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.

Katie {+} David from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

If you can remember back to January of this year we posted the trailer to Katie and David’s wedding.  When we woke up that morning we remember thinking it looked like such a beautiful sunny day for a wedding.  The wind chills were hitting -6 degrees….Yikes!   We were worried about getting shots because of the temps and concerned about the couple and bridal party being outside.  They all braved the cold in good spirit to get some of the most fabulous photos of their wedding day taken by our wonderful friends Stefanie and Brock Childs of SB Childs Photography.

A few things we noticed about this wedding had nothing to do with the way things looked, although the wedding was beautiful, it was the people involved in the couples lives that impacted us.  It was quite evident that this was a close family and a very large family.  Some poignant moments were when Katie had her first look at what she looked like with her wedding dress on, her walk down the aisle with her father and the look of anticipation that David had as he watched his Bride approach.  Other moments were the heartfelt speeches of Katie’s Dad, David’s brother and Katie’s 2 sisters, which by the way cracked us up.  Another moment we enjoyed was when Katie asked her Grandfather to be a part of the formal dances, which was a surprise to him.  You could tell he enjoyed that special dance.   How great this will be for Katie and David to be able to share their wedding day with their children and to be able to talk about this important time in their life.

Here is an e-mail we received from Katie:

Subject: Our AMAZING video!

Date: July 7, 2010

Jennifer & John,
Dave and I would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the time you spent making our video. We watched it on our 6 month anniversary…can’t believe it was that long ago. We will treasure this for the rest of our lives and look forward to showing our kids someday.  What a great job you have!

Katie and Dave

Church   // St. John’s

Reception Venue  //  Indiana Roof Ballroom

Band  // Living Proof

Photography  //  SB Childs Photography

We just returned from one of our traditional family trips to the beach house on Topsail Island in North Carolina. We have been coming here for the last 5 years. It is one of the most relaxing vacations we take. It’s an opportunity to unplug from the the busy lives we have. The beach house is just steps from the ocean and there is nothing quite like going to sleep and waking up to the gentle sound of the ocean. This is a time for us to do as much or as little as you want. These are some photos I took of the family. I also shot some Super 8 film and can’t wait to get some of that back. Family vacations are so important to us and as hard as it is to turn away business during our busy season, it’s important enough to block out that week.

I stayed in North Carolina and shot a wedding with Matt Davis of Life Stage Films in Wallace, NC. We produced a Same Day Edit for the couple. I flew back to Indianapolis on Sunday and spent some time with my parents. My Dad and I talked about some of our family vacations together and he pulled a favorite photo of me, my younger brother Steve and him. I was 15 and it was our first trip to the Boundary Waters. Great memories. I miss those times fishing with my Dad.

Stefanie {+} Bryan–The Trailer from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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This is a short teaser to a wedding we shot last weekend. The wedding was at St. John’s Catholic Church in Indianapolis. It was such a beautiful wedding. Stefanie made us smile to see her so happy as she prepared Saturday morning and her sincere happiness continued throughout the day and into the evening. Bryan and Stefanie had one of the best first dances we have seen in a long time. Well planned, practiced and thought out. Kim King Smith of Kim King Smith Events hit the ball out of the park on the design of the Indiana Roof Ballroom…stunning. When Stefanie and her Mother walked in to see the room for the first time, it was like watching a young childs eyes sparkle on Christmas morning.

In addition to video, we shot alot of Super 8 and 16mm film, which will need to be sent to California for lab processing.

Thank you to Stefanie, Bryan and their family for making us feel so welcome.

John and Jennifer Moon
Northernlight Filmworks

Wedding Planner Kim King Smith Events
Photographer The Studio
Band Zanadoo
Florest EnFlora
Cake Heavenly Sweets
Hair Design Studio 01
Makeup Makeup by Sparkle

Dani {+} Dan from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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Wow…what a fun couple this was. We really enjoyed working with Dan and Dani. The wedding was at St. Jude Catholic Church and the reception was held at the Indiana State Museum. We loved the energy of all of their friends, it made it so much fun. We tried something new on this to see how it would work. We gave Dan’s brother Bob one of our small cameras to document some of the behind the scenes things. You will see a small excerpt of the footage in this highlight. The “un-censored video was so funny”. We will definitely do this again. That camera is now affectionately referred to as the “Bob Cam”. Dan and Dani will get a full chapter with just that footage.

We enjoyed working with one of our favorites and good friends Amanda and Kyle Wilcher with Amanda Wilcher Photgraphers. They captured some amazing images that day.

Thanks to Dan and Dani, it was an adventure

Scott {+} Stephanie from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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This was an absolutely beautiful wedding at the Indianapolis Central Library. This was our first shoot at the new Library and it was nothing less than spectacular. The day started off with us spending some time with Stephanie as she prepared for the wedding. The first thing we noticed was how close she is to her mother, who by the way was an incredible host. We always felt welcomed. The wedding, held in the Library, had such a classic feel. The staff at the Library were on top of things and very helpful.

The reception was held in the Atrium, which again, blew us away with how this facility rocked. Evans Audio Visual handled the sound for the wedding and the lighting in the Atrium. The lighting in the Atrium looked amazing with the uplighting. Uplighting can really transform a facility or enhance it.

We shot this wedding with our good friend and incredible photographer, Jennifer Driscoll.

Hope you enjoy this little teaser to the main film.

We welcome your comments