Raminder + Manav // Same day edit

Raminder’s father sadly went into hospital at 3 am the morning of the wedding.  Amazingly he made it to the ceremony.  The brides brother spoke of the fact his father cannot communicate but had tears in his eyes on the day, which communicated everything.  I thought using this speech in the same day edit might have been a bit much but wanted to convey the story of this very brave family.

As usual this same day edit was extremely stressful and the film was ready just in time for it’s 10pm showing.  Complications with actually finding somewhere to work made matters worse and I ended up booking a room in the hotel to do my editing in.  I ended up with half an hour actual editing time. No time for colour correction or grading- hence the nasty video-like tungsten cast in the first clips.

The Dolly and spinning transitions are between pre-wedding events that took place simultaneously in Hale and Wolverhampton.

Laura + James // Let’s go get a Pina Colada

To say this was James’ first public speech ever, it was genius!  I don’t even think James is aware of what a natural comedian he is.  The story of how he proposed in Hong Kong had me and all of the guests in stitches and it will go down as one of my all time favourite speeches.

And there was their personal vows!  I never thought I would be hearing the words “when you helped me dye my hair blue and it went a funny green colour” in a wedding ceremony.

The characters (and lets face it they have character) of this couple really made this wedding one to remember and I thank them for that.  I had a brilliant time.

I wanted to go for a fifties Technicolor kind of look for this film but had to make it a really subtle grade so as not to spoil the summer feel during the outdoor reception.  I hope I have struck an authentic balance.

Cat + Jez // My wife now, that I love…

As you can see this was a very, very picturesque setting.  In the valleys of the Lake District, near Kendal lies the venue and the church within spitting distance.   It set the relaxed and easy theme for the whole day.

In the morning it was rainy, really rainy with a very angry looking sky but as the black clouds cracked to reveal the briliant sunlight it occered to me that this is what the lake distract is all about-  dramatic surroundings.

This film is colour corrected in Apple color, very minimal colour grading has been applied giving it a traditional film look.  I’m loving the warm and varied textures I’m able to get from the raw footage with this amazing application.

Cat and Jez, thanks for having me, I hope you enjoy your trailer and your honeymoon in Canada.

Clare + Rhys // A bit crackers at times

I love it when a film seems to edit it’s self.  Clare chose the music and Rhys delivered a speech with all the emotion and drama of a professional actor!  I know I say it all the time but I guess I’m a very lucky man, I loved filming Clare and Rhys’ wedding and even loved editing their trailer and (thanks to the best men’s hilarous speech) will love editing their movie.

Sanam + Sebastian // I choose you…

It was a traditional Persian ceremony of a kind that dates back to 1700 BC.  The mirror symbolises purity in marriage as well as the reflection of the true self – ‘there should be no illusions about one another’.  Visually the mirror was my favourite part.  It was angled perfectly so that Sanam and Sebastian could see one another’s faces as Sanam descended the staircase into Eltham Palace’s beautiful hall.

Then there was a perfect English garden party, complete with croquet, Pimms, sunshine and laughter.  The whole day was an absolute joy to be part of, especially because of the amazing surroundings, Elthom Palace is well worth a visit.

The closing time lapse sequence is something of an accident.  I left the camera to capture the tall shadows of the people drinking in the garden with the stars moving over head but two young girls (you know who you are) took the opportunity of an impromptu photo shoot by themselves.  These kinds of things cannot be planned, enjoy…

Fran + Alistair // Love will do what you can’t

This was another local wedding, just down the road from me in Nether Alderley.  I had never seen St Mary’s Church there before and what a discovery.  Absolutely  gorgeous setting for a wedding, set way off the road in a little private corner.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet Fran and Alistair, not just because Alistair is in the gastro-pub business and can get me last minute tables at hard to book eateries, but that helps  (Sienna’s Christening went really well at the Rope and Anchor by the way Alistair.  Wink wink.)

The colour on this piece was painstakingly worked on in Apple Color again.  I went for a super clean, highly saturated look and tried to match the general look with the best of the natural shots.  Blue highlights were exaggerated only slightly in a handful of the salon and marquee shots.

Vicky + Jeff // Smooth operator

Vicky requested a vintage looking movie for their highlights reel. I’ve not done one of these for a while and wanted to push the limits so used a high end colour grading application to achieve a certain look to the flashback clips.
Vicky and Jeff live just around the corner from me and it will be a nice change to be able to deliver their DVDs by hand.
It was great to work with a local couple in what was most definitely a Manchester Wedding.

Sabrena + Hardeep // The best in life, end of…

Wow, what a day, or should I say three days!  So much to take in, this event event really blew me away.  I’ve tried to capture the broad spectrum of moods and stories in this trailer but that’s  almost an impossible task.  The movie will be an epic.  not just because of the amount of footage but the because of the quality of the footage.

Hardeep and Sbrena, thanks for your patience, here is your trailer at last.  I really hope you like this taste of things to come.

Elizabeth + Seamus // Over the moon proud

This trailer took me ages!  I think the main reason for this was Elizabeth’s music choice.  Such an emotional piece requires a special kind of edit.  I tried to match the emotional climax of the piece with the pace of the cutting and the imagery.  Elizabeth and Seamus’ ceremony was such a beautiful one that this had to be the main feature.  Such a powerful atmosphere was conjured on the day that only this piece of music re-kindle it.  I synced my favourite shot of the day (a greeting between friends captured over the shoulders of others) with the songs peak, boosted the volume of the music at this point and built the rest of the story around that.

Jane + Andi // So absolutely perfect

I had never visited Blenheim Palace before so imagine my surprise when I entered the gates to be smacked in the face by this amazing view.  It was a gorgeous day and the dramatic surroundings set an English summer mood.

Jane and Andi have only commissioned a highlights reel so it was essential for me to blend the right mix of influences and feels, from cinema to documentary.  This movie hopefully packs enough emotional punch to fit the whole story into such a short piece.