Wedding Video in Hawaii???
Are you getting married in hawaii and want to hire a videographer who will not penalize you for the travel? Simply Interactive is actively seeking brides getting married in Hawaii or other exotic places where the ONLY extra fees accrued are air travel and accomodations (we cover our own rental expenses and share rooms).
Why? You are doing us a favor byt taking us to a place where we can add to our stock video library. Additionally, you only have to pay for the room for the actual days required to perform our duties at your wedding. W can arrive the day of the rehearsal, and leave the morning after the reception.
Does that sound like a deal for you?
¶ 10:11 AM
3.25.2004
Simply Interactive is Hiring Videographers
Simply Interactive is still experiencing growth in the video business and we need more videographers to work with us. While growth is inevitable it is still vital to keep the small business mentality and attitude toward our customers.
So, while we are hiring contract videographers, we are wholly dedicated to providing all of our customers with the personal experience they have come to expect and are telling their friends about.
Simply Interactive has been experiencing enormous growth in the wedding and event end of its video business. We are in need of several contract videographers to shoot weddings, parties, graduations, sporting events etc...
You must have your own professional quality camera and be extremely well versed in all of its functions. No point and shooters need apply. Pro- Quality equals Canon XL1, XL1S, Sony PD150, or higher models... no TRV 900s, 950s, or VX 2000s or 2100s please.
You must have an eye for composition and lighting.
You must be one heck of a personality that will represent Simply Interactive with the utmost in professionalism and care for our customers needs.
You must be clean and willing to dress nicely to most events.
Still interested? Then go to the Jobs Page and follow the instructions.
¶ 6:52 AM
3.23.2004
The Shadowbrook restaurant
If you click the link in that title it will take you to a QuickTime demo that clearly shows why I absolutely love weddings at the Shadowbrook restaurant in Capitola. A video clip is worth a thousand words. The scenery is beautiful, the location private and intimate, and the food.... Dear God... the food is the best I have had the pleasure of eating.
Prior to the wedding shown in the video clip, the Shadowbrook restaurant was already one of my favorite places. I was familiar with it because my Wife's cousin used to work there and we got some pretty good deals... and often because we used to live right up the street.
The landscaping and architecture are impeccable, only to be matched by the beauty only nature can provide by a gentle stream that flows easily by a courtyard patio. This place was built for smaller weddings due to it's limited number of locations suitable for more than 100 or so to gather and watch the ceremony, but the food and atmosphere are well worth the minor limitation.
View the Shadowbrook Here
¶ 7:05 AM
3.18.2004
Getting Married at Guglielmo's Winery
I do have a few favorite spots to video people for their wedding day so if I seem to be driving a particular venue (or photographer or DJ etc...) it is only because the experience was 100% wonderful, the scenery gorgeous, and the people were great to work with.... oh, and of course the video came out just lovely!
Guglielmo's Winery has three things that really made my day. A gorgeous old-style fountain that was in a brick courtyard and surrounded by bright and beautiful flowers lining every building. Dark red brick buildings with ivy crawling up the sides made for an elegant backdrop in the courtyard, but in another setting altogether you are surrounded by vineyards. Directly behind the ceremony pedestal stretching for hundreds of yards are perfectly aligned grape vines that accentuate a large expanse of grass where the ceremony and reception area takes place.
Frankly, the wedding coordinator (I think her name was Jackie, not sure of the spelling) was on the ball and absolutely everything went without a hitch --- but with two people getting hitched if ya know what I mean.
Emilio Guglielmo Winery
1480 East Main Ave.
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
(408) 779-2145
The only possible drawback for a bridal party is that there is no natural shade there. In the Summer you are likely going to want to provide a tent for your guests. Copntact us if you need a tent. We have an arrangement with a local lighting, design, and media company to get very good prices for our clients.
¶ 9:22 AM
3.15.2004
A Little Pre-Ceremony Tip From Rusty
Greetings Brides to be. It is my hope to dispense to you not just a whole bunch of information that may be useful to you, but the real gems of information I can give. I think it is my duty to present to you these gems because I attend so many weddings, and invariably when someone follows a few simple guidelines AT the ceremony, all ends up going predominately well.
The main part of this advice can be summed up in one word...
DELEGATE!
OK, perhaps I meant one word and an exclamation point. Look, every bride gets wrapped up in the details. And that is a very very good thing. Speaking from the male perspective (and my wife will totally attest to this) if the bride does not pay attention to the details, no one will. However, there is a time to give the reins to someone else. While that may make every brides heart beat quick and the breath get short for a few seconds, please don't stop reading there. Here is why it is not only important, but actually for the best.
I, being the owner of a successful wedding and event videography company, can tackle this aspect from two sides because I get to see all of it from every angle.
First, from the bride's angle. Many brides are worried about being perceived as a bridezilla. The control freak who rears her green head up at the first sign of trouble. This in and of itself puts undo stress on the bride and when something goes wrong it may affect how she deals with the problem. If she does ALL the planning... and then leaves all the details on the morning of the wedding to a trusted friend or family member not in the bridal party, they get to deal with making sure everything goes as planned.
Also from the bride's angle... what happens if this person who has been left in charge is faced with something she does not know the answer to? Ah... therein lies the beauty of this plan of attack. The bride only has a single person who comes to her asking questions. Why? Because guests quickly realize even without being told who the Go To person is. This person is identified by coordinating the groomsmen, helping the flower girls, whispering secretively to the bride and groom etc... So when something goes wrong guess who they go to...
A) The Bride
B) The Go To Person
If you chose B, you are 98% right... There is always 2 out of every 100, but that is far better than 100 out of 100.
From the perspective of the service provider it is a beauty because I do all the planning with the bride and if I have any questions or concerns, I do not have to interrupt the bride or groom while the experience a day that was made for them.
¶ 6:07 PM
3.11.2004
Video Shoot for "The Apprentice Season 2"
I absolutely love shooting weddings... and even more fun to me is the editing process. I love meeting the people and, essentially, partying with them all day (sans alcohol for me of course) -- but the editing process is also a great deal of fun because editing a wedding video shot in the beautiful locations we have in Stanford, Palo Alto, San Jose, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Aptos, Sacramento, and more recently Stockton (if you haven't been to Stockton in a while, go there to see all the new downtown renovation, truly gorgeous).
Each editing process is different because each wedding has its own story within the story and as an editor, it is my job to bring the personalities out while at the same time bringing out the beauty of the surroundings and decorations chosen by the wedding party. It is a delicate mix and I always love the challenge.
We took a call last Saturday from a gentleman who was interested in applying for the next season of "The Apprentice". The Apprentice is a new reality show on TV with Donald Trump as the villain who, at the end of every episode, fires one of the people on the show aspiring to be his apprentice. Frankly, I do not watch reality shows... the only time I slow down on one is if they have an interesting effect happening in the edits that I want to burgle for my own fell purposes. But this is the one show that actually got MY attention. Why? I guess I am something of an entrepreneur myself (or at least that is what I fancy).
So this past week I have been working very diligently on creating an exceedingly awesome video for this gentleman's entry. I promise I'll post it here later, but for the time-being, I think it is important to keep it under wraps until the Producers view the video. I worked on this piece very hard and we had this poor actor almost for an entire day to create a 6 minute video. Ultimately he came across very professional as he is (obviously) a natural speaker and very confident... but we made him even more polished in the edited video because we had him do each segment of his video 5 times in different locations, different compositions, and in different outfits.
We did not want to just do his video, we helped him plan for what we knew the producers would be looking for. By doing different settings and having him redo each segment differently and in different locations, we were able to give the producers several different looks and also a few peaks into different facets of his personality based on his surroundings and motivations at the time -- sometimes he was informative, sometimes downright campy, and even others, almost political with his fervor.
So, we created an awesome video entry for an awesome reality TV show.
¶ 7:47 PM
3.01.2004
Simply Interactive Wedding Video "Philosophy"
I try to be as ambiguous as possible when talking or writing about Simply Interactive. I try to use "we" and "our" when discussing what "we" do in "our" company, but the fact is that I started the company and I take a great amount of interest and pride in where it's going and how "we" work with customers.
With that caveat -- I am very specific about what I want from Simply Interactive as a wedding and event video company.
Customer service, customer service, customer service
Ed and Jacque had one of the more beautiful weddings I have ever had the pleasure of shooting. It was held at the Byington Winery in the hills of Los Gatos, a place I highly recommend for weddings under 150 guests.
Ed and Jacque had written their own vows and had very specifically stated how they wanted their ceremony to play out. And while the wedding day was a wholesale success, the officiant, for whatever reason, got to the vows section of the ceremony and blew right through the vows without doing the vows Ed and Jacque had taken the time to design.
Jacque was understandably upset so immediately after the ceremony we kicked everybody off the hill (ok, not really -- we just encouraged them to go grab some hors d'oeuvres) and we redid their vows. My assistant sat off camera and quietly spoke their vows to them and they repeated the vows the way they wanted them in the first place. While that may seem to some to take the punch out of the ceremony and wedding day to some of you, the kiss they shared afterward was so honest it was obvious it meant the world to the two of them.
It's those moments that give me the energy I need to continue to focus my... "our" company on weddings and events rather than strictly corporate videography.
Oh sure, "we" do corporate videos (here is a sample of one we just did over at The Gap distribution center in Fresno), but we allow those to come in as they come through our normal clients, we don't actively seek them out because weddings are so much more gratifying.
¶ 7:40 AM
Wedding and Corporate Video Blog for clients and potential clients of the award-winning Simply Interactive llc. Your stop for visual media, capture and design.
Wedding
and Event DJ Dot Com This is one of Simply
Interactive's favorite resources. This
site will help you find anything you
would need for your wedding video and
helps weed out the fly-by-night operations.
Wedding
Links Galore! This is a great resource
as well. Tons of links for different
wedding vendor types and broken down
by geographic theatre.
Party Pop
This is a
huge database
of tons
of wedding
service
providers
By Recommendation
Only
This is a
website that
lists vendors
ONLY if they
have been
referred
by
one of their
clients.
REFERR
US!
Approved
Photographer Links
Mark
Stagi -
Fine Art
Wedding
Photography
Mark and I have worked together several times and one
thing that stands out aside from his actual photography
skill (which speaks for itself on his website) is his
awesome, confident, calm and unobtrusive personality
and shooting style. Every time we work together I am
reminded of how cool and confident he is. Check out
his website - he's a great guy!
Anna
Myers Photography I
have worked
with Anna
Myers twice
and have
recommended
her for corporate
jobs as well.
Both times
I worked
with her
I was stunned
at her creativity,
her ability
to get stunning
shots and
work with
ct he bride
and groom
in a comfortable,
non-stress
inducing
way. When
I work with
Anna our
video work
and our synergy
together
to create
great shots
allows both
of us to
walk away
with some
extremely
glamorous
images.
Geoff White Photography While
I have yet
to work with
Geoff, I
have seen
his work
countless
times at
bridal shows
(our booths
are constantly
near each
other). Tremendous
quality every
time I see
his new array.
You can tell
how creative
this man
is by looking
at the effort
put into
his show
booth alone...
but once
you get sucked
into his
photo albums,
you'll likely
do everything
possible
to get him
as your photographer.
Jill
Johnson @ Insza Photography This girl was absolutely
wonderful to work with. She works very
well with everyone and even amidst the
mayhem of a wedding where an entire
TV crew was trying to muscle through
the hired service providers, she still
made sure she got everything the couple
wanted.
Darren
Wong Darren
and Simply
Interactive
have worked
together
on a couple
weddings
and has one
of the highest
skill levels
we have seen.
His compositions
and quality
are impeccable
-- matched
only by
his top-notch
equipment.
Approved
DJ Links
San Jose DJs DJ Earl is an excessively helpful
individual. His dedication to his clients means he
is willing to go above the call of duty to make things
flow smoothly.
Fog City Entertainment Russ Catanach is just plain
awesome! Every time I do a wedding with him he
is always prepared. He is smooth, suave, and professional
without being humdrum or frustratingly boring. He
reads crowds well, and guides the party along. I
could not recommend them more.
Carl
Mindling Music
This gentleman is a fantastic DJ - smooth, professional,
entertaining. Aside from his technical quality, this
was one of the most easy going and in-control DJs I've
ever met. I can only imagine how he would react under
pressure - with the same eloquence.
Approved
Venue Links
Nestledown
Estates
There are
no words
that can
describe
the beauty
and serenity
of this place.
We are proud
to have been
able to shoot
there.
Capital Athletics Club - San Jose Despite
the name,
this is
a beautifully
designed
building,
inside
and out.
Great Service
and wonderful
bar/pool
table/fireplace.
Great ambiance
with vaulted
ceilings
in a victorian
interior
decor.
Palmdale
Estates - Fremont Palmdale
Estates is
a beautifully
landscaped
spacious
venue location
that uses
beautifully
designed
two-story
halls for
the reception.
Ceremonies
are outdoors
on lawns.
Byington
Winery
- Los Gatos Definitely one of
my favorite spots. The ceremony area
is at the top of a set of brick steps
and surrounded by grape vines and gorgeous,
Los Gatos hills covered in hundred year
old forest trees. The reception area
is inside of a magnificent building
covered in ivy. Indoors are huge tanks
and an immense cellar houses hundreds
of oak barrels for aging wine. Great
stuff for video and photo.
Approved
Limo Links
White Hat Limo
I can tell
you this
about White
Hat Limo,
when it
came time
to hire
a limo
service
for my
6th anniversary,
White Hat
Limo was
the first
place I
called.
Reliability,
quality
and price.
White Hat
Limo is
exceptional
in all
areas.
