Jaime and Rick Highlight Video

Here is a highlight video of Jaime and Rick's wedding. The ceremony took place at our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Harwick PA. Would you believe I got married in that church? The reception was at the Greek Orthodox Social Hall in Oakmont. It was very hot that day especially taking the pictures at Guyasuta Park in Fox Chapel. This was my first opportunity to work with Jim Kuhn of Jim Kuhn Photography and we formed a quick and efficient team or Jaime & Rick. Please add your comments by clicking the comments button below.




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Dan

A Movie Trailer

This is my first attempt at a Movie Trailer. You know, those annoying things you have to watch on a DVD before you get to the feature? Well, I've seen many of my colleagues across the country put these things together and I thought it would be fun to do one. It was! I hope you enjoy it. Please leave me a comment if you thought it was fun.



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Another one of those Credits Videos!

As I stated before, this is a really fun piece for me to shoot and edit. Jon and Jodi were married in May and we had some fun doing this one. I think the guys especially picked up on what we were doing. Don't you? What a great way to give credit to your bridal party. Give us a comment on what you like about this kind of video.



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Renee and Chad Same-Day-Edit

I've been touting the Same-Day-Edit for some time and most couples don't really understand what it can do to your reception. That's understandable. You really have to witness a Same-Day-Edit to fully apprecitate it and few videographers in Pittsburgh are doing them. I'd like to show you the one I did for Renee and Chad this Saturday (October 13th). This highlight of their ceremony was edited in just 90 minutes and shown immediately following dinner at the reception. Enjoy the video, post some comments, and in a couple of days I'll show you the crowd reaction to this.



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Sumedha Photo Montage

We taped the High School graduation party of Sumedha on August 17, 2007. This was at Heinz Field and what a great venue for parties or weddings. Sumedha's family was so much fun to work with. And her sisters are so talented too! You'll see that in the beginning of the video. I also got to work with my friend Bob Binnie who photographed the event. Here is the photo montage we projected on all the flat panel screens and the huge screen.



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Let us know what you think by leaving a comment.

It's been a Busy Summer, To Say The Least

End of Summer is usually my busiest time and this year is no exception. It's sometimes difficult to explain why a videographer gets into a large backlog of editing time and I won't attempt it here. Let's just say there are many variables to running this type of business that consumes large amounts of time. I approached this year with more thought into how I shoot a wedding to make the edit less time consuming. Having a good assistant was part of that process and my daughter has performed admirably in that role. I have also added a very powerful laptop computer to my arsenal that allows me to take editing projects with me when I travel. As some already know, I travel to help out other videographers or to shoot a wedding I've directly contracted out of town. I am currently editing the Indian Wedding from last fall. This is an immensely large project as there are approximately 30 hours of tape to edit down into a meaningful and beautiful wedding video. I can't wait to show some clips as it was very beautiful!

Did you know you can now subscribe to this blog? Subscribing means you will be notified every time a new post has been added. Just click on the little orange Icon on the left and follow the intructions on how to subscribe.

Look for more video clips in the near future. I have some very interesting things to show you.

Giving Credit to Your Bridal Party

I've been having a lot of fun with this in the last year. Sometimes we get to create things that are really enjoyable to do in our work. And I just love working with the bridal party, usually after the ceremony when they're most relaxed, to give them recognition in the final wedding video. Please leave a comment telling me what you think of this idea.



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Where I've Been

I haven't posted for a while due to the death of my sister-in-law last week. Although we knew this was coming it still puts life on hold. I will be posting some video clips in the next few days though.

Thank You-A Special Wedding Moment

I'm a sensitive guy. But that's ok for a wedding videographer as it helps me to "see" those special emotional moments while fiming a wedding. Last nights wedding of Jodi and Jon has one of those moments. With the help of his friend Patrick on acoustic guitar, Jon sang this song to his new bride. Everytime I view this clip I become a big softy. Enjoy!







Please feel free to leave a comment. I'm sure Jodi & Jon will enjoy reading them.

Thinking outside the box, er, Pittsburgh.

I usually mention to my clients how I continue to educate myself in the field of video and more specifically, wedding video. I attend the International conferences of the two major Wedding & Event (WEVA & 4 Ever Group) organizations and I am also active in the Pittsburgh Professional Videographers Association. I follow the work of the industry's best artist's in this field. These are the leaders that bring wedding video to a true artform. One of those that I follow is Jason Magbanua of the Philipines. He has single handedly brought the Same-Day-Edit to an art that was inconceivable a short time ago. Jason was recently honored with eight Artistic Achievement Awards at Video07' in Jacksonville, Florida. You can see his recent works by clicking on his blog link on the left. But, before you do, you absolutely have to see the highlight he did on a cell phone. That's right! A cell phone! Click here to see that. Please feel free to leave comments on this page regarding your thoughts.

Fun Way To Introduce The Bridal Party

Every wedding I've either attended or filmed have introduced the wedding party the same way. Until this one! I noticed at Friday's rehearsal the dance instructor worked with the group but I didn't quite understand what was up until they were introduced at the reception on Saturday. I love it when couples make their big day a little different and give the guests a little entertainment as well. This group was fun to work with as you'll see in an upcoming credits clip and they jumped right in to the dance routines.







Please feel free to add a comment on this or any other unique wedding idea you have. And do come back soon for some more great video clips.

The Value Of Video

Friends of mine, Jenny & Marco, recently won a write-in contest and this is what they wrote. It really does make a great case for wedding video and, with their permission, I am reprinting it here for your viewing.

The Value of Video
Have you ever pondered these questions?
Do I really need a video? Will I ever watch it? Is it worth budgeting for? Most brides ask themselves these questions relatively soon after their engagement. If you find yourself in the same position, make your analysis by considering what the cost of not having a video would be!
You will not have any audio from that day. Let me repeat that last statement, you will not have any audio from your entire day! If you want to know if that is an important statement, turn on your tv, and press mute. The exchange of your vows is truly the main event. Without the audio, you will have your memories. If you want to relive the day, only video can fill this desire!
Without video you will lose your unique events, funny moments, and heartfelt expressions. All of your closest family and friends are part of your wedding, their reactions and emotions are definitely worth capturing!
Every bride has a "one of a kind day", you owe it to yourself to capture it. Do your friends start their advice to you with, “at my wedding...”, if they have a video, you can watch it and relive their day.
Another thing to consider came from an email that I recently received:
“You did such a wonderful job, that watching it brought us even closer together. Of course, we both were overwhelmed and teary eyed. It gave us the opportunity to see the way we interact from afar and how much we truly do love each other.”
You will have the opportunity to view the way you treat and interact with one another on your wedding day. Can you put a value on capturing all of the nuances and love the two of you have for each other?
So consider the video with the following analysis:
Cost of Wedding Gown - $2000
Limo for the Day - $900
Flowers - $3000
Reception - $25,000
Watching this video with your daughter, while she is planning her own wedding - PRICELESS!

Heidi and Marc Wedding

Sometimes an edit can be difficult because some of the footage is not exactly what I would prefer. This wedding edit is just the opposite. It's difficult because the footage was so good that I don't want to discard anything! Everything was just beautiful in this wedding and it made the filming a joy. What you see here is Heidi and Marc's highlight video. I chose to do a slight "time-shift" by placing their vows over the first dance. The first dance was done so nicely due to their dancing ability that I wanted to draw the viewer further into it with the voice over.


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While most of us videographers place the best clips in the Highlight video, there are many more great looking shots to complete the wedding video. I'll be sharing those in the near future so please return often.

March Happenings

Well, we've been really busy this month trying to get the editing backlog in better shape. There were a few very large projects at the end of last year that extended our backlog temporarily. Now that the weather is finally getting better we'll be out practicing camera techniques learned in the past year. One thing we're contemplating is to shoot all weddings this year in a widescreen format. That will depend entirely on the current equipments ability to maintain high quality. This is the first step toward going to High-Definition as the shooting technique is a little different.

My practice runs usually revolve around the grandkids. Here is a clip I made when I first purchased a Glidecam camera stabilizing device. The kids loved to come over and play in the leaves so I got some camera practice and some work out of them!

We'll be soon posting some wedding video clips again. So, stay tuned.

And The Winner Is........

Amber Benjamin! Amber is the winner of our Photo Montage service offered at the bridal show, Marriott North in Cranberry township. This turned out to be a really great bridal show. Especially considering the snow fall this morning. This was my first show with Wedding Clickers and the table set-up worked nicely as my wife, Karen, and I were able to engage you more personally. Those flowers you see in the tall vase at the right received a lot of attention. Weren't they beautiful? All the decorations in our set-up was provided by A Rent and Event Center in Cheswick. Give Sara a call for your event as she is super nice people! If you didn't get our latest demo DVD please click on my website at the left and email me through the contact page. Now, I have to get back to some editing. There will be some really nice clips posted in the coming days on my current wedding. Please stop back.

Upcoming Bridal Show

I've been so busy this week preparing for the Bridal Show at Marriott North in Cranberry. But I am excited at the new demos we're coming up with for this event. I'll be sure to post them after the show and I'll even include a picture of the booth. With our name change came a new logo. I have a 2' X 6' banner displaying the new logo for trade shows. A Rent and Event Center in Cheswick, PA was gracious enough to supply some of our booth decorations. They have everything! They're really nice people, too! Give them a try for your next event.

The Wedding of Nisha and Parag

I'm currently editing the three day Indian wedding of Nisha and Parag which took place on Labor Day weekend. This was one of the most beautiful weddings I've had the privilege to work on. Indian weddings are rich in tradition and are very colorful (which makes for great video!). Nisha and Parag will give you an insight to each tradition here. So far, I've edited the Friday morning Henna Paint event at Nisha's parents (Harshad and Rehka Mehta) and created a highlight video. Their photographers were the husband and wife team of Cyndi and Tony Araujo, of Araujo Photography, who were very professional and great to work with. Cyndi especially has a wonderful talent in engaging the family and making them feel comfortable while Tony goes about shooting fantastic photos. And speaking of the family, I really appreciated the warmth extended by both families and the help and understanding they gave of each tradition. My next step will be the party at the Mehta home on Friday evening. You won't believe the fun that was! Look for my next post.

We'll Be At The Wedding Show!

Look for us at the Cranberry Bridal Show at the Marriott on January 28th. We'll be displaying some new demo material from the 2006 weddings and our new Identity Logo. Most of our clients usually come from referrals so we don't always do bridal shows. But with all the changes to our new look, we thought this year would be a great time to show off our new stuff.

I was originally scheduled to be in Jacksonville, Florida this week for the 4 Ever Group Convention. This is a really great educational experience and a chance to meet the best of the best in wedding videography. I learned so much last year. But there has been too many obligations and our recent move, so, I had to cancel. It's my hope that I can still make the WEVA (Wedding and Event Videographers Association) convention in Las Vegas this coming August. August is just such a bad time of year to pull away though. Our local association (PPVA) is planning a regional symposium put on by the 4 Ever Group this spring. I am an officer and active member in the PPVA as I strongly believe in education in the wedding video industry. There is so much going on today in wedding video that education is essential.

Why Did Our Name Change?

Our business name of Allure Video Productions was confusing to some because there is also a local photographer using a similar name. Also, our business model includes corporate work where my name is used as the identity and I need to simplify my life at tax time (like now!) by merging the two businesses. Our new website is in process and should be done soon. So, keep an eye out for that announcement. By the way, the webmaster is my son Jeff who is also a published poet. You can view some of his writings by clicking here .

My New BLOG!

Well, I finally jumped into this blogging thing. When I started reading the blog of one of my favorite Photographers to work with, Joanne Bartone, this past year, I knew I just had to get into the fray. Joanne and I worked together on the wedding of Heidi and Marc (more on that later) last October. She was wonderful to work with and we quickly became a "team". Wow, what a great wedding that was to shoot, too! Anyway, back to my blogging. I seem to always be behind in getting my newsletter out so I decided to replace it with my very own blog. I'm always on the computer visiting other friends in the videography world so this should come as a natural.

Dan