04,06,2013

2people1life // Wales


 

Lisa and Alex were introduced to me by Alejandro Calore who shot their wedding video in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They wanted, well, another wedding video, this time to be shot in Wales. Long story short – they are getting married in every country they visit around the world and are currently up to number 47 and counting!  Check out there brilliant blog 2people1life.

This was a Druid wedding set in the beautiful Aberglasney, south Wales, performed by Mark Townsend and we were blessed with magnificent light and weather!

During the proceedings, Lisa mentioned that they were soon heading to Tahiti and I jokingly asked if they needed that trip to be filmed.  Be careful what you wish for!  More to come…

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4 Jun ’13 - 14:14

Gulnara Kononykhina - Your work is amazing, Jeff! The light, colors are beautiful, splendid as always, I love the couple.

4 Jun ’13 - 14:50

Jeff Wood Visuals - Thank you so much Gulnara really kind of you x.

10 Jun ’13 - 10:08

Mark Townsend - Jeff this a beautiful work. Huge congratulations. You’re a real artist with that camera and production / editing room. Wonderful stuff. Great to meet you. Mark

15 Jun ’13 - 19:45

Nicola - Absolutely brilliant Jeff!!

01,05,2013

Meet Lisa and Alex // 2people1life

A few weeks ago I had the very good fortune to meet Alex and Lisa.  Actually it was my friend Alejandro Calore that sent them in my direction.  To cut a long story short, they are travelling around the world getting in married in each country the visit and have developed quite an interesting and successful blog along the way 2people1life.
 

There will be three short films coming very soon as I followed them for three weddings.  But Lisa asked for a little teaser to get the excitment going about their latest venue – Tahiti!

Not to give much away here, a camper van, an aeroplane, paradise -all will be revealed in good time, it is an awesome story!

 

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2 May ’13 - 20:38

Alex Pelling - LOVE IT!!!! Thanks Jeff!

15 May ’13 - 11:47

Catherine Mead - LOVE! It was such an incredible trip and thanks for being awesome! I can’t wait to see the full video of the Moorea wedding!

11,04,2013

Katie + Brian // with these rings {guest post}

Probably one of the most exciting moments of my career so far was when Katie Strebin walked out of the golden sunlight with her dad for her wedding ceremony and I started to realise that the risks I had taken on this solo shoot were REALLY starting to pay off.  More of that on my post about Katie and Brian’s 25 minute feature coming soon but for now, I’d like to proudly introduce the bride, Katie, as my first guest blogger:-

 

Guest blog post // Katie Bell

While scouring wedding blogs online one day, I followed a fateful link to one of Jeff’s wedding films and instantly became a huge fan of his work. His approach to wedding film was different, a level of talent unlike I had seen here in the states. I knew I came upon something special. I fell in love with his ability to tell a story through film and I loved the attention he paid to detail. His films were so beautiful. I’d also be lying if I didn’t admit part of what drew me to his films were the charming accents of his subjects. Their stories were the closest thing to real life “Love, Actually” I had ever seen.  I don’t think I’m the first person to love that movie. It always makes me feel good and that’s exactly how I felt after watching each of Jeff’s films.

I wasn’t even engaged to be married yet when I first contacted Jeff inquiring about whether or not he would be willing to travel to the states for my ‘hypothetical’ wedding. A year later when Brian finally popped the question (i.e grew a pair- haha), we sent him a video message inquiring about availability for the following August and lucky for us, he was.

See the video message here.

During the preparations for the wedding, Brian had an incredibly hard time making a decision about which wedding band to choose for me. I’m indecisive as it is, but I really wanted him to choose one for me. One day when we were out shopping downtown, Brian said “let’s just pop into Tiffany & Co. and see what they have.” Without coercion, I agreed;)   Of course, we found a beautiful wedding band that we agreed was out of our price range. “Maybe for an anniversary?” Brian said on the way home. Looking back, I’m sure I had a hard time hiding how much I loved it. It didn’t help that afterwards we talked about how neat it would be to pass something like that onto our future daughters and granddaughters. The next day, I emailed Brian a link to this beautiful gold band I found on a blog by a designer named Nora Kogan. It was so pretty and simple, with the word “Loved” engraved on the outside. It was better suited to our budget and I loved it just as much as the Tiffany’s band, if not more. With our wedding a week out, unbeknownst to me, Brian decided to pull the trigger having the ring shipped next-day from New York. Apparently, Brian was stressing over whether or not he made the right decision and sometime between then and our wedding day he was walking downtown past Tiffany’s and he decided to stop in. Brian told himself, “If they have it in her size in the store, then I’m going to buy it.” Lucky for me, they did. (Of course I would have been perfectly happy with either) Today we joke that it was good old fashioned Catholic guilt that led him to do it. And there you have it, the story of the “Two Rings.”

 

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22 Dec ’12 - 10:39

Catherine - Just lovely, great work Jeff

12 Apr ’13 - 15:13

Jeff Wood - Thanks for your lovelyness Catherine! Hope all is well x

14 Apr ’13 - 18:43

Michał Fotograf - Very,very good work.

15 Apr ’13 - 10:09

Jeff Wood Visuals - Thanks for all the lovely Facebook comments! Don’t know why they are not showing up on the blog.

15 Apr ’13 - 10:11

Jeff Wood Visuals - Ah! This one did :-)

15 Apr ’13 - 19:19

Paul Atherton Photography - great work as always Jeff.

15 Apr ’13 - 19:37

Deyla Huss - Jeff Wood seriously every time you post something about their beautiful day, I watch it and remember how gorgeous and amazing Katie Bell and Brian are! Love them and it was amazing working with you as well! until next time my friend! :) Cheers!

05,03,2013

Sophie + Chris // to re-live all my memories

This was probably the most emotional brides speech I have ever witnessed!  Everyone told me to ‘get the hankies ready’ when Sophie took the microphone and they weren’t exaggerating.  Just look at Chris’ face at 1:50 and put yourself in his position.  Do you think you could last so long without shedding a tear?

The setting for their wedding breakfast and evening reception at Marbella Club Hotel was absolutely stunning!  Only matched by the Majesty of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnacion where the wedding ceremony was held.

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6 Mar ’13 - 11:48

Naomi Kenton - So beautiful Jeff as usual – and what a sweet and lovely couple x.

6 Mar ’13 - 12:49

Jeff Wood Visuals - Thanks Naomi! They were super sweet and really looked after me :-)

16 Apr ’13 - 07:12

Sophie Reeves Thompson - Makes me feel like I’m back there everytime I watch it. Absolute magic Jeff.

16 Apr ’13 - 12:00

Vicky Calderbank - Absolutely stunning!! X

28,02,2013

Bridezilla Bootcamp mkII // an event cinema workshop

At last!  We are proud to announce our second event cinema workshop – Bridezilla Bootcamp mkII.  It will be at Heythrop Park, Oxfordshire, OX7 5UF and will be a two day event.

We had loads of fun last time and really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know other people in the industry.  I want to nurture this annual event into something more if possible maybe adding more dates to add to the community spirit that we enjoyed at the last one.

One of the things I’m looking forward to sharing is my experience, so far, with the Black Magic Cinema Camera.  This Camera, could potentially rock this industry in the same way that the 5d mkII did in 2008 but that’s another post.  I’m currently performing rigorous tests and will report my findings soon.

Like before this event is a joint venture with Reel Vision and FX films, both giants in the industry whom I’m very proud to be involved with.

Hope you enjoy the promo film!  I must do an outtakes edit soon  :-)

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29,01,2013

My beautiful little family // Jude’s Christening

It was a lovely sunny winter day and I feel very special to have such a wonderful family gathering captured on film. (Well video really but with a film gamma setting.) Rich Daly from Reel Vision did the filming and we wanted to try something experimental so we went with the Technicolor Cinestyle profile on the camera with a cinemascope aspect ratio (2.35:1) this is different to both our usual styles and was inspired by the work of Alejandro Calore spoke about here.

Thank you to Rich and Mike of Reel vision who also did some stills (will be added here soon!)

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29 Jan ’13 - 22:13

Rob Dawes - Rally nice film, captured the moment perfectly.

30 Jan ’13 - 15:58

Jeff Wood Visuals - Cheers Rob! It was great to see you!

30 Jan ’13 - 22:10

Jennifer Sawdon - Ah, to have a videographer as a husband.. Beautiful film – gorgeous as always, and so happy for you and your lovely brood! xx

30 Jan ’13 - 22:57

Jamie Scott - Is that soundtrack from prince of me 4?

19 Mar ’13 - 17:46

Deyla Huss - This is just beautiful Jeff Wood! Cheers to you and your sweet family on such a beautiful occasion!

19 Mar ’13 - 18:42

Jeff Wood - Aww, thanks, it was weird to be on the ‘wrong side of the lens’ :-)

24,01,2013

Ashley + Alan // the promises I make to you today


I usually shy away from the over cinematic or atmospheric but after finishing Ashley and Alan’s trailer in the usual Jeff Wood style I was still not satisfied. There seemed to be a level of emotion in the feature that was eluding me with the shorter edit. I saw this as a challenge and wanted to set the footage alive in the same way. There was a quieter section in the second quarter of the feature where the intro was just coming to an end and the real emotional parts of the vows were starting. This is what I have tried to recreate.

You’d have to search the world for a long time to find a person as beautiful as Ashley, she gained a very special place in my heart and I wish the two of them all the very best in their jet set life.:-)

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24 Jan ’13 - 21:13

Beccy Goddard - It’s so beautiful Jeff.

25 Jan ’13 - 16:44

Jeff Wood Visuals - Too kind Beccy, thank you (c:

26 Jan ’13 - 16:44

Yana Audas - Breathtaking!

26 Jan ’13 - 23:48

Jeff Wood Visuals - Thank you Yana! Good to hear from you X

18,01,2013

My Presentation at BVE North 2012

When I spoke for the IOV (Institute of Videography) at BVE London (Broadcast Video Expo) last year, it was with (and arranged by) my friend Richard Wakefield of Wedfilm Academy and FX films. It went swimmingly and not being a natural public speaker, I was surprised at how much I had to say once we got started. I guess the subject of event film making is something I have a very deep routed passion for and we actually had to cut ourselves short while waxing lyrical on a lot of subjects because of time constraints.
This year at the BVE North in Manchester GMEX, the IOV wanted the event film making industry to be represented again but this time Richard Wakefield was having a baby! So I went to my good friends at Reel Vision for help and Rich Daly was happy to oblige.  We had done a presentation together before at our Bridezilla Bootcamp in March 2012 and our relaxed and fun approach had worked really well together.

We talked about some of the key aspects of our approach and workflow with an emphasis on the reasons behind the decisions we make.  Most of all we tried to get across that this is a fun industry to be in and the more you enjoy it the more successful you will be.

 

My final exhibit in my presentation was a piece by a very good friend of mine based in Argentina.  (I’ve not actually met the guy but we’ve been online friends for ages!) Alejandro Calore of Real ‘n’ Short Films came to me for advice when he was starting out, which was a little ironic as I felt I was just starting out just a few months previous.  I showed this amazing peice:-

Alejandro had pretty much ignored every piece of advice I had given him so technically I should have hated it.  But boy is this beautiful.  My point in showing this was to prove that there is no hard and fast set of rules that will automatically make your film magical.  It comes from true inspiration and an understanding of your material and what makes it come alive. If you do what you do with conviction and do it well, then whatever you do will work.  Ignore people who tell you you are breaking this rule or that rule.  Film making is an art form and if you love what you are doing, chances are someone else out there will love it too.

 

 

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18 Jan ’13 - 19:17

Alejandro Calore - Thanks a lot Jeff Wood! I really appreciate this.
And I think you’re right: follow the rules, but break them too… with a reason.

18 Jan ’13 - 19:28

Jeff Wood - Ah, you put so much more eloquently! You speak better English than I do!

18 Jan ’13 - 22:24

Jeff Wood Visuals - You put it so much more eloquently than me! You speak better English than I do!

19 Jan ’13 - 14:22

Mimi's Glasses - What a stunning Video x.

21 Jan ’13 - 11:58

Demetrio Caracciolo Videografo - beautiful and exciting :) Alejandro Calore.

16,01,2013

Kate + Richard // five and a half years later, here we are, bud!

Boats, drink and sunshine go together so well. This was a special day, not least because the British weather behaved it’s self and provided us with a glorious sunny day for this Windermere wedding.
Kate and Richard are such a good looking couple and have been super friendly throughout the whole process. From the first meeting (when I was incoherent from the lack of sleep associated with having a new baby) to the last communications while they were adventuring around South America for their honeymoon, it has been awesome to work with them.

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16 Jan ’13 - 16:27

Deyla Huss - Beautiful piece Jeff Wood!

16 Jan ’13 - 18:03

Jeff Wood Visuals - Cheers Deyla Huss! Hope all is well in OR! Did you find me any unsuspecting B+Gs yet?? :-)

14,01,2013

The iPhone on a pro wedding shoot!

It had to happen some time! Just before Christmas I saw in my Twitter feed that it finally happened. A professional wedding photographer had done a couple shoot on an iPhone. Not sure which model at the moment. But this isn’t just any professional wedding photographer. It is Sephi Bergerson, based in Goa, India.

I had the pleasure of working with Sephi last year in Udaipur for this wedding film shoot with Reel Vision. The first thing that struck me about him was how seriously he takes his work. If you want a man who will stop at nothing to get the shot (and I mean nothing!) then Sephi is your man. I since found out he is quite a big deal in the photography world and has published many books including ‘Street Food of India’, now available in UK.

I don’t know who had the most guts, Sephi or the couple. When I commented on how scary the technology is getting, he replied with “funny but I’m not scared:-)I only wait for it to have a quicker shutter response. Want to shoot a whole wedding;-)”    See Sephi’s blog post about the shoot here.

 

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04,08,2012

Stephanie + Matthew // my tissue is still here

This is the first in a long run of overseas weddings I shot this year and what better, more romantic a place than Bodio Lomnago in the Italian Lakes?  This is where Matthew, the groom, was brought up and his emotional attachment to the area and his heritage is a part of his character.

A soon as I arrived at Villa Bossi I knew I was in for a treat and I was not wrong.  The place was home to the construction and restoration of Harps and there are reminders of this scattered in every corner.

Stephanie’s Chinese heritage was also followed in the form of a traditional Tea Ceremony on the morning of the wedding.  This wonderful clash of cultures and emotion made this a real trip to remember.

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21,07,2012

Aimee + Roy // to pop the question

I love it when a young couple are so infatuated by each other that the excitement of the day really shines through in the footage.  Roy very nearly shed a tear at three times in this trailer but just didn’t quite get there.  When Ainee walked down the aisle, during his vows and during his speech, all three, of course, made it in the trailer  - sorry Roy, I know your a doorman but I had to do it  :)

Aimee first approached me over two and a half years ago and so I’d like to thank her for being one of my early believers and booking my so early in the proceedings.  I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

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15 Sep ’12 - 12:26

Mary Crout - OMG, how lovely …thank you so,so much for sharing this with me all the way over here in Australia…I cried, with pure joy, & listening to my hometown accent..Love to you all & A happy life together, my Darling Aimee & Roy..Lot,s of Love , Cuz Mary in Australia ..alias…OZ…xxxx

6 Oct ’12 - 15:47

Aimee Travis - Jeff we couldn’t be happier with our trailer and feature! You were an absolute joy on the day! We have watched our video over and over and it is more and more special each time we watch it! You captured all the emotion and detail of the day perfectly!
Thank you for all your hard work!
Aimee & Roy x

7 Apr ’13 - 12:29

Carla Wiegand - That is beautiful, filled up watchin’ this! Cx

10,07,2012

City of Canals // BTS

I teamed up with Reel Vision this summer to shoot a very special wedding, the likes of which non of us have imaged before or are ever likely to see again.  Three epic events took place in three separate venues around Venice’s premier locations.  Tens of millions of dollars worth of structure, furnishing and entertainment were brought together with expert management by the  best in the business.  I am cautious of over egging this story but really wanted to share what we experienced with my you all.  So sit back and take in this humble attempt to represent this stupendous series of events.

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15 Aug ’11 - 10:36

Jo - Hi Jeff,
Just watched this again – amazing! Hopefully get to see some more of it at some point.
Been looking through loads of your brilliant work again this morning and getting really excited for ours : ).
Speak soon,
Jo

9 Nov ’11 - 13:44

Stefano - Sei un MITO!
sei il mio ISPIRATORE…

Grande! complimenti, fantastico video

23,06,2012

Helen + Simon // …and I won’t let you down

It was an absolute pleasure to work with the amazingly talented Mara Carlisle who sang in church during the signing of the register. The atmosphere she conjured was absolutely breathtaking and the light and spectacular interior of The Church of the Holy Cross in Much Hadham all went together to make this a truly stunning ceremony.

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22,06,2012

Allison + Terence // …the person I’m supposed to be with

Allison and Terence’s spacious London apartment was the perfect setting for the fun and emotional bridal preparations. The business of the room was only matched by the streets below as Allison, the bridesmaids and the bridesbutlers got ready. Terence and the rest of the groomsmen got ready at the Lanesborough Hotel where the reception was to be held.
After a beautiful ceremony at the magnificent St Peter’s Church, Eaton Square, the Lanesborough threw a perfectly fitting fun and lively evening complete with piano bar instead of a DJ, full of character. I hope the trailer and soundtrack reflect the fun nature of this day and of Allison and Terence.

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17 Sep ’12 - 20:30

Samuel Menezes - Perfect Jeff..

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