Scott + Molly: boats and board games

So here is our latest Same Day Edit.  Scott and Molly are a very awesome young couple who live in Des Moines, IA.  The day of their wedding was really, really, really crazy.  You see, Oceanwide was assigned the Same Day Edit and the Photography.  In addition, I was the lead singer in their band that same night.  Although the day was absolutely insane, Molly, Scott and all of their friends and family calmed us down with their easy going ways.  

I started the day hanging out on Lake Panorama with the guys.  Molly's dad, Fred, acting as captain kept everyone on our toes with a tour of the lake and an overall good time.  The girls had a game of scrabble in mind to calm the pre-wedding nerves.  Some of the girls were fine with spelling lovey-dovey words for the bride, while a few more competitive ladies longed for the triple word score.

This Same Day Edit comes after an awesome workshop earlier in the week with the fabulous company Stillmotion.  I learned a lot in my two days in Chicago with those guys, mostly about really diving into the "why" of the wedding day and the true story of the couple.   I feel like we really did capture Molly and Scott and their whole crew... enjoy.

michael + alissa eshoot

a few weeks ago, we traveled to caledonia, mn to meet mike and lissa for the first time.  we had lunch together followed by a great afternoon... it's always awesome when people you "work with" become friends.  thanks for a great time guys.  

here's their story:

why we do it

i'll give my top 3 reasons (some of these may be the same for brad):

1. i love telling stories with moving pictures.  i love the process and love the results.
2. i love relationships.  people that know me know that i am relationally driven.  watching people commit their lives to each other is cool.  getting to know those people is even cooler.
3. i feel like us being there enhances people's wedding day.  some photographers/video guys are like "you won't even know we're there."  i'm like, "you'll be glad to know we're there!"  what we do adds an element to people's wedding experience that is generally pleasantly unexpected.

a

i wanted to include one of my favorite screen grabs from adam + britni.  love it!

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5 years ago I could never have imagined being a wedding professional.  As a professional singer/guitar player I was getting downright tired of being asked to come perform at weddings.  Why did that change?  Well a number of things. One big thing is that I myself fell in love and became engaged.  It's not that I'm a sappy wedding guy now, it's just that I appreciate more the significance of the day.  Another reason is the built-in emotion and passion in a wedding day. Come on, you've got two families essentially each having a reunion, friends meeting up for a party, a reason to dress up and a happy occasion to celebrate.  Weddings are filled with so much joy. It has become my pleasure to use my abilities to make the day more memorable.  I run into couples every once in while whose weddings I have sung at or filmed.  I love the fact that they are so thankful and appreciative for the part that I played.  

The fact is that some wedding creative professionals just phone it in.  Let's face it we all know that there are some vendors that prey on wedding couples because of bloated pricing for wedding services.  The reason that I love doing wedding cinematography is to offer our special couples a next level quality product.  A product that is hip, modern and relevant.  Most of all, a product that they and we can be proud to show friends and family.

Brad

another screen grab from nick + kaleigh.

what we do

What we do is really quite simple- we take pictures and shoot movies.  However, how we do it is another story.   Actually "story" is the perfect word.  Oceanwide Studios is all about telling the story.  We are always working to reveal the interesting and emotional story of your day.  In corporate video that variable isn't always part of the job requirement for the video company.  Usually they hire you to shoot, edit and fix what they don't like.  They being the client.  

We started Oceanwide because we wanted to be part of the creative process and not just the technical side.  Both Andy and I are too passionate about the whole of the project to let those details go.  We want to find what makes our couples tick and put that in a movie for all to see. 

Of course, I don't want to undersell the technical side of what we do.  The equipment and know-how is a huge part of the quality of our work.  You will notice cinematic camera moves and angles.  Always finding a place to be with the camera and always capturing the right moments allows us to have the best footage to tell that all important story.

Nowadays High Definition is the thing.  We shoot all of our videos in full HD with the newest technology in cameras and great lenses.  These amazing tools allow us to get production value from our equipment that has been elusive to the independent film maker until just recently.  We also use accessories such as the steadicam vest and sliding dolly to enhance the cameras movement.  Just watch, you'll see the difference!

Brad

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here's what we do:

1. we get to know who we're shooting - what they like, their desires, their family, friends, etc.
2. we pour ourselves into coming up with themes and concepts that uniquely fit that couple.
3. with great detail, we plan the day - where we'll be and when to get the best shots possible.
4. we spend all day running around with all sorts of awesome gear that enhance our ability to tell your story.
5. we work hard to add to your day - giving you an experience that is more you.

we give you an experience, not just some videos or photos.  that's what we do.

a 

who we are

this is the first in a series of posts about oceanwide studios.  these entries will eventually be the backbone of our about us page on our site.  if you have questions, please ask away and we'll be sure to respond.

brad and i have known each other for over 1/2 our lives.  we met in high school choir (and freshman football) and eventually both went on to pursue music degrees and music careers.  brad became an elementary music teacher in ohio, but continued to pursue recording and performance.  when he moved back to iowa he started playing solo shows full-time.  i went to school in nashville, tn and moved back to iowa shortly after brad.  we pursued some music ventures together (jemstate) but eventually we both found a common passion in storytelling using photos and cinema.

i now have a beautiful wife and 4 little girls who are awesome.  emma, katherine, nora, & amelia are fun to shoot with our cameras, too.  

a

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So when Andy says we played football together don't let him fool you.  He went out for freshmen football and lasted until just before the first game...nice try #48!!  Of course we have done just about everything else together since then.  We have shared interest in music, movies, friends and family for over 15 years.  Thank goodness we have never shared an interest in women though.  

So a couple years ago I was playing music for living in and around the Des Moines, Iowa area.  I was thinking man I would love to find another creative way to express myself and make a living.  Andy had been doing some editing and shooting at work for a while and I took to it quite naturally.  It was so important to have him as a supportive mentor as I was learning the fundamentals of this business.  

Basically I work with my best friend.  I consider him part of my family and could never see a situation in which we would not be very close.  I think that our clients will be able to tell that there is a mutual love and passion in every single project we work on.  Always challenging and supporting the other, Oceanwide Studios success is built on a strong foundation.

Oh and if you are ever wondering who would win in a fight.  Rest assured, I have dominated before!!

Brad