Tag Archives: Massachusetts Wedding Video

 

After two great years in the heart of Boston on Newbury Street, JPod Films has opted for a larger space a little further out from the city. As of March 1st, JPod Films will now call 44 Washington St. in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts our new home.

The new location allowed us to have a bigger space to work and to meet with clients. Although we will miss the hustle and bustle of Newbury St, as well as Thai Basil’s Chicken Pad Thai, our new space is in a great location near the Mass Pike and I-95 Interchange. The new, larger space also provides our clients residing outside the city easier access to meet with us, including free parking options. Additionally, we will be sharing our space with two great event professionals in SD Events and Allegro Photography.

Simple Design Events, better known as SD Events, is a wedding planning company that takes a vision and turns into reality. Owner Tasha Bracken, as well as event Producers Renee Sabo and Priscilla Kwong provide this full-service boutique firm with a strong team of professionals that can handle events of any size.

David and Jo Lee from Allegro Photography are ingrained with our similar Western Mass. ties, before they took Boston by storm just over five years ago. Their images always take advantage of available light and their eye for composure is phenomenal. Add to that their friendly, easy-going personalities, and know you know why we are excited to share office space with them.

JPod Films Office Boston SD Events Client meeting area

Boston Wedding Video
 

We met Ann and Joe through our good friend Paula Marrerro at Marrero Events. We were working working at the Boston Convention Center for an event last February when Ann reached out to us to add a Boston wedding film to her wedding day. Ann and Joe really wanted to capture the day, especially with their 20-month old son Joey Jr. being such an important part of the event.

It was very apparent that these two valued the importance of family with in their wedding day. Family members and friends weaved in and out of the neighboring and adjoining rooms, as the Ann and Joe got ready side by side, but yet, never saw each other before the first look. It allowed them both to be close to their son, and it created a fun environment for both families to enjoy. After Ann had separate first looks with both Joe and her Dad near the Hyatt Regency, the ceremony took place at the beautiful Marsh Chapel on the campus of Boston University. The reception took place on the 16th floor of the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, which boasts picturesque views of the Charles River and the city.

The day ran so smoothly as Courtney from Marrero Events was the day of coordinator and kept things on track all night for this JPod Short Film. I also got to film with my good friend Bob Accettullo on this wedding, as he stepped in as an overqualified assistant filmmaker for the day.  To top it off, we had a great entertainment team with Joe Toto from Groove Events leading the Mcee and music responsibilities. It all amounted to a great Boston wedding film. Enjoy the show…

 

Vendors:

Cinematography: Bob Accettullo & Jamie Podworski, JPod Films

Photography: Classic Photographers

DJ: Groove Entertainment

Wedding Planner: Marrero Events

Ceremony: Marsh Chapel, Boston University

Reception: Hyatt Regency, Cambridge

We met Allyson and Jacob through a bridesmaid who was in Lauren and Jay’s Boston Wedding Video, which you can also see on our blog just below. Allyson is the daughter of former Washington Redskin’s Linebacker Pete Cronan, who has been the color commentator for Boston College Football since 1988. The wedding day was one that saw the rain come and go, but a break in the clouds allowed us to get outside for a short photo session before the skies opened up again. Mr. & Mrs. Jacob Shields were married at St. Jude Catholic Parish in Watertown, Massachusetts with a tented reception right up the road at Gore Place.

One of the reason’s I chose to post this wedding clip was because of the personal touches that Allyson put into three separate gifts for two aunts and her Mom. The three gifts are the backbone of the first part of the wedding film and they really set the tone for the wedding day. The personal touches are what makes the personality of this film different from many of the other ones we have edited in recent months. The film also opens up with a part of the speech given by the Father-of-the-Bride, Pete Cronan. I am a strong proponent of a welcome speech from the father-of the-bride, as the fathers always seem to speak from the heart and this day was no different. Other great vendors we worked with were the awesome Boston band Men in Black, Alicia Schneider Photography, and one of my favorite Boston caterers, the Catered Affair. Enjoy the first few minutes of this Boston wedding video…

 

 

 

Today starts a new series of blog posts that we will feature a video wedding tip with the hopes of helping brides and grooms plan that perfect day. Today’s video wedding tip is one of the simplest things to do, but yet, very few people know how to do it correctly. I’m talking about pinning a boutonniere on a gentleman’s suit jacket. I have enlisted Heather Sullivan of Durocher’s Florist of West Springfield to deliver the details. Heather also introduces the idea of a magnetic boutonniere, which is more expensive but foolproof at the same time. The only limitation on the magnetic boutonniere is that it cannot be used on anyone wearing a pacemaker. I must also thank Bancroft Bridals in Agawam, who graciously offering their suit jackets and store space to shoot the quick tip. This tip is short enough to upload, or download right to a mobile device, so it may be downloaded off of the vimeo.com website.

http://vimeo.com/48502295

We met Annoula and Mike through a vendor referral and we hit it off right away. Although she grew up in Massachusetts, Annoula was planning the wedding from her current home in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. We met whenever she was home and by the time our final meeting came along, we had built a great client-vendor relationship.

Annoula stayed close to her roots getting married at the Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the North End of Springfield. The wedding resembled one held in Boston with the bride’s style, a downtown photo shoot and large reception venue. Annoula and Mike hired a band for some traditional Greek dancing during the reception which added great energy to the reception. Another plus to the day was that we got to work with great vendors including Dave and Eileen from Breveglerei Photography, Dan Cavanaugh from And the Beat Goes On DJ, and Samantha from the Springfield Sheraton. Music from the trailer was licensed through The Music Bed.

Other vendors:
Flowers: Flower Stop
Cake: Sweet B Cakery
Dress: Marissa
Hair: Ochoa Day Spa

One thing we have very little control over as filmmakers is the content of wedding toasts. The better they are, the better our feature films tend to be. Marco Louvitakis, father of bride Katie Mocciolo (Louvitakis), had to be coerced into making a speech at his daughter’s summer wedding at the Salem Cross Inn, but it was could have been one of the best decisions in the wedding planning process. Now, this Boston couple has a wedding film that incorporates an amazing speech reflecting on the past and providing guidance for the future.

Most people who deliver a 5-minute toast will have talked for 3-4 minutes too long. But, not this dad’s speech. Marco’s toast took 150 people on a roller coaster of laughs and tears, while doing the most important thing of all – telling the bride and groom’s story. Telling stories about the couple during the toasts is one of the top ten things that I recommend you try and suggest to improve your wedding film. His opening story of meeting his now son-in-law Shaun tells a lot about how these newlyweds didn’t appear to be the right match on paper. These types of stories help us as filmmakers create films that bring out the personality of a newly married couple. Parts of this speech were spread out over the complete cinematic wedding film, but this is the speech in its entirety…

Great vendors we worked with at this event were Jennifer Corridan Photography and Greg Bedard DJ Entertainment.

http://vimeo.com/38615589

We are very fortunate to be learning with 200 of the best wedding and event filmmakers in the world this week at the InFocus Video Event Conference. It is a place where we share our expertise and techniques while learning the same from our most respected peers. In 2011, our feature films have evolved into a product we are super proud of and they are a direct representation of this type of education. Here is to an even better 2012 at JPod Productions.
I used to wait until I worked with a vendor a few times before recommending them as a vendor of the month, but after working with Daria and Andy Bishop, it was clear that they needed to be highlighted sooner rather than later. Therefore, after spending one Sunday in August with Daria Bishop Photography, they get the nod as being not only one of the top photographers in New England, but January’s Vendor of the Month.

Why do they get the nod? The motto of their Vermont-based website says it all  – “Fresh, Fun & Distinctive Wedding Photography”. The husband and wife team of Daria and Andy Bishop bring a fresh, easy-going personality to the wedding day and their couples reflect that personality. I think that was one of the main reasons we worked so well together – we attract similar couples.

On a hectic day (Hurricane Irene), they remained calm, flexible and creative. It was fun to share ideas which only enhanced both the pictures and the film. The fluidness of our day made it fell like we worked with Daria and Andy on a regular basis. On the technical side, Daria and Andy’s eye for details is impeccable, while their use of natural light is something that I truly appreciate. As we travel around New England in the coming years, I hope we have more weddings in Northern Vermont, or anywhere with Daria Bishop Photography. To see the photo slide show of the wedding at Stowe Mountain Lodge in Stowe, Vermont click here.

As the fall weddings wind down and the winter (yep, I said it) editing season gets under way, we should have a barrage of clips being released over the coming months. The stretch of clips will start with a couple of wedding movie trailers being released this week and next week.

Jess and Seth’s were the early birds who booked my most coveted Sunday date in JPod history. They were one of five couples who were hoping to book the date. Jess was actually the first bride to book a date for 2011 and that should give you an idea that this bride was organized. I like that! Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins were married in downtown Pittsfield at First Baptist Church with a reception at the neighboring Crown Plaza. We had a beautiful photo shoot in the Pittsfield State Forest. The first look gave a sunny view of the valley and then we moved to a great, shadier location near one of the highest natural bodies of water in Massachusetts – Berry Pond.

Great vendors were all around us as Melissa Coe of Melissa Coe Photography came back to her home side of the state and DJ Dan Cavanaugh of And the Beat Goes On DJ rocked it out as always. Janet Brennan was awesome at the Crown Plaza while Cakes by Dai created a beautiful cake which gets a close-up cameo in the trailer. The dress came from Special Day at Deidre’s which Jessica raved about on her wedding day.

I decided to go mainstream with the music as a change of pace from some of our previous wedding movie trailers. This is a song I have been looking to use for a while and it fit perfectly for Jess and Seth as the anticipation of the day, two years in the making, was the focus of this trailer. More cinematic music will is on tap for next week, so check back in and enjoy the show….

http://vimeo.com/30979047

I love what I do. So, I am always looking to help out my couples within the wedding planning process. As vendors, we have been through the wedding day so many times and we have seen a lot of different things, good and bad. I recently stumbled on some video of a conference I participated in a few years ago and my friend and colleague Eileen Breveglerei of Breveglerei Photography gave probably the most valuable advice to brides in attendance that I could ever offer.

It is so true! The best films are the ones where the bride and her bridesmaids are ahead of schedule, relaxed and having fun. Do yourself a favor and schedule your hair appointments at least one hour earlier than you originally planned. You will not regret it!