Great Opportunity to Meet and Capture Julius “Dr. J” Erving on Video Speaking on an Important Topic
NBA legend Julius Erving and now spokesperson for CORD:USE Foundation, recently gave a presentation and endorsed this foundation at Congregation B’nai Torah in Atlanta, GA. He and a few other sports figures are highlighting and supporting the research and development of the multiple uses of cord blood. There are 80 or more, (including Sickle Cell) identifiable diseases that may be able to be treated by cord blood transfusions, in some cases curing and or at a minimum, giving patients a better quality of life. He spoke on how, if we had known about cord blood and it’s benefits 30 years ago, his younger brother may be still be alive today.
Dr Joanne Kurtzberg, Medical Director of CORD:USE was the primary speaker for this event. The Audience-local physicians and nurses (family practice, OBGYN). She detailed the benefits of cord use, emphasized to other health care providers the importance of properly handling the umbilical cord for use after birth and gave statistics from clinical studies using cord blood to treat various diseases.
I was honored to have been given the opportunity to play a small part in helping to get the awareness out by providing video coverage of this event.
And yes, when I shook Dr. J’s hand, it wrapped around my hand twice!!!
See a short clip at the link below
The Wedding Video Story of Kesha and Sheldon
A delightful day indeed at the Vecoma near Stone Mountain, GA. It was a day of delight laughter and fun for Kesha and Sheldon. The couple planned their wedding in
“exquisite detail and it really showed.” However, there was a bit of a surprise that only Sheldon knew about. He upgraded Kesha’s ring and when it came to the exchange of rings. “BAAAM!” What a surprise as Kesha shouted with utter surprise and we, J and J Digital Media were there to capture every moment. When they look back on their wonderful day it will be a moment that they both will treasure for years to come. As for the setting. The Vecoma is a beautiful quaint venue located in Stone Mountain. It sets near the Yellow River and makes for some great still shots. The food was great, dancing was fun and we were are honored to have played a small part in helping to make the couple’s wedding day memories live forever. The couple’s comments about their video. “Bennie, We absolutely LOVE our video! We couldn’t be more happy! Thank You……
See the wedding video highlights here at the following link: https://vimeo.com/37441824
Tamika and Eric Yancy Wedding at Pristine Chapel, Jonesboro, GA
You could not ask for a more perfect day for a wedding. Sun shining, birds chirping and love in the air. This was one of the more unique weddings that I have witnessed complete with a bride’s best man! The brother of the bride. The wedding video was exceptional!!! I am listing some of the challenges and how we were able to overcome them. Some challenges that we needed to overcome were the following.
1. A 12noon wedding with the sun directly overhead. This presents a unique challenge in that the LCD screens used to view the video that we were shooting was saturated by sunlight and made it extremly hard for us to see the viewfinder. For obvious reasons one would need to see what he is shooting, but with high definition video in an outside setting you really should only use the manual focus. So, you really need to see what the camera is picking up in detail. We used field expedient viewfinder hoods by cutting card board to make shade for our viewfinders.
2. It was an extremely windy day. During any kind of event the last thing the viewer wants to hear is the wind whizzling in the microphone. Therefore we used (windsocks) to help absorb the sound of the wind along with external microphones.
All in all, we made the necessary adjustments in order to be able to produce an outstanding video production for Tamika and Eric.
These are a few tips and tricks that you can apply when shooting video that, “does not suck.” Good Shooting!!!!
I have attached a few still photos from video and have posted the link for the trailer… Enjoy!!!
Danielle and Melvin Hackett Wedding at Lake Lanier Islands, GA
This was a beautiful wedding at a beautiful location in Lake Lanier Islands! Seeing these two together, you got the feeling that they were made for each other. The wedding took place outside on the lake shore just as leaves were beginning to turn and a fall feel in the air, however, nice enough for a comfortable evening of love and new beginnings. The colors were fucia and black against the greenery made it a stunning picturesque scene. After a relaxed wedding ceremony it was time for some extreme fun with superb food, ice-cold drink, an Alpha step show. (The Groom, Melvin is an Alpha). There was also a dance contest. All captured with two Sony AX2000’s. You cannot beat an outside wedding when it comes to capturing high-definition video. You can view the highlight video at the following link:
Sheree and Ryan (an upcoming wedding video production)
Sheree and Ryan’s wedding was a quaint and spectacular event. The wedding took place on October 2, at Old Courthouse on the Square in Decatur, GA. This is a hostoric location with a stylish and rustic look to it and should servee as the perfect venue to capture some amazing wedding video footage. This wedding in the Atlanta, GA area was a two video camera shoot. The groom was outfitted with a wireless microphone to capture amazing sound, which is a hallmark of all of our wedding video productions. It also featured 2 camera coverage at the ceremony which took place at 4pm. The reception was immediatly following at the same location. It was definately party time at the reception. Electric Slide, Cupid Shuffle and more. We even had a few members of Omega Psi Phi who did some hopping at the reception. It was definately an event to remember. Best Wishes Sheree and Ryan…… See the Trailer at the following link http://vimeo.com/31622892
The Wedding Video Production of Asia and Craig in Atlanta GA
Asia and Craig were married at the beautiful Chene Rouge. With the sun shining, birds chirping and love in the air it was a wonderful celebration and a day of love. We especially enjoyed the Newly Wed Game that the couple played during the wedding reception. We were honored to have played a small part in helping make their wedding memories live forever. This wedding was a two camera ceremony shoot with a two camera reception shoot. We captured some wonderful and emotional footage. We are posting a few photos that we grabbed from the video and you can also see the wedding trailer that we have posted on Vimeo. Congratulations Asia and Craig and may God Bless your marriage.See the
Wedding trailer at http://vimeo.com/26895763
The Wedding Video Story of Audrey and Marcus Kelly, by J and J Digital Media
Audrey and Marcus spent a wonderful evening celebrating their wedding on July 16, 2011. As their videographer, I was honored to have played a small part of helping them celebrate their special day by providing video coverage of the wedding and reception. We used two cameras at the ceremony and they received a bonus of having two cameras at the reception. Audrey and Marcus are some of the nicest people that we have worked with. We have captured a few still shots taken from video and we are posting a link to see their wedding video trailer uploaded to vimeo, video hosting site. Enjoy…….. http://vimeo.com/25612854
Chloe and Aaron Sitting in a Tree K.I.S.S.I.N.G.
Chloe and Aarons wedding was as beautiful as any that I have ever captured. Everyone was extremely friendly and I enjoyed every moment. This was the first time that I have every shot a wedding at 10.30am, but it was a great celebration and very unique. The groom Aaron doubled as the flower girl Grrreeeaaat……. I was able to capture some extremely emotional moments on video. I also included some interviews with guests, family and friends. The couple will reside in Chicago, IL. We will miss you………… Here are some pictures taken from video for your enjoyment.
Also, view the wedding video trailer at http://vimeo.com/28089427
Wedding Video “Lingo”
So have you ever wondered what all the “mumbo jumbo” means in many wedding videographer’s marketing material. You can find terms like, Cinematic, Photojournalistic, and Documentary styles plastered in videography advertising materials including, wedding planning websites, videography websites and flyers that are found at bridal shows. Well, you only get married once, so you may never come across these terms again. However, I will seek to describe some of the terminology here which may help to clear up some of the confusion so that you understand and know what to expect. So what does it all mean? Lets take a look at some of the more common terms that are found in the wedding video industry.
Common styles range from “journalistic” to “cinematic”.
- Video Journalistic style
- typically described as a documentary of the event. Segments are edited as they occur to preserve continuity. This style of editing will produce a polished documentation of the day as it unfolds. Also can be referred to as Documentary Style. Some advertise “photojournalistic style” It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism.
- Cinematic
- the term is defined as making a movie or film. Within the wedding videography industry it has taken on the following meaning: It is captured and edited for the dramatic effect and mood. It is usually presented with a particular style and “wow” effect that may not be present in a “mere documentary” of the event. It is characterized by, altered lighting, close-ups of specific body parts such as an eyelid or lips, fades and trucking camera movements to name a few.
- Storytelling
- a video that relies on sound bites recorded pre, during or in post, usually from the bride and groom. These sound bites are then added to the audio track for dramatic effect and to push the story of the day forward.
- Short Form Wedding
- a video of the day that has been edited to fit within a time frame that is no less than 15 minutes and no longer than 50 minutes. Some videographers consider anything under 60 minutes to be short form, but according to the entry form for the WEVA Creative Excellence Awards it can not exceed 50 minutes.
- Traditional
- a catch-all term for styles that do not fit with above. Traditional tends to look more like a family shot video; it can be edited, but usually lightly. Everything is edited in a linear progression and usually in its entirety. These videos tend to be 2 to 3 hours, and even longer, in length.
Wedding videographers are not limited to using just one of these styles; different amounts of styles can be found in every video.
Wedding videography, like other fields has come a very long way in a short period of time. Today, we can do with a $3500 what a $20,000 camera could do just 10 years ago. The great wildcard in videography is the experience of the videographer. As high quality cameras, editing equipment and storage become more affordable you will see many more “vidoegraphers” in the marketplace. Some good, some not so good. In order to navigate the waters and help you understand what to look for please see my blog entitled “How to select a great wedding videographer.”
Some of the info above from the Wikipedia article Wedding videography.
Your Wedding Video Online
Did you know that it is now possible for your wedding videographer to upload your wedding video to you tube or to Vimeo? These are just two of the more popular video hosting platforms. With a subscription to Vimeo, you can now upload up to 5gb of video to their site per week for you and your family to see? YouTube is also allowing members to upload High Definition video to their website for free. Brides can upload the video to one of these video hosting platforms. Once you have completed the upload, you can then send a link to your family and friends in order for them to view the video. Obviously, this eliminates the need for burning multiple DVDs and either traveling or sending the DVDs in the mail. Have you ever wondered how some video’s get 100s and sometimes thousands of hits. One viewer tells five people those five people tell five other people and so on. Pretty soon you have a video that has “gone viral.” Take your video viral!!!!! Ask your wedding videographer about posting your wedding video online.
VideoPro 