Friday, September 29, 2006

Flight of Fantasy



We received a bit of good news. Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine has just launched a new, spectacular website. Grace added the capability to show featured weddings in video format and we were the very first cinematographers to be selected to showcase our work. Grace is such a visionary. She is the first publisher of a major bridal magazine website to do so.

I remember having dinner with Grace at the Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco last November after a wonderful party Grace had thrown for the key players in the wedding services industry. We talked about many things, but in particular we talked about how underrated wedding video is, how many stereotypes and misconceptions exist among brides, and that not having a video is the #1 regret of brides. We explored options. I asked her, if Chuck and I can pioneer a new, exciting format, a 90-second movie-trailer for you to post on your website, would you do it? She promised me she would. She has fulfilled her promise in under a year. It was a massive undertaking and a major expense, but Grace kept her promise. I have admired everything about Grace - her intelligence, wit, deep understanding of brides, and now, I admire her integrity. Go Grace!

You can see our trailer at www.weddingstylemagazine.com/featured/ then click on Savadelis Films, Flight of Fantasy, then click Play Video. The first time you play the movie trailer, it stops several times to load. To get the full effect, please play the trailer a second time. Then it will have fully loaded and it will play straight through.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Beautiful Mendocino

We were so delighted to film a beautiful couple's wedding in Mendocino last week. Such perfect weather - 75 degrees and blue, blue sky. The first night we stayed at the Weller House in Fort Bragg
in the Tuscany Room. The innkeepers were very sweet. Reading through the 10 years of journal entries by other guests was amazing. From newlyweds on their honeymoons to couples spending their 35th+ anniversaries at this romantic bed and breakfast inn. But, getting internet access and cell phone coverage is a challenge. What did we do before these devices took over our lives?


Then, we stayed at the Little River Inn for 3 nights. Oh my! The view was fantastic. We were directly above Van Damm State Park and the sunsets, from our balcony were spectacular.

The wedding went quite smoothly and we had the pleasure of working with Kathy Scheer of Chameleon Photographix, www.chameleonphotographix.com. What a pleasure! We had a ball! And her work is just beautiful. The flowers by Mandy Scott, www.mandyscott.com, were very fresh, and delicate--matching the personality of our bride and her attendants.

Prior to the wedding day, we scouted about 12 locations to find just the right one for our bride and groom for a special shoot the day after the wedding. We found the perfect setting at Jug Handle State Park where the ocean crashed against the rugged rocks, with a field of golden grasses waving in the foreground. It was paradise. Central casting could not have found a more romantic setting.

Would we go back to Mendocino to film a wedding? In a heartbeat!

Friday, September 08, 2006

Boy Meets Girl

We filmed a sensational wedding last weekend at the historic 100-year old Julia Morgan Ballroom. Prior to the ceremony in the Jewish tradition, the groom is with the men and the bride is with the women. All the participants are joyously singing, dancing and praying for the couple's happy future. Then, the men, led by musicians from Joel Nelson Productions (including Joel himself!), join the ladies.


Now, in biblical times, Jacob labored for seven years to earn the hand of Rachel for his wife. Rachel's father tricked Jacob and gave him his other daughter, Leah, instead. So, Jacob worked seven more years to earn Rachel's hand. So ever since, grooms come in and make sure that the woman they are about to marry is 'The One'. If you listen very carefully, you will hear our groom say, 'It's her. She's the one." Then, he lowers the veil over her beautiful face. The bride's father then blesses her, as he has every sabbath for the past 24 years. Except this will be the last time he blesses her as an unmarried woman. The overflowing pride and happiness bring tears of joy.

Here is a 90-second clip from this part of the day, which preceded a beautiful wedding ceremony.
Quicktime: www.savadelis.com/movies/theveiling.mov
Window Media: www.savadelis.com/movies/theveiling.wmv

Enjoy!

Savadelis Films Wins Gold Award for Creative Excellence!

August 21, 2006

We are so thrilled! We just received the Gold Creative Excellence Award for a Wedding Highlight piece we produced earlier this year. Chuck was at the annual Wedding and Event Videographers Association convention in Las Vegas to receive it. As a proud wife, you will forgive my gushing. I am so happy our peers have recognized Chuck's remarkable technical genius and knowledge. And 'what goes around comes around'. Chuck has always been generous with his time to talk with, or even go over to another videographers' office to help solve a technical problem, particualrly when they were stumped and a deadline was looming. He is open and free with his knowledge so that we, as an industry, might all improve. I am so proud of my man!!

Hot Rods on the Hill

July 30, 2006

We just returned from a maaaahvelous day at the lovely Palo Alto Hill Golf and Country Club. The ever-lovely Director of Events, Barbara Lewis invited us and a few other luminaries in the wedding services industry. Let's see...there was Director of Events at the Julia Morgan Ballroom, Linda Hylen and huband Jay. Event planners extraordinaire Jubilee Lau and husband Alan; Morgan Doan and husband Win; Jean Marks and husband Jeff.

We were treated to wine tastings on the gold course amid vintage cars such as Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Thunderbirds, Jaguars and more from the 1930's, 40's and 50's. One one my favorites was Ambassador's Rolls' classic limo.

www.ambassadorsrolls.com

Then we sat amid the greens and had a lovely buffet dinner just as the shadows were lengthening. We did not want to say goodbye, so we lingered some more before sauntering to our own, more modern cars.