WEDDING FILMS | Storytelling & What It Means To Us | A Chat With Lisa Wilson Celebrant

Charlotte and I like really good films. Most really good films have a really good story. A beginning, a middle and an end. A reason.

Story is ‘king’ as they say. A purpose for what you see on screen. A ‘why’. A meaning. 

Story is the most important thing, and we all know love stories are the best. They’re the ones everyone can relate to, the ones you have the most connection with. Romeo and Juliet, Wall-E and Eve, Ennis and Jack, Vivian and Edward,  Jack and Rose, Cleopatra and Mark-Antony, Robb Stark and Talisa, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy.

Why should wedding films be any different?

We get to know our couples. Figure out your likes and dislikes. What do you appreciate in life? Where did you both meet? How did the proposal go down? Do you drink coffee or tea? How do you spend your free time? Why have you chosen the venue you've chosen? Why...

The ‘why’ answers to these questions say a lot about a person. 

If you say that their wedding day is about family and friends being together, then that’s what we concentrate on when we film and when we’re in the edit. The feeling of love and family and friends under one roof. Hugs, laughs and smiles.

If you are a romantic couple, we concentrate on you; how you are with each other, how you hold each other, your dialogue and speeches, how you look at one another. 

Some of our couples opt in for our ‘pre wedding shoot’ - an interview style shoot where we ask things like how you met, who made the first move, what you would want to say to each other on the morning of their wedding, what you're looking forward to most, as well as a number of other things; each interview is completely different. 

From our initial chat with our you, we think of a meaningful backdrop to conduct the ‘interview’; this could be where they had their your date, where you spent a lot of time early on in your relationship, a park where you walk your dog or at your home. 

‘Interview’ makes it sound a lot more formal than it is - it’s essentially a chat where we give prompts and you tell us funny stories, anecdotes and memories. It’s a lovely experience where we learn about our couples.

A pre wedding shoot is great if anyone is feeling a little uncomfortable being on camera, it can bring out some amazing responses from even the shyest of people. 

From there we like to pick a story you've told and open up your film with it. After spending a day filming your celebrations we’re able to choose a story that sets the tone for the film. 

You receive the full ‘interview’ upon delivery - normally around half an hour (but only limited to how much you want to talk!) which is ace as it really captures the love and excitement in the build up to your big day.

The pre-wedding shoots are filmed in the run up to the wedding. This could be a few weeks before, a few days before, or we’ve even got a couple booked in for the *day before* their wedding, so you can imagine the excitement literally hours before getting married! 

Weddings are super personal experiences. We believe a wedding film should be too.

Every love story is different. Your wedding day is about you. It’s a personal experience, which is where having a celebrant can add so much.

You’ve got everyone you love in a room and you’ve got their attention for around 30 minutes. To kick off the celebrations, what could be better than a unique and totally personalised ceremony from your dedicated celebrant? Someone who understands that it’s not just a piece of paper. It’s a celebration of two people in front of loved ones. 

The right celebrant will set the tone for the entire day, captivating guests, making them laugh and cry, in an entirely bespoke ceremony.

photo credit : https://samsparksweddings.co.uk/

Here's Lisa Wilson award-winning North-East celebrant to tell you more.

Celebrants remain the best-kept wedding secret. We're here to give you an unbelievable ceremony that mirrors your relationship and reflects it back in all its glory to your guests. You've probably sat through your fair share of bland and boring services silently wishing them away so you can move onto the celebrations and relaxing. Well, what if you could have a ceremony like no other, one which you and your guests will adore and talk about for years to come. You can have it.

I work with contemporary couples who want to redefine marriage traditions and speak their truth. With an original and authentic wedding ceremony, you can do just that. Therefore, making it the perfect option for all you romantic rebels who want to unleash your creativity with a little help from your expert celebrant.

My approach echo's the ethos of Craig and Charlotte; I need to understand your style. One of the first questions I'll ask you is how you want to feel on the day and that then set's the scene. One thing my couples often have in common is they want a relaxed and captivating ceremony that is centred around their values be it music, their connection to others or an intimate service that's wholly focused on you only.

Creating your ceremony is a fun and reflective process, always with some surprises along the way. It's the perfect balance to keep you connected to what's essential as you dance your way through the wedding planning. I'll get to understand those gold dust moments and weave them into an incredible ceremony that has your unique personalities right at the heart of it. Your limited edition. Because quite frankly, who wants to be the same as everyone else anyway?

You'll have complete freedom to hold your ceremony anywhere you like and whenever you choose.

To reclaim your individuality, do your own thing.

For more information visit www.lisawilsoncelebrant.com

Gone are the days of ‘one-size-fits-all’ weddings - have it your way from the very beginning.  

The pre wedding shoots give us an amazing opportunity to get to know you, not only to put you at ease on the day, but more importantly so we can understand you more. 

Understanding the ‘whys’ as well as the ‘whats’ , ’hows’ and ‘whens’, means we can tell a really good story.

And a really good story makes for a really good film. 

It’s your story. Let’s tell it. 

Craig & Charlotte x

https://www.hellotherefilms.com/

Surviving Social Distancing | EPISODE 10 | What Are Our Neighbours Missing?

Hello There everyone!

Hope you've all had a good, safe few days.

This week we got in touch with some of our neighbours in our street via a facebook group, to see if they wanted to take part in some kind of project where they tell us some trivial things that they’re missing and what they can’t wait to get back to once this is all over and we get back to some kind of normality.

We would obviously be following social distancing rules, filming from the curb outside their homes and we had antibacterial wipes on hand to wipe the microphone down after each use.

Here’s some of what we got, some of the answers were really lovely.

The point in today's video, is really justs to chat to people if you can. It's really important to talk to people; we felt amazing after talking to some folk from where we live other than saying 'hello' as they walk by from time to time.

After shooting some of these, the people who we filmed said that it was so lovely to chat, get some thoughts out.

A massive thank you to everyone who took part; a few more people have reached out to us to get involved too. We're excited to see where this goes!

Anyways, take care everyone, stay safe.

Craig & Charlotte x

#HelloThereFilms

"Should We Get A Wedding Film?"

Should you get a wedding film?

We think you should. But don’t take our word for it, have a read on and see how you feel…..

A question we like to ask, when you look at videos, or live photos, on your phone, what is it you like about them? Reminiscing about a social event, a party or a family member you've not seen in a while? Is it because you can hear a baby's laugh, part of the conversation that was going on at the time, hearing music that was on in the background, or seeing things move on screen?

If yes to any of the above, we think you would definitely benefit from a wedding film.

Here’s a story about why we think so.

Charlotte and I are pretty sentimental people. We both have old VHS tapes that our parents and grandparents made; they are some our most treasured memories.

Memories that only exist to us because of someone taking a camera and recording them. I can hear my Granda talking, see places we used to live, reminisce about my sister's first birthday party and a million other things. Things that we don’t remember, without the help of seeing them on screen.

My parents actually had their wedding filmed. A sunny day in October, 1985. Pretty badly, of course, however it’s a memory all the same; me and my sister laugh and poke fun and talk about what people were wearing and how much people have changed (namely how ladies had less hair and the gentlemen had more hair than they do now) but it’s still that - a memory. One we weren’t there to see - but we could see my Mam in her dress, how my Dad was smiling on their wedding day, and that my Uncle Jimmy was wearing a bright red tie with shoes to match.

I mean, it was a family friend who was filming, and the video infamously (or famously, haven’t quite worked it out yet) ends when the camera zooms in to a mound of ham at the reception, and didn’t have any spare tapes - but it’s a memory nonetheless!

There’s an element of timelessness to it; yes technology has changed, but since then we’ve had the VHS transferred to USB (a *great* Christmas present and super easy to do) so the memory can live on.

That’s the aim we have. That’s what we want - to create timeless films for you to show your kids, grandkids, friends and family for generations to come. To create an heirloom that captures the spirit and excitement of your celebrations.

In terms of our approach, we understand that every love story is different and unique, and our aim is to encapsulate your story in your very own film. We get to know our couples, understand their likes and dislikes, learn what they appreciate in life. All of these factors affect how, and what, we film.

Gone are the days of bulky video cameras, headphones, huge zoom lenses, big microphones and camera folk who don’t say a word all day. Our cameras are teeny tiny, and our couples have often complimented us on the fact that they forget we’re even filming. We blend in to your celebrations, chatting to your bridal party, hearing your funny memories. I’m 6’4”, and Charlotte has an ever changing hair colour (peach at time of writing), so for people to say we blend in to the day is a testament to our unobtrusive way of filming.

We mention all of this, because one of the main reasons you may be against having a wedding film is a person being in the way, a distraction from your day, when this isn’t the case. Any good wedding videographer wants you to feel as comfortable as possible, and actively does things to put you at ease. This is when real and raw emotion happens.

Some people will compare wedding photography to film. We think wedding photography is super important; it's an art form in it’s own right and an amazing way to remember your day. Some of our best friends are photographers and what they capture isn’t anything short of inspirational and wonderful and magical.

However, what a wedding film offers, is a different type of memory.

Seeing, hearing, feeling.

Seeing a loved ones laugh, hearing them telling you that you look beautiful in your dress, feeling the emotion when they give you the hug before setting off to walk down the aisle.

There’s a reason it’s called moving image. If a picture speaks a thousand words, then how many does 25 crammed into one second say?

You spend time picking a celebrant, your partner spends time perfecting their speech, your Dad takes time to write and then plucks up the courage to give the most wonderful delivery of old memories in his speech - wouldn’t it be a shame not to be able to hear that again?

That’s what a great wedding film will offer. Not just beautiful visuals, but wonderful audio memories too.

Seeing + hearing = feeling.

In cinema, it’s argued that sound is more than 50% of the film There are more people than you can imagine that work as part of a sound team on your favourite movie. It goes hand in hand; it’s *as* important.

Photographic memories are amazing. What video offers is the lead up to why someone laughs, the before and after of a joke, the reason why someone is smiling, what causes happy tears during a speech. Seeing someone smile when they don’t know they’re on camera is a wonderful thing, and one of our most favourite things to capture.

So much time and effort goes into a wedding day, and it flies over (100% of previous couples will testament to this).

We’re there to capture it, so you can watch it and create these memories we mentioned earlier for you, your family and the generations to come.

And that’s why we think you should choose a wedding film.

Craig & Charlotte x

Wedding Videography