Street Fun at the Castle Green, Pasadena

At the historic Castle Green in Pasadena, California.

A bit of fun with the wedding party, the street and danger!

Remember: Green means "Go", and Red means "Stop".

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Rained Out at the Reception!

The ceremony is over.

You and your wedding party head over to the reception at the country club, all prepared to do a cool photo session on golf carts out on the green.

Unfortunately, the weather doesn't cooperate, and you are forced to "punt"… pun intended. So, you just have cocktail hour under the sheltering eaves of the beautiful club entry and do a fun photo shoot right there as guests (and golfers), wish you all the best.

Everyone has a great time, and the environment fosters a close, joyous time.

Moral of the story: Hang loose and just laugh and enjoy your day!

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Girls Dance

The girls in the wedding party rock the floor at the Hyatt Regency, Huntington Beach.

Early Morning at the Huntington Library in San Marino

Everyone from the wedding party met early-morning at the spectacular Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Navigating this huge property required a lot of walking, running, and golf-cart riding in order to make it to the various locations within the grounds where filming was to take place.



Highlights include a beautiful, golden-lit setting under an enormous oak tree; a classic dip & kiss inside a classical, column-lined courtyard; and group shots in the Chinese Pavillion across a serene lake.

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Meet Your Friendly Neighborhood Wedding Filmmaker

Its the moment of truth. We've had a great conversation with the bride. She is very interested in having her wedding filmed and we've set up an initial meeting to listen to her plans and to get to know each other a bit. We shake hands and sit down over a cup of coffee as we begin our discussion.

Now what? How to make the most of our short time together?

Although this may be the umpteenth-time that we've sat down with a bride, we always remember to focus on the fact that it's her initial meeting with… gasp… a Wedding Videographer! So how do you discuss your intimate wedding plans with someone who you may be meeting for the first time? What follows are suggestions toward maximizing your time with a wedding filmmaker.

1) Be yourself. We've found that the more comfortable you are with the professionals you retain for your wedding day, the more fun and relaxed the planning and wedding day happen. Don't be afraid to open up a bit with your wedding cinematographer and give him or her a good idea of who you are and what your style is. Knowing this will assist in capturing the real you. In your mind's eye, will your day be Classic, Relaxed, Frenetic? Feel free to describe your vision for your day, and we'll make sure that feel comes across in your film.

2) Tell your story. Tell us how you two met, where you love to go together… your favorite movies. These stylistic notes help us get an idea of what the cadence of your wedding film should look like.

3) Don't sweat the tech stuff. Our job is to handle the technical heavy-lifting so it is transparent on your wedding day, and during post-production. We want to hear the details of your day, so we can bring our experience, knowledge, and yes, technical-savvy into play in order to maximize the day and best capture your story.

4) Give us the boundaries. Do you want specific people and happenings captured? Do you want us to be way in the background, or take a more active role in the events of the day? Let us know about any specific do's or don'ts that you are aware of or that you need to have happen. The more we know about what you expect, the better we'll be able to meet your expectations.

5) We listen… a lot! It's much more fun to hear your story and about your plans than it is to hear ourselves talk! By really tuning in to you and your desires, we get all the more enthusiastic about covering your wedding. It's a rush to be part of the team that makes your perfect day happen. So feel free to engage us in a lively discussion about you and your ideas. Some of the most exciting scenes that we've captured got their start over a cup of coffee; listening to an enthusiastic bride describe a unique aspect of her wedding day to us!

Hopefully, the above tips will help you as you sit down with your friendly wedding videographer. Remember, we are just as excited to hear about, and plan for your day as you are, and we love sharing in your enthusiasm!

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Miss Potter

As filmmakers, we are often energized by viewing great films. In fact, it's tough to watch great cinematography, lighting or character development crafted in a movie and not think, "how can we incorporate that fantastic technique inside of our next project?" It's not uncommon for us to wrap up the viewing of a wonderful movie by diving back to our editing workstations with renewed energy and enthusiasm as we do the production and post production on a current project

We appreciate great films. We enjoy sharing great films that we've seen with our readers. If you have not seen "Miss Potter", we encourage you to do so. This film, based upon actual events, explores the zeal, excitement and heartaches that Beatrix Potter experiences as she begins publishing her children's books.

As an artist, Potter filled her stories with some of the most beautiful illustrations. Incorporating a surprising and wonderful visual element, these illustrations come to life through the use of subtle and well-timed animation. This effect deployed inside of the story is amazing and helps push the film along, often acting as a window inside of the main character's thought patterns.

For us, one of the most compelling elements of the story revolve around the manner in which Miss Potter, the creative, deals with sometimes skeptical but well-meaning family and business partners. People who share her artistic sensibilities may feel a kindred spirit as she struggles to express her passions and outlook on life with people who are not necessarily operating within a similar creative mindset. It's the common story of left-brain/right brain individuals attempting to relate to one another. In that sense, this film definitely gives voice to the creatives, and may provide a chuckle or two as they relate to the heroine.

Whether you tend towards one cranial hemisphere or the other however, you'll delight in this wonderful and visually tender offering. Don't worry if you are not familiar with "the world of Beatrix Potter", this film stands completely on it's own as a great romantic story of hope and tender love.

The Great Sand Beach Challenge!

As wedding filmmakers, we are often called upon to capture the beauty of an event in a variety of situations. Ranging from the relatively easy, to the extreme; the demands of the environment can pose a challenge to even the hardiest of camera operators.

One interesting type of location is a beach shoot. These wonderful settings always deliver spectacular scenes, and also require special care and preparation. Out along the shoreline, things are generally very windy, with the potential of those pesky grains of sand lodging inside your gear, as well as inside your shoes and cuffs. Be on the lookout for those stray flying frisbees and curious beach-goers as well!

As long as you are prepared, all will be well. On especially windy days, it may be necessary to seal your camera's sensitive openings with gaffer's tape. If live audio is going to be captured, wind-muffs are required for your mics; and don't forget back-up batteries; as it is often a long, slow hike back to "base camp" and your gear at the reception site! If appropriate, sandals for the outing along the beach will help as you maneuver the sand.

Here is a wonderful time on the shore in Santa Monica, California at the Jonathan Beach Club with a great group, including our intrepid bride & groom and the fun-loving wedding party.

On the Shore at Santa Monica Beach from Carolwood Productions on Vimeo.

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