Mariel and Christian

Mariel and Christian had their wedding ceremony in the beautiful Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in downtown Detroit. You could see the joy and love between them from the look on their faces. They had such a fun wedding party too. Mariel was also quite the U of M fan.....Go Blue!! The evening festivities took place at the lovely Dearborn Inn where everything was beautifully decorated. Kim from RC DJ kept the dance floor going. She was great to work with too.

Trailer in HD

Muniba & Asif

Muniba and Asif had a very unique wedding venue....from the lake view ceremony to the reception on the Infinity....it was beautiful! The skyline of Detroit was breath taking from the water. One would never guess you were in Detroit. There was such a nice "peace and calm" looking out into the water. Muniba's wedding gown along with the bracelets that she wore were filled with lovely details. It was a very enjoyable evening of celebration working alongside with Ray Anthony.

Trailer in HD

the old fashion way

We get thank you notes by email and voicemails from clients all of the time commenting on how they love our work. But nothing beats getting a letter or postcard by good old mail. To me, spending the time and effort of writing a note, addressing envelope, and putting it in the mail means so much. So when I got a postcard from Shannon, I was over joyed.

Thanks Shannon, you made my day!!!

Maurice and Nina

Maurice and Nina had an interesting start to their wedding day. To top it all off....one of her bridesmaids got hit by a car!! Fortunately, she was not seriously hurt and there were not any broken bones. This did not dampen things, as Nina was excited to get ready at the Royal Park Hotel. As always, Royal Park Hotel is one of our favorite places to be at and working alongside with Janet is always a plus!! Once the ceremony was over, we went to downtown Rochester with Prem and Cheridy from Arising Images. They are always a blast to work with!! Congratulations Maurice and Nina....you guys were wonderful!!

Trailer in HD

Vote for Us!!!

We have been nominated as one of the videographers in “Vote 4 the Best” contest that channel 4 (WDIV Detroit) is sponsoring. We are very excited about this opportunity. We have been very blessed to have worked with many wonderful couples. We truly enjoy being able to capture the memories of one of the most important days of your lives. If you feel that we qualify to be voted “The Best”, please go to the link provided below and vote for us. You are allowed to vote once per email address. If you have multiple emails, you can use them and vote again. The voting process is very easy and fast (less that a minute of your time). Once you have voted, an email will be sent back to you to confirm your vote. You have to confirm it for the vote to count. If you have any friends/families that have seen your video and just loved it too, please forward this and have them vote for Take 1 Productions. We appreciate your support! Please provide any comments too.

Vote Here

Who am I

I had some free time to film some beautiful landscape while I was in Washington state last week to produce a promo video for a great photographer, David Beckstead. My whole family took the trip with me and the kids had a blast staying at David & Kassandra's house and playing with baby Asia. Pics to be posted later.

I am so Blessed with all the things that are going on. I cannot script a better life. But sometimes I do ask myself "who am I?"

Jennifer & Steven

Jennifer and Steven were such a fun couple. You could see the joy in their faces throughout the entire wedding day. Both had smiles on their faces that went from ear to ear. Jennifer looked beautiful in her Vera Wang gown. The reception event was held at Max. M. Fisher Music Center. We also met David Deutsch who was the photographer. Him and his crew were very nice to work with.

Trailer in HD here.

California Trip

Don and I haven't seen our kids for about 2 weeks as they have been vacationing in California with grandma and grandpa. We finally took some time off to join them in sunny California to celebrate my grandmother's 93 b-day (their great-grandma) in addition to Serena's and my dad's b-day.

Despite taking some time off, Don is still diligently editing....notice him working in the airport terminal and on the plane!!! I don't think I could ever get tired of the weather out in California. We crossed over the Bay Bridge to get to Walnut Creek where my grandma and aunt/uncle live. We spent some time walking around and shopping (very nice stores), the kids swam in the hotel pool, and of course we also visited Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. We came home for a short weekend to film a wedding and then we are off again to Washington.....more on that trip later. But no need to fear....we will be home soon again!!

Joanne

@ Metro waiting to board

editing in the air

crossing the Bay bridge

the kids missing Don for 2 weeks

shopping

swimming at hotel

Stacy & Austin

were married at Christ Church Cranbrook and had their reception at Pine Lake Country Club. The day started off with rain but it cleared up nicely. Both Stacy and Austin got ready at the Townsend Hotel. The event was coordinated by Carolyn from China Closet and we got to work again with one of our photographer friends, Ray Anthony. The reception was quite the party with the Larry King Orchestra playing and "Sparty" showing up for all the MSU fans.

To view the trailer in HD go HERE.

Here is Ray's slide show

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

For Professional Videographers : June 4th

I will be the guest speaker at the Michigan Independent Video Association this coming Wednesday @ 6:00 pm - June 4, 2008. My topic is "How to bring your video creativity out of the Dark Ages" (title was created by the association Prez). I will talk about Image, Value, Blame Game, Education & Watermelons. Yes you read it right. What does all that have to do with getting out of the “Dark Ages”? Everything! There will also be a mini Game Show where I will be giving out Cash Prizes. I will also be showing some of my clips too. So if you are in the neighborhood, stop by and say hi.

Where: Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites 21100 Haggerty Road Northville, MI 48167 I-696 West to I-275 S to (exit #167) 8 Mile Rd (W) 1st Traffic light is Haggerty Road. Turn right & you'll see the sign about quarter mile down on the right



Members $10 at the door. Non-members $30 Pizza & Refreshments included Feel free to bring a sample of your work for sharing.

Contact Scott Bert, President of MIVA, at info@keepsakevideo.net to RSVP so that he can make sure there will be enough pizza and refreshments for everyone.

Christmas in May

[I meant to post this a few a weeks ago but things got crazy busy…]

I am going thru an ‘Extreme Makeover’ and it is exciting! I am making a wholesale move to HD! What does that mean? It means I am replacing every piece of equipment: cameras, computer, laptop, editing software, encoding software, monitor screens, batteries, lights, camera bags, microphones, ect…

For the last two weeks I have been receiving deliveries almost every day. Feels like Christmas opening all those toys…uhm…equipment boxes. My living room is full off boxes.