the blog

a path in the middle, the harris williams film

2012-03-31T22:21:45Z

Harris Williams is one of the worlds leading middle market mergers and aquisitions. They work with clients from all over the world. In the creation of this film we travelled to New York to cover a pitch preparation and London to capture the story of the sale of The Mill, a world class special effects house.

Martin Montgomery and William Gaff made up the two person production and post production team. Kim Baker and Rachel Erwin were the creative team from Harris Williams.

This film was a great example of how a small crew can be used to create an effective film. We worked hard but had a great time in the process.

www.harriswilliams.com

Emily and Ben- Wedding in Ojai, CA

2011-08-18T01:36:10Z

Emily and Ben were married in orchard in Ojai, California. What a nice couple and beautiful location.

Makes me wish I was there. Thanks so much to Lisa and Elise for the amazing job they did capturing the story.

Thanks also to Emily, Ben and their families and freinds. They were all such great storytellers.

Photographers- Leah and Mark

Wedding Planner- Joy de Vivre

Catie & Scott

2011-05-13T18:49:23Z

Very cool couple. More info coming soon!

Hay Adams Hotel

Jay Premack Photography

Madeline Marshall

Giving to the Game, Richmond Spiders Basketball

2011-03-09T18:19:45Z

Justin Harper and Kevin Smith of the Richmond Spiders shared the experience of playing the game of basketball. The Spiders have had an great season and are entering into the Atlantic 10 tournament this week. We hope to see them in this year's NCAA tournament as well.

This film was produced in partnership with the incredibly talented storytellers, Martin Montgomery and Scott Strimple. Thanks also to Mark Kwolek at the University of Richmond helping to produce this.

Enjoy.

a wedding day snapshot, Lyndsey & Anders

2010-11-03T13:23:58Z

William and I had the sincere pleasure of filming Anders and Lyndsey's wedding celebration. Lyndsey and Anders are both overflowing with life and love, and that really shined through on their wedding day. It seemed as though they had the forethought of everything that would make for an enjoyable experience for their guests.

Their wedding planner, Lynann Stensland of Red Carpet Events, a renowned Williamsburg based event planner, made their vision become reality and was truly great for us to work alongside. From the 5 K they planned for their guests to walk in the morning to the lawn games they coordinated during cocktail hour on The Two Rivers Country Club lawn, the environment they created for their guests was one of friendship and celebration, where guests who were potential strangers to one another, that day became family.

Lyndsey and Anders uniquely crafted a weekend that allowed everyone to reflect upon their lives with this couple and how the moments of their past have helped to shape them into the amazing people they have become today. Simply put, every person felt welcomed and honored to be there, as if they had earned their place at the wedding by loving Lyndsey and Anders so much. It was quite remarkable to witness and to be a part of.

When I think of my wish for how I want our clients to feel on their wedding day, Lyndsey and Anders come to mind. They appreciated and lived every moment of their day to its greatest potential and always seemed to bear in mind that nothing could go wrong. Their peace of mind put their guests at ease.

Lyndsey's brother Drew mentioned that on her way to Williamsburg, she said something like, "I have everything I could ever need," and she does; they both do. Perhaps it is the infinite smile on each of their faces or the way others described their favorite life encounters with Lyndsey and Anders. Somehow, very quickly one can realize, they do have all they need and they are very thankful for one another and for their loved ones.

So as a preview, we thought it best to give a snapshot of the entire Fjellstedt/Walther weekend to try to illustrate what we took in as this overarching theme of fun, friendship, family and love which is riddled throughout their wedding story in every instance.

Wedding Event Planner- Red Carpet Events

Wedding Venue- Two Rivers Country Club

Wedding Photographer- Vera Pakizer

Wedding DJ- Brian King, BK the DJ

Wedding Day Spa- Spa of Colonial Williamsburg

the wedding gift, A Coronado Wedding

2010-10-11T11:09:49Z

Jill and Mike asked me to document their wedding weekend on Coronado Island in California.

Having never been there before, I didn't know what to expect. I'm sure like most people who visit, I fell in love with the area right away.

I knew that Jill and Mike wanted a wedding day that was easy and relaxing for her guests. They put their families and guests up with them in the 1906 Lodge. This turned out to be the perfect idea. The lodge provided a warm environment and ideal space to reconnect with people and enjoy each others company as well as the California coastal village of Coronado.

However, I didn't realize what this meant to all of the people attending until I started hearing from each of them. Their answers were incredibly moving and honest. I really feel like I got to know Jill and Mike through the eyes of the people that love them. For that, I am very grateful.

Meaghan Schmaltz, Weddings Made Spendid - Wedding Coordinator

Emily and Brett of Emily Faulknor Photography - Wedding Photographer

1906 Lodge - rehearsal dinner and lodging

Candelas on the Bay- ceremony and reception

wedding rehearsal dinner idea, The Anniversary Box

2010-10-08T13:18:37Z

I love storytelling opportunities of any kind, especially ones that give your family and friends the chance to have a voice and add to your wedding story like this one does.

The Anniversary Box can be used in many ways but is commonly given out at the rehearsal dinner. Guests, write messages on cards that are numbered 1-50. One of those cards is opened on every anniversary.

I love this idea. The founders of this company asked me to put together a micro-doc about the experience. Working on this was such a pleasure. What made this even more special was that I was able to talk with Susan and her daughter Tyler for this video only a week before Tyler's wedding.

Beth Phipps from Sprack Media provided me with some of the rehearsal day footage. Thanks Beth.

This is a preview of the micro-doc. I will post the complete video soon.

Take care.

William

Operation smile groundbreaking ceremony

2010-10-01T20:23:13Z

This week, I was asked by my client, Circle S Studio to go and document the groundbreaking ceremony for the new center for Operation Smile, a really incredible organization that helps provide surgical care for children with facial deformities.

Because of the bad weather, they had to move it indoors. They people packed into the atrium at Old Dominion School of Higher Education. Those speaking and in attendance included, Founders Drs. Bill and Kathy Magee, Governor McDonnell, Donald Trump Jr. and Mayor Sessoms.

Also, in attendance were medical leaders from around the world that have helped this organization over it's 28 year history. Another special guest was eight year old Nur Mahamad was on hand to present a gift to each of the speakers. Nur is scheduled for surgery and Kings Daughters in Norfolk.

I had the chance to speak with Dr. Magee, Mr. Trump and Ron McIntosh of Hourigan Construction, the company responsible for building the new headquarters. I am documenting the construction process for Hourigan and creating micro-documentaries about the process and the stories that arise.

This clip is a highlights video of the event.

University of Richmond Spiders Home Game Number 1

2010-10-01T20:19:18Z

I was asked to document the first Richmond Spiders game at their new stadium for one of my clients. I decided to put together a short clip to give people a sense of what it was like to be there. It's interesting how much influence the design and construction of a building can have on how you experience the game. It was an amazing thing to see.

Unfortunately, there are no interviews in this clip. There will be in the final video though.

Thanks to Martin Montgomery for being there, for your keen sense of story and your amazing camera work. Any of the shots that make you say "That's incredible!", those were his shots.

Hourigan Construction built this beautiful place and, under the guidance of Circle S Studios, has allowed me to help their clients tell their stories. I will post some of these in the near future.

Enjoy! Go Spiders!

richmondspiders.com
humanstoryfilms.com
unitedwedding.com
circlesstudios.com
houriganconstruction.com

changed

2010-08-16T16:00:14Z

Andrea and Brandan Wedding Film Preview

Wedding in Richmond Virginia

Event Planner Weddings By Windy

Photographer Erik Leise

Event Venue Bolling Haxall House

Salon Rituals Salon