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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Click here to view the embedded video.

Hi, I am Taryn Bills, co-owner of Serendipity Videography in Phoenix, Arizona. My husband Jeff and I started our journey into Wedding Cinematography almost 6 years ago. Jeff was a Emmy Award Winning News Videographer ready to make his way out of the news business and I was a Broadcasting Major from Arizona State University who had worked in TV, Radio and was in a corporate Sales and Marketing gig that I was just plain over.

One day we got a call from my best friend who was getting married and she said “Hey I hate to do this to you because I want you to be a guest at my wedding but can you shoot my wedding film?” I shouted “YES!” because I had been saying for years “We should be shooting weddings.” Jeff, however, had not been on board until then we were both at a crossroads in our careers so I signed us up.

So at the end of the night after we shot the wedding I looked at him and said “So what did you think?” and he said “I LOVED it! Shooting a wedding is everything that shooting news used to be.” Tonight I got to tell a great story,”  – he was sold.

I of course was ecstatic because what girly girl doesn’t want to work in weddings? It was that day that Serendipity Videography was born. The word Serendipity means to find something great by accident and that is exactly how our business has come together. Piece by piece it has formed like a puzzle in a very serendipitious fashion. Plus we love the movie Serendipity and we are huge John Cusack fans so we had to be Serendipity Videography.

When it all began I was shooting with Jeff but as much as I enjoyed the shooting, my passion was truly the sales, marketing and the business aspects of Serendipity. So I left the shooting behind and became the brains of the operation handling all sales, marketing and business and he is the Creative Genius overseeing our team of Videographers and Editors.

PS. When you watch my video please know that we actually do understand audio. Our office gets bloody hot and that hum in the background is our fan on full blast. If I didn’t have that on I would have been sweating profusely and that would be gross and a bad first impression.

PSS. Oh yea and apparently my word of the day when I shot this was “super”.

TarynP

Taryn Bills attended Arizona State University and graduated Cum Laude from the Walter Cronkite School of Broadcast Journalism. She worked in community relations at the Phoenix NBC affiliate, then moved on to an account executive position for Infinity Broadcasting where she discovered her passion for Sales and Marketing. After 3 years she left radio for a 3-year stint in pharmaceutical sales, during which time she and her husband started Serendipity Videography. She has served as the sales and marketing director of award winning Serendipity for 6 years as well as with their baby sister company Simply Cinema. When she is not busy growing her own businesses, she offers marketing and consulting services for various companies who need assistance in growing their brand and increasing their sales.

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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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Greetings, IN[FOCUS] Bloggers!

As a frequent IN[FOCUS] blog follower, I’m so excited to be writing this right now. My name is Jet Kaiser. I’m the owner of Jet Kaiser Films, which is based out of Indianapolis, Indiana.

JKF was born while I was studying video & multimedia at Ivy Tech State College back in 2005. I shot my first wedding in February 2006 and I knew right then that this was going to be my life. The last 5 years have been beyond what we could’ve dreamed.

The ‘we’ is myself, my best friend & wife, Dani, along with one assistant. Dani & I were married May 17^th, 2008 & we both attended IN[FOCUS] 2010 in Austin (if we look familiar).

Click here to view the embedded video.

We are now shooting everything with Canon EOS DSLR & Super 8mm with all of our projects being edited on Final Cut Pro 7.  JKF has grown into a unique, innovative filmmaking company and I am so anxious to share some of the things that we’ve learned along the way.

Stay tuned!
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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What up everyone! Eric Kmetz here…SO pumped to be a part of the IN[FOCUS] blog this year!! I can’t wait to interact and collaborate with the other bloggers and you guys, the readers! I’ve been a full-time employee at Epic Motion in Royal Oak for just about a year now. I’ve had such amazing experiences so far, and a lot of them are thanks to the interactions I’ve had with other professionals in our industry.

Before we go any further, take a second to follow me on twitter. I post lots of funny things. It will make you giggle. @erickmetz I think that there is a ton that I will be able to take away from this experience, I’m going to use this opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. For those who know me….we’re going to have a lot of laughs and shenanigans along the way. If you don’t know what I mean….take a look at the 2nd half of this video. I think you’ll understand.

Sea ya soon.

E

Click here to view the embedded video.

Eric Kmetz

Eric Kmetz is the lead filmmaker for Epic Motion, based in Detroit, MI. Named one of the 2010 EventDV top 25 filmmakers, Eric has been a full-time wedding filmmaker since 2009. In his spare time he devotes himself to being as kmawesome as legally allowed. Furthermore, 83% of people agree…he's the bees knees. True story.

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Photo by Anne Skidmore

Well, I have to admit I’m pretty excited to see my face among a line up of such incredible talent! I didn’t think a contribution to such an awesome organization would be on my lists of accomplishments for a few more years, so I’m humbled to be a part of IN[FOCUS]. I’ll be the first to point out I don’t shoot with a steady hand, I’m afraid of Same Day Edits, and I have so much to learn about business and this industry. What I am excited about is life! Making the most of each day. Traveling, exploring, skiing, playing outdoors, meeting new people, learning new stories, and above all having fun. I’m looking forward to sharing my enthusiasm about life and this  indusrtry with you! Meg Simone – Meg Simone Films

Click here to view the embedded video.

Meg Simone

Wedding filmmaker, avid skier, and travel enthusiast!

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 (ed. note – Casey was last seen Monday in Maui, Hawaii sleeping in the back of an SUV in a Wal-Mart parking lot due to the roads and businesses being closed down on account of massive brushfires.

While we know that he is in the safe company of Patrick Moreau, along with their new Cinevate 135mm fire-hydrant adapters, we can only assume that our heroes will charge/glide into the action head-on, saving untold women, children, their feats beautifully documented in cinemascope.

Due to the priority of rescuing faunae and florae alike, Casey’s posts for Wednesday and Thursday might be pushed back until after he briefs the island about the prudence of each returning to his or her home.  In the meantime, stay tuned to the IN[FOCUS] blog for more quality entries this week from the rest of our team and for updates to Casey and Patrick’s adventures in the land of volcanoes.

And now, on to Casey…)                                                                    

When I think back…way back, and reach deep down into my recesses of my subconscious, I can dig up my earliest memories of life.

Although most of what I can recall is in faded bits and pieces, a couple things come alive in vivid color (with surround sound, 1080p resolution, and 12+ stops of dynamic range). These recollections are of me with a pen, pencil and a piece of paper. 

Drawing. Sketching. Doodling. Story-boarding. 

This is what I did for days on end, until my fingers ached. 

I was constantly trying to take what existed in my imagination and give it life on paper. 

This paradigm still continues today; however, the medium has changed – from spiral bound notebooks to a format that is much more representative of my imagination – the motion picture.

In my mind I am still constantly sketching out the ideas and stories of the people whom I encounter.  My goal with wedding cinema it to take the lives and experiences of couples and piece them together in a narrative that unfolds in an evocative, emotional, and creative way that is true to the narrative of the ones it represents.

I look forward to sharing some of what goes on in my Mind and in my Castle and trust that it will help you in your journey of becoming a better storyteller as well.

~Casey W., Mind|Castle Studios

Casey Warren

IN[FOCUS] blogger Joey Mathews of 31Films gives us more of a look at his studio, talking about his team, his marketing, his windmill-powered editing system, and of course, shows off more Infant Shooting Techniques!

Jones

Chris P. Jones began Mason Jar Films 10 years ago in his garage. He still has no idea why y'all would vote for him for EventDV25, but Thanks!

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Get to know IN[FOCUS] blogger Joey Mathews with 31 Films  even better with part II of III in his feature on EventDV-TV.

Jones

Chris P. Jones began Mason Jar Films 10 years ago in his garage. He still has no idea why y'all would vote for him for EventDV25, but Thanks!

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