July 9, 2016
Beardslee Castle
Little Falls, NY
O my luve is like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
My luve is like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.
When capturing a live-event creatively it’s crucial to embrace not only the structure and design of the event but also its inherent spontaneity and location’s natural beauty. In the early morning hours of Rachel and Chris’ wedding day in Little Falls, NY, while filming under the coverage of foreboding dark clouds, I discovered that because their interests and chosen aesthetic were so deeply rooted in the natural world, we would have the unique opportunity to blend these elements harmoniously.
Oftentimes “bad” weather and filmmaking, at least from a logistical standpoint, don’t mix. When there is a concern for heavy rain, we immediately consider taking shelter. However, contrary to what one would initially believe, rain is incredibly beautiful and a pleasure to photograph. Aside from its physical beauty, rain carries this feeling of romance, a manifestation of love that cannot help but burst at the seams and impact the landscape.
Creating movement through water and glass
I chose early on, not to fight these natural elements (really, what would be the point?), but to embrace them. I loved the look of silhouetted trees against cloudy skies, of water droplets resting on tops of flowers and running down glass. Early on in the film, we see two abstract shots: one white image with a subtle grey running down and the other a piece of glass speckled with rain, and behind, a dark figure that moves from right to left. I quickly wanted to establish this sense of subtle movement characteristic of a soft rain. I also wanted to stress right away that the piece was poetic, not literal, in form. This poetic approach is reinforced by the voiceover as well - a Robert Burns poem read by one of the Bridesmaids during the reception. Another early decision was to embrace the soft and muted colors. We chose to remain true to the color of the day, washing much of the imagery in an earthly slate blue.
Highlighting the medieval Irish architecture
Entrance detail to build anticipation
The wedding took place at Beardslee Castle located in central New York, along the Mohawk River. The construction of the castle dates back to the mid-nineteenth century and was modeled after medieval Irish architecture. The structure again connects us with the natural world, the stone castle literally being made of the earth, covered in green ivy and the color mirroring the cloudy skies. Typically, I don’t like to highlight the venue in wedding films because ultimately it’s about the people getting married. I prefer not to capture anything that resembles advertisement for the venue which is why I almost always avoid text and signage. That being said, it’s incredibly important to capture the feeling of the space as well as any details that the couple fell in love with upon being introduced to the location.
Because I felt that the weather and exteriors were particularly important, we wanted to slowly build up to the interior footage. The opening one minute and fifteen seconds of the film has very few shots from inside and when there is, they are typically close-up and more abstract. By photographing the bride through windows during prep, we once again stress this importance of location by showing the subject in reference to the space. The first shots of the bride are slightly obstructed by the side of the wall. The out of focus portion of the shot adds a kind of haze to the image, a soft and surreal quality that I thought fit well with the mood of the piece. It also slightly abstracts the image, making an otherwise "plainly" composed shot much more dynamic.
Dreams and reality: Bride through windows and walls
And speaking of abstraction: As I’ve stated in previous posts, I’m always looking for creative ways to capture an image. If I’m confronted with the task of filming an object or space, it’s never solely about the object or space, it should also carry conceptual weight as well.
When I first started shooting wedding films, I stressed so much importance on photographing the dress before the bride put it on. After all, it’s not only iconic but is also a staple in both wedding photography and video. We all know the shot: the wedding dress hanging in the window or the shoes carefully placed on top of the railing. After multiple weddings of convincing myself that these types of shots are essential, I now find very little reason to capture such literal and staged material. In my opinion it has become so overused, so closely tied with wedding filmmaking, that it is neither personal nor interesting. But again, much like my thoughts on location shots, it is still incredibly important to capture any details that the couple fell in love with while preparing for their special day. This prompted us to photograph Rachel’s dress not in wide shot hanging in a room, but in close-up, allowing us to continue in abstraction and capture the beautiful detail and lace that she would have initially been drawn to. For the shot, my assistant slowly panned a hand-held LED light across the surface of the dress. This subtle touch gave shape and movement to an otherwise static object. Because of the moving camera, the dress’ clear sequence would drift in and out of focus, reflecting and refracting the light as if they were drops of rain. Again, an object is never just an object.
Wedding dress as raindrops
Early in the morning, while Rachel was preparing inside, Chris was outside with his father and brother, assembling the altar that they would soon be married under. Searching for these types of scenes throughout the day reminds me that while I do stage material and set up "glamour shots" of the location and various details, I am still very much working in the form of documentary filmmaking. Capturing moments like these not only adds a personal touch to the piece but can also be used to build anticipation. Functionally, these shots introduce key “characters” in the film: the groom’s brother (and best man) and father as they carry out this sweet gesture. Formally, the scene provides a back-and-forth structure to the edit that both balances out and extends our bridal prep footage.
Construction of the altar
The wedding's design elements were so elegantly constructed and incorporated into both the ceremony and reception space. This always provides me with such a great starting point and ultimately elevates the quality of the visuals. Bouquets of lavender and sage were placed throughout the space. The guest table centerpieces consisted of potted plants and at their base were rings of delicately woven twigs and flowers. While it can be technically challenging and I do often have to accept a slight drifting in and out of focus, I typically like to shoot wide open (oftentimes I try to keep a consistent F2.0 F-stop to stay consistent across lenses). This look works particularly well when filming details. The thin line of sharp focus not only draws your eye to what I believe to be important, it can also accentuate movement as we slide in and out or past objects closer in the frame. This allowed me to focus on particular parts of table settings, at times emphasizing pops of color while other times using depth to create more dream-like images.
Bouquets of lavender and sage
Dreams and reality: glasses through glass
While creating a consistent visual structure is key, to ignore the importance of song choice can not only result in a missed opportunity, it can be detrimental to a piece. Rachel and Chris' film offered a unique opportunity to me as I typically lean towards instrumentally driven, folk-inspired soundtracks, a style that has very much in common with Celtic music. The song's connection to traditional Celtic music is subtle as it’s still in the realm of "folk love song." However, as the music builds, the fast plucking of the guitar along with the accompanying mandolin and violins brings to mind this traditional Irish and Scottish sound while maintaining a feeling of love and romance.
With any piece of artwork, much of its success and beauty can be judged on how the artist synthesizes the controlled aspects of their project with the spontaneous. This is particularly relevant in documentary and live-event filmmaking where one must adapt and discover, oftentimes quickly, how to bring all of these elements together in a way that is both beautiful and thematically cohesive. In the second to last shot of the film, the bride and groom stand under the altar, having just kissed and now listening to their guests' applause. They are somewhat obstructed in the frame by moving umbrellas and though the unexpected rain falls on their shoulders, Rachel and Chris are all smiles, overjoyed by what has just taken place.