Moments of a lifetime: Episode 1

We’re in the deep heart of editing season, and it’s giving me wonderful insight on why cinematography and wedding videos are so key to capturing your day fully.When I’m editing a video’s story together, I’m looking for moments — big and small — to not only tell the story of your day but keep your interest. I like to say that video captures these moments in their fullest sense because we have the elements of movement and sound, which add complexity to what your seeing and, as has been proved in research, ignite parts of your brain to tap into memories more fully.These moments still have the power to surprise and move me, even though I’ve seen hundreds of these slices of time.That’s why I decided to start sharing a few of these moments, so that you dear reader and viewer could also experience the joy, laughter, anticipation, sincerity and, yes, sometimes even sadness that makes up all of our wedding shoots. There are very few times in your life when the expense of a professional videographer is warranted, but your wedding is one of them.In this Moments of a Lifetime, Episode 1, I’m sharing a ceremony entrance, this time of bride Ashley as her groom, John, waited for her to join him at the front of the church. This is one of my favorite moments during a wedding, because seeing your partner for the first time, dressed in wedding finery, is something to behold.  Sometimes, it’s a first look before the ceremony, and I love those, too, but I’ll share one of those in the future and explain why they’re so special.One thing you may not know, is that a ceremony entrance, or processional, is a tricky shot to get. First, I’m right up front opposite the groom, because our couples expect to see that straight-on view of the entrance. (Don’t worry. Nobody notices because they’re all looking at the people walking up the aisle, especially the bride or partners.)Nearly every time in a church or other indoor location, the doorway creates a drastic change of lighting. Only an expert cinematographer can adjust camera settings to maintain proper exposure for the face and keep focus. Yes, it’s a tricky shot, but worth every moment. In this case, you’ll also see a moving camera spend time with the bride and her father just before the entrance. This is a camera on a gimbal, which allows the camera operator to move at will but have flawlessly smooth shots, again, only something a studio that cares about your film will have and know how to use properly.We hope you like this first moment, and the many more to come as we finish this season’s edits!Cheers,Cindy