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Stunning charm at the KI Center in Green Bay

sweetpeacinema August 5, 2016

You can find harmony in all things. You just have to look.Like faithful mountains against a charming sea. Light calls to the flowers and the trees: Feel my warmth, turn to me and we will rejoice.Bob and Amanda are a harmonious match. Strength and shimmering beauty. Quiet and effervescent.But Amanda’s father, Joe, said it best during his remarks at their rehearsal dinner.Amanda — with sharp wit, zest for life and boundless energy — benefits from the gentle brakes that Bob sometimes applies when life gets to crazy. And Bob — the picture of calm and strength — gains from Amanda’s spurs that she uses to kick life into full speed.Brakes and spurs. It became the motto of the wedding and fits these two so perfectly.The ceremony at Resurrection Catholic Parish was special for a couple of reasons. First, because two officiants close to the family presided over it: Father Dean Dombrowski and Sister Maria Clercx. Second, because the couple shared deeply meaningful personal vows, which revealed their deep commitment to each other and didn’t leave a dry eye in the congregation.The reception at the KI Center in Green Bay was a showstopper, thanks to the creative efforts of Sash & Bow, Buds n Bloom and Dreamin’ DJ. When guests entered the ballroom, they were greeted by an 80-foot-long wall (or possibly longer) draped in sheers and highlighted with lavender uplighting with the couple’s name illuminated in a 20-foot-display. Talk about a wow factor! And that doesn’t begin to describe the elegant tablescapes that glittered with crystals, candles, chargers and more.We also loved this wedding because we had the privilege to film tributes at the rehearsal dinner, which gives us great insight into the couple and helps shape our thinking about their wedding film. You can’t help but get swept up in the excitement of any wedding day, but even more so when you hear the love and admiration of family and friends.It’s an honor to film weddings, and Amanda and Bob’s was no exception! We wish the couple a long and happy marriage, and hope they love this Sneak Peek to their wedding film as much as we do!Cheers,Cindy If you like what you see in this Sneak Peek, you can contact the awesome pros who helped make it come to life:Wedding venue: Resurrection Catholic ChurchOfficiants: Fr. Dean Dombrowski and Sr. Marla ClercxReception venue: KI Center, Green BayPhotographer: Mark Hawkins PhotographyWedding Planner: Sash & BowDJ and Lighting: Dreaming DJFlorist: Buds ‘n BloomCake: MonzuBride’s Hair & Makeup: Mint SalonBride’s attire: Essence of Australia from Tie the Knot BridalGroom’s attire: Joseph Abboud from Men’s WarehouseBridesmaid’s attire: Sorella Vita from Tie the Knot Bridal

Of Driftwood and Dreams: Beloveds on the Beach

sweetpeacinema July 3, 2016

We are on the beach. Lake Michigan glimmering as far as the eye can see.The day had been glorious and shiny, but slate blue clouds churn to the north and south. Over this inland sea, pockets of rain cast darker slashes along the horizon to the east.We are lucky and dry so far, but a storm is fast approaching from the west.Yet, none of us wants to leave.A group had gathered for a styled shoot as part of a national effort of The Rising Tide Society. A styled shoot is an event in which creatives choose a theme, props, details, locations and models to convey a certain look, feel or style and photograph them. Most fashion and bridal editorial content consists of highly styled shoots, and are ways to inspire and educate readers.The Rising Tide Society is an online educational community for creative entrepreneurs devoted to the idea of community over competition to promote friendships and networking. The local chapter of RTS, TuesdaysTogether – Milwaukee, is led by a wonderful photographer (and friend) Elizabeth Haase who wanted our ‘Sconie group to participate in a national RTS styled shoot contest.So even though the radar on our phones was showing a giant wall of rain brewing in the west, none of us wanted to break the magic of the moment. The dramatic sky, rocky shoreline and beautiful models, Lauren and Greg, were enchanting. In fact, Lauren and Greg are newlyweds, so it was no trouble for them to get lost in the romance of the moment.I particularly loved the hues of the sky against the bouquet, which floral artist Laurel Flannery of Bloom Lovely preciently incorporated blues and purples. There’s something so mesmerizing about bone-white and grey driftwood nestled into grains of sand that attracts my eye. And that flowing, rippling white skirt on the stunning bridal gown from Bliss Bridal brought a creamy elegance to an environment poised for thunder and rain. And let’s not forget the charming tableware from Relics Vintage Rentals, “Yay” banners and mantle from Bloom Lovely, embroidered “name cards” from El Muchacho del Burro and perfectly on point cake & chocolates from Yield Bakehouse.The film you’re about to watch is just a short preview to the longer version I’ll be creating about the local RTS and this collaborative styled shoot, more of a behind-the-scenes video. And there’s a lot to show about this shoot and the other portrait sessions included.But I couldn’t wait to share the vision that this local team of creatives brought together.It’s not like most of the Sweet Pea Films you’ll see, because it was designed to capture a mood and feel, and to allow viewers to immerse themselves in the moment.So take a moment to imagine yourself in that beautiful dress or dress, on the arm of a loved one and waiting for that first drop of rain to fall.Magic!

Romantic, dreamy Delafield Hotel ceremony

sweetpeacinema June 13, 2016

We met Sarah and Brenden for the first time a few weeks before their romantic wedding at the Delefield Hotel, and we knew right away that their celebration would have lasting impact.Yes, they were adorably in love. And yes, they were are a gorgeous couple, just ready for the spotlight.But that’s not what touched our hearts.Brenden had lost both his parents several years ago, and Sarah was also feeling the void of her father’s passing, too. These two leaned on each other for support that was beautiful to witness. In fact, both carried lovely mementos — Sarah had photo charms on her bouquet, and Brenden sported new cuff links with his parents’ wedding portrait on them — during the ceremony, and we knew those elements had to be incorporated into their sneak peek.Yet, it was also apparent that Sarah and Brenden weren’t dwelling on their losses. They also wanted a full-throttle celebration that would officially launch the start of their marriage.

Romantic, light-filled

They couldn’t have picked a more perfect location than the newly renovated Delafield Hotel with it’s beautiful blend of dark wood and contemporary furnishings. In fact, we are wholeheartedly endorsing the hotel’s corner suites as “the best bride prep location” in the lakes area. The contemporary rooms have spacious bedrooms and attached living rooms, which gave our bride and her attendants plenty of room to get ready without tripping over each other. And most important, the large windows cast incredible natural light, which enhanced the glow from Sarah as she smiled throughout the morning.The renovated ballroom served as ceremony and reception location, and we were impressed by the hotel staff’s quick flip of the room. Candles, gorgeous flowers and “The Simpsons” carried the romantic themes of the day with beauty and laughter.It’s inevitable that major life events, such as a wedding, rub those tender spots in our hearts, those little compartments where hold fast to memories of those we’ve lost.But knowing loss firsthand, we also know that loved ones who have passed would definitely want the living to really live, to celebrate, to love and to build a life worth remembering.Congratulations to Sarah and Brenden! A hearty thanks, too, to the wedding pros who helped make this day beautiful!Venue: Delafield HotelPhotographer: Steve Bowman PhotographyDJ: Xcite EntertainmentFlorist: Leaves FloristCake: Aggie’s BakeryBride’s hair and makeup: Creative Beaute AgencyBride’s attire: Justin Alexander from Bucci BridalBridesmaids attire: Wtoo and Mori Lee from Bliss Bridal

Editing a Wedding Film: The first cut

sweetpeacinema June 3, 2016

Editing a Sweet Pea Cinema wedding film takes hours and hours and hours.Simply put: It’s hours and hours and even more hours at a computer. It starts with some incredibly boring chores: downloading and sorting footage and audio. Then backing all of that up twice so that we have three copies of the original footage. Usually we capture between 200 and 300 gigabytes of footage and audio, so just getting all the footage organized and stored properly can take up to four hours.Next comes ingesting all that material into Adobe Premiere Pro, the editing software I use. Again, all the footage needs to be organized into “bins” so that I can easily find a clip when I’m crafting a couples’ wedding story. This can take an hour or longer.

Time to get interesting

Here’s when the “boring” work starts to get a little more interesting.The next step is the first cut of the raw footage. I’m looking for the best moments of the day, the most beautifully composed shots, and audio that conveys emotion and tells the couple’s love story. At the end of this step, I have hundreds of 3- to 5- second clips, plus many longer segments, that I’ll turn to to create most of the B-roll (or secondary images) in the film. This usually is an eight hour chore.The first cut is the most exciting and disappointing moment in the editing process.It’s truly exhilarating to see the crazy beautiful footage we’ve captured. But it’s equally crushing to see shots that didn’t work because of bad lighting, focus issues, white balance problems. This is the time, too, when I get a feel for the day, the mood and the action of the film editing to come.Audio becomes the next focus. Now’s the time when I really start listening carefully to what I call the “scripted” parts of the day, particularly the ceremony, vows, and toasts that are key to building the base of the film. I’ll also listen again to the spontaneous moments that I pulled from throughout the day, that also might help move the story forward, add a moment of levity, or my favorite, a moment that reveals the deep love our couples have for each other. This can take up to eight hours.When I have all my audio “blocks” selected, and all the beautiful short moments, I’m ready to start the real edit. This can take 40-50 hours.I realize this post is probably boring most of you, but I think it’s important to explain the effort and energy that’s required to create a truly beautiful wedding film. It’s not just thrown together and exported. I think about every moment, clip and audio snippet. But more on that later!For now, I hope you enjoyed the little peek into my editing world with the time lapse from four hours of a recent first cut!Cheers,CindyIf you enjoyed the music from this clip, check out bensound.com

Beauty in flowers and time lapses photography in Milwaukee

sweetpeacinema May 23, 2016

Some photographers travel the globe. Others are rooted in one place, turning their lenses on subjects all too familiar. And is there anything more rooted than flowers?We’re working on a project this year that’s very close to home. I’m going to be vague posting a bit today, because I don’t want to give too much away of the topic or story. I’m greedy that way!This project, however, is requiring me to master the art of time-lapse videography, and so far, I’m loving it!We’re taking thousands of images of flowers blooming because our project has a lot to do with blooms. I’ve always appreciated the art of time lapse photography and videography, but wasn’t interested in learning the intricacies of capturing those images.

An expert but not at flowers

One of my absolute artists in this field is Robe Whitworth, a Brit who travels the globe capturing the most amazing time lapses for Turkish Airlines, the government of Dubai, the BBC Natural History Unit and Nike. You can check out his fantastic work here.My company primarily captures time lapses for our event films: glorious landscapes and cool establishing shots of venues.My husband and cinema partner, Dean, loves night time lapses, and he loves tackling the challenge of location, light bleed, gear and energy sources to get a great shot. And while I’ll cuddle up in a blanket and join him (likely napping when the capture goes well past 1 a.m.), I never loved the work of it.Until now. I’m obsessed in showing these blooms in their full glory, and that means a ton of experimentation in lighting, gear and the flowers themselves. They all bloom at different rates, and they all move — extremely subtly and slowly — in different ways.If you enjoy this time lapse at all, you’ll want to stay tuned for our larger project later this year!Cheers,Cindy