The Immediate Experience

Movies. What are they all about? The best ones are about the human experience. The immediate experience. Relationships. Emotions. Feelings. Comfort. Inspiration. Misery. They shed light on our own experiences. 

The best movies create the same feelings in you at the same point in the story every time you see them. So which are some of my favorites? 

Field of Dreams - despair, then hope and the magic that can come from a child-like faith, when "Doc" saves the little girl who was choking on a hot dog

E.T. - again, despair then hope, as E.T. lifts Elliott heavenward across the sky just as the Feds are closing in - a magical moment in film history

Schindler's List - transformation from selfishness to selflessness and witnessing that one person can make a difference

Casablanca - sacrifice of personal happiness for the greater good; "Here's lookin' at you kid."

It's a Wonderful Life - a life full of deeds of quiet heroism and generosity add up to "Here's to my big brother George. The richest man in Bedford Falls."

The Color Purple - when Celie and her sister are reunited and Celie sees her children for the first time in 20 years, your heart soars. Even the improbable can come to pass.

Why does it matter? Because there are more great moments at weddings than in even the greatest movie. And, those moments should be preserved - exactly as you experienced them - with a cheeringfamily, live music, and just a tiny tear glistening at the corner of your eye. A great wedding movie delivers the immediate experience.

Let's Make a Movie

We had a wonderful time filming and creating a movie trailer for Emily and Danny who were married at the Ritz at Half Moon Bay last month.  We never do it alone.  Here are some of the fine cast of characters:

Venue:  Ritz Carlton at Half Moon Bay, Tony White

Coordinator:  Jubilee Lau Events, Jubilee Lau

Beauty:  Faces by Taylor, Taylor Pham

Cake: Elegant Cheesecakes, Susan Morgan

Invitations:  Peculiar Pair, Mary Beth Fiorentino, Amy Hayson 

Here is the piece:

I thought you, dear reader, would like to know what goes on behind the scenes to create even a 3-minute piece like this.

Behind the Scenes 

1.  When we saw Emily & Danny's logo, we thought it was very nice.  So we asked for and received the Illustrator files of the logo from Peculiar Pair Press and animated Emily and Danny's logo.

2.  Emily's Mom and Dad were at the second story window looking out.  The window was too blue, due to the reflection of the sky and ocean.  Chuck masked the window and color corrected it so their skin tones looked normal. He then gave a different color correction to the area outside the window so it matched the other images of the exterior of the building.  Then, he did the same thing for each FRAME (there are 30 frames per second).  We color correct pretty much every clip in the entire wedding movie.  This adds 2-3 weeks of effort.  We also modulate and "sweeten" the sound throughout a wedding movie.

3.  Emily and Danny asked us to do a time lapse of empty to full seats.  Since this was the weekend of the women's golf tournament, we could not leave a camera outdoors unattended.  So, at our own expense we hired someone to "camera sit" just to get that 3-second shot.

4.  After the bridesmaids walked down the aisle and Emily was waiting alone in the foyer, we finally saw a bit of her nervousness.  It was charming. 

5.  By coming to every rehearsal (no extra charge), we know what is going to happen and when.  So, we were in the best positions to catch Emily hugging her in-laws and Danny hugging his in-laws.

6.  Chuck caught Emily's favorite uncle sketching at the rehearsal.  He finished the drawing during the ceremony.  We were able to scale the sketch to create the maximum impact when we dissolved from the sketch to real life.  This impact can only be achieved in a moving picture medium.  A photo in an album would not convey the same dynamic feeling nor the emotions it creates.  This unexpected event inspired the opening and closing scenes of this piece.  Chuck bought a special piece of software to create a look that was similar to the Uncle's artistic style.

7.  During the table toasts, we wanted a specific look.  It was very dark in the ballroom, so we needed small (20 watt) lights.  Instead of having them mounted on the camera which would light people from the front, giving an unflattering flat look, our assistant was lighting each scene from the side, for a softer and more sophisticated look - still using only a 20-watt light.  We aim to be unobtrusive.  In fact Emily's parents thought Chuck was the only cinematographer there.  They never saw me or our assistant!  And the only reason they saw him was because he was in the foyer with them just before they walked down the aisle.

8.  We went back to the Ritz and filmed the ocean scenes on a non-wedding day.

9.  The scene where the camera pulls back from a couple standing at the window watching the sunset?  It was shot much earlier in the day when the sky was blue.  Chuck color graded it to look like it occurred at sunset to match the other images immediately prior.

10.  Because Emily and Danny are real foodies, we made special arrangements in advance with the staff at the Ritz to be able to film the food preparation without interfering in the flow of their work.

11.  We knew the photo booth would be a centerpiece of the reception.  So, the week before the wedding we spent several hours experimenting to determine the best combination of strobe flashes per second, direction of  supplemental lighting, and a few other factors which matched the photo booth flashes best.  So, on the wedding night, we were able to flash our strobes for less than 3 minutes total time.  Everyone thought the strobes were the band's mood lights.

12.  We asked for and received the DVD of all 663 photo booth images.  We combed through every one of them to find the ones that matched our footage and found some additional ones that had a lot of energy.

13.  We strongly suggest couples engage us until the end of the evening because you never know when great moments will happen.  The bride's cousin started break dancing.  This occurred after the end of our contracted time. We had packed up and were ready to go.  Nevertheless, we grabbed a camera and shot this scene.

14.  In order to know what images we need, we storyboard a short piece like this.  That takes hours. We allow for whatever will happen at a ceremony, but we need to think through transitional elements in advance to make it happen. For example, we knew we would need to film a steadicam shot entering the front of the Ritz and a steadicam shot following a couple out to the gazebo area.  So, we scheduled a specific time to capture these images.

15.  We have close-up and wide shots, camera angles that are on the ground and way overhead.  There are small, well considered camera moves and there are times we hold the camera steady.  It is a matter of knowing when to use each of these techniques, and knowing when to be still.

16.  And, we need to know who are the key people and capture them without fail.

17.  We looked at over 500 pieces of music to find the one that had the right beat and mood to match Emily and Danny's personalities AND match the images we brought back.

Raise Your Glasses...

In Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hugh Grant's character is a sweet and lovable bumbling bloke who awkwardly delivers a toast at a wedding.  This has inspired many a best man to think he too can bumble through the toast and that everyone will laugh on cue.  Well...not really. Hugh Grant was a well-rehearsed actor, speaking from a well-honed script, to a room full of actors who were paid to laugh on cue.

We've filmed and edited a fair number of toasts in our time.  Since we see each toast many times while editing it we have a unique viewpoint.  We thought we'd pass along some observations about some toasts that stand above the rest.

The best toasts come from the heart. This takes real courage.  These toasts are full of truth and sometimes give voice to thoughts and feelings that have never been spoken.  We remember a father telling his son for the first time in his life that he was proud of his accomplishments. We've seen one brother tell his brother the groom that he was grateful for all the times the groom fought off the grade school bullies, that he had always looked up to the groom and only wished he could be half the man his brother was.  And we've seen grooms eloquently express their respect, gratitude and love for their brides.  There's nothing quite as endearing as a man declaring his love for his wife in front of a room full of family and friends.

The best toasts are well prepared and well rehearsed.  No one, not even a professional public speaker, can reliably deliver a great speech extemporaneously.  When the toaster is familiar with what he is going to say, he can say it with ease, in a relaxed way, often with humor.   The consequence of poor preparation is rambling--how boring!  

The best toasts are brief.  It is much harder to be succinct, but the reward is often a more powerful message.

The best toasts focus on the bride and groom, not the toaster.

The best toasts wish the couple well.

The best toasts have humor in good taste.

The best toasts come from people who are sober.  Being tipsy can make you think everything you say is funny even though no one else does.

Grooms ask "Do I have to give a toast?"  It's not required, but it is gracious.  

"What do I need to say?"  Three things, in your own words:

1.  Thank you all for coming.  We appreciate the effort it took for you to be with us.  You have contributed to our joy on this day.

2.  My wife and I would like to thank our family and friends for everything they have done for us.  But most of all, we'd like to thank our parents for giving us such perfect role models for how to nurture a long and happy marriage, and love each other every day.

3.  A personal message to your bride:  Thank you for making me the happiest man in the world today.  There is no one else on earth with whom I would rather spend the rest of my life. Would you all please raise your glasses to toast my beautiful bride.

Mona Lisa Smile

Is the world’s most enigmatic smile a fake? Is Mona Lisa really smiling or is she faking it?

Because real and fake smiles are controlled by different parts of the brain, different muscles are used to create them – and this indicates whether a smile is genuine or not. When faking a smile, the brain signals the major muscles in the cheeks to contract and pull the corners of the mouth outwards.


Genuine smiles are triggered by feelings of pleasure which pass through the part of the brain that processes emotion. When a smile is real, the eyes crease up, and the end of the eyebrows dip slightly.

Looking at the right side of the painting of Mona Lisa it is instantly evident that she has definite up-turned lips for a smile.

But her eye on this side does not show 'laughter lines' at the outer corner of the eyes where the skin crinkles up. There is no smile evident in this eye. Overall, this side of her face indicates her mouth is smiling but her eye is not part of it. This is a gentle 'polite smile' we all can turn on and off at will.


On the picture's left side, the body language indications are reversed. Her lips do not have a smiling up-turn, but, we can see that this eye hints of the tension associated with a true smile. The upper and lower eye lids have a slight upward pull at the outer edge. But a smiling eye without a smiling mouth contributes to an uneasy feeling of mystery and bewilderment of this painting.

The body language indicators are conflicting in this face. It is easy to understand how this could happen if Leonardo painted different parts of her face at different times. Her mood may have been different over several days. Her left eye may be her Monday eye, her right eye may show her Tuesday mood, her right mouth side possibly Wednesday, and maybe he painted her left mouth last and that gentle smile was for Leonardo on Thursday as he finished his masterpiece!

So the answer to whether Mona Lisa is smiling or not is...it depends.

So what does this have to do with us? We spend a lot of time behind the camera lens and in the editing suite. We are practiced observers and can spot a fake smile from 50 paces. Fake smiles rarely "make the cut" into our wedding movies. Although it is a very subtle cue, viewers can also spot a fake and can feel there is something "a bit off" even if they can't place a finger on the inauthentic smile. That is why we film a lot on a wedding day; so we can be very, very picky and make each wedding movie feel unstudied and real, in the best possible way.

Some brides fear they will not look good in their wedding movie. We find that people who behave in a contrived fashion don't look their best. So, we don't pose people, ask for "re-enactments" (which can never capture the original feeling), or ask people to do cheesy unnatural things like throwing the veil over the groom's head of having the groom dip the bride. Because we allow the action to unfold naturally, we are much more likely to capture people's natural expressions. And, people are less anxious because they are engaged in actions that they would naturally do. So...with us, everyone looks their best.

Kooza and The Alps

This was a great week for us. We went to opening night of the latest Cirque du Soleil show Kooza with its featured 'Wheel of Death' act, and then a few nights later we went to the opening night for the Imax movie 'The Alps' in which a trio are filmed climbing the Eiger in Switzerland. Both were spectacular and had our hearts in our throats. During both, you felt fearful that one wrong move could result in death. It was very intense.


Chuck and I watched a scene in the movie 'The Alps' where you are soaring over the jagged mountains and then you fly over the last peak and, without warning, the earth drops away. We felt a sudden drop in the pit of our stomachs. We gasped along with the rest of the audience. We asked ourselves, would our hearts be pounding if we were shown individual still images, or a slide show of the same scene? No. Not at all. So, what is the difference?

While a photo can artfully and beautifully capture a single moment in time, what it can never do is capture the fluid motion, voices and sounds a video can. It isn't that emotions can't be captured in a photograph, they can. The challenge to brides and grooms is that the number of photographers who are able to capture and convey true emotion in the same manner and to the degree a video can are few and far between.



For 1 million years, our brains have been finely honed to perceive and interpret the slightest movement because our survival depended upon observing and interpreting movement correctly. We are wired to automatically respond to movement. Sometimes it's a benign response when there is no threat present. Because a photo is an abstraction of reality, it rarely triggers the same level of response.

When Chuck and I make a movie, we keep these things in mind. When we are filming, we look for the broad and subtle cues in each movement. We look for the flash of his smile, the gentle lowering of her eyes, his hand that gently finds the small of her back and pulls her to him, the sweep of her train. We all have the visual vocabulary to interpret each of these movements as being joyful, demure, sensuous, and elegant respectively. We assemble all these cues and skillfully edit them into a sequence with a pace that will enable the viewer to experience those emotions.

There are hundreds of these emotion-triggered moments every day, but most pass without our conscious notice. We are more likely to notice them when our senses are heightened and we are fully engaged in an activity. It happens while watching a sporting event, attending the theater, praying at church, on a first date. Or on your wedding day. That is why you may find your experience is more powerful when watching your beautifully filmed and edited wedding movie, than looking at still images.

Because that's the way we are wired.

Videography vs Photography

We ran across a refreshing conversation among brides about wedding videography in the Boston Globe's Boston.com message board. We concur with most of the posts. But we feel that still images captured from video, even from HD which is what we exclusively use, are not suitable for enlargement beyond 4" x 6". Maybe one day, but not quite yet.

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Video More Than Photography
Message #11283.1

Hi All,

I just got back from a visit to my friend in Calif. We watched her wedding video which was amazing! She went with a high-end videographer, which cost them $5,000! Here's the thing, she only spent $1000 on her photographer. she said it's not uncommon there for couples to put more money into their videos than their photos.

My FI and I are much more into video than photos. I know most couples spend more on their photos, but is there any reason not to spend more on the video? We can't afford the high end on both.

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Message #11283.2 in response to #11283.1

Why not. It's your money. We may do the same. My family has always been more into video. As I watch videographer demos, I think there's a big difference in quality between the $1000 videos and the more expensive ones.

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Message #11283.3 in response to #11283.2

Also, her videographer was able to give her some photo stills from the video. They looked pretty good!

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Message #11283.4 in response to #11283.3

We're looking to see if we can get a photographer for just 3 hours to cover the ceremony, cocktails, formals, intros, and first dance.

i've seen stills from videos. The good thing is that you can capture the exact moment, but I don't think the resolution is a good as a professional still camera.

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Message #11283.5 in response to #11283.4

Were the stills you saw from an HD video?

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Message #11283.6 in response to #11283.5

I don't think so. It was 3 years ago. But, if stills from HD video are of photo quality, that would be huge!
Then your videographer could supply both your video and your photos! :)

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Message #11283.7 in response to #11283.6

My Aunt and Uncle had a video of their wedding in 1988. I was the flower girl. it's the most precious thing our family has. My Dad's dad died 2 months after the wedding. In the video he's talking about how much he loves his family. You really can't put a price on that

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Message #11283.8 in response to #11283.7

Wow! How lucky you are to have that. And how great it was that the videographer used the sound of voices. Those are the videos I like best!

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Message #11283.9 in response to #11283.8

Also, I think that some people look better on video than in photos. My friend hates her wedding pictures. it's because she has this weird expression every time she poses. But she looks great on her video. she can't blame the photographer, because the pictures are technically fine.

Wedding Webcast

Every now and again we like to tell the world what we've been up to. This week we put out a press release about a wedding we filmed recently. We love talking about our passion - making movies - but we are always a bit uncomfortable talking about ourselves. In this case, we overcame our discomfort to write a news piece in the hope that a bride somewhere will read about the possibility of webcasting and solve the problem of how to take the sting out of dear relatives who cannot make it to the wedding.

PRESS RELEASE

Savadelis Films may have made history by successfully webcasting a bride's outdoor wedding ceremony to her mother's hospital room 2500 miles away using full-motion video. But best of all, they made a Mother and daughter very happy.

Just days before Pam and Phil's wedding, Pam's Mother Sue shattered not just her leg, but also her dream of watching her daughter walk down the aisle. Pam and Sue were heartbroken. Pam frantically searched for a way to get her Mother to the wedding. But given the nature of the break, there was no way her Mother could travel. Sometimes, though, a miracle can happen in a way you never expected.

When the couple's wedding videographers, Chuck and Jewel Savadelis of Savadelis Films learned of Pam and Phil's predicament just 48 hours before the wedding, they vowed to do whatever it took to broadcast Pam and Phil's wedding ceremony live over the internet. Magically, the pieces started to fall into place.

On Friday, as Pam and her bridesmaids drove to the spa for a day of relaxation, Savadelis Films contacted the head of technology at the hospital in Ohio where Pam's Mother was receiving care. The hospital was able to provide a computer from which Sue could view the live webcast of the wedding. Then Savadelis Films called on Event by Wire to provide the streaming technology to webcast the ceremony live from a California winery to an Ohio hospital. Although slated to play in an annual golf tournament, Dan Grumley, owner of Event by Wire, committed to forego the tournament to personally oversee that the broadcast went flawlessly.

Ten minutes before the wedding, just as Pam and her bridesmaids were ready to walk down the aisle, the internet broadcast went live. Sue, dressed in the pale pink chiffon dress she had chosen, and adorned with a corsage, saw guests gathering under a stand of stately redwood trees on a brilliantly sunny day at a private winery near San Francisco. Then she saw a sight she'd been praying to see: her daughter floating down the aisle on her father's arm. Sue saw her husband gently kiss Pam's cheek as he presented her hand to Phil.

As the couple approached the minister Phil whispered to Pam, "You are so beautiful. You take my breath away." As Pam spoke her vows to love Phil in joy and in sorrow, he wiped her tear away. Then they exchanged rings and kissed. Sue saw and heard it all. At the moment that it was happening. From 2500 miles away.

Afterwards, Pam said, "I truly felt like my Mom was there in the crowd of family and friends who surrounded us. Knowing that she was watching freed me from worrying about her, and allowed me to fully experience all the joy of our wedding day." Pam's Mother put it more simply: "It felt like I was there. I really was there, sharing every moment with my children."

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!

Enduring Marriage

We filmed a wonderful weddng this weekend at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. It is one of the most beautiful locations for a wedding in the Bay Area and every member of the staff set the standard for excellent service. The weather was absolutely perfect for our beautiful bride and adoring groom. They were surrounded by such warm families and friends. And, they incorporaed some fun activites. During the recessional, guests were invited to write their wishes for the happy couple on paper airplacnes and launch them in the direction of our bride and groom as they joyfully left the ceremony. Later on, everyone was invited to make s'mores out at the barbeque pit.

In addition to covering the wedding day, they asked us to do something a little different. We are preparing a short piece 'Enduring Marriage'. Our lovely couple wanted to hear how their close friends and family keep their marriages fresh, alive, ever-changing, and how they manage to weather the rough spots. We had our doubts about whether people would speak frankly enough about such intimate topics to be useful. Were we surprised! Our bride and groom knew their guests well. Everyone we spoke with was generous and articulate. They were funny, sincere, and genuine. Some had been married over 50 years. Others, for just 4 days. We learned so much, and it's already changed my thinking, and behavior in my own marriage.

This project had another impact. After reflecting on marriage and chatting with us, people were mindful of what marriage meant to them, and all the joys they had already shared. An atmosphere of a higher order of spirituality was created, of serenity, of gratitude, among all the guests. It was one of those times when everything seemed so perfect.

Without reviewing the footage, our general impressions were that a good marriage depends on consciously giving time and thought to the marriage and family; sacrificing and suppporting each other, doing small kindnesses for each other every day; letting go the little trifles; seeing the value of the differences between you; and being willing and able to change uncharitable thoughts to loving thoughts. Even the young flower girls, from observing their own parents' marriage, had some wise words to share.

We will condense the over 8 hours of conversations to a 20-minute piece which our lovely couple will present as a gift to their guests. We felt honored to be asked to work on this project, and felt blessed to come to know all those who freely shared with us.

We wish our wonderful couple a lovely honeymoon and a lifetime of contentment.

Memoirs of a Wedding

We spoke with Sylvia and James tonight, our darling bride and groom who married on March 25 and just returned from their honeymoon in Bora Bora. We’re so excited!

They loved the Vignette and have played it on the 'BridePod' we sent them over 100 times within the first few days. They said they thought the movie trailer we produced was better than most movie trailers they see in the theaters because even if people don't know them, they will want to find out how the story ends. Here is their Vignette: www.savadelis.com/movies/memoirsofawedding.mov/

Life really must be like a movie…there are over 500 people on blogspot.com alone who have said their lives are like a movie. Hopefully, their movies are light comedies or romances, and not science fiction or horror flicks.