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It’s official - Link and Ngoc are married!! What a wonderful wedding it was in gorgeous California (right around San Jose). Rather than write about what amazing people they are, we wanted to share an abbreviated version of their love story. Once we have you fully enraptured in their story we’ll post how it all came together with their same-day edit. 
link + ngoc’s abbreviated love story from StillMotion on Vimeo.
We often get asked about the differences between highlights and same-day edit, so we really just wanted to share an example of each from the same wedding so you could get a better idea of how they differ (plus, I'm really excited to share their highlights!!). If your not so interested in the differences between the clips, just skip to the end and check out their rockin' highlights.
With a same-day edit being produced in a mere hours, we really have to rely on our instincts in terms of what shots to choose, how to sequence them, and how to tell the story. With highlights, we can agonize over a single frame and where it goes for that same amount of time. Our SDEs have come a long way in the past year and can rival the highlights at first glance, but I think as you take a peek a bit more you may notice some subtleties in the highlights that will make it stick with you for longer.
Here is a brief rundown between the two clips. SDEs tend to be a bit flashier, using more detail shots (i.e. rings) and photo session footage to increase the visual impact at your reception. The storyline, while very important, is not something we can baby with so little time, and so it is often developed less than in a highlights clip. There are also a lot of shots here and there that we can't get into the SDE because we can't review everything and awesome things inevitably happen after the SDE is ready to be shown.
A highlights clip on the other hand will have a much more developed storyline. The soundtrack is often more timeless (this always depends on who the couple is though). We can be sure to review absolutely everything before starting, and it is something we can go back and tweak endlessly before it is released to the world. There are more subtleties in a highlights clip, and that makes them fun to explore over and over (not to say those aren't there in SDEs, just more so in highlights).
When you check these out, try not to think of which one you like better, but instead explore the clips and see if you can identify some of the little differences between them. 
kimmie + trevor’s highlights // toronto from StillMotion on Vimeo.
No matter what medium or context you shoot these two in, their personality just comes screaming through - and I love it. From their same-day edit - The Polaroid Funk…
Cheryl + Andrew’s SDE - Vancouver from StillMotion on Vimeo.
to their ttd - Shootin’ at the Slough…
Shootin’ at the Slough - Cheryl + Andrew’s TTD // Vancouver from StillMotion on Vimeo.
…there is certainly a consistency to who Cheryl + Andrew are and what they mean to each other.
Read more…
We call these highlights, and while it may be quite obvious where the name comes from, I think the meaning behind the word deserves a second glance. You will often see little details shot creatively and mixed into the story. These in themselves perhaps are not a highlight of the day, but each detail often has so much back story with the weeks to months to years that went into choosing the absolutely perfect dress, shoes, or ring. When you see these details again in the film, they are meant to tie into the much larger story of a couple, the one that both precedes and follows a wedding day.
Besides the main events what are the lesser known highlights you're looking forward to, or if you're already married, what were some details that ended up meaning so much more than you originally anticipated?
For my wedding, I didn't decide on the shirt and ring I would wear until the morning of the wedding. We got all the guys together and with my belt and tie in hand we did a vote across the room to see which shirt was the best match. It was a small detail, but for some reason it really meant a lot.
And with that lead in I would like to share Alan + Marianne's highlights. The morning of the wedding they were both practicing their dances separately as they were getting ready. This might be something we wouldn't give a second glance to, but in this practicing there can be found so much more to their story. As wedding guests we can attend and share in 8 hours of a couple's day and it all goes by so quickly that it can be easy to forget all that goes into making everything as it is. The juxtaposition of their preparations with their dances at the end of the night was a way of tying in that much larger story that is often left out.
It is always special, while also a little sad, when one of our biggest blog fans gets married. Sylvia has been such a sweetheart since she first contacted us last year and we certainly hope that her comments keep coming well after her wedding. What you miss in this SDE though is all of the crazy lights, pots and pans, and other mayhem that ensued after the showing and for the rest of the evening.
-Patrick
Sylvia + Nuno’s SDE- Toronto from StillMotion on Vimeo.
On Saturday, Konrad and I along with John and Amina went out to Union Station for a little photo, cinema shoot with Angela and James. We were lucky enough to get to test out a prototype follow focus that was released by Cinevate recently. We thought this would be a perfect opportunity to shoot a little behind the scenes trailer so everybody could see a little more of the fun that goes into a shoot, as well as the new follow focus in action. Now, when you first view the clip your probably going get the impression that John doesn't do to much on a shoot, or at least nothing productive. However, more than just comedic relief, he has been known to snap a photo or two, but that didn't seem as exciting as what we put in here. For those with a keen eye, I did quite a bit of tilt/shift shooting for the film which gives it that interesting gradient of focus you see in some shots.
-P.
Angela + James Day After Shoot // Behind the Scenes from StillMotion on Vimeo.
A day full of love, laughter, and tears.
From charades, cassava-crusted green tomatoes, serenades by moonlight, to a fire-breathing groom.
All this to say- we're married!
Thanks again to all of our wonderful friends who made the trek to St. Lucia to share it with us. A double thanks to all of our friends who made that trek and then also worked the day of to make our day run smoother or capture our imagery.
Much more coming soon.
-P.
Here is one of our favs that I pulled from the vault to share with y'all. There are a couple things that really stand out for me in this piece. Their accent, first of all, just adds so much context (and sounds so cool at the same time). It was this context that led to the idea behind the opening shot with the dress being revealed in the elevator. David also had quite a way with words, and that was just perfect for the narrative of the piece.
-P.
johanna + david // a london wedding. from StillMotion on Vimeo.
Please take a moment and look around the brand spankin’ new blog. The crew over at Flosites are working out some glitches for us, but we are getting there.
The main site is also now up and humming with some awesome new features there as well. The crew over at Funnel has been working around the clock (literally) at getting everything nice and smooth for us. We had some things that weren’t a hundred percent on, so we delayed the launch by a day or so. We certainly appreciate all of the patience from those who were waiting for the moment that counter timed down.
We should also take a moment to thank Troy (hmm… who's Troy?) and Michael who had the stamina to stay up with us all night (it's almost 2 am now) as we combed over all of the blog posts and tried to make sure everything was fit and proper before sharing. Please enjoy our new digs.
On a personal note, Amina and I will be heading to St. Lucia next week to prepare for our wedding. We wanted to thank all of you who sent us warm wishes. We are very excited that it will soon be our turn - no pressure Michael + Konrad.
Some of you already caught a glimpse of our wedding trailer on vimeo, but we wanted to share it here for those who didn’t. I shot this with Amina when we went on a short 4 day surprise excurison to look at Ladera as a possible venue for our rather small event.
Our Wedding Trailer from StillMotion on Vimeo.
Weddings can be somewhat funny creatures. I love the juxtaposition of emotions you see in Kimberley + Trevor's SDE. As Kimberley and her mother are having a very emotional moment in their suite as they prepare for the day, several flights below their window Trevor and the guys are getting Hello Kitty ready for a car ride.
Kimberley + Trevor were married back on October 18th in Toronto. This is one of the clips we kept in the vault so that we had something special to show our couples when they came to visit the studio.
Their SDE is an example of one of our premium same-day edits. We had 3 cinematographers there to shoot both the main feature and SDE (whereas our regular collections have 2 cinematographers).
Sorry for the wait Kimmy.
Kimberley + Trevor’s SDE from StillMotion on Vimeo.
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Patrick Moreau, Toronto
Vendor: Cinematographer
Website: Still Motion
About Me: For far too long, wedding videography has been seen as a medium with debatable value and little artistic merit. I think a wedding film should be fun, quirky, romantic, and really reflect two people and their coming together. It should grab you in the first few seconds, shake you throughout, and leave you with a lingering impression. I am 1/3 of the cinematography team at StillMotion, along with Michael and Konrad. With a background in psychology and no formal training in film + video, I've been completely self taught and look to use my background to add more meaning to our films and the experience of creating them. I hope our art can inspire you like our brides inspire us.
