Matt {and} Katie from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

Katie and Matt’s wedding day was so beautiful. We love when we get to shoot weddings out of town. Their ceremony was held at The Summit Country Day School, which is such an amazing church inside the school. Katie and Matt are huge Disney fans and their wedding defiantly had ha fairy tale wedding feel. The reception was located at the historical Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel. Being history buffs and very much into architecture we learned all we could about the historical hotel, which created an even more excited experience for us to film there. We enjoyed getting to know Matt and Katie’s families and share in their special day.

Vendors
Wedding Coordinator: Aviva Events
Photographer: Blue Bird Photography
DJ: DJ Toad
Cake: Dessert Works
Florist: Adrian Durbin

Casimir {and} Andrea from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

PRESS PLAY AND THEN PAUSE. ALLOW VIDEO TO LOAD THEN PRESS PLAY FOR OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE

This was a wedding we filmed in Indianapolis, Indiana at the beautiful St. John’s Catholic Church in downtown Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Central Library. Casimir and Andrea dated briefly in High School and went their separate ways. As fate would have it, they reconnected while attending Purdue University and now they are Husband and Wife. We are always intrigued by our couples relationship, how they met, and little twists of fate, their family, etc. There is always a story to tell. They had a beautiful wedding all the way around. We enjoyed once again working with our good friends Brock and Stefanie Childs of SB Childs Photography.

Vendors

Hair and Makeup: WIP Downtown
Photographers: Brock and Stefanie Childs, SB Childs Photography
Wedding Coordinator: Nora Kuzel, Central Library
DJ: Jason Fritz, Pro-Sound Entertainment, Inc
Florist: JP Parker Flowers
Cake Artist: Willow Branch Bakery

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

PRESS PLAY, THEN PAUSE. ALLOW VIDEO TO LOAD THEN PRESS PLAY FOR OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE

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.

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