Click here to view the embedded video.

So, there are cinematographers that spend their whole careers mastering the art of taking flawless video in helicopters and airplanes. I, am not one of them. So when I ventured into uncharted territory of using a helicopter to get b-roll for a recent wedding film, I began to research. Sure I could have rented a gyro for quite a chunk of change, but that would have eaten into my profits big time for this wedding, as I didn’t add that cost in (or know about the helicopter) when I booked the wedding. 

The video above is what you might call my “poor man’s guide” to shooting great video in a helicopter with the tools that you already have. Enjoy. And don’t worry, although I did throw up after I got out of the helicopter at this wedding, I refrained from any vomiting during and after the recording of this blog post.  

P.S. Wanna see the end result and how I used it in the film? Check out the blog post here, or view the embedded video below! 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Matt Davis

Matt Davis (coaching at lifestagefilms.com) of Life Stage Films has been described as the “head coach of wedding videography,” providing one-on-one business coaching as well as group coaching webinars. A featured speaker at both WEVA 2009-10 and IN[FOCUS] 2010-11, as well as a multiple CEA award winner and 2009-10 EventDV 25 All-Star, he is based in Wilmington, N.C.

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You’ll want to provide your couple with an experience, not just a disc. Enhancing your packaging and providing your couples with a pleasant viewing experience will be something that they won’t soon forget. Put yourself in the couple’s place, what is going to enhance their first viewing experience? Consider adding some popcorn, candy, tissues, or a giftbasket. Anything you can think of that fits the couple and is consistent with your brand. Don’t forget to include a hand-written thank you card.

Comment below and share some of your packaging ideas; things that have worked or not worked with your company in the past.

Thanks for watching!

Mentioned websites:
Great alternatives to standard DVD/Blu-ray cases
jewelboxing.com
loktah.com

Websites for packaging and shipping ideas/solutions
uline.com
packagingsource.com

Jet

Jet Kaiser saved up enough money to by his first camcorder at the age of 14 and he's been creating films ever since. He eventually created the Indianapolis-based, Jet Kaiser Films where he collaborates his with his lovely wife, Dani. Together they produce cinematic, story-rich, "motion pictures for those in LOVE™ "

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So you just completed a wedding film and it looks awesome. You are now very excited to share it with the couple. How do you present your finished product to them? Do you invite them over to your studio for their official first viewing or send them a package with their film inside?

Think about it. Where are you going to achieve the best first impression? Put yourself in their shoes. If you (the couple) are going to watch a movie about your relationship and wedding, it’s probably going to make you cry, where would you want to be for this?

If you’ve done your job correctly, they are going to love their film no matter where they watch it, but enjoying it from the comfort of their own cozy living room with add to the emotional experience. If you were to ask your couples how and where they want to view their film for the first time, you will find out that they will choose their own homes.

Many of us have beautiful studios with a lot invested in providing a great viewing platform and we’d love to host the couple for a viewing party, BUT If we think about what our clients truly want, and not so much what we want, we will choose to not do this.

Putting your couple first and creating an experience for them to enjoy within their own home is essential for a powerful and lasting first impression of their film…and, more importantly, will lead to more excitement, referrals, and bookings.

Jet Kaiser
Putting couples first since 2005

Jet

Jet Kaiser saved up enough money to by his first camcorder at the age of 14 and he's been creating films ever since. He eventually created the Indianapolis-based, Jet Kaiser Films where he collaborates his with his lovely wife, Dani. Together they produce cinematic, story-rich, "motion pictures for those in LOVE™ "

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Take a sneak peak behind the scenes at the HDM/Lovestruck studios, where we will share tips on workflow, organization, communication, transportation, and more! Of course. we can’t forget about the toys! You will get a glimpse of what goes on inside the walls of our Southern California production house, meet our full time staff, and maybe learn some tips along the way!

We shot and edited this in an afternoon, so naturally there is a lot we could not touch on. Feel free to ask questions!

Andrew Waite

Supreme Commander of HDM/Lovestruck Films conquering Land, Sea, and Air in the world event filmmaking. Not satisfied with the camera always being no more than 6 feet off the ground, Andrew has pushed his work to new "levels" by incorporating underwater and aerial cinematography into his wedding films.

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So you just finished up a beautiful 20-minute wedding feature and you are so excited to send it off to the couple. You create and upload a trailer to tease everyone and everybody cannot wait to see the final product. But wait! The full wedding film is on DVD…only.

But there are dozens if not hundreds of individuals eager-to-view, what about them? How will they get to see it? One solution is for the couple to buy some extra DVD/Blu-ray copies, but for the most part, couples are unmotivated to do so and have more on their plate.  If the full wedding film is restricted to optical media only, most of the guests at the wedding will never have the chance to see the full, finished masterpiece that you spent the last 2 weeks piecing together.

Making your longer edits (features, short forms, or whatever the kids are calling them now-a-days) available online creates an open avenue to display your true talent and product to anyone connected to the happy couple. The video above shares some ideas and some basic how-to’s to get you started if you haven’t already began sharing your longer edits online.

The couple is going to be thrilled that their film is online and easily shareable. You can offer full wedding video hosting as an addition to a package or surprise the couple with it after they receive their package. It’s up to you as to how you’ll offer it, but the key is to understand how important it is for the couple to have it sharable online. Happy couples should always be your top priority!

Since everyone’s sites are setup differently, I can’t tell you the best way to add an online checkout to your site/blog. We use PayPal because it easy and most web-savvy folks have a PayPal account. I’d encourage you to explore some of the options that PayPal has for merchants. Google Checkout is another popular online selling tool which has grown in popularity the last couple of years. Definitely worth looking into as well.

Has sharing your features online worked out for you and your company? Let me know. Have some concerns? Lemme know your thoughts

Jet

Jet Kaiser saved up enough money to by his first camcorder at the age of 14 and he's been creating films ever since. He eventually created the Indianapolis-based, Jet Kaiser Films where he collaborates his with his lovely wife, Dani. Together they produce cinematic, story-rich, "motion pictures for those in LOVE™ "

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At IN[FOCUS] 2011, featured presenter Patrick Moreau of StillMotion presented how wedding filmmaking is Your Gateway to a variety of creative commercial projects.

In this clip, Patrick elucidates on the diversity and uniqueness of the wedding filmmaker’s skill set and how it blows the minds of commercial producers.  Ron Dawson also touched on this topic this week – check out this thoughts as well.

Click on any of the links below to hear more from StillMotion about the BTS from their commercial projects:

Callaway – Stuart Appleby, Alvaro Quiros, Ernie Els, Annika Sorenstam, Trevor Immelman, Morgan Pressel

The NFL – The 2010 NFL Combine, “The Season,” The Super Bowl, The Combine Helmet Camera

Patrick will be on tour this summer as a part of the Canon Live Learning Tour.  Register for any of the dates listed using the coupon code “Focus” and you will receive a 10% discount!

Patrick Moreau

Click here to view the embedded video.

At IN[FOCUS] 2011, featured presenter Patrick Moreau of StillMotion presented how wedding filmmaking is Your Gateway to a variety of creative commercial projects.

In this clip, Patrick explains how connecting with clients will open your mind to creative opportunities while filming.

Patrick will be on tour this summer as a part of the Canon Live Learning Tour.  Register for any of the dates listed using the coupon code “Focus” and you will receive a 10% discount!

From Patrick:

winnie’s favorite cookie is anything fresh baked. she loves to bake. jerry loves peanut butter, he’d eat almost anything with peanut butter on it. together they describe themselves as kids that never grew up.

they love stuffed animals and their collection of numerous versions of miffy and mr. bee is both a way to be silly and play games together as well a celebration of their relationship.

we’ve used winnie + jerry’s film for several talks as it really exemplifies the power and value in getting to know your couples. knowing of the long history of miffy and mr. bee in winnie and jerry’s relationship meant we as a team were all prepared to included them in our compositions as much as possible. instead of manipulating them (such as ever popular ring shot by the window) we actively searched for how they were involved throughout the day and sought to cover that in a natural way, in real-time as it happened. had we not known the history and how relevant these characters were to their story, they likely would have been included at times simply by chance, but that isn’t purposeful storytelling – that’s luck.

the example of miffy and mr. bee is really just a microcosm of the larger philosophy we embrace and the desire to tell real and relevant stories.  here is the big question; how does each film you shoot change as the characters within it change, or are all of the people somewhat interchangeable? does it REALLY matter who is getting married, or is your narrative more determined by the flow of events and where they take place?

if your interested in hearing more about the idea of getting to know your couples/clients and how you can interpret them in your work, join us for a free ustream chat may 31st at 3PM CST, 4PM EST here:

http://www.infocusvideoevent.com/live-chat

this will be a question and answer type format so come and join us if you have time and we’ll be happy to chat about anything you’d like to throw at us.

P.

Patrick Moreau

Dustin Blake of Indy Productions is out of control with energy, talent and a style all his own. When I asked him to imagine what he could contribute educationally to the blog, I told him to keep it simple. The video above is what he came up with!

Dustin was recently named to the EventDV25′s Hottest and Most Influential List. I’m thinking he got votes more for the “hot” side, and you’ll know why when you watch one of his signature “Indy Bridal Extremes!”

Click here to Follow Dustin Blake on twitter, and click here to become a fan of Indy Productions on facebook.

Dustin Blake

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Hello, fellow IN[FOCUS] patrons, Jet Kaiser here again.

As wedding filmmakers, there are many things that make us cringe while reviewing footage from a wedding. We can’t help but ask ourselves “Why didn’t they [bride and groom] know not to do that”. The answer is simple. We film weddings for a living and they do not. They can be clueless to things that drive us nuts. I’ve conducted a list of ten things that the bride and groom can do to help with the production of their wedding film. Feel free to alter it and post it on your site/blog. Include it along with your contract. Email it to the couple shortly after they book and then send it to them again 2 weeks before the wedding as a reminder.

10 ways a bride and groom can help with the production of their wedding film.

1. Warn us of upcoming events. Cake cutting, garter/bouqet, toasts, special dances.  Just a small, 5-minute warning can help us confirm that we are in the right place and the right time. Let your DJ know that he needs to make sure all your vendors are prepared for what is about to happen.
2. The Toasts. Tell your best man/maid of honor to not only talk about you as a person, but also as you both as a couple. Have them share their thoughts on you two finding each other and getting married.
3. Turn down the radio/ipod during prep. It’s common for the girls to blast a wedding mix album while doing hair and make-up, but this can easily mask a power piece of dialog that can be used to tell your story. It also creates an awkward background noise when a cinematic soundtrack is applied later.
4. Have a first look. Your photographer will tell you the same thing. Seeing each other before the ceremony helps you with your nerves and creates a wonderful opportunity for you two to say just say “hi”. We also view this as a opportunity to capture you two alone together which is actually a rarity, believe it or not, on your wedding day.
5. Tell your wedding party & parents that we’re coming. Make sure they understand that we desire that everyone behaves naturally and let them know that they need to try and ignore our presence as much as possible. We want your day to unfold the same whether we are there or not.
6. Exchange gifts. Add a special moment to your day by giving each other gifts. You can have a bridesmaid/groomsmen deliver it or exchange them during your first look. It’s always fun to see how we can tie this sequence into your film.
7. Talk. Have conversations with your family and friends. Chat about how you meet, how the proposal went, what has gone into planning this wedding, etc. Your wedding day is packed full of emotions, let everyone know how you’re feeling.
8. Don’t chew gum. We know you’re nervous and feel the need to be busy, but please refrain from the Juicy Fruit. This goes for the wedding party too.
9. Stay together. It’s not uncommon for the bride and groom to split up once the reception is underway. Grooms, get out there and dance with your new wife! Your wedding day is finally here, enjoy it together.
10. Consider your vows. When it comes time to state your vows to each other remember to relax. Take a deep breath and look into one another’s eyes and deliver your words from the heart. Slow down and think about what you are saying.

Feel free to add to this list by commenting below. I’m sure everyone won’t have a hard time adding to this list. Feel free to comment below a tell us ways to extend this list

Jet Kaiser
Jet Kaiser Films

Jet

Jet Kaiser saved up enough money to by his first camcorder at the age of 14 and he's been creating films ever since. He eventually created the Indianapolis-based, Jet Kaiser Films where he collaborates his with his lovely wife, Dani. Together they produce cinematic, story-rich, "motion pictures for those in LOVE™ "

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G’day, blog followers!

Jet Kaiser here today to share a little time/money saving technique for us event filmmakers.

Those that are using DSLR’s know that it can be a pain to locate clips and stay chronological when editing from multiple cameras. When you transcode your footage, the original date created time is terminated since it is a newly created clip, making it impossible to view the clips chronologically once in FCP. Batch renaming your clips prior to transcoding will ensure that your clips stay together just as they were shot. When you are editing, you will have all you ceremony footage together and the toasts and dances from all angles will be sequentially and chronologically numbered to the precise second.

Batch renaming workflow is as follows-

1. Back up the footage!
2. Place all of the footage from all your cameras into one folder (some might choose not to include prep footage with the batch considering their might be footage from 2 different locations that you might not want to be sequenced together).
3. Using a renaming program, batch rename all the clips together while the files are arranged under “original date created”. Renaming a file does not change the date/time created (shot), only the name.
4. Transcode files as normal (MPEG Streamclip, Compressor)
5. Import in FCP

First and foremost, this workflow has increased our delivery times and has saved us a lot of time searching within our FCP browser to find related clips. Batch renaming clips might not be for everyone, especially those using the EOS plugin within FCP. I have not found a way to log and transfer renamed clips using this plugin.

Download Many Tricks’ Name Mangler

Thoughts? Comments? Am I out of my mind? Let me know (in the nicest way possible) by commenting below.

Bye!
Jet Kaiser
Jet Kaiser Films

Jet

Jet Kaiser saved up enough money to by his first camcorder at the age of 14 and he's been creating films ever since. He eventually created the Indianapolis-based, Jet Kaiser Films where he collaborates his with his lovely wife, Dani. Together they produce cinematic, story-rich, "motion pictures for those in LOVE™ "

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