Smart & Chic artists and stylists had the chance to work with notable wedding videographer Gary Freedline and his team at Video Keepsakes of Los Angeles during their recent Rock the Dress photo shoot in Malibu. The video turned out beautifully, take a look!
We asked him a few questions about his company and the wedding video industry in L.A. and here's what we found out:
You mention that Asian weddings and Same Day Edits are your specialty. Why are you exceptional at these?
I think we stumbled into Asian weddings a few years ago by offering extremely stylish videos that was not mainstream in nature. Our popularity with the Asian culture grew from there mostly from word of mouth. My wife being Chinese helped, but my American style and producing films for MTV was the recipe for success.
Being in the wedding business for many years allowed us to film many different culture weddings. We had to adapt quickly and pioneer something we felt would match a particular cultural style and flair. Alley ways and train stations started replacing tree's and gardens as favorite engagement and portrait locations, stiff family photo sessions grew into trendy shooting with our couple and wedding party. Our shooting became less traditional and more artsy as we started revolutionizing the way a wedding video is supposed to look.
Same Day Edits became a household work at Video Keepsakes a few years ago. We realized that many guests, family and friends might never see the finished video. We knew we could introduce something fresh, something new, and something very exciting right there on the spot.
During the wedding, what could bring more emotion and impact then seeing the day flash again before your very eyes? The bride is not aware of what the groom is doing while she and her entourage is preparing, and the groom has no idea what is going on behind closed doors in the bridal suite. Our "he said, she said" interview section brings out the best in our couples and exposes things that even their parents and siblings might be unaware of which brings the families closer together.
The reason we are so successful with the Same Day Edit is our experience with weddings in general, our shooting and editing skills, and knowing what makes a good show. This is not something a good editor could tackle without much experience and we have become better and better at them ourselves the more we do.
How do you work with different couples’ personalities and styles when shooting?
Since our video are based around our brides and grooms individuality, we usually have a telephone consultation prior to booking and again after being booked. Some brides like to meet personally while others know our reputation and see our styles in the over 600 videos posted online and do not require in person meetings.
I think today's bride and groom differ from the brides and grooms from years ago. Most work or go to school, time is limited. Our consultations are informative and we listen for key factors that will set a particular couple apart. Two different weddings at the same venue will result in two completely different and unique films. Some like our MTV music video style with no talking or interviewing of the bride and groom, while others love to interact and tell us little things in their life that we can intertwine into the video story. Sometimes we discover things during the prep sessions, but the best videos are ones captured spontaneously, and not staged or planned to a "T".What types of non-traditional wedding-related videos do you think are gaining in popularity and why?
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E-Sessions also known as engagement films are picking up in popularity. We usually shoot them on the same day their photographer is taking engagement shots. Our bride and groom usually have many wardrobe changes, many different locations, and like our stylized end result. We can add photos to the e-session, either from what the photographer is taking or growing up photos and turn it into a love story production using sound bites and visuals to complete the task.
We also offer stunning 3D photo montages, where we can actually make old photographs come to life. This rare and unique display of computer wizardry has gained us notoriety especially with our starlet clientele. Our digital artists come up with stunning ideas, lighting schemes and motion that sets our montages apart from anything else in the world.
With the advent of the new still photography cameras making an impact on wedding films, the new DSLR or Fusion shoot and edit, or same day edit, has become the new trend in highly stylized wedding films. While these cameras do not replace a HD Camcorder, ours shoot with 35mm optics and can achieve a similar look of the photos presented in a wedding album which is highly desirable. These cameras are best shot film style, bits and pieces, and are more apt to a shorter more energetic finished product. These cameras are not point and shoot, they take a highly skilled cinematographer to actually get shots that will work in the edit. In other words, "DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!"
What has been your favorite wedding video that you’ve shot?
We have shot well over 5,000 wedding videos and each one has its own particular great moments. If I had to narrow it down to one or two, I would have to say the video we shot for Hasty & Jacques Torres (The Food Network chocolatier & Pastry chef's) wedding at the Bel Air Hotel in Beverly Hills. This wedding was a Persian/Italian mix and the custom chocolate cake must have weighted 200 lbs. Besides the great food, the couple and family were so fun to work with, and so romantic! Everything was perfect and they made us feel like part of the family.
Another great recent wedding was Nadia and Aaron at the Ebell in Los Angeles. We have such great sound bites and shots from a couple that really knew how to show their love for one another it made our work simple (or at least we made it look that way!) Watch the wedding video at the Video Keepsakes website.)We also have a video we cannot display on our website of Hannah and Stephen shot at the Sunset Marquis in Los Angeles. Hannah is the President of Lyric Culture (Lyric Jeans) and they inquired about a short music video of their wedding. The lighting, scenery and relaxed atmosphere really made it a one of a kind video.
In the end there are so many weddings that I remember to be "the best" that it really boils down to the couple, not the venue or the lighting, it's when we see the couple enjoying themselves, we know it's going to be perfect!
What advice would you give to a couple trying to decide on what type of video is best for them?
Most couples are not sure what to expect, they have never bought a wedding video before, they are not actors nor film producers and have never done anything like this before. Most need to rely on what we do best, which is wedding videos and talk about options and what is possible and the difference between one camera and the need for more.
- One thing the bride should be prepared to answer is "who is the video for" and what is she looking for. Is this a personal video just for the bride and groom or do they require a long format edit where all the events are captured in detail. The short format is anywhere from 3-5 minutes or 10-20 minutes in length. Long format is usually an hour and a half to two hours in length.
- Look for a lot of samples on your videographer's site to know this is the style you like and your videographer is capable of repeating his or her work over and over. Make sure the sound is good and the picture is clear and the editing is good.
- Don't go by splash words or lists of gear to try to impress you. If the work is good, you will see that in their samples. No gear can replace creativity and the gear will not work by itself nor promise a good production. Experience, Skill, Reliability, and Consistency is what you should be looking for and hopefully your videographer will be at a price point you can afford or willing to work with you and your budget.
- Don’t think that more expensive is automatically better or that it guarantees the best work. Don't assume that more cameras are better, but talk about your wedding and let your videographer give suggestions as to what will work.
Creative videography does not start with a bunch of cameras, it starts with one great cinematographer and then adds to the equation.Here are some examples of what can be done with the right cameraman/editor at the helm.
Same Day Edit: One cameraman, two cameras
Wedding Movie Trailer: One camera, one cameraman
Next Day Edit: One Camera, one cameraman
Fusion Edit: 8 camera ceremony, two camera party plus jib/crane.
To check out more video samples from Video Keepsakes or book them for your wedding, visit their website: www.vki-party.com
Stop by their blog too! www.videokeepsakesblog.com
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