Wedding Cinematography on Film

Vintage Cinematography with Super 8mm and 16mm

Have you ever seen old super 8mm footage of your parent's or grand parents home movies? Ever seen the opening credits to the hit 90s TV show "The Wonder Years"? Ever seen footage of the Zapruder Film (that's the guy who got the Kennedy assassination on film.) If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, what feelings and emotions were evoked as you watched the footage? If you're like most of us, these old film clips make you feel nostalgic. They transport you back to a time when life was simpler. They bring a certain ease and calm to your soul.

I think that it's for this reason super 8mm and 16mm film has been growing in popularity among discerning brides who want the warm, pleasant, nostalgic style of this format to compose their most precious memories. We had the pleasure of shooting an absolute dream wedding this past summer along the beaches of the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay.  Along with our trusted digital video camcorders, we brought along an old Minolta Super 8mm and a classic Bolex 16mm camera.

This was the wedding of two high school sweethearts who grew up in Windsor, CA (wine country, just north of Santa Rosa).  Their vows are heartfelt, and despite their relatively young ages, you can clearly see that their love is deep. The wedding decor and entertainment was off the hook. Thanks in large part to the event planning prowess of the one and only Taylor Nguyen of Ha Lé Events. The piece de resistance? A live performance by the world renown Persian superstar Farshid Amin. The groom (who's Persian, the bride has an hispanic background) starts to lip sync a popular Farshid song that all the Persian guests totally get into. Little did they know that it wasn't a CD the groom was lip synching to. Out in the back the real deal is singing (and I'm getting the whole thing on video. AWESOME!). I'm obviously no expert on Persian superstars, but when the mother of the groom saw Farshid run into the room and jump up on stage, she flipped! You know that footage of Beatles fans jumping and grabbing John or Paul, that was the groom's mother. It was great!

Anyway, below we have a film highlights clip and a film/video bridal prep clip from their wedding movie. Even though the wedding took place June of 2006, when you see the film footage combined with the classic look of the bride, you'd swear it was an old Hollywood movie star's home movie. Ahh, that is the beauty of weddings on film.

Vendor highlights:

• Event Designer: Ha Lé Events
• Floral Design: Nancy Liu Chin Designs
• Photography: Lisa Leigh Photography
• Make up: Nam Vo
• Cinematography: Cinematic Studios, Inc.

Here's the film highlights. Click screen to play (2:47)

Here's the bridal prep. Click screen to play (2:36)

technorati tags: weddings_on_film, super8mm, 16mm

Comments

[Julie Hill]

Love your stuff... amazing, beautiful, I'm in awe! BTW... we have the same Bolex 16mm camera!

[Ron]

Hi Julie,

Thanks for the comments. Coming from someone of your talent I'm honored. See you in Jax!

[john dawber]

Film is definitely "old school," so "20th century." The fact is that many of today's brides no longer recognize what a projector is. Home movies to them look "old." Older adults, like moms and dads, aunts and uncles, may remember the old home movies, with all the dirt, hairs, flickers, and other imperfections. Modern brides have been raised with video, which has a cleaner, snappier, and more colorful and realistic look.

The film look, like the shaky cam look, is a gimmick which will soon fade as filmmaking is fading from Hollywood and being replaced by digital cinematography; as 17 jewel mechanical watches have been replaced by digital quartz types; as flat screens have replaced tubes.

[Ron Dawson]

Hi John,

Thanks for your comment. I definitely appreciate your opinion. I do have to say that there is a portion of the bridal market that appreciates that "old school" look. You're absolutely right that digital has been make huge strides in Hollywood. There may even come a day when all movies are shot digitally. But, the look and feel that is provided by super 8mm or 16mm is something that is real and appreciated by a number of brides. As a company that caters to a discriminating bride, it only makes sense for us to offer this unique media format. But never fear, we offer all the digital formats as well. It's about giving our clients a wide selection.

Thanks again for the post.

[andy oliver]

Film is future proof!!!, those scenes are stunning, wonderful 'once upon a time look, that only super/std 8 can achieve. The 16mm was rather tasty too, ok film maybe gimmicky, but i would rather have a 10 min wedding dvd mastered on film, than a 60 min dvd originated high def. Great work.

[Erin]

How do you convert the super 8/16mm to digital media? Is it simple enough for the average joe amateur to figure out? Thanks!

[Colette21MIRANDA]

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