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Sam {and} Sarah from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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Note: Video place holder image by Bobbi and Mike

This film just made us smile as we weaved the story. Great imagery and sincere heartfelt toasts. Sarah and Sam just seemed like they were having the time of their lives. All of their friends and family danced the night away, the dance floor was full most of the time. Since the reception was held at Crowne Plaza, which is part of the old Union Station, Sarah and Sam used that setting, in part, as a theme for the reception. The invitations were in vintage font and looked like the old train tickets. Guests found out where they were seated by looking up at the train arrival / departure board…very cool. You will see this in this film. We also loved the vintage typewriters that were place out for people to type personalized notes to the bride and groom on textured paper. The wedding was at one of our favorite churches, St. John’s Catholic Church in Indianapolis, IN. The reception was at another favorite of ours, the Crowne Plaza downtown Indianapolis, IN. This was a fun day to experience with Sarah and Sam.

This film contains splashes of Super 8 film, which we used to capture some little moments to give a more romantic nostaligic feel to it.

You know we said this was a fun day, it may have something to do with the photographers Bobbi and Mike. Never a dull moment, which really makes for a fun shoot with them. We enjoyed working with Wedding Planner, Deborah Bowman with A Touch of Elegance. Very well organized and planned wedding.

Cake: by Heavenly Sweets (Yum!)

A little note from Sarah about what her parent’s thought of the video.

‘Thank you so much John. My parents both LOVE it by the way As my mom put it, “This isn’t just a regular wedding video — it’s one you’ll actually watch years down the road.” ‘

Shawn {and} Sarah from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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This film represents a lot of why we are passionate about what we do. Shawn and Sarah have been together, dating back years. Each wedding we film, we understand that the framework of a wedding day is mostly the same. But within that framework, we look for nuances and personalities and stories that help shape the identity of the couple, the family and their friends. What we see and hear on the wedding day is only a very small fraction of the couple’s lives but although it’s a snippet of time, it is one of the most important times of their lives.

As we documented some of Sarah getting ready, we talked very casually about their relationship and learned about a letter that Shawn had wrote many years ago, long before the thought of marriage. I asked Sarah to get the letter and had her read a little of what that letter said. She had decided she was going to read this letter that Shawn wrote during her speech at the reception. Loved the heartfelt speech Sarah’s Dad gave. We really enjoyed spending this time with Shawn and Sarah and the wedding was beautiful.

We enjoyed working with Janie with Alanna Photography

Bridget {and} Eric – Notre Dame Same Day Edit from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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This is a Same Day Edit (SDE), which we produced for Bridget and Eric. The couple wanted all their guests to experience the day with them and this was shown at the reception right before open dancing. We filmed the wedding at one of our favorite places, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame. When you walk into this church, it presents jaw dropping beauty and a certain reverence about it. We enjoyed spending the day with the couple and their friends and family. Another great wedding with heartfelt speeches will make this an heirloom for the couple.

So what exactly is a Same Day Edit? Throughout the day, our team is very focused on filming as they always are. But in the case of a Same Day Edit, conscience and focused decisions are made on identifying clips that will be used for the edit. It’s about finding moments to use to help move the story forward of how the day unfolded. Footage is aquired and we are constantly working on ingesting the footage into our system and editing throughout the day on our laptop. Pulling one of these off requires special attention to logistics and making sure that we have the right people in the right places when needed. We are still editing even during the early stages of the reception. Once we have the sequence down, we adjust audio, color grade and export the movie. We arrange audio with the DJ or band and it’s showtime. The most enjoyable thing about a Same Day Edit is seeing and watching the reaction of the couple and their guests. Producing a Same Day Edit is very stressful and does a number on your physical and mental energy. But when you observe the couple and their guests laughing, crying and sometimes cheering, it is well worth the time and effort. If you are interested in having us produce this for your wedding, let us know and we can talk it over.

We enjoyed working once again with our good friends Kevin and Alicia Monahan of Kevin Monahan Photography. The reception was held at Morris Park Country Club and we enjoyed working again with Anne Landis, who did an amazing job designing this wedding. A special thanks to Shawn Saros of ProShow for getting us some awesome audio for the SDE. Shawn kept the crowd energized.

Comments are welcome.



Kristina and Dan from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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This was a great couple to get to know. Dan and Kristina had a beautiful wedding at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Indianapolis. The reception was held at the Renaissance Hotel in Carmel, IN. It was fun watching the excitement build with Kristina as the day progressed. She always had a smile on her face. The speeches for this wedding were some of the most sincere speeches we have heard in a long time.

This video is a Same Day Edit, which was edited throughout the day and it was then shown at the reception on the big screen. This is something we offer clients who want to allow their guests to experience some of the sights and sounds of the day. Our couples also love it because the day is such a blur, this allows them to experience the day again.

We enjoyed working with April Foster of April Foster Events; April did an amazing job as always and the day ran so smooth. We also worked with our good friends Kevin and Alicia Monahan of Kevin Monahan Photography. Karen Hall was the makeup artist and all the girls looked awesome.

Special thanks to Joel Nowacki of Track7 DJ’s for running the audio through his system. Joel kept the party rockin till the end and they asked him to stay longer.

This was a message received from Kristina regarding the Same Day Edit. Love our clients and these are the comments that make us tick.

“Hey John!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR THAT AMAZING SAME DAY EDIT!!! That was amazing!!! you and jen are such a great team, with very creative minds!!! I still watch the video about 5-10x a day on my phone and I show everyone around me!!!…and everybody loves it!!! btw, can i keep the polaroid shots?? hehehe please?…ehehe…oh and let’s hang out again when you guys get a break from shooting!!! and let’s get the monahans to come out too!!…ok john!!! thanks again!! you guys are the best in the biz!!!!”

Let us know what you thought about the Same Day Edit.

When the wedding season finally winds down a bit and the weather is starting to turn colder in Indiana in November, Jennifer will be heading out on a Royal Caribbean Cruise.  As Co-Founder of POSH, she and Reagan Zugelter of Studio Z Films will be leading a group of talented female filmmakers and photographers for a retreat.  This is the first of it’s kind.  The retreat was specifically designed to give the participants a chance to relax, network and learn some things along the way.  There will be some on hands shooting on a private island.   The size of the group is limited in order to keep it intimate.  Learning in this type of atmosphere allows more hands on training and it allows participants to connect with other females in the industry to talk about their experiences and to learn from others.  Many times it is the casual conversations where people potentially learn the most.

This is also a great opportunity for photographers who have an interest in exploring the world of filmmaking.   Many of the same principles in photography transfer or relate to cinematography.  The use of light, exposure, composition, etc.   Working in both disciplines are complimentary to each other and will make you a better visual artist.

The deadline to signup is rapidly approaching.  Visit POSH for more information.

Keith {and} Amanda from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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This was a wedding we filmed at Northminister Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, IN. We loved the bright yellow color of the inside of this church. It was a beautiful wedding. Prior to the wedding we met with Amanda and Keith for dinner and learned a little more about them and also found out that it was not too long ago that Amanda lost her father. We are sure he was smiling on this day. The reception was held in the Garden Pavillion at the Ritz Charles in Carmel, Indiana. We worked for the first time with Dan and Brooke of Brand Photodesigngo and had a great time.  Amanda’s makeup artist was done by eyeMAX by Kiralee.

Thank you Amanda and Keith for choosing Northernlight Filmworks to film your wedding day.

So proud of my wife Jennifer {on the right} for her cover story featured in EventDV Magazine along with Reagan Zugelter of Studio Z Films in Cincinnati. I personally think it’s great that they saw a need to help advance and recognize female filmmakers from all over the world. Sitting back and watching the pool of female filmmakers come out of the woodwork so-to-speak has been fun to observe. Women filmmakers have contacted Jennifer and Reagan from as far away as Hungary and Russia and coast to coast, including Hawaii, which is pretty cool.

POSH is an organization, which was created to acknowledge female filmmakers in a largely male dominated industry. The upcoming POSH event is all about education + inspiration + relaxation and is happening in November on a Bahamas cruise. Part of the cruise will involve a stop on a private island where there will be some hands on learning. There are some pretty rock solid presenters that will be on the cruise as part of the experience as well as some high profile industry sponsors. POSH continues to discover some incredible talent all over the world. I’m sure this talent pool will continue to evolve since EventDV is a worldwide publication.

Here is a link to the online version of the article. EventDV

Cheers to Jennifer and Reagan!

On February 23, 2010, we received some HUGE news via a text message from Reagan Zugelter of Studio Z Films in Cinncinnati.  The message said that we won the EventDV Top 25, as one of the 25 hottest and most influential event filmmaking studios in the world.  While Jen was jumping up and down, I was trying to retrieve my jaw from the bottom of my cereal bowl.

It was a quiet drive into work.  No radio, no talking, just the noise of the road and the wind.  I was trying to let it all sink in.

This was not a contest that you enter.  We never asked for any votes, not that there is anything wrong with that, we just felt that personally it would mean more to us that way.   There are so many talented filmmakers in this world and many on this list are an inspiration to us.  The amazing thing about this award is the votes are cast by our peers in the industry and we are very honored.  Personaly, we feel there are many studios worthy of this award.

Wedding filmmaking has come such a long way and we are proud to be part of the new revolution in producing films that are progressive,  contemporary and just plain fun to watch.   Much of what we have learned is from various disciplines; including cinematography, photography, art, music,  magazines, etc.  But there is incredible value in collaborating with fellow filmmakers either in a formal setting or just enjoying dinner together, a drink at a bar or just sitting poolside.  Forums and Facebook have made the world so much smaller.  We have collegues all over the world who also inspire us.   It is amazing to see how we have evolved over the years, always seeking perfection, but we realize how elusive that can be.  When we started Northernlight Filmworks, it was important for us to acknowledge that we should never be comfortable with our work and to continue to evolve, to push ourselves and our equipment.   Also to not be afraid to take risks for we fear stagnation.   The other important part of our business model is that we acknowledge that God gave us these talents and because of that, we believe in giving back or paying it forward.

We want to thank all who voted for us.  It truly is an honor to be named with others who have contributed so much to our industry.

We would also like to acknowledge position number 25, which was reserved in honor of Julian St. Pierre of Studio Vieux Carre in New Orleans, who passed away last year.  His heart, spirit and love for the advancement of our industry has left a lasting imprint.

John and Jennifer Moon

February is the month of love so we decided to offer some love by  offering a free upgrade to the first 3 couples that book with Northernlight Filmworks on or before February 28, 2010.  This upgrade has a value of $500.00  (no monetary credit given).   We often find that the more opportunities we have to obtain different “moments” during the day,  the more creative we can be with our storytelling.  Contact us as soon as possible and if your date is available and you are one of the first 3, you will have us for your entire wedding day.

Photo Credit – SB Childs Photography

What is it about art, movies, documentaries, novel’s and images that seem to grab you and pull you in? Is it the imagery? Composition? Framing? Structure? Content? Music score? It’s probably a cohesive mix of all of these elements.

At Northernlight Filmworks we have been delving more and more into the wedding day story. For 2010, we are going to continue with our search for the story. We believe that everyone has something to share. Something that explains a unique aspect of a couples relationship. Often times it is stories of how they met, how the Groom proposed or the first time that the words “I Love You” materialized into a pivotal moment of their relationship.

Interacting with the couple, we learn about the significant parts of their lives. We learn about their goals, hopes and dreams. We love knowing about the couple, their family, and their friends. Their wedding day, in turn, becomes more meaningful to us. Stories and personalities add texture and enhance our wedding films. Our couples are more than clients to us. They are friends who for a brief moment in time, allow us into a very intimate part of their life. You are not going to find us aggressively asking people to say something on camera. We tend to take a very laid back candid approach. If we sense a discomfort then it is not something that is authentic for that individual. From experience, we learn to identify when to get the footage we need. Often we hear clients say, “we never even knew you were there”. That’s they way we want it because we want what is real.

Have you every started watching a documentary and you notice the footage is a little rough around the edges? As the characters in the documentary are introduced you find that you are drawn into the subject matter and there is a transition where the imagery becomes secondary to the content. We still believe that beautiful images play an important role but content can be equally and many times more powerful than the cinematography. We like to find a great balance between the two.

We are very excited about the weddings we have for 2010, it’s going to be a fun year.