Archive for June, 2009
Setting the Big Date- Take Advantage of the Holidays
Hello guys and gals. It’s a really wet day today here in North Port, FL. That cancels all of my beach plans for today. 
Alrighty, let’s say that you just got engaged. Now it’s time to set the big date. Maybe you’ve been engaged for a while already but you don’t have a date set yet. I’m going to share some ideas today that might help you decide.
One thing you can do is get in touch with your favorite wedding videographers and find out which days they still have available. Then set your date according to that. Ok, that was a good idea, but in all seriousness,what about the upcoming holidays? The holiday season may seem like a bad time to plan your wedding because of your ever-growing list of things to do around that time of year. But it might be quite the opposite.
1. First of all, more of your family is likely to attend. People have already asked for time off from work and chances are you were going to spend time with them anyway.
2. Another great reason is decorations. It’s a beautiful time of the year- festive lights (which you would pay alot more for during any other season), romantic colors, lovely music, etc. Your budget could be drastically reduced by using the decorations that are already in place.
3. Fancy gowns and cocktail dresses are plentiful, which makes it easier to find great bridesmaids dresses.
4. Speaking from a videographer’s viewpoint, the holidays always provide such breathtaking scenery-the Christmas lights really make a statement. People are always happy and smiling.
5. And of course, people are always looking for an excuse to meet up with friends they haven’t seen for a while and/or deviate from their diets.
There are of course other reasons but these stand out as most important. And don’t forget that alot of reception facilities offer discounts for off-nights. Saturdays are always most expensive. Consider Friday or Sunday.
I think it’s overall a great time of the year. Think about it; it may be right for you.
New to Blogging, but not to Videography
Hello, Hello. My name is Igor. I am and always have been part of the Touch Dream team. I am a little new to blogging, but I’ve been doing video for years. Here is a bit about myself: I am married to a beautiful woman named Anna and have 3 awesome boys. I practically live in paradise; ok, Florida. What else could a guy ask for? I am blessed.
I love my job, but I’ll let you all in on a little secret: I never really planned on being a wedding videographer. I always thought that wedding videos are kind of corny. Besides that, I never really thought about them much because they just weren’t important to me. Anna and I got married really young and our wedding budget was small very small, so we had a family friend videotape the wedding. That should be enough said…
A few years later, I had an opportunity to film a couple weddings with some great videographers. I took it. I fell in love with the art of wedding videography. I began to love the rush of a wedding. No 2nd takes, no do overs. Always doing my best to get that killer creative shot, or that unexpected moment…
You see, the difference in the “videotaping” Anna and I had done at our wedding (my son could have probably done a better job) and the videos we do is that we hope they aren’t merely a documentary or a “video recording”. We hope it will be something you will enjoy watching over and over again. Year after year.
I think I’m going to get the hang of this “blogging” thing soon, too. I’ll be back.
Not just any ‘ol tune…
Let’s talk about music . I absolutely enjoy listening to GOOD music. Part of my job at Touch Dream is to research music. I look for creative and emotions tunes; music that would make you immediately think of your wedding video anytime you hear it.
When we produce our music videos, we hope to evoke emotion and excitement, much like a movie does. It would be impossible to do this without a love for music. We are trying to stay away from the typical. We are currrently trying to put together a list of our recommended song/music choices for our couples to choose from, if they choose to do so. That with the addition of each couples’ personal preference is how each video comes out unique and personal.
If you are a bride or groom on the search for the perfect song/music choice, then I want to recommend something that might help. There is an online radio whose mission is “to only play music you’ll love”. You can find artist, songs and create unique music stations just for you. If you hear something you like, write it down then talk with your videographer. What’s the best part? It’s FREE, of course. It’s called Pandora. I would encourage you to check it out. It’s truly great.
Windows and a Wedding…Videographer’s View
OK. For the sake of the example, lets say you’re a city gal. You found the PERFECT location on the top floor of a downtown building. What a spectacular view of the city! You can’t wait to see the video of your special ceremony with that beautiful view behind you. And then all of the kisses at the head table with the sun setting behind you (sigh..). It all sounds so lovely, but there is one problem. Let me explain..
A video camera basically sees two kinds of light – indoor & outdoor. If you set the camera for outdoor light, everything inside looks orange. If you set it for indoor light, everything outside looks blue. Our eyes can adjust to the different types of lighting very easily, but unfortunately, a video camera cannot. The video camera also has something called an iris. Just like when you look into the bright sun & then try to see in a dark room, you can’t. When the video camera is pointed towards a window with bright sunlight coming in, it can’t see the darker faces in front of the window.
So what you thought would be a perfect shot of you & your hubby in front of the beautiful view of the city, turns into a blown out bright blue window with dark faces in front of it. You don’t have to abandon the beautiful view in order to get picture-perfect video, but there are some things you need to do and think about ahead of time.
- First, discuss the issue with your videographer (and your photographer, as they have their own concerns with a situation like this).
- You could possibly turn the ceremony so it’s at an angle to the window, allowing you & the guests to look out while also allowing the videographer to shoot AWAY from the window.
- Your videographer might have lights they could set up to help offset some of the bright outdoor lighting.
- If the sunset is exceptionally beautiful, perhaps you can talk to the reception hall about finding an outdoor location to get the shot of you & hubby kissing by the setting sun. Is there a balcony or perhaps a way to get to the roof? The two of you could sneak away with your photographer & videographer to get the perfect shot & then take a few moments alone after the photog & videographer leave before returning to enjoy the rest of your reception.
Above all, talk to your professionals. You hired them because you trust them. Make sure everyone is on the same page, and you will have your picture-(and video-)perfect wedding!
HD Wedding Videos
Hello to everyone. I want to talk a bit about HD videos today. It’s not something new, but here at Touch Dream we are excited about what we offer our clients.
I’ve never been the kind of gal to talk much about our “tech” equipment on the blog (the guys will tell you much more about that ). There are many videographers who boast about their equipment all over their websites, but we put more emphasis on how your wedding is shot rather than the lastest technologies. Don’t get me wrong, our equipment rocks 
, but I don’t think that that is the most important thing. But, this is different…
HD matters to all of us. One day everything on broadcast TV will have gone digital. And eventually everyone will have a Blu-Ray player or HDTV, just like DVD players came about.
We at Touch Dream want to announce that we will be filming a handful of weddings in HD this year, and if we still have your date open, your wedding could be filmed in HD, too. In time, you will see highlights of our HD weddings on our blog. It makes sense to invest into a wedding video that can be displayed in all it’s beauty and detail for years down the road. We can even film your wedding in HD , create a regular DVD that you can watch now, and you can come back to get your full HD wedding video when the time comes.
Is that awesome or what?
Getting ready on the wedding day
Good Monday morning to you all. Thanks for stopping by.
I want to share a video with you today about something that takes place before anything “official” happens on your big day. You getting ready. There is great value in having the time before your ceremony filmed. For this, the team temporarily splits up. One videographer with the bride and one with the groom, to get their different perspectives on the time before their wedding.
This particular wedding took place in Ohio. I absolutely love how different the two atmospheres are! It really sets the mood for the rest of the story to unfold. Go ahead and tell me what you think. We would love to hear from you.
Real questions to ask your videographer
It’s the weekend. Yay! Time to soak up some rays…this is why I love Florida. Sun, beach, sand….
Today I want to talk a bit about a growing trend in wedding videography. More and more creative talent is popping up all over the country that is just plain tired of the stereotypical “wedding video”. We are so excited about this trend. My own wedding video was that exact stereotype, a small part of the reason I wanted others to avoid this mistake. After the onset of this new movement, there became an obvious difference between a regular wedding videographer and what some call a wedding “filmmaker”. We consider ourselves filmmakers because we love telling a story with each wedding video. We plan and edit your video that does more than just document your day. We do it in a way that brings you back to that day. Why do we love watching a good movie? Because we like to be absorbed in the story. Relate to the characters; feel what they feel. Why should your wedding “film” be any different?
The best part? We love doing this. And we welcome this trend. We want to properly educate each bride in the value of a wedding video/film. Most commonly when a bride calls to book a videography team, her first question is “how much?” But does she really know what she is buying?
I want to leave you with some questions that you would not normally ask a videographer. But they are just as important. This is important so that you know exactly what you get when you get a video from us, or from anyone else. Hopefully this will help in getting you a high quality video that you will enjoy for years to come!
- How do you plan to tell the story of my day?
- How long will it take to get my finished “movie”?
- May I see other clients’ video/movies, and read what they had to say about you?
- How do you get your shots without being in the way?
- Why are your services more expensive/less expensive than other companies?
- What do you do to make sure our movie is unique to our personalities?
- How do you vary your shots?
- How will my “movie” sound?
Have an awesome weekend!
I am a Videographer, therefore I am an Observer
Hey, I hope everyone’s having a great day so far. The TouchDream team is on the road to GA. We love traveling all over; somehow each wedding and each experience makes us that much better at what we do. This time we are scheduled to do a filming session at Chateau Elan (below) with the bride and groom.
The Vineyard at Chateau Elan
I know we’ll have some amazing shots and clips to share with you, once complete.
Moving on. Some people ask me, “Does a videographer really understand a/my wedding? I mean really know each detail?” And I say YES, absolutely! Besides the wedding planner, the videographer is the one person who knows every detail of your wedding day. Yes, the photographer is also there from beginning to end, but their view of your wedding turns to moments frozen in time as they put together your wedding album. A videographer on the other hand watches all of your remarkable moments over and over again as they edit your video. This special view helps us as videographers understand a great deal about your wedding.
Sometimes I share things with you things we’ve experienced or witnessed. Things that I loved. Things that made me laugh and cry. Things that I question. This, I hope provides some insight into our industry. We are videographers, therefore observers. Besides that, most of our team is married, so we’ve been there…done that. 
With that in mind, I want to share my “observation of the day”: Choose a dress that is a classic. With designers pumping out different styles by the hour, it’s hard not to get attached to the latest and greatest. I’ve heard so many brides say, “what was I thinking?” after her wedding. Look ahead, so you will never regret when looking back; I know I don’t!
Advantages of Videography vs. Photography
Hey guys, Anna here. Today, I want to talk about sort of a touchy subject. Videography vs. Photography. Everyone has a budget, and if yours can only fit one in, which do you choose? Read on and hopefully I can help you decide (hint: videography )
When planning a wedding or special event, I know that photography is usually the first thing that comes to mind (for most people) when thinking about preserving the memories of that special day. After all, photography has been readily available since the turn of the century and over time has become an important part of our everyday lives. As a result of historical tradition, videography often takes a backseat to photography for most brides when they’re budgeting their wedding.
The Advancement of Videography
While photography is certainly a great investment for preserving your special day, videography has come a long way in recent years. The advent of digital video cameras, digital music and professional video editing systems that run on home computers has dramatically increased the quality of videography in the past 5- 10 years. In many ways it is now a superior means of documenting special events.
Trash The Dress…To do or not to do?
TTD is a new and rising trend of wedding videography. For those of you who are not yet familiar with the acronym, TTD stands for Trash the Dress. The idea behind it is not trashing your dress, but to create beautiful and unique images of you and your spouse on your wedding attire enjoying a once-in-a-life-time experience; getting soaked by ocean waves, rolling on a puddle of mud, playing around a lake, etc.
TTD has become all the rage with brides who want stunning works of art that they can proudly display to family and close friends.
TTD sessions are not always done the day of the wedding (as you see in this video); they can be done the week after the wedding and some times up to a year after. These sessions can be done with the bride and groom or just the bride. As you can imagine beaches and lakes are some of the most popular destinations for TTD photo shoots. We know the idea sounds a bit extreme to some brides, but for those of us who have experienced a TTD session, in front or behind the camera, all we can say it’s absolutely worth your time. It is so much fun and the video’s/images are just gorgeous. So, rather than vacuum-packing your dress for the world never to see again; why not trying something fun and new! We don’t think you’ll regret it.
This particular wedding was shot in TN. The bride and groom were energetic and open to suggestions. They loved the idea of a TTD session, and they definitely love the final product!