StillMotion’s Patrick Moreau and Krazy Konrad are the featured presenters at IN[FOCUS]. Hailing from Tornoto, they are a team of true wedding filmmakers. Make no mistake, they are in this game to have fun and push the limits of what a wedding film can be. Along the way they hope to inspire other filmmakers in finding their own voice…

Creative Producers Mark and Trisha Von Lanken bring excellence, integrity and genuine passion to the world of professional wedding videography. They are among the country’s most respected wedding video artists. Von Wedding Films provides a comprehensive range of professional services to both brides and fellow videographers around the world.

Mark and Trisha’s creative and emotionally engaging cinematic production style continues to garner accolades, having been honored with more than thirty give video artistic achievement awards, including WEVA’s Creative Excellence, Battle of the Editors Awards and listed as one of EventDV’s Top 25 Wedding and Event Companies for the last three years.

Steve and Laura Moses of Vantage Point Productions, Inc. are masters of real-world success in video production and wedding filmmaking. They have operated a thriving, full-time, boutique video production studio for over twenty years. Their expertise in marketing, artistry, editing and sound design has seen them through multiple recessions by providing them with a solid client base.

Experienced, Hot, and Influential … Steve and Laura are the recipients of 8 WEVA Creative Excellence Awards — including a 2008 gold award in Demo Category — and were elected one of the Top 25 Hottest and Influential Videographers in the industry by Event DV magazine in 2006 and 2007. They are accomplished instructors having taught numerous seminars across the country over the past five years. Additionally, Laura is a featured columnist for Event DV magazine.

Multiple CEA Award Winner and industry trend setter Ray Roman is a passionate filmmaker on a mission to change the perception of wedding video. Self-taught and ambitious, Ray has shaken up the South Florida market and quickly become one of the most sought after wedding and special event cinematographers in the region.

With his non-”fly on the wall” approach, Ray creates spectacular cinematic imagery by developing rapport with his brides and directing shots outside of the photographer’s posed sessions! Ray looks forward to sharing how confidence, along with simple verbal direction techniques are a videographer’s greatest tool on any wedding shoot.

Ron Dawson

Creative Director/Executive Producer

Ron is a true adventurer in the world of cinematography with a unique flair for storytelling. As Creative Director and Executive Producer of Dare Dreamer Media, Ron has developed a revolutionary standard for the production of corporate and event videography.

Ron’s passion and talent have led him to become a two-time Videographer of the Year for the BAPVA, to develop a column for the national magazine EventDV, and to be elected as one of EventDV’s top 25 most influential event videographers in the industry.

Ron is also producer of the popular podcast F-Stop Beyond and is the exexcutive producer for “The Longest Day”, the first online reality TV series for and about pro photographers.

Ron is a 1991 graduate from the U.C. Berkeley’s Walter A. Haas School of Business, and his marketing experience includes over 20 years in small to medium sized companies. He and his family now work and live in the Atlanta Metro area.

Tasra Dawson

Creative Project Director

Tasra is an award-winning author, speaker, coach, designer, and consultant. After five years teaching junior high students, she pursued entrepreneurial dreams and helped launch Day Dreamer Press and wrote her first book, Real Women Scrap. She later became host of the weekly online podcast, Real Women Scrap TV, and has been featured on NBC, ABC, Deeper Living, and Harvest TV. She is a co-contributor to EventDV Magazine and has multiple publications to her credit, including articles, stories, and a national column.

William Gaff recognizes the important role that story plays in our lives and our society. His background is in creative editorial but he now focuses on producing documentary style films for weddings, families and organizations.

His wedding films focus not only on the story of the day, but on the story of the couple, their families, and their friends. Using interviews and cinema verite style filming, William’s style draws the viewer into the story and doesn’t tlet them go until the curtain closes.

William has been developing his interview style over the past few years and has become known for the natural and comfortable manner in which his subjects present stories to him. Without being obtrusive or cheesy, Williams draws out the most heartfelt words from family and friends.

His wedding work has been featured on wedding blogs such as The Bride’s Cafe, Ritzy Bee, and Style Me Pretty. William has recently been named to The Wedding Bee’s roster of pro bloggers on Wedding Bee Pro.

William is an active member of WedFACT, a website created to promote and educate wedding filmmakers. He continues to learn and test different storytelling methods for use in his wedding films.

Husband and wife team Jeff and Andee Wright founded Blue Skies Cinema in 2000. Jeff became known for his smooth film-like cinematic shooting style, as well as for orchestrating extreme shoots on land, above land, and at sea.

Blue Skies Cinema has won 24 international awards in the past 7 years and was voted to be part of EventDV Magazine’s “Top 25 Videographers” in the last two elections.

Jeff speaks to hundreds of cinematographers each year by presenting at international conventions and by conducting workshops for video associations across the country.

Throughout the year, Jeff and Andee conduct several intimate “Hands On” Cinematic Shooting & Editing workshops out of their Southern California studio. Graduates of their training have proceeded to win international awards and to become key speakers at conventions. According to Jeff, that’s “the greatest reward we’ve received.”

Joshua Smith began shooting weddings at the age of 14, and in the 8 years that have followed, his Cinematic Bride team has traveled internationally to shoot some of the most luxurious weddings in the world. With artistically appealing imagery, consistent branding, and top notch packaging, Joshua’s product appeals to delicate female sensibilities, keeping him in high demand.

Joshua’s work has been featured on Inside Edition, Lifetime’s Get Married, and ABC’s Good Morning America, and his peers voted his studio as one of EventDV’s Top 25 in the Industry.

Joshua is also a photographer, and the uniqueness of this artistry is informed by photographic techniques. With a foot in both industries, Joshua is able to translate successful branding and marketing approaches from the photographic world into the videosphere.

When a friend asked Chris P. Jones to use his digital8 camcorder and videotape his wedding in the summer of 2000 for $40, Jones wasn’t terribly excited about the proposal. But after a few tilt shots on his cheap plastic tripod and a few hours of experimental editing, a light bulb turned on. He believed in the possibility of creating wedding films that embody the spirit and emotion of the wedding event itself.

In the years that have followed, Jones has developed his own documentary approach that attracts hip and happy brides from across the country. With an emphasis upon strong storytelling supplemented with the inclusion of vintage film formats, Jones’ style has led him to be named one of the 25 Hottest and Most Influential Studios in the Industry.

When not at work, Jones enjoys traveling, writing, and playing basketball.

For Joe Taravella, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. The son of longtime video producer Terry Taravella (Formerly Custom Video by Terry), Joe has been working in the family business (now Studio Vieux Carre) for a dozen years.

Joe is a part of a new generation of young wedding producers that connect with today’s bride and groom. With his outside of the box mentality, Joe pushes the envelope with his music selections and visual concepts, bringing an edgier side to complement the softness of wedding production.

Over the past 5 years, Joe has won national awards for creative excellence in video and has been visible on the local and national circuit, speaking to video organizations, conference attendees, and workshop participants.

Visual artist Joe Simon founded Joe Simon Productions in 1999 in Austin, Texas, one of the funkiest towns in the U.S.A. His current cine-doc productions mix HD, super 8mm and 16mm film. The perfect blend of earthiness and rapture, a Joe Simon film is infused with the personalities of both the couple and the city.

Drawing experience from a variety of different shooting projects – extreme sports, indie films, music videos and weddings, Joe Simon has created a look all his own and is considered to be one of the freshest voices in the industry today.

Joe’s international cinematic shooting and storytelling has earned him 3 Telly Awards and has led to a featured story in EventDV magazine’s March 2009 release.

Joe looks forward to welcoming guests to his hometown for IN[FOCUS] while defending his title as “Karaoke Champion of the Event Filmmaking Universe”!

In response to David Perry’s mother being refused assistance from her insurance company in 1998 for a life threatening disease, he put together a video using just an old home video camera, VCR and audio cassette recorder. When his mother, as well as fifty other patients, were then able to receive the financial support they needed, he knew he had found his passion.

Ten years later, David has since traveled to Africa, Guatemala, and Mexico championing the cause of the less fortunate. His documentaries have been featured at the United Nations in New York City and recognized with the WEVA Community Service Award. David is a multi year WEVA CEA winner in addition to over forty other creative awards and was named “Best of State” for documentary films in Utah.

David’s guiding philosophy is “A rising tide raises all ships.”

Loyd Calomay has always had a passion for movies. When given the opportunity to shoot a friend’s wedding, Loyd came up with the idea of producing a concept video to be played at their reception – a movie spoof starring the bride and groom. The video was a huge hit with the audience and Loyd found his new passion. He founded Red 5 Studios with one goal in mind: make wedding films that newlyweds would be proud to place alongside their collection of Hollywood titles.

In the years that have followed, Loyd has produced dozens of movie spoofs for couples who want to entertain their guests. Between presenting concept videos and same day edits at wedding receptions, Loyd has found that he doesn’t have to spend money on traditional means of advertising.

In 2008, Loyd picked up 3 major industry awards (2 for concept video production), made the cover of Event DV magazine, and participated as a creative consultant on Ron Dawson’s “The Longest Day” reality competition. Loyd is thrilled to be sharing his passion for flimmaking with you at IN[FOCUS].