oneil, thanks so much for choosing us to do your wedding, thanks for letting us share this amazing day with you both.