Willow Park Wedding of Warren and Kim

I really love my job. No kidding. I really really do. And I love every wedding I have been to where we are the videography company hired to shoot the wedding. That is without a doubt. But some weddings I not only enjoy, but revel in. Some weddings things just flow together and it reminds me again vividly and clearly why I love shooting wedding videos so much. Of course, Simply Interactive does not JUST shoot weddings videos. We have an entire assortment of other multimedia based services and products, but weddings is our cornerstone, and I would not want it any other way. Warren and Kim got married on Saturday at a very nice golf course in the hills of Castro Valley. Willow Park has a coordinator there who is kind, gracious, helpful, and direct, but not bossy as some coordinators come across. The grounds are well cared for and contain several immense willow trees with long branches gently sweeping the ground beneath them. Those trees provide ample backdrops for photography and videography. Usually during a photo-shoot Simply Interactive stands back a bit, captures some video if we happen to see something we like, and occasionally requests of the photographer a brief moment to stage a shot in-between them getting what they need. Usually it is not a problem, but if it is we always just back off and wait our turn respectfully, and with full understanding that they prefer to work without interruption. The photographer that was there was unfortunately a little bit more rough around the edges. Not only did he not want us to shoot video while he was taking pictures, he insisted that we stand very far away from him. This was not a problem with me from a professional standpoint, but the way he said it was so abrupt and rude that the bridal party was looking at me waiting for my response. I never gave him a response and did what I always do when someone acts that way. I did what he asked and waited my turn. Of course I was offended, but it is part of the training I give my videographers (and I did in fact have a trainee with me that day) to not respond when someone acts like that. So the long and short of the story is that the photographer ended up with an entire party of people who were unhappy with his attitude and that same party was impressed with how we dealt with it. By not arguing with the photographer, we still got what we needed to make a great wedding video, there was no tension, other than the tension between the bridal party and the photographer because he was being a bit gruff with them as well. And when I succeed in presenting my company in a way I can be proud of even under less-than-perfect conditions, it makes me proud of my company and reminds me why I love my job. It is because I enjoy giving people excellent customer service on their wedding day. Cheesy... I know... but I mean it.

Shutters on the Beach

I just got back from Santa Monica, CA with an experience to share. The location, Shutters on the Beach is an impeccable 5 star resort/paradise right south of the Venice Beach pier. You can look right at the pier ad walk to it within a few minutes. The real fun part of this story is that this was the first time Simply Interactive had the opportunity to edit and present a highlights video the same day the wedding itself happened. Here's how it worked. After the Rehearsal on Saturday, I went back to my hotel and captured that video to my hard drive. The day of the ceremony, we shot video of the couple getting ready and of the ceremony itself, of course. Here is where things got fun. I gathered up the tapes and immediately went into a private room and started editing the clips together. Within 2 hours or so I emerged with a 4 minute edited video that ran from the day of the rehearsal all the way through the recession at the ceremony. It was, of course, set to music. I had seen other companies do things like this before, however, they all use a type of editing and equipment that is suited for quick turnarounds. Little or no image/color correction, little to no effects or titles. Basically they would just run one clip into the next. But my video (which I hope to post here in the next day or so) is filled with slow motion, soft focus, letterbox effects, etc. Of course it was a trial run to see if it could be done without sacrificing the quality I like to put out and as such it will require some modifications to reduce the amount of time it takes to create and show the video, But I know the areas that needed help now and know what needs to be done next time to streamline that process. So, guess what! We now offer wedding video highlights shown live at your reception (I am so proud :-)