The Reward is in the Smiles.

Well, today was officially my final day working for Metmedia. Jonathan and I went out for lunch and chilled on some beer as the rain poured outside. We reflected on the last two and a half years, and even talked about the days when I worked there for a summer job, long before that. I started out working at the company printing labels and scanning photos, and have come a long way since then.


I was trying to tally up all of the weddings I have edited while working there. My initial count when looking back at our spreadsheet was over 45, but I know I am missing a bunch from my early summer job years. I'm going to estimate that I edited over 60 weddings while working there. Wedding films never get old. The story of love is a story I don't mind telling again and again. Each couple brings so many different ideas and values to their love, and I find it way inspiring.


A few weeks ago I was approached by LaunchSquad, a PR Firm in San Francisco. After a few meetings and some dialogue, they offered me a position as a video producer, specifically creating video for the web. So I'll be making a switch from doing personal stories to corporate work, but I don't think it's a big switch. LaunchSquad hits PR from a different angle... the storytelling angle. I'm excited to see how I can adapt my experience with personal storytelling to their company.

Lessons Learned from Metmedia
1. The Reward is in the Smile. Sure, working at Metmedia I didn't earn a big paycheck. But I actually looked forward to sitting down at my editing station and putting together work that I was proud of. I regard this as so much more important than my income. The real reward comes in the tears of joy I see when we get to play the films for couples. If I'm smiling and they're smiling, I don't need much else in life.

2. Build your Friend List, Not your Client List. In wedding filmmaking, there is nothing more important than becoming friends with your clients. Jonathan showed me this when he developed great relationships with brides. Not only will it relax them when they are in front of the camera, but the added trust will gain you more creative leeway. And most importantly, it's more fun when we're all buddies, working together to make their wedding day and wedding film great.

3. Energetic Editing. A 4 pack of Redbull might not be enough when editing a Wedding Day Edit or SDE. However, all night editing on location is very very fun.


I just want to thank Jonathan for the years of good times working for Metmedia. I truly appreciate your generosity in allowing me to use your equipment and in helping me grow as a filmmaker and person. Thank you.

-Jesse Tarnoff

Super Cute Couple

I really couldn't resit posting this wedding highlights video. It's a piece I edited for Metmedia last week and it is just way cute. Oh and as a bonus, you get to hear the best pick up line ever used.



Ok say it with me... 1, 2, 3, "Awwwwww!" I know. Adorable. Meredith and John were married at Piedmont Community Church and their reception was at the Claremont Country Club. I picked a playful song because I wanted their sense of humor and easy going attitude to come through. I really enjoyed editing their full wedding and had some fun with time-shifting. 71HUGO!

-Jesse Tarnoff

Celeste & Anwar Proposal

Anwar Proposes to Celeste from MetMedia Video on Vimeo.

Here is a special piece I edited for Metmedia. We've been talking about doing proposals for a while now and this was the company's first opportunity to do it. We created this piece in collaboration with Vince Tarry Studios, a company whose photography I love. Jeff (remember the J's?) from VTP was there with Jonathan to capture this enormous moment in Celeste and Anwar's relationship.

Both Jonathan and Jeff sat at a table near where the proposal would be. They hid their camera's under jackets or peaking out of camera bags. Anwar was also mic'd with a wireless lav so that we could hear some of the most important words of his life. After the proposal the couple went around Union Square to shoot some engagement photos with Jeff. They will be getting married in Hawaii where Celeste is from.

In editing this fusion piece I was dying to edit a fast paced video. However, since I only had one camera worth of video, I didn't have enough footage to do fast cross cutting. The song is one that Anwar suggested we use, and since we really want this video to be about the moment he planned for months, I figured it was appropriate to use it. I did only a little bit of color grading to the video. I didn't want to over stylize the moment and I wanted to keep the footage close to the reality of the moment, since it is something they will likely be showing their children and grand children.

-Jesse Tarnoff

Yosemite Love Story

At last! After a week of exporting, compressing and uploading... Jared and Christy's Love Story is finally online. Take a look here...

Jared + Christy Love Story from MetMedia Video on Vimeo.

To edit it, I went for a very composed and thoughtful feel. To achieve this I tried to only use soundbites where Jared or Christy had a special conviction in their voice, aside from all the funny bits. I then put in a music track that also had a very cool and collected feel to it, with different movements that builds and builds into an explosion of feeling.

When I talked to Jared about the piece, he told me he wanted Christy to get the last word in all of their playful bantering. This speaks to Jared's character so well in that as cool as he is, he wants Christy to shine even brighter. I also used mostly video elements rather than pack it with photos because I wanted to have movement that progressed forward.

Again, I need to credit Jeffrey Neal from JNP Studios for his fantastic photo work. I'd also like to thank Jared and Christy for the fantastic opportunity to make a special piece that really hits the type of film I am most passionate about. Please leave any comments you have. Thanks!

Jeffrey Neal Photography Demo

Well. The first video of the Yosemite engagement shoot is here! This is a video I made for Jeffrey Neal of JNP Studios. Enjoy it. My approach to editing it is below.

Jeffrey Neal Yosemite Shoot / Demo from MetMedia Video on Vimeo.

In editing the video, I asked Jeffrey what kind of vibe he wanted the viewer to leave with. I had two ideas in mind. The first mood would be an excited, upbeat, energetic call to action. The second treatment would be more inspiring, airy, and insightful, leaving the viewer with a pensive/hopeful mindset.

Of course, Jeffrey wanted to do a mix. I actually secretly wanted to do a mix also, so I was ready for it. To create the inspired mood I picked a song that felt "cool" with some electronic elements. I then paced it out so that the video builds momentum in an energetic way. Using fast cuts and flashy transitions, I wanted to give it a modern feel. Jeffrey is a very hip, modern guy so getting this across in the video was essential.

The video is about how he runs his shoots. How does Jeffrey act on location? How does he interact with his clients? As you can see, he does everything in a fun way which makes for better photographs.

Stay tuned for the cut I created for Jared and Christy!

The Creative Circle

In the crazy intertwined world of wedding photographers and filmmakers, everybody knows everybody. For instance, Jonathan Metcalf of Metmedia went down to LA this last summer to shoot the union of Scott and Laura Holmes. Photographing this beautiful event was Jeffrey Neal of JNP Studios. Jonathan and Jeffrey (why do all the creative people I know have names that start with J?) developed a great relationship while on the shoot.

So, when Jeffrey said he was going to shoot an engagement session up in Yosemite, I urged Jonathan to accompany Jeffrey. A few days before the shoot, I found out that my friend Jared Cotton (again with the J's) is the groom in the engaged couple. I knew Jared from back at Chapman when we used to work on film sets together and hang in the same crowd. So when I found this out, I was amped. Time to edit a kickass piece for Jeffrey and a killer love story for Jared.

Another cool thing is that Jared himself is a stellar photographer. Back in college, I used to shake my head in amazement whenever I saw his work. He had an incredible ability to see interesting angles in ordinary things. There was one shot I remember vividly of an A shaped rooftop. I'll try to link it below.

And on top of that Jared runs a Redtail Media in LA that does video and photography. So as you can see, the world of creative professionals is wrapped around and around. I wouldn't have it any other way.

So here is a nostalgic shout out to the early days of college. Carl Lammi, Alex Rock, Brandon Ballard, Pierce Templeton, Adam Hein, Nick Markham and Jared Cotton. The dream team that never took full form; but kicked ass anyway.

ReFrame ReView

Well, a couple days have gone by since the wedding filmmaking conference has ended. I'm still very much feeding off of the excitement that the week gave me. I met some fantastic people there who are all as energized as I am.

Let's just say I learned a massive amount about the wedding film industry. The most notable seminars besides Kevin Shahanian and Jasmine Star, who I blogged about previously, were those of Joe Simon, Jason Magbanua, David Robin, and Oleg Kalyan.

Joe Simon is a very inspirational filmmaker. He was kind enough to show us how he breaks down his shoots, down to the detail of using tape on the floor to set marks for the toasts. He's also quite young, and completely on top of his game. This really motivated me to start diving into the wedding film industry and get myself out there.

Jason Magbanua, a top end Philipino wedding film director, shared with us his strategies for his wedding films and same day edits. But more importantly, he showed us his passion for what he does. He shared a story with us in which a typhoon hit the Philippines and he and his crew still went out to the wedding. In fact, he then used the news footage from the typhoon as a way to frame the day. The resulting video was an amazing blend of a reminder of the destruction mixed with the dream of the couple's love. His passion is something I admire and I will continue to look to him for inspiration.

David Robin is probably one of the most respected pros in the industry. He has been making wedding films for over twenty five years as well as doing amazing 3D photo montages. He shared with us a list of twenty five things he has learned over the twenty five years. Every single one of them was insightful. They ranged from creative ideas to business management. It was a pleasure to learn from such an experienced pro.

And I thought I was a good editor... How about Oleg Kalyan, one of the most incredible wedding filmmakers I have ever met. The way he cuts his films together is a work of beauty. The Russian filmmaker showed one of the first weddings he ever edited. It was all in slow motion, over diffused, over saturated, and looked basically awful. Of course that was 10 years ago. He then showed us his recent work, and my mind was blown. His style is amazing. He uses a combination of fast cuts, ramped up footage, and sound design to create a monster of a video. Just today I was editing and referred to some of Oleg's work for inspiration. My goodness he is good.

My final thoughts on Re:Frame. The conference was incredible. The people I met, the videos I saw, the closeness of the community all inspired me so much. However, I was disappointed by one thing. As a local, I opted to not stay in the hotel and commute to the conference. Early in the week I realized that most of the bonding between the top pro's and some of the attendees was happening at night, at the hotel or on the streets of San Francisco. When I attend the next conference, I will absolutely book a hotel room, have a canon 5d Mk II, and spend more time mingling with those who I admire so greatly.

One more note: I need to thank my boss Jonathan Metcalf and MetMedia for giving me the opportunity to attend ReFrame. It was a pleasure to represent MetMedia.

Re:Frame Collective - Day 1

Re:Frame San Francisco Day One Highlights from Scott Karlins on Vimeo.

Well seeing as how I only got about ten hours of sleep this last weekend, I'm a little bit tired coming out of the first day of Re:Frame. However, my fatigue has had no impact on how inspired I am.

Today I met so many great people who share the same passion as I do. Going into Re:Frame, I was a little worried about the atmosphere being a little competitive. I thought that people would be trying to top each other, bragging about their work, and concealing their struggles. This was not the case at all. I found that every single person I met was not only extremely humble, but also highly accessible.

The first seminar was by Kevin Shahinian and was centered on the idea of using filmmaking storytelling in weddings. Rather than the standard documentation of a wedding day, we need to approach it as if we are showing a story. When we look at it like that, we start to create a more inspired and moving piece. So the first lesson I learned is that from here on out we are making wedding films.

To make a wedding film, we need to make it look like we control in environment we are shooting in. It needs to look like our shots are pre-planned, and almost as if we have taken multiple takes. The difficulty is that we are shooting a wedding and we only get one chance at each moment.

Overall, Kevin really inspired me with his talk. He reminded me that I want to show a couples story. I want to show their love. It's not about capturing a moment forever, it's about capturing a feeling forever. I feel like I am very capable of doing this, as I was one of the only people in the room who has a film school background.

The next speaker was Jasmine Star, the blog master. She is probably the most accomplished blogger in the wedding industry. She told us about her approach to booking clients and how to create an online image that really sells "You."

I've known how important blogging is. I, of course, started mine a few months ago as a result of seeing the impact it has had on the industry. She had some very interesting ideas on how to best have an online presence. Also, as we were in the middle of the seminar, I signed up for my twitter account! I'm not a huge fan of the name and the whole "tweet" thing. But the truth is it's worth it. Anything us professionals can do to have more of an online presence is time well spent. My twitter is here! Help me get started!

The last part of the day was an elective. I chose the elective that centered on Wedding Concept Videos. The speaker was Lloyd Calomay, an accomplished wedding concept filmmaker. His idea was new to me. He does spoofs of real movies, re-enacted with the bride, groom, and their family and friends. Exciting! The films themselves looked a little under produced, but the writing was great. I feel like if I were to try the same thing, my films would have more production value but would probably lack in the writing. It looks like a fun idea and I would love to try it out soon.

Well, I am tired. I will be bringing my camera tomorrow so I can share with all of you what it looks like to hang out with the best. The first day was fantastic, and I am excited to meet more Re:Framers and learn more about our industry!

Re:Frame Collective

I'm here in San Francisco at the Re:Frame Collective, a week long conference with the best wedding filmmakers in the world. We're gathering to collaborate with others and talk about Marketing, Production, Workflow and basically everything else regarding video.

Some of the top industry pros we are hearing from are Jasmine Star, Phillip Bloom, and Kevin Shaninian, people whose work I admire and whose strategies I admire more.

I will be blogging each night; reflecting on people I have met, what I've learned, and what my ideas are for what's to come. Stay tuned for photos, video, and all the other good stuff. What an exciting week!

More Fusion!

Scott + Laura Romantics from MetMedia Video on Vimeo.

Here is another excerpt from Laura and Scott's wedding down in Southern California. The full wedding video has been completed and delivered, but Laura asked me to upload this section so that she could post it on her blog.

Here is what she wrote about her video.
"Thank you so much for all the obvious time, thought, and care you put into making our video so truly wonderful. It far exceeded any expectations we ever had. Your work is amazing!"

Laura and Scott's wedding was not only a beautiful occasion, but it brought together quite a few very talented professionals. Since the wedding, Metmedia and Jeffrey Neal from JNP Studios have been working together and are planning to do a fusion shoot in Yosemite later this month. Design Visage also did a fantastic job with Laura's makeup and hair. She truly looks stunning!

BAPVA Meeting with David Jay

I just got back from a BAPVA (Bay Area Professional Videographers Association) meeting where we got to hear David Jay speak about the wedding industry and the integration of photography with video. I'd been anticipating this event for a few weeks.

David Jay's been credited as one of the top 15 wedding photographers in the world. Not only does he have a fantastic eye for photos, he's also one of the best industry pros when it comes to marketing his work. He spoke to us about how to use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to reach potential brides. I'm excited to see these new insights applied to MetMedia.

He also showed us some of the fusion pieces he made. Some of it was impressive, some of it was not. He outsources all of this video work to another company who shoots and edits it for him. I was glad to see that his fusion work wasn't the best that's out there because it means there is room at the top. I hope to shoot and edit some more fusion very soon, so as to get known in the big kids playground.

I also got a chance to network with some photographers who I am excited to work with. I haven't yet looked at their work but their personalities and openness speaks volumes about the kind of work they do. I could certainly see myself working with these people in the future.

Vince Tarry Fusion

Kerri + Paul Fusion from MetMedia Video on Vimeo.

Here is a video I shot and edited for Vince Tarry Photography. They'll be using it as a marketing piece and selling a Fusion Video as an add-on to their photography business.

With the advent of the Canon 5d Mark II, Fusion seems to be the next big thing hitting the wedding industry. It allows photographers to collaborate with videographers to offer a sweet product that has a very polished feel to it. I'm very excited to be at the forefront of this movement. I'm also excited to work with so many different photographers. I love being on shoots where I can hang out with other professionals who have a fantastic eye for images. With Fusion, it's not a competition to see who can get the best shot. We're all working together to make the best possible product that we can.

New MetMedia Website!

After months of work, we finally launched the new MetMedia website. We still have some minor tweaks we want to make to some of the text, but the layout and videos are pretty much all lined up.

We actually did a whole re-branding of the company. Along with the website, we have new business cards, demo kits, and a new confidence in the company. Now that our marketing is up to par, we're look forward to great things.

CHECK OUT THE SITE
www.metmediavideo.com

Wedding Reflections

Laura + Scott Wedding Reflections from MetMedia Video on Vimeo.

This is the final segment for Laura and Scott's wedding. Laura and Scott came out of their reception to talk with us about the day which was a fantastic opportunity build some emotion for the end of the video. I inter-cut their interviews with highlight footage from the day, as well as photos, to turn it into a nostalgic piece that I'm sure they will remember for a long time.

When we talked to Laura and asked her about music she wanted to use in her wedding, one of the songs was Transatlanticism by Death Cab For Cutie. I've always liked that song, but had never through about putting it into a wedding video.

Laura and Scott's wedding was such a beautiful day. The happiness and love in their eyes was such an inspiration for me. The venue, Rancho Las Lomas,was absolutely stunning. Their photographer, Jeffrey Neal of JNP Studios, was a fantastic photographer to work with. Not only was his eye sharp and creative, but he helped us immensely when creating the Fusion piece by giving us his photos and feedback.

Stephanie + Matt Fusion

I was in the studio yesterday and realized that I never posted this video. It is the first fusion love story we made at metmedia. I approached this one without a song in mind because I really wanted to get an idea of the couple before creating a look and feel for the piece. After spending some time with them, I got the feeling that they had a real sturdy kind of love. So I wanted to convey that through a timeless song and through light camera moves rather than an action packed 1.5 shot per second video.

Stephanie + Matt Engagement Session from MetMedia Video on Vimeo.

I shot most of the video in this piece. The photography was done by Curtis Myers of Perfect Circle Photography. It's always a pleasure to work with him and his images.

Laura + Scott First Sight

Laura + Scott Fusion from MetMedia Video on Vimeo.

Here is the first Fusion test I edited with footage from Laura and Scott's wedding. Their wedding was at Rancho Las Lomas, an incredible venue with massive trees, rustic architecture and a stunning ceremony area. Capturing the expression's on their faces as they first saw each other was a priority for MetMedia. We had two camera's rolling on them; and with the editing, I incorporated the photos taken by Jeffrey Neal of JNP Studios.

This is a good example of what Video/Photo fusion can create. Video captures moments as they pass, but the viewer rarely gets to pause and look at a beautiful frame or priceless expression. When I edit photos into the video, the viewer can stop and take in the moment. He or she can look at the subtleties and not worry about missing something else.

In an interview Laura gave as she was getting ready, she revealed that she liked the "vintage" look. I took this and ran with it. I added various film effects to some of the footage to achieve an old, muted 16mm film like feel. I also did some bleach bi-pass processing to give it an old, found footage type feel.

The only negative feedback I have gotten is that the camera shutter sound effect is too loud. I agree, and have since altered it to be less obtrusive. I decided to keep this version up until I had some free time to compress the new version. Enjoy!

A Wedding Introduction

Michelle + Kevin Preparation from MetMedia Video on Vimeo.

Here is a wedding I edited a few months ago. One thing I really liked about this couple was how energetic and excited they were. Michelle, especially, was glowing the entire day.

The approach I took for editing their wedding was to give them a very hip video with quick cuts, lots of motion, and a contemporary soundtrack. This is just an excerpt of their wedding; the whole video runs about 45 minutes.