It's All About Story...

We all love a good story don't we? A few weeks ago we filmed Kerry and Tom's wedding at the Netherwood Hotel in Grange-over-Sands. Autumn weddings are always good to film - lovely colours and often good light. Actually, I think that from a purely aesthetic point of view, the one season NOT to get married is the summer: Hard sunlight, worn out looking nature, and still the potential of rain. Anyway, Tim and Kerry's wedding was lovely - Kerry's Dad had written a corker of a Father-of-the-Bride's speech which left me with an overflow of editing decisions to make - it was so rich with anecdotes and stories, as well as his own personal emotions about the day. He started off by saying that he was not used to public speaking, but you would not have know that at all. A truthful, touching speech which left Jonny and I touched too! And, refreshingly, none of the speeches lapsed into the bog standard jokes from google (although we did see on slipped in!). For filmmaking purposes (so fairly selfish reasons really!), these are the best days - the days where you feel that you find something out about the people you are spending the day with.

 And then we filmed the guest messages too. I think we shall probably start making this a bigger feature of our work. Twenty years ago, I am sure people would have shied away from the camera. However, these days we are all presenters! So what we see is people giving their hearts and souls in their messages - messages which will stand the test of time (technology allowing!). What I have noticed is that it is actually the guests who can give a commentary of the day which really does make it a record of a moment in time which will never be repeated. You'll see what I mean if you watch the trailer below. I like the film, but my favourite bit is where Tom's mum and dad just say, "we love you". Simple truths are the most powerful and often go unsaid. I think that last Saturday's wedding has given me the embryo of an idea of something new for the Gorgeous Media Wedding Film. Watch this space to watch it develop!  

The Answer is Blowing in the Wind...

This week we are up at Lancaster University to film the wind turbine.  We are producing a small documentary for the Green Gown Awards later this month.  The University has been nominated for an award under the "Carbon Reduction" category.  I can see the turbine from all of the windows in my house and I think it is very elegant.  I do know however that wind energy does seem to divide opinion.  Anyway, this film has got me going up to Hazlerigg on sunny days to film the turbine.  I think that because it stands alone on the hill it has a very dramatic effect on the landscape - possibly more so than if there was a group of them.  I like filming it - there is a real poetry in its motion.  The film will show what I mean, I am sure.

Last year, we made a documentary about Lancaster University's Travel Plan.  That was really interesting too - it shows what can be done when an organisation has the courage to implement policies which won't necessarily give an immediate return but which over years seems to have really paid off.

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