artisan wedding videos by studio msv

2:14 am

I haven't been posting much on my blog and I feel out-of-touch with you guys.

I've been keeping my nose to the proverbial grindstone and trying to catch up on my editing backlog. On one hand I'm thankful that I have so much work to do - especially in this economy - but on the other hand, I feel badly for my awesome clients who have to wait so much longer than to receive their wedding movie than they had originally anticipated. Of course, you all understand that the delay is caused by my dedication to a great movie and not me goofing around, but that doesn't make anyone's wait any shorter.

So here's my pledge to you guys.

Anyone whose wedding took place in or before July 2009 will receive their movie before Christmas. You can mark my words.

And as far as my workload and the fear of burning out, I'll try to keep my creative juices flowing by going on minor creative excursions here and there. Here is a short video that I shot at 2:14 in the morning just outside my house last week. Doing things like this and other projects will help me avoid editors' block. :-)

Cheers!

2:14am from andrew msv on Vimeo.

Adam and Kate Lynn's Story

Kate Lynn and Adam met at Princeton and found out shortly thereafter that they are soulmates. They got married in Virginia this weekend in front of their friends and family and were able to start a new chapter in their lives together. They had expressed interest in hiring me as their videographer, but sometimes things just aren't meant to be.

But Kate Lynn and Adam ARE meant to be and I was fortunate enough to be able to have a chance to hear and retell their story. So here's the rundown on how they went from poetry class to proposal in a 20-minute package.

Grab a cold drink and check out this video. Film fans, there is a healthy dose of Super 8mm film mixed in to this video too! :-)

Enjoy!

Here's the wonderful email they sent to me after they saw this video:

Kate and I received your package a few days ago and didn't have a free, private moment until this morning. We watched the DVD as soon as we woke up and we're just blown away! Seriously, this is such a gift. We both started crying and we can't wait to show our entire rehearsal dinner tomorrow night (we've rented a projector and a screen). It's SO amazing! We LOVE it.

So sorry that we couldn't make the wedding videography work, but PLEASE let us know if we can ever do anything to help. We're happy to provide testimonials or references or anything, and we'll definitley talk you up to all our West coast friends.

Thank you again for making this so special for us. It's just unbelievable. We're so happy.

much love,
Adam & Kate

Hacienda de las Flores, Moraga CA

Saturday was the first time I filmed at Hacienda de las Flores, a beautiful estate property in Moraga, CA.

The weather ws perfect; not too hot, not at all chilly.
The light was stunning; bright sun but we were in the shade 90% of the time.
The couple was gorgeous; Phil and Jen were perfect, fun-loving and destined for one another.

Here is a super short trailer I made of some of the shots I got from the wedding.

Jen and Phil's Wedding Teaser Trailer from andrew msv on Vimeo.

Photog: www.getcaptured.com
DJ: www.fantasysound.com
Catering: www.wildthymecatering.com
Venue: http://moraga.ca.us/production/moraga_hacienda.php

[for industry folks and tech geeks: the footage was shot entirely on my new Canon 5D mkII, edited with Canopus Edius Pro 3, no color correction. All the clips are straight from the cam.]

Hawaii Bound!

By this time next week, I will be in Hawaii!

I will be a groomsman in my friend's wedding -- imagine that; me in FRONT of the cameras for once! I will be editing during this trip - as I always do - so hopefully I will not fall too far behind on deliverables.

But here's the cool thing: next Wednesday, March 25, I am opening myself up for possible engagement video/music video shoots for couples who want a *free* video! Please simply send me an email if you will be in Oahu on 3/25 along with your contact info and maybe some pictures.

I will be out of the office from March 24 to April 1 but will be checking email periodically. Please be patient and understanding if you don't get a response immediately. You rock.

photo source: here

California Sales Tax Rate Hike

We're supposedly experiencing an economic downturn so the State and the Feds are going to reach into your pockets soon, if they haven't already. So far we've been blessed with an influx of clients who see the value of a good wedding movie and our bookings are strong.

BUT here's something that I'll bet slipped your mind in your search for wedding vendors:

Effective April 1, 2009 new (read: 'higher') sales tax rates go into effect. (Go here for details.)

Currently, your sales tax on our products is a modest 8.25%. Starting April 1st, they go up to 9.25%
Yeah, I know. Not cool.

But MSV IS cool. So between now and April 1st, I will extend my offer to PAY YOUR SALES TAX for all 2009 weddings! Please send your signed contracts in BEFORE 3pm March 31st!

If you have questions or would like to schedule a consultation, please email or call me (925-829-MSVS) as soon as you have a free moment! Call me on your drive home from work! (Don't have a hands-free headset? Don't worry, I won't tell.)

A Special V-Day Wedding

The day before Valentine's Day, I gave my wife her Valentine's gift because I had a wedding on the actual Valentine's Day. (I just said "Valentine's" three times in one sentence. Gnarly.) Luckily I married a very understanding wife so I didn't catch heat for it.

Joyce and Fernando - who booked me without having met me - are a very sweet, soft-spoken couple who have a great sense of humor. (Or at least they laughed at my jokes. I assume that means they have a good sense of humor... maybe I'm wrong ;-) They had the keen foresight to know to book great vendors because great vendors = a great event.

I always tell my clients to try to book vendors that work well together as a team. I'll give you an example why. (This story kind of paints me in a negative light, but I think you can see through it and see my point. Plus, it's a great story so I'm telling it anyway.)

  Maria and me. What am I doing? Throwing up gang signs of course.

It usually takes about 40 minutes for me to get from my house into San Francisco. This morning, I gave myself an hour. But I guess it was Valentine's Day or whatever and everyone was headed into the city, the traffic was pretty bad.

About 10 minutes before the ceremony start time, I called Crystal Lequang of Amazae Special Events, the day-of coordinator for the day and told her in as calm a voice as I could muster - in spite of my elevating panic - "Hey Crystal... so, what's the sitch? Are you guys all there?"

"Yeah, we're all here. We're ready. Where are you?" Crystal responded. She probably expecting me to say that I was just pulling up or I just parked my car.

"Um... yeah,... I'm still on the bridge."

Even when I heard my own words, my stomach sort of sank a little. Remember, we were 10-minutes from the set start time of the ceremony!

WPPI

WPPI is Wedding and Portrait Photographers International -- the largest, most prestigious professional wedding photographer association in the world. Annually, they hold a big conference in Las Vegas and the top names in the industry get together to share thoughts, hold workshops, network and so forth.

This year will be my first time attending this conference and as a video guy, it will definitely be interesting seeing things from the photographer's point of view.

I will be out of the office from 2/15-2/19.

But it won't be all education, fun and games. I'm there to work as well. I will be presenting a couple of videos that I made for my friend, Tanja Lippert, who is speaking at the conference next Wednesday morning. (That's backstory behind the "It's a Mystery" videos I posted HERE and HERE.) I will also be shooting a promotional video for my friend, Scarlett Lillian, as the official sponsor of her Night Shoot Workshop next Monday night. (Stay tuned for the posts which so the videos soon!)

I will be checking my email as frequently as my phone reception will allow me to so I won't be totally unreachable. If you have anything you need to contact me about, please do email or call and I will do my best to get back to you in a timely manner.

Hopefully my first WPPI Conference will be a successful one! I have a lot of work I need to do before I leave for Vegas and I have a feeling I will be editing a lot while I'm there as well. Wish me luck!

Sweepstakes Drawing 2009 #1

Melinda and Carlo are client-friends of mine -- I shot their wedding back in August 2007 at a wonderful golf club in Dublin, CA. Melinda has shot second camera with me on several occasions and I was delighted to be a part of her wedding.

I'm up here in Lake Tahoe right now with a bunch of friends and "Mo and Lo" are here too!

Here's the awesome Instant Video I made for them and showed at their wedding reception.

To see Mo and Carlo pick the first of three winners for our sweepstakes drawing, continue reading...

2009 Engagement Video Sweepstakes (coming soon!)

On Sunday 1/18, I exhibited at a bridal fair at the Four Season's SF.

At the show, many brides submitted their names in order to be entered into the Free Engagement Video contest I am holding. I will be announcing the first winner (of three) next Monday, 2/2/09 here on my blog. Please come by to see if you've won!

If you are a bride who submitted your name but haven't confirmed your email address, you must do so ASAP or you will not be entered into the drawing! So far, the following brides are entered:

• Jamie W
• Jacqueline M
• Nicole L
• Marie M
• Sophia L
• Monique Q
• Kristina A
• Mae E
• Rossana T
• Beverly G
• Nathalie S
• Tiffany N
• Wendy Y

If you don't see your name here, check your spam box for a confirmation email from me and please reply ASAP!

The official contest rules are as follows:

No purchase necessary. The winner agrees to allow Studio MSV to videotape, film, or otherwise record an interview video session, bridal elegance session, trash the dress video session, music video session, or other pre or post wedding video session with the winner and edit the resulting footage into a movie to be delivered at a mutually agreed upon date. Studio MSV retains full editorial rights to determine the overall duration of the completed movie, the inclusion or exclusion of footage, and does not guarantee the exhibition of the video at any aforementioned events, nor can Studio MSV be held liable for any unforeseen circumstances preventing Studio MSV from completing or exhibiting the movie as planned. The final movie will be delivered on DVD discs that are DVD-R compliant and encoded in NTSC format. MSV is not responsible for the compatibility of the disc with the client's DVD player(s). Dates are subject to availability. This prize does not include projection equipment. Availability is subject to change. Both parties can cancel the aforementioned services at any time for any reason without penalty of law. Some other restrictions may apply.

Check out some of last year's sweepstakes videos from the Promises and Pearls event!

Tomorrow's Show ONLY

I have a policy against offering any type of discounts or price reductions. I feel that my prices are extremely fair and I think that what I offer as a service and product justifies the cost of my packages. Nor am I -- by any means -- the most expensive guy in town! Far from it!

But as a general rule, when I do wedding shows, I tend to offer some special incentive for rewarding brides and grooms from coming out to the show to do their due diligence. It's also a great way to kick off the new season and get everyone in the mood for wedding planning!

This year's show is no different.

I will be offering the following:

- A free engagement video for THREE lucky couples.
- No sales tax for couples who book BEFORE Valentine's Day.

  

But you have to be at the show to get these incentives! So please take a few hours out of your day and stop in to say hi!