Things You Can Do To Take Your Signature Film To The Next Level!
Over the years I’ve had the honor of sh0oting a lot of weddings. Jewish, Hindu, Catholic, Persian, etc., etc. I’ve also shot wedding all over the country. From Hartford, Connecticut to Napa Valley, California. You name it and I’ve probably shot it.
In all these weddings, there are a few things I have found that can turn a good wedding film into a great one. These are things that are cheap (some free) and will not only make your film awesome but make your wedding day that much more special.
Here are three things that can make an awesome wedding film:
1.) Card/Gift Exchanges
Almost every couple exchanges some kind of gift the day of the wedding. So often though, I arrive for the preparations and the gifts have already been exchanged and opened. I know the excitement the morning of, but if you wait to open those gifts when both myself and your photographer are present, that emotional and memorable moment can be captured. What better way to open your Signature Wedding Film than with you opening your gift?
Card exchanges are something that are less common than gifts. Why? I have no idea! A gift is great but nothing beats a hand written letter expressing your love and affection for your significant other the morning of the wedding! You don’t need to be Shakespeare and write a sonnet; a quick paragraph will do fine. Trust me! The best wedding films I’ve ever done have card exchanges. It is a universal rule for having an awesome film!
2.) Choose your officiant wisely!
If you’re getting married at your local house of worship by your favorite pastor/priest/etc. so be it. But for those of you who don’t have someone particular in mind or are getting married out of town, take some time to research who marries you! Often I use your officiant’s message during the ceremony as the narrative that binds together your entire film. If you have an officiant who is boring, is not a good public speaker, or has nothing especially compelling to say, it will really hurt your wedding film. Ask for some sample ceremonies or maybe even a past wedding video for you to view. You can even request a copy of your ceremony before your wedding to make sure it’s up to par. Having an awesome message from your officiant will make a huge difference in the emotional impact of your film!
3.) Write your own vows!
If your religion and officiant allow it, write your own vows!!!! Don’t be lazy! I always get the excuse that “We don’t want to have to worry about it.” Tough crap! Haha. Writing your own vows will take less than an hour. You don’t need to memorize them, reading them off a small piece of paper is fine. But write from the heart! Your vows should be personal messages to one another. Writing your own will not only make your film better, but it will be the most emotional and touching moment of your entire wedding.
I hope these tips will help you make your Signature Wedding Film into an awesome Philadelphia Wedding Video.
Latane and Karen’s Rehoboth Beach Wedding Trailer
I was honored to film Latane and Karen’s Rehoboth Beach wedding in October. The couple was referred to me by local photographer, Rob Nicholson of Humbled Eyes Photography. It’s been over a year since I last shot in Rehoboth so it was refreshing to take the trip down to the shore and shoot in a irregular location. One of the best things about shooting there in October is that it’s not nearly as packed as it is in the summer! We could actually shoot on the beach and not be disturbed by swimmers!
The reception was held at the Rehoboth Beach Country Club. The last time I shot in Rehoboth, the reception was here as well. It’s a great location and the view from the ballroom spectacularly demonstrated the beautiful sunsets over the water.
For Latane and Karen’s trailer, I wanted to show off both the beauty of Rehoboth. You’ll see a lot of shots of the area, nature, and especially the sunsets. Hopefully you can enjoy it as much as I did shooting it!
Philadelphia Photography ShootOut #2
Photog ShootOut again invited me as the only wedding filmmaker to come out to their recent Philly shoot and create a video for them. It’s an honor and always a pleasure to attend these events where so many great photographers come together and collaborate and learn. This time it was held downtown at City Hall. It was bitter cold, as in BELOW FREEZING, but we still had a lot of fun. The theme of the shoot was “punk bridal.” It was very cool to have photographer Leslie Gilbert and wedding planner Erin Wren Proud as two of our models!
Here are the names and websites of those involved with the shoot and/or provided images for the video:
Mark Gardner Photography
DollFace Studio
Humbled Eyes Photography
Jeff Dietz Photography
JPG Photography
John Stickel Photography
Cindy Guessford Photography
Michael Allebach Photography
PhotOle
Rob Korb Photography
Julian K Foto
Kristen Lober
Alicia DiBlasio
Gloss Salon
Patty Rittenhouse DeCasere
And here is the video I created. Short and sweet with less video but more emphasis on all the great photos. I hope you enjoy! By the way, if you haven’t already seen them, check out my past Photog ShootOut videos by clicking here and here.
A Surprise First Dance - Rehoboth Beach Country Club Wedding
This is NOT your ordinary first dance. Latane and Karen had something up their sleeves at their recent Rehoboth Beach Country Club Wedding. Keep watching, you’ll enjoy this one!
Dan and Michelle’s Fonthill Castle Wedding Trailer
Dan and Michelle were certainly one of my more unique clients this year. I often refer to them as the “Juno Couple” (keep reading, you’ll find out why). Dan, who is a graphic designer, seems to have a liking for comic books, super heroes, and transformers; as evidenced by the logo he designed for their wedding and his, shall we say, unusual custom vows. Check out their awesome invitations by clicking here. Michelle, not to be outdone by Dan, seems equally interested in the musical whims of the movie Juno since almost every song she suggested is on its soundtrack. Not only that, their first dance song was “All I Want Is You” by Barry Louis Polisar. I think my favorite line from that song is “If you were a castle, I’d be your moat.” Rather interesting, in my opinion, that their wedding was held at a castle. Connection? Unfortunately Fonthill Castle doesn’t have a moat but I digress.
For their trailer, I chose a song I’ve been wanting to use for quite some time. It’s a variation on a song I used a few years ago so it was familiar yet different at the same time. Dan, who is a fan of some scifi shows, might recognize it but I’m betting not. Anyways, enjoy their trailer below! And watch out for their Juno inspired wedding film in a few months!
Be sure to check out some of my other Philadelphia wedding videos by clicking here!
Wed-Pick - Online Pricing Menu System
** This post is for other wedding professionals.
One of my good photographer friends, Mark Gardner, designed a great tool for wedding professionals who do a lot of online bookings. It’s called Wed-Pick. Basically Wed-Pick allows you to build an online pricing menu that clients can use to build their own packages. Using check boxes and drop down menus, a client can change parameters of his/her package and then submit that package to you.
This tool has been so helpful for me when consulting with clients. In the past I could never find a good way to display my pricing that made sense and was usable by the client. I used to send pdfs, docs, etc. etc. Wed-Pick has totally changed that. Now I simply send my clients to my wed-pick page and they can build their package exactly the way they want AND submit it to me through wed-pick. Now all I need to do is send them an email with their contract and they’ve just booked a wonderful Philadelphia wedding video.
There are other services out there that offer similar products, but none of them are as affordable and easy as wed-pick. For those of you looking for an inexpensive way of displaying your pricing that is interactive and WORKS… check out the $99 Wed-Pick.
My Clients are the Coolest!
Dan and Michelle’s wedding is this Friday and I was reminded of the awesome invitation that they sent me a few months ago. Dan is a graphic designer and his stuff is great! Check out this invitation and their wedding “logo.”
P.S. - Make sure to come back and check out their Philadelphia Wedding Video trailer soon!
Noreen and Jason’s Philadelphia Wedding Video Trailer at the Union League Hotel
Jason and Noreen were recommended to me by the awesome Philadelphia wedding photographers, Dollface Studio, and expert Philadelphia wedding planner, Angela Malicki. Jason and Noreen wanted an authentic wedding film with lots of natural audio and voice overs from throughout the day. This is why we incorporated many of the toasts from their reception into their Philadelphia wedding video. Their reception was also held at the Union League Hotel in downtown Philly. I always love shooting there. The hard wood, marble, and brick make an amazing atmosphere that hearkens back to the days of the “elite” social clubs. Walking through some of the original rooms often makes me imagine the days when civil war era businessmen sat around smoking cigars and drinking fine whiskey.
Check out Jason and Noreen’s trailer from their Philadelphia Wedding Video below!
Aubert Films Featured on Wedding Bee Pro Blog
Bill Gaff, a blogger over at Wedding Bee Pro, recently saw Mariah and Doug’s short form edit (click here to see their trailer) that comes with regular Aubert Films Coverage and asked me if I’d be willing to have it featured on the blog. Of course I said yes! He just posted it wedding bee prothis morning and you can check out the article AND the short form edit by clicking here.
Here’s an excerpt from the article:
This week I am thrilled to feature Darrell Aubert of Aubert Films for a behind the scenes look into some this amazing filmmaker’s wedding work.
I first saw this clip a few weeks ago and immediately wanted to feature it on Weddingbee Pro. I love this clip. Darrell captured many absolutely beautiful moments but the one that moved me the most was the letter exchange sequence about three minutes into the piece. Darrell really shows such a sensitivity to the subtle but powerful emotions of the day.
Darrell is a filmmaker who has the amazing ability to adapt his style to the needs of the film and the couple. I have seen his wedding films go from edgy and fun to honest and intimate. He is an incredible talent.
I asked him to tell us a little bit about how he approached the making of this film…
Angel and Mike’s Wedding Trailer - Aubert Films Light
Angel and Mike are a great couple that were referred to me by the very talented, Doll Face Studio. They chose to go with my Aubert Films light package that I only recently introduced. Their ceremony took place in downtown Philadelphia at the Saint Peter Basillica on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It’s a great place to shoot with beautiful paintings, stain glass windows, and artwork. Their reception was held at the Independence Visitors Center right across the street from the Liberty Bell. It’s a cool little place that I didn’t know existed until I got to shoot there for Angel and Mike’s wedding.
Anyways, check out their Philadelphia Wedding Video. Make sure to leave some comments!