Craig & Hannah ~ Trailer from Sauvignon Media Creations on Vimeo.

Craig & Hannah travelled all the way from Albury NSW to meet Dean & I. We communicated many times leading to them booking and in many ways, it’s Hannah’s passion for video that brought her our way…she too is a video producer.

So on the 8th October, we made the journey up north. Dean & I stayed the night at the inn where Craig & Hannah were celebrating their reception. We joined Craig in the afternoon with his groomsman whilst they had some “boy” time at Intencity and then made our way to the ceremony rehearsal.

It’s so obvious that Craig & Hannah are one of the most gentle souled people we have met. During their vows, not only were they both crying but the whole of the room. Their words were simple but divine & heart felt.

This is Craig & Hannah’s wedding trailer – enjoy

Ante & Rowena ~ Same Day Edit from Sauvignon Media Creations on Vimeo.

Ante proposed to Rowena on the 10th October 2009 – one year later they celebrated their wedding day.

I will have to say that Same Day Edits are one of the most awesome and exciting experiences ever – this crowd gave us one of the best vocal and energetic reactions since our first SDE.

We have been planning this day since Rowena & Ante chose to book us for an SDE – we knew it was going to be a full on day. The day before we had been filming in Albury NSW and arrived back at 2am. With about 2.5hrs sleep we headed off to Rowena’s family home…crazy, yep but Dean’s cool editing blew everyone away. With 4 years experience in pulling this off, Dean calmly wove the stories of the day.

Having a mixture of Croatian & Chinese cultures made the day filled with fun. The groomsmen undertook the challenges with humour & enthusiasm – as Rowena’s sister said, “Ante was welcome into the home”.

Working with the talents of Josh Lamont from Moments Captured and one of my favourite photographers, Shireen from Field of Vision, we had the most amazing day.

This is Rachel & Rob’s story.

In my last blog post, I briefly spoke about Rob’s love of motor bikes. I also mentioned that their family is a very important element to their day. But I couldn’t tell you more because at that point, the day was yet to unfold.

So what happened?

One of the questions that I ask each couple, is if they have anything special planned that’s a surprise. Most times I get this blank look and occasionally I will have the guys ask me, “am I supposed to?”

There are times when it can be a simple card, a bunch of flowers or nothing at all.

Without giving anymore away, watch the clip and see how we tie all the important people and moments that happened during the day.

We cordially Invite you to our
intimate Bridal Event with a difference!
(family & friends welcome)

Join us for Champagne & Hors D’ Oeuvres
When: Wednesday 15th September 2010
Between 6pm & 9pm

Where: Ballara Receptions
1435 Main Road Eltham

Exhibition
Extensive range of wedding industry exhibitors covering
all aspects of your wedding, including Bonita Couture.

Workshop
We will be picking 3 lucky brides to have a fabulous Make Over on the night!
Industry Experts to share tips & hints to ensure a relaxed & smooth wedding day.

Live Entertainment.

Amazing Prizes to be drawn and won on the night
totalling $3000

Grab your friends and family and REGISTER NOW for this fun & unique
catered event with Amanda at Ballara Receptions on 9431 1503

Tomorrow is Robert & Rachel’s wedding…can’t wait. From Sunbury, we will be covering a bit of distance going to Berwick for Rachel, Dandenong for Robert, St Dominic’s in Camberwell and back towards home with the reception at Lakeside in Taylor’s Lakes.

There will be lots of things happening and as Robert & Rachel are into motorbikes, it will be Dean’s challenge to get the GoPro camera on the bike. I’m sure it’ll prove to bring up some awesome footage.

So what’s their story? Well obviously their mototbikes are a key part, but Rachel & Robert also share a love of family. Joshua, their son, will be a central part of the day. Wth so many nieces & nephews in the bridal party, it was very obvious when we attended the rehearsal the closeness & importance of family. As their day hasn’t unfolded yet, I can’t tell you too much of the little things that will happen…you will have to wait and see

I often hear or read from brides and grooms that they just want something to archive their wedding – that video isn’t important and that they may not watch thier wedding video more once, but want it anyway. It somewhat saddens me in hearing this. There is no doubt that an amazing photographer will capture so many parts of your day & you will treasurere it forever. However a film of your wedding can also be a priceless memory.

Through our network of colleagues, I’ve come across this beautiful piece that to me, validates what we do. Within the interview, the interviewee explains “what is so good about this film, is that you can see it floating…it’s living histroy”.

There are two main parts of the day that are important when it comes to capturing audio – the ceremony & the speeches.

In this article, I will talk briefly about the two options that a couple can choose from when it comes to speeches.

The first is a traditional use of a mic and lecturn . At first the use of a lecturn may seem quite typical and formal – perhaps not quite the atmosphere that you want for your speeches. It would mean that your speaker would have to stand behind a podium, which may make them feel uncomfortable and may make the speeches seem a bit stuffy.

A second alternative and one that has become more common, is the roaming mic. This alternative provides a more relaxed atmosphere where the mic can be passed to guests who can either speak from their tables or can come to the front of the bridal table. Sounds great – a perfect atmosphere setting for your wedding.

When it comes to capturing your wedding on film, a roaming mic can be a producer’s worst nightmare. How so?

Well for starters, your reception venue may often have different lighting conditions for different areas of the room. Most reception centres will turn up their lights, however some won’t, making it much harder for us to capture. A well lit podium will make filming your speeches easier. Secondly, most producers use tripods and if a speaker is on the other end of a room, it may be hard to capture depending on the angle of the camera and the person speaking. Thirdly and most commonly – the reason why I hate roaming mics – more often than not, the speaker turns their back to us. It means that they are talking to you, but it also means that you only see their backs on your DVD. If you are using a wireless mic, the best place for speeches is behind the bridal table and between or near you (the couple).

A great MC will plan this out well so that not only will you get beautifully presented speeches on the day, but also on your DVD.
We are always available to give you our advice if you ask – we are here to also make your day the most memorable ever.

As we are commencing our new season of weddings, it’s time for us to implement change. The storytelling elements in our wedding film making have been developing, so now we are ready to reflect these more in what we deliver. August 2010 will see a revamp of our packages & prices that will allow us to further personalise your wedding video.

Our passion is to shoot & edit each couple’s stories that are unique to them and not a mirror of another bride & groom. This means that we will listen to both of you as you share what makes you different and find the uniqueness of you…telling these stories beautifully & elegantly is just as important to us as it is to you.

This is your day and we strive to produce a Living Memory.

This year has been an amazing one for us. Not only have we been able to bring the Still Motion crew to our Australian shores, we are proud to be involved in the growth of the industry. In conjunction with my Sydney colleagues, we brought some of the worlds most recognised video producers, plus many talented local artists together this July in Sydney. This event was an amazing first for the Australian video producers community – a dedicated conference designed to inspire, motivate and push the professional and creative limits of our industry to a new and exciting level.

Exposed Down Under // 2010 from Peter Szilveszter // Living Lens on Vimeo.

One of my favourite clips that focused on the Editor’s challenge that we ran showed the full on effort & pressure that each person competiting was under. The winning prize was a Canon 5D MKII camera and was won by Lorna-Jean, a very talented producer with the Abraham Joffe Videographers. Second prize was an Edius software program won by Josh Lamont from Moments Captured and 3rd prize by Luke Middlemiss from http://www.playbackproductions.com.au/.

A running diary of the event is recorded in our Exposed Down Under blog http://www.exposeddownunder.com.au/?page_id=1240

Our next event will be run next year and we look forward to greater collaboration amongst our industry professionals.

I have known Michael almost all of his life, and he was a terror, but an adorable one. Michael also can’t stop talking and certainly makes up for the quiet & gentle nature of Amy.

This year when I was looking for models for our February workshop, Michael & Amy jumped at the chance to participate. They were sure worked hard, but I think they also had an amazing experience. In working with them to plan the stories we would tell, it was easy for them to share – they knew what our goal was.

So the night before their wedding, we drove down to Seaford Melbourne, and prepared for their big day. As the day progressed the stories began to unfold. Michael had a surprise for Amy, & Amy for Michael. Michael’s gift was shared with Amy in the limousine after the ceremony & Amy walked out in her beautiful sari, moments before our presentation.

Dean & I are very lucky to have had the talented Troy Sheather from Encore Media & our new team member Clancy Jackson, to help on the day.

With the ceremony at St Anne’s Seaford with one of the coolest Priests I’ve met & the reception at Brighton International, enjoy the Same Day Edit of Michael & Amy.