Be fearlessly authentic.Bravely be you.
When you see a good wedding film, you will feel connected to the couple, even though you don’t know them. The reason? Because it is real…a video is actual moments. A good wedding filmmaker knows how to anticipate those times, during your vows, first dance, even during the photo session. Some of the best real moments happen just after a photo is taken. I will tell you to “look at each other, hang out…hey, you’re married!” You pause, look into the eyes of your beloved, maybe even get a little teary…real smiles, reveling in the moment.
As a filmmaker, especially as a wedding filmmaker, capturing authentic moments is my life’s work. It makes me giddy, and I am lucky to have filmed some of people’s “real real” moments. But it’s not luck, it’s being present, and having the experience to anticipate emotions. And being open to feeling all the feels while engaged in the very technical art of filmmaking. It’s a dance, it’s a slippery slope, but when I get those seconds that will never happen again, those words, those glances…oh my, I have the best job ever! The best description of authenticity I have read is “Never perfect. Always genuine.” This resonates with me, because it shows the beauty, the bittersweet reality of how little of our lives we truly live in the vain pursuit of perfection.
The wedding world is full of blogs and insta stories touting the “perfection” of a couple’s wedding day. I NEVER promise perfection, because frankly, I find it boring and contrived. I am the black sheep after all, and I kind of want a story…not that I want things to go awry, but if it rains, and we have to dash out of it, and we are all laughing, and covering each other not to get too wet, that’s a fun story that happened on YOUR wedding day. In order to capture those sincere moments, you must relinquish the pursuit of perfection, and just go with it. Hire the best, plan to your heart’s content, but when the day arrives, relax and have a great time. Even if it rains, even if people arrive late, if the cake never shows up…have a plan B, cut that big chocolate chip cookie that the venue just made for you and hit the dance floor.
I often hear my couples discussing wedding photography, and the love of the “candid” photo. You know, the one where everyone is not mugging to the camera, but where they look fabulous, the foreground is clear of unnecessary clutter and the background has just enough bokeh and none of the wait staff clearing plates. Phew…that’s a lot of things to accomplish in one photo. The “candid” is where video excels. As a videographer, I film 24 frames per second, and I have no loud shutter, red focus beams or flash. I am like the ninja of the candid. BUT, I have seen a lot of videographers recently who seem to be more concerned with adding epic shots to their show reel than filming honest, beautiful moments. Be careful who you hire on your wedding day. I can’t imagine having anyone directing every moment, being in so many of the photographer’s shots because they are more concerned with getting an “epic” shot than working together to create some cinematic magic. It’s a wedding, not a production…many in this industry have forgotten why you are there, why this is important. I see so many highly acclaimed videos of usually just the couple, oh, lolling on a sand dune, like you do on your wedding day, or taking off on a Chris-Craft on Lake Como, also, like we all have done. So many over the top, posed, almost cringingly fake scenes…I would feel so uncomfortable being those two, and certainly, that filmmaker. If you look back at that video in 10 years, with all of it’s slo-mo, over the top PDA, no family and friends reactions, very few ‘real’ moments, I can’t help to think how poorly it would date. I’ve had videographers tell me that they don’t tape the entire ceremony or all the toasts, because they just need those “beauty shots”, and editing an entire ceremony is boring…who would watch that anyway? I think many are out of touch with why people want video in the first place, which is to document the day-in all it’s glam and glory. If you do that, beautifully, and create a film that is chock full of REAL moments, it will bring tears and cheers from the day it is first viewed until the grandkids are downloading it from the cloud in 50 years. It’s about love, family and friends that have all come together to celebrate, and the time is limited. Respect it, capture it unobtrusively, and make a gorgeous film that will stand the test of time.
I walk a fine line between emotions and technology. In order to capture those moments, you can’t have giant cameras, blinding lights or fussy camera gear (drones, gimbals, jibs and sliders, OH MY!). Now, I love really good tools and new technology…if a cool time lapse is really going to tell your story better, let’s do it! But time is finite on a wedding day, and I truly feel that creating real memories, taking time to have a first look with your Dad, dancing with your favorite Aunt, taking 10 seconds to look around at your friends and family during your ceremony, those are so much more important than having a drone fly over your wedding party during the recessional. I don’t want to create a false reality, I want to capture the essence of you and yours.
When you look at a wedding video, you should see and hear emotion, and feel the vibe from that day. Nothing will bring you back to this “best day” better than sight, sound and 24 frames per second. I love beauty shots of the two of you, but if you look at one of my films, you will only see those used when there is connection. If I see any “pose-y” moments, they don’t make the cut. I want your film to capture that day, your story, that only happens in this small window of time. Candid photos transport you because they feel honest and precious…like you could have missed that moment, when a shutter snapped, but there, by the grace of God, you have it. It is the same for the wedding film, but x10. All those moments, toasts, glances, vows, dance moves…there, in a beautiful film. Watch, listen and feel Jacqueline and Matt’s ahhmazing wedding held at the El Conquistador in Tucson. It will make you laugh, cry and feel; it resonates because it’s real 🙂
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