Taking the plunge... literally!

Even though I’ve been doing weddings for well over a decade, I still experience plenty of colorful and interesting twists and turns in my career, as I discovered in a recent “love story” video we produced.

Tricia and Eric are getting married tomorrow.  They wanted to create a video to show their families and friends who they are and in a sense what led up to their decision to what they call … “taking the plunge.”  They plan to show their love story video to about 50 of their closest friends and family members during their rehearsal dinner.

The process began a few weeks ago with individual interviews conducted here at our studio, where the contemporary red and black walls, 50 gallon fish tank background, and controlled audio and lighting environments make for a very nice setting.  During the interview I ask a number of questions such as, “How did you meet?” “What was your first date like?”  “Who was the first to say I love you?” etc... I wrap up the interview by asking them where they see themselves in 25 years. This question usually triggers a heartwarming personal message for a very emotional tear-jerking end.

In my personal style of creating these love story videos, I like to combine the Q&A’s with natural and candid images of the couple doing what they do best. We go to a few outdoor locations where they can walk, cuddle and hold hands. I’ve learned that sunset walks in a park work well to provide the perfect mind set. I capture these intimate moments by asking the couple to just be themselves and pretend I’m not there. Good stuff.

The last step is editing; I mix the best of each of the interviews. I cut back and forth between the two to make the video more engaging and interactive, adding some candid scenes of the couple, a little music in the background to entice the senses and, voila!  Bring out the Kleenex!

Now, here’s where the story gets interesting. Tricia and Eric added a very unusual variation to their love story video. They wanted to do something to reflect their decision to “take the plunge” by actually jumping into a swimming pool at the Menger Hotel. The thing that makes this interesting is that they were fully dressed and doing this in front of guests and employees at the hotel.

In order to record the jump, I decided to invest in a small GOPRO video/photo camera and underwater housing device. It was something I’ve always wanted to do - underwater filming. Finally, a good excuse to buy it! Needless to say I was excited about the opportunity and immediately started researching techniques, tricks and tips. Thanks YouTube! After an hour of shooting the jump from this and that angle, we finally got it. It turned out to be quite a fun learning experience. Here are the three most important lessons I learned:

1.      I can’t hold my breath very long (how do those free divers do that?)

2.      Never forget goggles when working underwater in a pool with 99.9% chlorine levels (unless you don’t mind having bloodshot eyes at the end of the day!)

3.      And finally, although a loaded down backpack can be fairly good at compensating for a body’s natural buoyancy, it makes it very difficult to swim with the weight. (Almost forgot to mention Tricia and Eric are both certified lifeguards, came in handy).

You can be sure I’ll remember all of these lessons on the next one.  :)