California Blue Skies

A friend of mine from California, Julie Hill of Elysium Productions, needed help to film a wedding for a special client. Julie and Alex Hill own one of the most well known studios in California and they do awesome work. So last Friday, Joanne and I flew to California to shoot the wedding on Saturday. We spent sometime with the Hills for dinner on Friday at a great Mexican restaurant in Laguna Beach. The view of the beach, cliff, and sun set was spectacular. Joanne just loves the ocean and she wants to move now but boy it’s expensive out there. Gas was at $4.79 / gallon compared to $4.09 here.

Alex & Julie treated us to dinner

I worked with a well known photographer, Jose Villa, who shoots in film. I had a chance to look at the engagement pics book with him and they were great. He definitely has the eye. Brooke Keegan of Details Details was the coordinator for the event. She made us feel really comfortable and kept us in the loop as what was going on at all times.

Cali’s weather was beautiful! Palm tress, sound of waves crashing, smell of salt water, and blue skies inspired me to create this trailer.

We are back in Michigan now and it is hailing outside. UGH!!!

2 in the Knot

Congrats to Kasey and Danielle!!! Two of our Brides are in the Fall/Winter issue of the Knot. Check out the articles on their wonderful weddings and then check out the trailers.

Kasey & Jordan

Danielle & Augustus

Happy Birthday Big Sis!

One of my sisters is turning the BIG 5…0! There will be a big party this coming Saturday but I will not be able to be there because I have a wedding gig in Huntington Beach, California. I am a little bit bummed that I’m going to miss it. :-( I didn’t know she was going to have a party until after I booked the gig in Cali.

I put together a small photo montage of her thru the years to be shown at the party. You will see some shots of me back in Vietnam so don’t laugh too much.

Happy B-day Chi Lyly! I love you!

Same Day Edit - Shannon & Keith

Wow, what a wedding reception! This was the very first reception at the MGM Casino Hotel and it was awesome! We are honored to be the first wedding filmmaker to document this grand occasion. The Grand Ball room was decorated to the max with butterflies and beautiful lighting. The wedding cake was huge with butterfly decor. The event was put together by Laura Davis from Laura Davis Events. Laura has a knack for details and it showed. Her staff of 4 was all over the place making sure everything was running smooth. The photog of the day was Patrick Able from Special Moments Photography. I have not worked with Patrick for a while so it was nice to see him again. The dance floor was packed thanks to Intrigue. They are one of my favorite bands as they really know how to jam. Also we found out that our favorite paper designer Tifany of Gourmet Invitation produced all of the stationary.

Below is the Same Day Edit of the wedding day which was shown in the lounge after the formal dances. It was a challenge to include the first dance in the SDE in a short period of time.

To view the SDE in HD click HERE

Oh…one more thing. Happy Birthday Laura!!!

Devon & Ralph

Two words to describe Devon and Ralph's wedding would be unique and exceptional. It was anything but a "typical" wedding. Devon's gown had beautiful intricate designs throughout. The wedding was held at The Royal Park Hotel where the ballroom was transformed with a lovely head table and an awesome stage and lights for their band, Morris Day & The Time. The band was really good as they use to play for Prince (or the Man formally known as Prince). This was probably the first time where the reception was like going to a concert. As always, we had fun working with Prem and Cheridy from Arising Images.

Thanks MIVA

Thanks to the Michigan Independent Video Association (MIVA) for having me as the guest speaker at the last meeting. I had a great time sharing my experiences thru the years of being an event filmmaker. I’m thankful for all of the positive feedback from the attendees.

“a very valuable presentation…a lot of fresh ideas and encouragements…you used excellent techniques to captivate the audience attention.”

“Mr. Pham is very engaging presenter. He was not lengthy nor was he too brief. This is my first time attending MIVA and I was impressed. I learn a lot from his presentation.”

“I learned a lot and realize I have a lot more to learn. Video field needs more info like this. Thanks Don. Please come back and share again.”

“I was just looking forward to hearing/learning from you. I have viewed your work and was impressed. I was challenged to grow and educate myself, become the best I can.”

“I have been thinking about reasons for improvements…This was it!”

“I learned some hard facts about my company as well as myself.”

Time to Re:Frame in Austin

Myself and 7 other studios are putting on workshops in Austin Texas next April. If you are a videographer, you need to check this opportunity out.

Here are the Presenters:

Patrick Moreau

Philip Bloom

Terry Taravella

Bruce Patterson

Kristen*

Julie Hill

Chris P Jones

Joe Taravella

Alex Hill

Don Pham

For more info goto www.reframecollective.com