Brett Harkness – SWPP Training Day, Northampton

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Alice

I'd just about recuperated from our busy weekend when it was time for us to leave on Monday afternoon for Northamptonshire. By then I couldn't quite make up my mind if my suitcase was half full or half empty but being an optimistic I decided it was half full though tossed in some extra clean clothes just to play safe. Remind me never to become a travelling salesperson . . .

This journey would take us to Chapel Brampton, a pretty village with distinctive Victorian sandstone cottages where we were booked to attend a SWPP member training day at Sedgebrook Hall. The hotel, owned by Principal Haley Hotels, is set within well-kept country gardens and comes with spa, sauna, pool and gym and was the perfect training venue for us.

The SWPP have produced some truly excellent workshops and this one was just as good. Presented by Brett Harkness, widely regarded as one of the UK's top social photographers whose business has gone from strength to strength since opening his first studio in 2002, this workshop also came with no holes barred. Brett's style (laid back and straight talking) was most engaging and fun and Nigel and I really enjoyed it.

I love discovering how a photographer (or videographer) 'sees', how they decide what will work and what won't. I'm also in awe of their knowledge and how they know which lens to use in any particular situation. So Brett's workshop worked perfectly as a follow-on from Lisa Beaney's business one and a step forward in what I'm trying to achieve.

However, I shall admit to a bit of naughtiness once I was outside. I simply can't stop myself photographing insects, bugs or mother nature with my macro lens (I used my Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 100mm macro stabilised lens) and thus it was that my eye was distracted by a honeybee making his way through the various wall flowers that graced the walls of Sedgebrook Hall.

However (in my defence) I must say that there was time to photograph other things around me as Brett's workshop was well attended, with over 20 SWPP members participating and taking turns in shooting.

The morning session commenced with a bride and groom shoot outside. Posing, light and Brett's tips and tricks were all openly discussed and, more importantly, shown. Lens choice and how to set up the camera came next as well as how to get the best out of the bride and groom in front of the camera.

The weather was not that brilliant (sunny but with a slight chilly wind) so I was rather impressed by the continued smile of our bride and groom. I was even more so when Brett asked our lovely model to stand on a window ledge and she hopped up without a murmur. It's one of best images I took that day with the secret all in the lighting! I'm just not sure I could ask one of my brides to do something similar!

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Anjali & Sandeep – London

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Alice

Several weeks prior to Rebecca and David's wedding, Nigel had agreed to be second video shooter for a colleague of his, Jatinder Vaid of JSV Media, and assist in filming an Indian Gujarati wedding the following day. At the time I thought nothing of it, thinking I'd return home and crack on with work on the Sunday while Nigel was off filming. However a week before the wedding, Jatinder contacted us and asked if I'd like to film the bridal preparations while Nigel filmed the arrival of the groom at the venue.

I was delighted but then gulped when I learned we needed to be at the venue, Riverside Conference and Banqueting – Heathrow, at 7am in the morning. Such an early start necessitated the drive down the evening before – arriving just before midnight at our hotel situated a couple of miles away from the venue.

Riverside, which has only recently opened, is a luxurious, purpose-built venue just moments away from Heathrow Airport and caters for up to 500 guests. My only quibble with it was the tiny cubby-hole our bride-to-be was expected to get ready in. For an establishment priding themselves on offering luxury I was quite dismayed by their lack of sensitivity. Her room must have been all of 6ft x 3ft – with a white sink at the back with a small mirror and an extra long mirror facing it. Counting that at any given time there were at least 4 people in the room (with other members of the family popping in during her make up session), it was really very cramped. And when it came to photograph her beautiful jewellery, the poor photographer had only a chair seat on which to lay them out. I spent a great deal of my time filming wedged in the corner behind the door. Not good.

Yet Anjali smiled and remained very gracious throughout and though a little shy, willing accepted to be filmed and photographed while having her make up and hair done at the same time. She looked utterly gorgeous in her beautiful deep red and gold saree, jewellery and bracelets as she made her way to the mandap and her wedding ceremony.

The marriage ceremony lasted about two hours and was very graciously done. I was fascinated by the different symbolic rituals that occurred throughout (you can read more about them here) and felt honoured to be there.

With the ceremony over, group photos completed, reception drinks and starters served, Anjali and Sandeep entered the Reception Room to the beat of the dhol (drums) and made their way over to the wedding cake which they cut and shared amongst their family. Then came that very special moment, a couple's first dance, which I always find wonderful.

Nigel and I slipped away as the main course and desserts were being served to make our homeward bound journey.

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Rebecca & David – Drayton Old Lodge, Norwich

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Alice

I think I'd been watching the weather as much as Rebecca had been all week. Would it rain or be sunny? The forecast was for rain on Saturday (it had rained for most of the week), most people said it would rain but in fact it turned out to be bright and sunny on Rebecca and David's wedding day.

I met Rebecca and David on the last day of the Norfolk Bridal Show held in February. They'd been round the show several times, looking at various stands and picking up relevant leaflets here and there. With tired feet and an even more tired little baby boy, they decided to go home disappointed that they'd not found a videographer to their liking.  Walking down the last exhibition row they happened to glance towards our somewhat small, rather hidden and clinical, cubical and absolutely loved what they saw playing on our TV screen.

I shall of course write a more extensive blog about their wedding once I've completed their wedding trailer but today I thought I'd post one of the photos I took of the happy couple- with fun being very much the operative word between them!

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Lisa Beaney – SWPP Training Day, Norwich

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Alice

These past few weeks I've had the distinct impression of living in a windmill – no sooner am I back home than I'm off out again.

Yesterday found Nigel and I driving to The Holiday Inn on Ipswich Road in Norwich to attend a SWPP (Society of Wedding-Portrait Photographers) member training day given by Lisa Beaney, an award-winning photographer specialising in Wedding and Boudoir Photography. Unlike the other SWPP training days we've attended, this one gave full focus on starting, building and marketing your own photography business.

This informative day was split into two distinct sections: morning key points covered creating a business plan, decision to go full time, marketing (what has worked and what hasn't) and what makes brides want to book you. The afternoon session concentrated pre-wedding planning, how Lisa worked on the day itself, dealt with guests sporting cameras (and videographers!) and the all important workflow and album design.

Lisa was very candid about her work and experiences, peppering her talk with funny anecdotes and answering any questions we, or the other participants, had.

In hindsight (of course) this is the type of course we should have started with first rather than the wedding photographic ones we did last year. Lisa's course would have served as a great foundation, enabling us to plan and move forward step by step and possibly avoid certain marketing pitfalls while taking, other more positive ones.

Having said that our situation was slightly different (perhaps more advanced is a better word having run a business in France) but, even so, I would highly recommend (even urge) Lisa's course to anyone serious about setting up their own photography business. I came away much more confident and reassured – plus with no end of ideas.

And yes, you've guessed it. I was so concentrated on Lisa's talk that I totally forgot to take a photo. Duh!

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EDP Wedding Show – Dunston Hall, Norwich

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Alice

Built in 1859, Dunston Hall is an imposing red brick Elizabethan-style mansion set within 150 acres of wooded Norfolk parkland. Currently owned (and renovated) by De Vere Hotels, the Hall offers an array of sporting and leisure facilities, including a 22 bay covered driving range, fully equipped gym, spa and 15 metre indoor pool.

This was to be the setting for the EDP Wedding Show yesterday (Sunday 29th April). Doors opened at 11am and from that moment until 4pm, it turned out to be our busiest show yet!

In total there must have been about 80 exhibitors. Some were situated on the ground floor in the Eaton Suite, others outside in the Marquee. The rest of the exhibitors (including us) where on the first floor in the St Andrews, Wentworth and Sunningdale Suites.  The above photo was taken from our stand in The Sunningdale looking towards the lobby and panelled staircase.

Although really busy, I managed to leave Nigel in charge of the stand and grab a few moments to walk round the show. I recognised some of the exhibitors from the previous EDP Wedding Show we attended at the Norfolk Showground in February, though others I didn't know. Dreams, Wings For Love and Pretty Princesses caught my eye – while Bravissimo (lingerie) couldn't help to do so as they were just in front of us!

This is our last show until September but it's still going to be busy for us as we gear up for the summer wedding season with some lovely weddings to film.

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Luxury Wedding Show – Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Alice

And now we come to our second luxury wedding show, this one arranged at the gorgeous Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire. Built on the site of an 11th Century estate, with the manor dating from 1728 and surrounded by British heritage-listed gardens, this exceptional hotel nestles within 500 acres of rolling Hampshire downs. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, the Dogmersfield Park property has since been occupied by bishops and kings and is rich in historic, architectural and horticultural interest. It certainly is the perfect place for a marriage!

Organised by Bridget York and Lois Beaumont and with the support of Production Plus, the day’s programme began at 11.am when doors opened for guests. Two catwalk shows were organised featuring stunning bridal couture, live music throughout the day plus some excellent exhibitors: of note were Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, Jen Pike, Essential Sailing and Mark Seymour Photography.

Most of the exhibitors, myself included, found ourselves busy throughout the day although most of the future brides were planning weddings for the end of this year and into 2013.

As before, we’ll be following up on leads as well as those brides who were kind enough to register for the show.

We have one more show to attend, more local this time, at the end of this month and then it’s a break until September when we’ll be back at Sprowston Manor – hopefully without the snow this time!

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Filming at The Thistle Heathrow Park Hotel

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Alice

Monday found me wearing my videographer’s cap again as I helped film another Jewish wedding for Mark Shipperley. At this point I should mention that after the shock of being told the weddings would be held back-to-back (I’d once said to Nigel that we’d never do two weddings in a row as it would be too tiring – famous last words!), Mark’s news was sweetened by the fact that they were booked against a previous Jewish wedding trailer I had created for his company (Jodie & Eytan) and which Mark’s new clients loved.

Rachelle is Jodie’s sister so it was fun to see them all again and know that they had chosen Mark’s company due to my creative work. While I was delighted with this news it also put the pressure on a little to create a wedding trailer that would be different to Jodie’s and which Rachelle would feel was her very own although there would be similarities between them.

One of the problems of course with weddings is that they always follow a certain format. This is especially true with Jewish weddings so for me it’s imperative to capture all the special little things that happen around the bride while filming the day’s event as it unfolds.

At first I was a little uncertain about their choice of venue but I must admit that it turned out to be an excellent choice. The tisch and chuppa were held in one part of the hotel and, with that over, everyone walked over to the second part of the hotel where the reception and much joyous dancing took place.

As you’ll see from the trailer – it was a fun wedding with some great dancing, music and kind speeches.

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Filming at The Landmark Hotel

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Alice

In between the time I visited the luxury wedding show at The Landmark London Hotel and meeting Sarah at Montague Press, I also helped film two Jewish weddings for Mark Shipperley Films. The first one, Rachel and Richard, took place on Sunday 18th while the second one, Rachelle and Gavi, occurred the following day (my next blog!). Although I was there as an extra camera person, it was really my capacity as Film Editor that my services were requested. At one point, when the group photographs were being taken, Rachel asked the photographer, Mark Seymour, who on earth that woman was taking pictures. And I can quite understand her point for indeed it did look like I was as my camera was almost identical to his (mine was a Canon 5D Mark III) when in fact I was filming and trying to be as discreet as possible.  Mark Seymour came over and asked who I was and my mind went blank – do I say videographer or film editor? Caught off guard I blurted out I was a videographer and part of Mark Shipperley's team – but I now think that I should have been braver and say that I was Mark Shipperley's Film Editor and that it would be me editing their highlight trailer. But there you go – all hindsight stuff once again! Rachel's wedding was very different from the previous ones I'd edited as both she and Richard were married at St John's Wood Synagogue. The day begun at The Landmark with bridal preparations taking place first, Tisch and Chuppa held at the Synagogue, after which everyone returned to The Landmark for the Reception, Hamotzi, speeches and dancing. A few days later and back at my studio, I started putting together their wedding trailer. I normally work to a set pattern: first I look at all the footage (since there were four of us filming you can imagine that takes a while) and then start doing a rough-cut. While I'm doing that I'm already thinking about the music. In this particular instance I had already 'ear-marked' a song the couple had danced to and which at the time I made a mental note that this would be great to edit their wedding trailer with. With the music and rough-cut almost sorted, it's then time to switch off and do something totally different for a day. Back at my editing desk I then see my work through fresher eyes and better able to make judgements about what I keep in, what I take out or what should be there instead. The feedback from Mark and his client has been good and I hope you watching it will enjoy their wedding as much as I have editing their special day.

Posted in Landmark London Hotel, Mark Seymour, Mark Shipperley Films, The Electronic Picture Company | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Montague Press

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Alice

I've decided to write a longer entry about Montague Press rather than tagging it on at the end of my last posting. This is due to the fact that, after making my serendipitious discovery at The Landmark, I subsequently contacted Sarah, placed an order with her and arranged to meet her two weeks later to pick it up.

This meeting timed perfectly with my attending a luxury wedding show held at St Ermin's Hotel in London (separate blog coming) on Sunday, 25th March followed by a 1 Day Cinematography Workshop (yes, they do exist) given by WedFilm Academy, comically called 'Bridezilla Bootcamp' on Tuesday 27th March at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire.

The following day I drove through the pretty Cotswold countryside to meet Sarah at her studio. Montague Press is a small company offering totally personalised handmade wedding and event stationery. They use only the finest Italian papers and boards to create very innovative designs ranging from Save The Day, Invitations, Order of Service, Favour Boxes, Menus and Thank You Cards to name but a few products. However, it was their very pretty pocket invitations that caught my eye as they were exactly what I'd been looking for for my DVDs.

I loved the way that each pocket could be created to correspond to my bride's wedding colours and theme with beautifully crafted words that would make their special day – and my DVD – extra special.

What's more, Sarah is a lovely lady and exceptionally creative and gifted with patience as each creation is hand-crafted and totally exquisite. Needless to say, I placed another order with her and look forward to telling you all about that one in a forthcoming blog.

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Luxury Wedding Show – St Ermin’s London

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Alice

St Ermin's Hotel is a gorgeous 4-star hotel. Located in the heart of London, just minutes away from St James's Park, it made the ideal setting for a luxury wedding show I attended on Sunday, March 25th. After its £30 million refurbishment within the last 12 months, it's hard to believe that, once upon a time, this hotel was actually built upon the site of a 15th century chapel (dedicated to St Ermin), later turning into mansion blocks in 1899 which in turn formed the basis of the current hotel. I must admit to being very impressed by its style and level of comfort. I was also impressed by some of its guests: 200,000 resident guests in fact. St Ermin's rooftop is home to three custom-built hives set aside for a colony of Buckfast Bees. These good tempered honey bees are popular as they are not only extremely gentle but highly productive. With enough green spaces and parks around London to forage, these little bees produce enough honey for themselves – and to share with hotel guests. The luxury wedding show commenced at 11am with two bridal catwalks arranged for the afternoon. Sadly, roadworks and some other event scheduled for that same day threw a distinct spanner in the works and caused less future brides to turn up, in turn leading to some very quite patches during the show. On the upside however, it did give me the opportunity to go and chat to other exhibitors which is how I found The Abigail Bloom Cake Company and Jen Pike (Makeup Artist). Both Abigail and Jen's enthusiasm and dedication to their business was a pleasure to see and listen to, and in Abigail's case, to eat! The show ended at 4pm and with goodbyes having been said, I commenced the 3 hour drive back to Belaugh while thinking about attending my next luxury wedding show in April.

Posted in Alice Barker Weddings, Buckfast Bees, Jen Pike, St Ermin's Hotel London, The Abigail Bloom Cake Company | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

I Make A Serendipitious Discovery

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Alice

'Serendipity': a 'happy accident' or 'pleasant surprise' – which a visit to The Landmark Hotel in London turned out to be. For several months I'd been rather unhappy with the way I presented my finished wedding DVD to my clients – in plastic cases. Granted I'd print off a pretty image for the case and DVD – but it still remained what it really was – a plastic box. And for me that just didn't seem right after all the expense my lovely bride (and groom) had gone to make their wedding so very special. I found this especially irksome when I knew how beautiful some of the photographic wedding albums could be. So my hunt was on for something much, much better. Even my trip to the BVE (Broadcast & Video Exhibition) in February didn't really inspire me (although I did get to play with the Canon 5D Mark III and Canon C300 which are currently on order as I write this) with only two leather-bound DVD cases that could have 'done the job'. However, the image of what I wanted was truly set in my mind's eye and no matter what I looked at, it wasn't 'it'. With a planned wedding show in London to attend in April, I decided it would be worthwhile to go along and see how the organisers of The Luxury Wedding Show, Bridget York and Lois Beaumont, set up and managed these events prior to my signing their contract's bottom line. I should at this point say that, in a previous life, I had been the personal assistant to the president of an international aircraft company and had had to organise quite a few events in my time. So I'm not the easiest of persons to satisfy! The show, supported by Production Plus, was held on Saturday 10th March at The Landmark London Hotel. I only knew the hotel by sight as I'd edited a wedding film for Mark Shipperley Films and so had got to see this spectacular hotel. As fate would have it, I was set to film a Jewish wedding myself the weekend after the show, so my visit to The Landmark served two purposes. Arriving at The Landmark I started making my way round the wedding exhibitors when I made my serendipitious discovery – Montague Press.

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And Now Our Own TV Channel…

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Alice

I'm not sure why I didn't think of it any sooner (such is life) but this weekend I finally busied myself creating my own Alice Barker Weddings TV Channel on You Tube. I've still a few more wedding films to add to the playlist but I've made a start and that's the important bit. I'd created a You Tube channel a few years ago for a French Estate Agent and thought then what a nifty little promotional tool it was to have in addition to a website.

Now that I'm finally settled (my office has moved four times since we've arrived in Belaugh!) I now feel I can put a little extra time aside to concentrate on promoting our wedding video business further. We've decided to attend more wedding shows this year and will be attending The Wedding Show taking place at the Royal Norfolk Showground at the end of this month. We shall probably do a few more shows and exhibitions before the year ends and already plan to return to the Sprowston Wedding, Prom and Party Show when it's next held in September.

In fact, our attendance at the February Sprowston Show is slowly bringing in results as I've received a number of calls from future brides-to-be – and their mums. I feel their excitement as they plan the big day and talk through their ideas with me, first on the phone and then in more depth when we meet.

Next week we take some time out to visit the BVE (Broadcast, Video and Audio Exhibition) at Earl's Court in London and join other professionals to discover what's new in this exciting field of work. And then it's back to Belaugh and all hands on deck as we prepare for The Wedding Show a few days later.

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The Wedding Prom & Party Show – Sprowston Manor

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Alice

Last week I 'bunkered down' so to speak as I set about preparing for The Wedding Prom & Party Show that was being held at Sprowston Manor on Sunday 5th February and organised by Lindsay Pointer.

Was I ever busy – or at least my laser printer was! While I know that Vistaprint is great for leaflets, being both cheap and fast on delivery, I'm a bit of a stickler since I'm also good at Desktop Publishing and can produce my own that look really professional. It also meant that I could tweak the draft leaflet to my heart's content – and then print the finished version while I was busy undertaking another project. I'm also lucky that I have a great proofreader who not only has a great eye for finding spelling mistakes – but grammatical errors too – and has been a godsend for me as I trust her implicitly – which means I can work with her material as soon as I get it back without worrying she may have missed something.

Along with the leaflets, I also wanted to create my own cinematic show reel containing a selection of weddings we have filmed and edited. Of course my dilemma was knowing which ones to choose (ie leave out); there was much gazing out of the window and strolling round the garden with the dogs as I 'played' ideas around in my head until I was satisfied with the end result. In the end I chose little clips from them all, weaving them through the music I'd chosen: the end result can been seen here.

Naturally, the gods decided to throw a small spanner in the works as it snowed overnight on Saturday, creating a gorgeous 4" white blanket that spread over East Anglia like a glove. On any other day I'd be as happy as a clam – enjoying all that lovely white stuff with the dogs – but not this particular Sunday morning. Up early, I just groaned at the sight – as I'm sure most people did who were to attend the show, either as exhibitors or future brides.

Stiff upper lip and all that (and a warm hearty breakfast tucked away in our tummies), Nigel and I set off for Sprowston- and had a great day. Not only did we meet some lovely exhibitors (such as Margaret from Hats Francise, Tracie Watts from Libby Ferris Flowers, Mike Robinson from Mike Robinson Photography and Xenia Horne, Harpist) but also some engaging brides-to-be.

A big "Thank You" to Lindsay Pointer of LCP Marketing for letting us book our stand at such short notice and for turning up the heat in the exhibition hall when, by mid afternoon, all the exhibitors started to turn blue from the cold Arctic air that blasted through the open doorways …

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Jodie & Eytan

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Alice


Another great team effort as Mark Shipperley Films, Alice Barker Weddings and The Electronic Picture Company worked together to film this beautiful Jewish wedding. Jodie & Eytan had chosen the classic 5-star Marriott Grosvenor Hotel, located within a stone's throw from London's Mayfair and Park Lane, to hold their afternoon wedding celebration.

By the time Nigel and I had driven down from Norwich and were approaching the hotel, Mark was already busy filming Jodie's bridal preparations. Our task would be to take establishing shots of the hotel and surrounding area and then to be on hand as the bridal car arrived before dashing inside the hotel and take up positions in the two reception rooms allocated to the bride and groom to separately greet their families and guests.

Afterwards we all joined up as the Hachanah, or Preparation began. This is the moment when the bride and groom (or chosson and kallah as they are called) are taken under the wing of their family and then guided to the Chupah – the wedding canopy where the ceremony is to take place.

It is difficult to describe the emotion of the day. Suffice to say that I find it all amazing with an abundance of energy and joy that lingers for days afterwards – and helps me as I sit down and sort through all the clips and chose those that best represent the couple and their unique day.

Posted in Grosvenor Hotel London, Mark Shipperley Films, The Electronic Picture Company | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Sumiyya and Shamim

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Alice

 

I've often wondered what 'makes' a beautiful wedding video. Is it because it's filmed in some exotic and beautiful location or technically and professionally perfect? I'm sure most people would say both! And while I would agree with them, I also believe there is something more, much more, that makes a wedding video beautiful : it is the look of love between the bride and groom.

When Mark Shipperley Films asked me to create the wedding trailer for Sumiyya and Shamim I was a little hesitant as I had not edited a Bangladeshi wedding before and therefore unsure of their wedding rituals and how the day unfolds. Happily, Nigel had filmed the wedding with a colleague of ours, Paul Walker, and so could talk me through the day's event and this helped me enormously.

I take wedding editing very seriously since this is a unique day for a couple. It must be captured correctly and it must be edited correctly. It must also have the right music and in this I was really fortunate as Sumiyya and Shamim had chosen a truly beautiful song: O Re Piya.

As I viewed all the clips, a storyline evolved but, more importantly, I found the gem I was looking forward: that look of love between the couple. It is a wonderful moment that I am privileged and delighted to discover and, in turn, bring out in this video.

Sumiyya and Shamim's wedding and reception was held at Best Western The Watermill located in Hemel Hempstead. While it may not be classified as an exotic location, the mill is nonetheless set in quiet countryside surrounded by lush green meadows and panoramic views of the river Bulbourne which threads through the property. Although I wasn't there – just viewing how the catering company handled the banqueting had me in awe.

I hope you enjoy watching this video as much as I have enjoyed editing it. By all accounts it was a beautiful wedding.

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Tamara and Josh

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Alice

Tamara and Josh's wedding would be the last wedding trailer I edited for Mark Shipperley films in 2011. Filmed on Sunday 27th November, the young couple had chosen the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel on the Albert Embankment, London's vibrant South Bank, as their venue. It was a super location as the hotel overlooks some of this city's most striking landmarks – such as the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, (and for those in the know, MI5 Headquarters) and a little further down the River Thames, the London Eye.

Nigel and I arrived at the hotel around mid-day, along with another colleague of ours, Paul Walker, to assist Mark in filming the day. Arriving early we walked along the Albert Embankment and took a number of establishing shots of the immediate area around the hotel and watched the funny yellow London Duck Tours amphibious vehicles, once used for the D-Day landings in 1944, whizzing along the embankment and then launching themselves into the River Thames.

Chuppah took place in the hotel's quite unique glass fronted function room, very naturally called The Thames Room as it directly overlooks the River Thames. Privately accessed via a spiral staircase and dedicated lifts, this turned into a magical room as daylight drew to an end and the twinkling lights of the embankment, landmarks and stars came into play. With Chuppah over and shouts of "Mazel Tov" ringing out, the guests went down to the reception room, located just outside the vast Ballroom, while Tamara and Josh, family and ushers remained upstairs for photo sessions expertly directed by Daniel Morris, their chosen photographer.

Now for the Techie bit! Throughout the day and their wedding, filming was mostly done using Canon 5D Mk II DSLRs, while for other shots we used a variety of cameras (Canon 7D, Canon XF105 & Canon XF305). Mark's crane with new Kessler Crane Revolution Pan and Tilt Head was put to good use in the ballroom enabling some fantastic 'swoops' across the dancing area, while the latest addition to our camera gear, the small GoPro HD Hero2 camera was used to good effect both in the Bride's car and inside the canopy of the Chuppah.

With filming completed and back at my desk in Belaugh, it was time for me to sit down and go through all the film clips and create, what I hope you will find, a very enjoyable trailer, filled with emotion, fun and the celebration of a truly memorable day in a couple's life. While I like filming weddings, it is the editing process in Premiere Pro that I enjoy and relish the most.

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Humphrey & Janine

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Alice

 

This is the third in the series of four wedding trailers I was requested to create by Mark Shipperley Films. The theme for this wedding changes however as it portrays the couple, Humphrey and Janine, receiving a Wedding Blessing.

I think there is something extremely romantic about a couple wishing to reconfirm their love and marriage in front of family and guests. While one hopes that marriage promises a loving, strong and lasting relationship, to demonstrate how the bonds of love have only grown stronger over the years truly deserves a special celebration – and what better way than with a Wedding Blessing amongst closest family and friends?

Their church service was held at St Mary The Virgin, Chilton which has been a site of worship since Norman times. It is a beautiful church displaying examples of all the main architectural styles of Mediaeval times. Afterwards the bride, groom, family and guests made the short grassy walk to The Barn, Chilton, an 18th century airy, vaulted barn situated in the most stunning of countryside. A marquee had been erected on one side of the barn where the wedding breakfast took place.

Their wedding service led with the beautiful sounds of Ave Maria, a delicate and very moving piece of music and so, as Humphrey and Janine loved it so much, I chose the stunningly crystal clear voice of the beautiful Karen Carpenter as the background to this trailer.

Posted in Mark Shipperley Films | Leave a comment

Tolulope and Charles

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Alice

Tolulope and Charles's wedding is the second in my series of four trailers created for Mark Shipperley Films and my first Nigerian wedding. Having gone through all the clips it became obvious to me that here was a great fun-loving couple, to whom movement, music and prayer was as natural as breathing and that it was essential to capture this in the film.

While I know it's not recommended to begin a film with speech, Reverend Keith Edwards' comments were just too funny not to be included. Tolulope and Charles' reaction would have seemed odd if the audio wasn't added. From a list of songs provided to me by the couple I chose 'So Amazing' by Béyonce & Stevie Wonder. It just seemed perfect for them.

Their wedding reception was held at the Romantic medieval Notley Abbey near Thame in Oxfordshire, a truly lovely setting.

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Rob & Juliet

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Alice

After our short break in Coventry, I received a call from Mark Shipperley Films asking if I would be interested in creating trailers for four of his  wedding films. After the challenge of editing Hadas and Benjamin's wedding film, while not having attended theirs, I couldn't resist taking on this challenge, especially as I'd be editing them nearly back-to-back and within a definite time frame. My other challenge (which of course I accepted) would be to create two long versions; one for Rob & Juliet's wedding and one for Tolulope & Charles's wedding.

This wedding would also be the perfect opportunity to put into practice lessons learnt from attending John De Rienzo's presentation plus listening more to my inner self as I watched the wonderful chemistry between the bride and groom.

After viewing all the clips, I found myself slipping easily into crafting Rob & Juliet's wedding trailer, as here was a fabulous couple having a super time and both very relaxed in front of the lens.

I was further fortunate in that Rob & Juliet had a truly amazing singer for that evening with the most incredible voice. Dominic Kaye is one of the UK's top Rat Pack, Swing and Neil Diamond tribute artist and boy, can that man sing. As I listened to the audio covering the evening events, his voice, and the song he sang fitted perfectly. Here was my soundtrack for their wedding trailer.

They also chose a lovely wedding reception venue: The Burnham Beeches Hotel, near Windsor, Buckinghamshire. Built in 1727 this four-star hotel stands in 10 acres of beautiful gardens and is where the footage of the bride and groom and family were taken.

Once everything is nearly completed, I then leave the film to 'percolate' and physically come away from my editing station and give myself (and the film) some breathing space. One of my favourite moments is when I return to my desk and review my work. Have I captured the couple? Are they 'there'. This is the ultimate question to myself – always.

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Hadas & Benjamin

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Alice

This has been a rather special wedding for me as not only was it my first Jewish wedding but it was also the first one I've edited for Mark Shipperley Films without being there to film it too. If you've been following my personal blog (better known as Beautiful Belaugh) you'll know that, around that date, we had friends coming to spend a few days with us in Peymeinade (south of France) and yours truly needed to be there to welcome them. So Nigel went up to London on his own to act as assistant cameraman along with another colleague, Paul Walker of The Electronic Picture Company.

Hadas & Benjamin were married at the Landmark London Hotel (what a fantastic location that is!). I managed to obtain their wedding itinerary and their day started at 8h30 with Shacharit and ended well after midnight with lively music and even more livelier revellers! That meant a long day for everyone (except for me – that would come later!).

I've always believed that to capture the essence of a wedding one should really be there to 'soak up' the atmosphere. When all the footage landed on my desk I did feel concerned I might miss out something important. Yet, from the moment I started watching I was drawn into this amazing wedding, full of ancient traditions and customs and an incredible depth of love, and everything simply flowed.

The wedding was filmed with a variety of cameras: Canon 5D Mark II's, Canon 7D, Canon XF 105, Canon XF 305 and Sony Z1. On site the men also used a Hague Multi-Jib K12 crane to capture the live band and dancing. While they mainly made use of the light show and normal hotel lights, some direct lighting was provided by award-winning photographer Mark Seymour with his Lowel Video Lights, and proved enormously helpful.

A little birdie told me this morning we may be filming (and editing) another Jewish wedding in November. I am delighted.

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