some of you may remember mark from some of jessica’s blog posts a while back. well, this is mark’s first blog post as he debuts his little gem of a trailer for hagit and jared.
P.
they met eight years ago while studying physics in high school. hagit caught jared’s eye back then and, as they say, they’ve been in love ever since. when we arrived on their wedding day, within minutes it was so apparent just how in love they were. they were both pretty much speechless when they first met in the morning. from mom’s reaction, you can see just how much emotion was in that room. it was such an awesome day. here is a the trailer they are sending out to friends and family.
Awesome work Mark! You are such a talent at such a young age! Mark, you are going to great places! Congrats on your first post..can\’t wait to see more of your work!
we get to experience some pretty insane things. seeing a rendition of ‘baby got back’ performed by the entire wedding party, on a beach in maui, is certainly among them. while you will only get a sneak peak of the epic dance that set the place on fire that night, you will also see the energy and dedication that marie and mike have, both of which you would need a ton of to pull something like this off.
This is amazing and beautiful! I think it is my favorite one out of all of them. I love the song, please please tell me what it is? I can not figure it out. I have searched on I-tunes but can not find it. Thanks so much!
absolutely amazing work! it was like a perfect trailer to a movie i absolutely would want to go see in theaters! seriously one of the best wedding video’s ever put together! your work is magic!
Its not fair how good you are. Most of us can’t do half of what you guys do. As a lover of videography I wish everyone of my brides could walk away with a video like yours. I come to your site excited for a new video and leave depressed knowing that I can not capture a story the way you do. My friends, family, and clients say that they love my work but I truly know that my work doesn’t hold a candle to the art you guys create. I have seen videographers come from your workshops and just mimic your angles and strategy with out truly capturing the essence of the story and the true emotion. What can I possibly say about your work that has not been said already. Nothing. Lastly, you guys are in a position to touch someone else with your art and you touched thousands of people. You make us laugh, cry, and drop our mouths in awe.
It is absolutely fantastic cinema. The awesome job combines well the romantic mysteries and the loving passion. Your guys’ new conception gives me a very good surprise.
The light has been well controlled; the composition and the pictures give me a feeling of sweet. And specially, the end is fabulous either: the real love never fears the baptism in the fire.
before we share some images that amina and justin shot together, i wanted to share aaron + jess’ short film which we debuted last saturday along with their sde. that sde, along with a post about their wedding, will be coming later in the week. get ready for a blindfolded first meeting + a muskoka wedding. for now // meet aaron + jess.
here is an email we received this morning that just made our day. so much so that we had to share it //
‘I have just come across your website and art today. I have NEVER been more touched by wedding cinematography. I am seriously still drying tears from my face from watching your videos. I didn’t even know such talented existed in this world. Your videos are like movies, they captivate your soul. I feel like I have no words to describe how moved I am right now. So I will just end this by letting you know that I, Courtney, am touched by your beauty and art. I LOVE it. Thank you for sharing your talent with the world. I WILL have you at my wedding someday, when that time comes. You’ll hear from me again. :)
ahhh i felt the same way when my future hubby, victor, proposed to me! we on a mini vacation in montreal and he seemed a little too excited to be planning our evening (it was their nuit blanche) and so nervous at the same time – and i couldnt put two and two together. i even reached into his jacket pockets to hug him from behind and when he got all defensive about me being in his pockets i blurted out – “why so defensive? you got a ring in there or something?” (which he did, which he nonchalantly brushed off). then at an art gallery he had a nervous face to which i asked – “why so nervous? you gonna propose or something?” which he also brushed off! and even amongst all this, i didn’t even notice that yes, he was planning to propose to me that day! then finally at the end of our exhausting evening in our hotel room, i see my bberry blinking and its an alert from facebook saying that he had finally written that “25 things” note that ive been bugging him to do. and as im going down the list (which was getting sweeter and sweeter), he kept asking which number i was on and i kept telling him to stop asking (i hate being disturbed when im into something lol). then at the end of the note it said that he didnt like lying, especially to me, and that he had been keeping a secret from me for a really long time… then as i turned to look at him while asking “what secret?”, he was down on one knee with the ring i was oogling at for a long time :$ it wasnt the way i had imagined his proposal being – something super romantic and sweet – yknow, with our chinese takeout dinner sitting on the table and me in my jammies, but it was sweet and definitely a night to remember :) sorry for the long comment! i just had to share!
THANK YOU for sharing. P–do u remember how howard proposed?! haha.. i can totallly relate!!! or rather, howard can totally relate to aaron! Loved sharing in their experience.. awesome.
the gears depicted in this film are not necessarily the same gears referenced in other stillmotionblog posts (in other words, our gears are still turning). even the yellow one. this will be released today, that will be released sunday.
sick sick SICK! You guys just puke out fantastic imagery :P. Was this the same day as the first paintball piece or another day? It’s sunday btw, I’m curious to see this yellow gear business!
Oh my god, that was so cheesy. Perhaps better if it used some fun rock music instead of movie trailer music, to show that you’re not taking the analogy too seriously.
ray woke me up while still in bed this morning telling me to put my mechanical engineering hat on and get innovative. creativity pushes everything forward and as an inventor that’s very refreshing. as someone behind the camera, that’s very exciting. and as part of the audience – this clip is just uber cool! btw, 0:10-0:11 gives me the urge to go play counterstrike again :)
we are so fortunate to work with couples who allow us to try new things and evolve each and every single time we pick up the camera
for their story shoot, the plan was to interview more than just a couple. we ended up with friends, family (including nieces) having a mini party at the couches in our studio as we interviewed everyone one by one.
although we started with one concept in mind, many other ideas emerged during filming, so by the time we got to interview aaron and melissa, i had a clear view of where i wanted this to go. the route we took was risky, as we decided on focusing more on the differences between them which proved to be quite the show for everyone to share at the reception. the guests laughed, cried and there was quite a bit of shouting.
when shooting 3 plus hours of interviews, we learned that melissa was the romantic type, always dreaming about her wedding with horses and the beautiful groom waiting at the altar.
aaron, on the other hand, was supposed to be more reserved. as you can see in the sde, his chin was shaking and melissa’s dream about the groom at the altar came “double” true :)
ps. for all folks from the industry, don’t try to outrun the horses while running, especially if your wearing a steadicam
here’s an excerpt from melissa + aaron story’s, as well as their sde.
sabes men… no se como se diga en english… pero eres el impulsor de muchos videografos como nostros ,, impulsor a que hagamos cada dia mejor las cosas,,, felizidades amigo tienes un gran talento…
Hi folks. I just want you to know that these videos are probably one of my top three favorites that you’ve posted this year. My girlfriend is truly *obsessed* with your work – she even cries watching the SDE’s from time to time. I told her no wedding video for us unless we hire you. Anyway, a job well done as always.
OH…MY…GOSH…absolutely incredible Konrad and Michael!!! Especially coming from a bride who is incorporating cinderella also – but no worries…there’s no horse and buggy for you to chase at our wedding! Heehee. I LOVED the intro to the love story – it had Neil and I dancing!
it’s official – link + ngoc are married!! what a wonderful wedding it was in gorgeous california (right around san jose). rather than write about what amazing people they are, we wanted to share an abbreviated version of their love story. once we have you fully enraptured in their story we’ll post how it all came together with their sde.
Very well done. I’m investing in a Shallow Depth of Field adapter (Brevis35) thanks to your article in Event DV. What lens did you use for your interview shots?
wow patrick u got the same that amina’s pictures, so now we have the complete history, complementary with the pictures, and the voice, about the story…i mean ur cinematography is amazing… color grading and everything! same than amina. u capture and comunicate the love about those guys mr yes and mrs ngo…
-Hector-
it is always fun to bring a new type of clip the blog. i’ve been sorting through and editing our super 8 from last year (cheryl, lily, + griffen – that means it is coming soon). while we don’t offer weddings exclusively in super 8, it is something we offer to complement our standard wedding film.
super 8 certainly has a characteristic look that seems to capture the hearts of many. we would love to hear from you – do you enjoy the look and feel of super 8? if so, care to share why? if you’re not as fond of super 8, we would love that feedback as well.
It’s like a film photography, different flavour, romantic in a sense. I love to enjoy this kind of work in our digital era. Well done, good job!
seth - April 7, 2009 1:37 am
i love Super8 and I love StillMotion, however I don’t think the two together are the Heaven-made match that StillMotion+HD are. You guys found the sweet spot with your HD stuff…keep rockin’ that!
I’ve noticed super 8 increasing in popularity in recent months (well in the months that I’ve been investigating wedding vendors). I thought it was pretty cool until I found stillmotion and realized you don’t need gimicks to have an amazing wedding video. I loved Johanna + David’s highlights video.
I like this. Like Jason, I too didn’t really like S8 but it’s really growing on me. Probably because so much of what I’ve seen out there is not done well. This was done very well. It works because of the story telling, unperfect shots, soundtrack, etc. Using these tools really does give it an authentic feel without seeming fake. When done right, telling the story with S8 really can take you back to a simpler time and become raw and nostalgic even without knowing the subjects. We
You know I think you guys are video genuis’ … but I am not a fan of super 8. My biggest problem with it is that I find it nauseating to watch when its at length. I’ve seen a few videos with it placed in various spots of the video in small doses. I prefer that better. I also tend to like it better in black & white. But I do love you guys ;) Judy
Great site this http://www.stillmotion.ca and I am really pleased to see you have what I am actually looking for here and this this post is exactly what I am interested in. I shall be pleased to become a regular visitor :)
P. the vintage look of super 8 takes me back to the days when my dad chased us around the backyard while we practiced t-ball. We’d then sit down and watch it on the ‘big screen’ and he’d critique our swing. The jittery, paler look to the film really does make one feel “reminiscent” and I think for couples who appreciate that look and feel it’s a great addition to their wedding film. I agree that it’s stronger when the story is such. Personally, I prefe
Jason - April 5, 2009 5:36 pm
But if there is anyone who can pull off the S8 is StillMotion. I think if you are going to use to S8 you should really have the story telling concept down pat.
Not the biggest Super 8 fan, but still cool and I still see the techniques you use in all of your films used here, and I like that!
Jason - April 5, 2009 5:29 am
Hey Patrick, Personally I think the technology we use today will look vintage in 20yrs from now. When I watch an S8 video that is produced today I just don’t get the same feeling. Hmmmm, its like shooting a movie on S8 to make it look like its old but having all present day props, you just don’t get the same effect. And I think it takes away from the feeling. Like I said before if I was to watch my parents video I think there would be a lot more feeling to it. I wish I could type more
so jason – what about when super 8 is used to bring you back to that era? what if you want something to feel vintage? we do so many things with the way we shoot, the color grading, the soundtracks to give it a feel – isn’t this just another tool to communicate with our audience? i think what appeals to me the most is the very raw organic nature of super 8. everything just feels so candid and alive. video can sometimes be too perfect i find.
P.
Jason - April 5, 2009 3:40 am
Hey Guys, I must be totally honest I’m not a fan of Super8. I feel that S8 has its place in time and represents a certain era. When I look at S8 I think of the good old days, big cars and tight suits. Although it may have its place, I don’t feel it gives us a true feeling for the present time. Imagine we had our parents wedding and in 20 yrs we watch theirs with ours. I will respect their video a lot more because that was their technology at that time.S8 today seems fake to me, just m
Jessica Maidnonaqld - April 5, 2009 12:40 am
I am not a big fan of super8, don’t get me wrong I have seen a couple of really good super 8 wedding videos but I LOVE Johanna and David’s original highlights! Everything looks so good these days in HD and super 8 doesn’t give me that impressive high quality look and feel. I really like bright vibrant colours and I don’t feel like I get that when I watch a super 8 video. I think super 8 only looks good sometimes and is very specific as to when it looks good. This is my person
This year is starting very nice. It is going to be an awesome year for our couples. It’s in the air. I had to let it out cause I AM PUMPED UP! So many ideas and only 365 days : )
OK, the post… After spending Christmas in snowy TO, John and I flew out to Montego Bay to meet Amina and Patrick, who spent Christmas in sunny Negril. We get out of the plane, head through customs, get out of the bus and… I love Jamaica! 300 meters from the resort lobby – a beautiful beach// the place where in just a couple days the wedding Tiffany + Ryan will take place (Lots more from that coming soon. I know… we are cruel with that teasing). As soon as we arrive everybody greets us with their week old tans… and the very first thing Patrick says to me is that there is one guy who has to sing a song for the love story we’re shooting.
Slick is one talented entertainer and artist. He’s been singing at the beach and on stage almost everyday and quickly became friends with everybody around him. He also happens to be one of the biggest upcoming singers in Jamaica. He impressed us with many of his songs which we were lucky to see him perform. One of them is “Life”, a song about violence, AIDS, kids and poverty. It was definitely favorite one for me. As for the love story, “You and me” was the best choice. So we went out for the shoot wanting to shoot some kind of music video to tie in with love story we were shooting for Tiffany + Ryan. And who knew? It was intense! Slick truly has a big star potential. Camera’s rolling and he’s dancing, jumping, singing and rapping. We pumped the CD from his car stereo and Slick simply gave us what we wanted and much more. In less the 2 hours we shot what we think is a quite decent little music video. We had some kids from Slick’s neighborhood as well as his friend to join him dancing. You can also notice that Slick is dancing on one of those unfinished houses that Amina wrote about in her last post. It was a first for us with lip syncing so many tracks to one song and it certainly was quite a challenge to put it together. I was up till dawn, conveniently located right beside the 24 hour all-inclusive bar.
In the premiere version shown during Tiffany + Ryan’s reception, they were a big part of that music video as it was part of their love story. and what a showing it was! Friends and family went crazy, as well as Slick, who made an appearance at the dinner to see the premiere. It didn’t take long for the news to spread and for other colleagues of Slick from the resort to hear about his music video. Shortly after that the whole wedding moved to the big stage at the resort, where hundreds of vacationers were enjoying one of the evening shows. The screen went down and the whole resort got to enjoy the show. It ended up with Slick performing live, with Tiffany + Ryan, the wedding party, and our team joining him on stage. Whoa! What a blast! And what a story! The version you’re about to see was modified to be Slick’s music video. A good portion of this was shot with the new 5D mk11. Patrick did quite a bit of grading to the piece to try and match the 5D footage from that of our other cam. Another post is coming shortly with a review on our thoughts of the 5D in action.
What an incredible story and video. I think that is a big part of your talent, beyond your obvious technical abilities, is your ability to connect with people and find inspiration everywhere you go. This video is amazing, what a gift you gave him.Even your music video is yet another version of your wonderful ability to be storytellers. That must of been amazing to have been witness to it’s premiere at the resort!
Vicky - January 9, 2009 12:00 am
wow…speechless…
words fail me in describing how great this is :)
would we have a chance to see Tiffany + Ryan’s version?
Although our wedding season is slowly coming to an end, it doesn’t mean that we’ve stopped shooting. About a month ago Helen + Dave along with Amina, John and I, went out for a shoot. What a productive afternoon!
We had a ton of fun and got some great imagery. Afterwords Amina created the coolest photo storyboard we’ve produced thus far. I couldn’t resist and had to include it in their Save the Date trailer. For those who want to see the storyboard, we have it on display in our gallery. So here is the first glimpse of the 2009 season. We can’t wait for all the great couples and places we’ve got lined up for next year, with one of the first being Helen + Dave’s wedding on May 9th. But, you’ve got keep it a secret for now- they won’t be mailing out the DVDs to their guests until next week.
I am absolutely impressed with all of your wonderful images and film. My JAW DROPPED when I saw your first masterpiece and I have gone through your blog watching everything – everything is just so wonderful. I am a photographer and I wish that I could provide such wonderful movies to my clients – I don’t do weddings though. Anyways! I’m just an hour south of you guys and was excited to find out that you were so close. If Amina ever has a workshop let me know! I would love to attend.
I will return to see more of your wonderful work.
Joanna
Mel - Still Motion Bride from Sudbury - November 15, 2008 12:00 am
Totally wicked! I love this idea! Can’t wait to get together to plan our shoot!!!
Ngoc (writing for Link) - November 14, 2008 12:00 am
Nice work guys! I love the beat of the music that matched the pace of the motion. Also love the different sceneries. Amina, can we see more pictures? I’m getting spoiled by all the recent photos. :P
I LOVE the album page at the beginning. Leave it to you guys to turn a nice accessory into a totally awesome one!
Adriane - November 14, 2008 12:00 am
Love it! I loved that you incorporated so many different types of shots, angles, etc. Great music choice too!
One day Patrick and I where driving down the street talking about how wonderful it would be if we had another cinematographer to help us out. How wonderful it would be to bring more skill to the already talented team allowing us to push the envelope even further! If all the stars would align, If only we could only meet someone with…great skills! As we pulled up to the intersection we noticed a short Polish man sitting by the sidewalk playing the kazoo while eating a twix, selling lemonade. Patrick did down the window and shouted “ello mate, how’d y’all fancy shooting weddings?” I, being sensible and level headed shouted “WHAT? Are you crazy?”. What we got back was, in an amazing Polish accent “How do you call it…? Veedeeoos???” Patrick shouted “YUP!” And so Konrad was born. He has lived in the broom closet since and last week I decided to send him and Tony to Japan to see what he could do, and this is what they came back with: We thought Konrad did an OK job, so we decided to make him a fully fledged Executive Cinematographer. On behalf of everyone here at StillMotion, welcome Konrad. You and Tony did an excellent job! :)
I’m SPEECHLESS. That was so epic and amazing. It makes my heart yearn to do a trash the dress – how spectacular. I can’t even put words to how it makes me feel.
xo -Dana
Joanna - August 19, 2008 12:00 am
Wow, that was amazing! it so felt like watching a movie in the cinema!
I was wondering what was the name of the background music?
griffen - August 16, 2008 12:00 am
Holy schnikees Batman. You. Flippin’. Rock. Have I said I cannot wait? I cannot wait!
wow,,, its still feel me into the momento…i luv those scenes like the 00:47 kiss moment…it frame feels diferen cause u can see the kiss and its objevite over the kiss, don not over the eyes…and the grooms hand..the color of these ceremonies ever are beautiful and the cinema color that u use…make it complete…gash those shadows on the sand…god…who film it? can i luv them?
keep cinematography it..feellings
jesus
Julie - August 12, 2008 12:00 am
wow! All the shots are so perfect. It’s like watching a movie.
This is probably my favorite of yours to date. I loved the 35 adapter shots and some looked like they were on the Steadicam. Coloring, editing, cinematography….all A+
wow….just when you think you can’t see any better…truly amazing!
Link - August 11, 2008 12:00 am
Very very nice! To echo Michelle, it has an epic feel to it. Awesome!
Ngoc from Cali - August 11, 2008 12:00 am
John, you must be joking right?! I LOVE this. I agree with Michelle from above, it’s totally EPIC. I am in awe by scenes with the bride and groom playing in the water. I seriously started to cry!
Seriously EPIC. I could not tear my eyes away from watching this. This shows off Patrick’s amazing ability to make a wedding look like scenes from a movie. I am seriously blown away.
jared // a trailer
fantastic
now lets see their sde. amazing job!
awesome first post Mark! what a beautiful couple!
Nice stuff Marky Mark!! I did not know who did this film but now I do. I love the fast cuts, jump cuts and all around awesomeness!! Keep it coming.
Awesome work Mark! You are such a talent at such a young age! Mark, you are going to great places! Congrats on your first post..can\’t wait to see more of your work!
That wasn\’t a trailer…that was a teaser! I wish you guys put up a SDE everyday….it never fails to make me smile:) Fabulous!