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simply cinema is simplified cinematography for the budget minded couple

Only 50% of couples hire a videographer for their wedding day and I am often baffled how in all the years I have been doing this that that statistic hasn’t shifted much… especially with the invention of social media, You Tube and entire shows dedicated to videos on the internet. There is a reason Instagram started allowing 15 second videos, then Stories on their platform and has recently introduced IGTV to feature longer videos and why Facebook years ago allowed embedding of videos and more recently live videos. Video is the reason some people have careers with some You Tubers making millions of dollars now… Video is where its at… Think about what the first thing you look at online is when reading an article or consuming your media. Is it an article?? Or do you watch the video… Yet couples often times still see a wedding film as either a luxury or an item they will add at the end if budget allows. Sadness… Tear… So I am going to give you my very best pitch on why every couple should have a wedding film.

How often do you have every person that you love in one room together…

That moment needs to be documented… The love, the laughter, the emotions. It is one of the happiest days of your life and those around you are there sharing in that celebration. That celebration needs to be documented. Who is apart of your wedding day may not be in your life 10 years from now. Life happens… parents and grandparents get older. You can’t take for granted that those that are at your wedding will be with us forever. Take advantage of this moment to be able to remember it and celebrate it with your family and children you may have one day.

Photos and Video go hand and hand…

Of course you are going to have a Photographer. But a Photographer catches moments, snapshots. What a Wedding Film will give you is the sound from the day, the emotion in real moving moments. They go hand in hand. A Wedding Film allows you to see your wedding day in a totally different medium. We document your day so differently than a Photographer and show you often times totally different moments you didn’t know existed. I have never had someone say that they had too many memories of their wedding day by hiring a Photographer and Videographer.

Video is just easy these days…

With how easy it is to upload and share videos online why would you not have a wedding film?? You can send it to all of your family and friends who attended and to those that didn’t. So more people can share in the memories!!

Wedding Videos are not what they used to be…

Now they are films… Customized stories of your wedding day that are both cinematic and emotional. They are interesting and they draw you in. They are something you will enjoy watching for years to come.

I promise you’ll watch it…

  1. Some people say they will never watch it… I disagree… They watch it at the minimum on their wedding anniversary. But more importantly don’t you just want to have it… just in case… for that day when you do decide to watch it. I wouldn’t want to feel the regret of wishing I had something that I never could do over or get back. That panic would be awful.

This couples love story is just too cute to not be shared… I am going to give you both of their versions of their first date and you will see just how meant to be this couple is and that not all beginnings are fairy tale beginnings, but make for a fantastic story…

Diliana, The Brides Story…

Zack was already a part of Delta Sigma Pi when I, as a sophomore, decided to apply to join. During the rushing process, I was able to meet Zack and my first thought was, “Hot senior. I definitely have to make it in.”

As a pledge, I was supposed to call and meet the fraternity members during that semester. Zack and I had met up once, meaning he definitely had my number. When I was finally an official member and Zack was allowed to ask me out per fraternity rules, he pretended he had lost my number and asked for it again. I tried giving him 6 out of the 7 digits, but his persistence and charming smile convinced me to give him all 7.

He finally asked me out on a Saturday and invited me to a bar the following Wednesday at 8pm. After I agreed, the conversation died out. Entirely. Zero communication even the day of the date which was four days later. But who was counting? Wednesday at 8pm finally rolled around and I was ready (I know, right? I was actually on time) and hanging out with my roommate. Then 8:10 rolled around. I told her, “this guy has 5 more minutes to show up/text me. By 8:15 I’m moving on.” 8:14 rolled around and I got a text saying, “So, you’re running late.”

No, I wasn’t. Just had no idea how he was going to pick me up if he didn’t know where I lived.

Even though he failed to pick me up, texted me when he was outside instead of knocking, and then even tried to get away with not walking me to my door afterwards, I knew there was something special about this guy and could not get him out of my head all winter break. Little did I know that that attractive senior with rough first date skills would be the man of dreams.

Zack, The Grooms Story…

Diliana ended up rushing the business fraternity that I was already in, so we got the opportunity to interact every now and then until the end of her rush semester, when I was finally able to get her to give me her number. There was a local bar, called Frog & Firkin, and I had to play it cool when I asked her out, so I texted her on a Saturday and said “Let’s do Frog & Firkin Wednesday at 8 pm.” That’s it; it wasn’t a question, and I nailed it. She agreed, and then I didn’t follow up Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. I thought I was being cool and playing hard to get. In hindsight, I’m pretty sure she was just annoyed.

I showed up on Wednesday at Frog & Firkin, expecting her to get herself there (like the consummate gentleman I was). I ordered a beer and waited. And waited. Ten minutes went by. Fifteen minutes went by. I’d finished my beer and was astounded that she’d stood me up. Ended up texting her something snarky: “So, you’re running late.” Again, not a question. And when she responded, I knew I was going to marry this girl: “I’m sitting here wondering how you’re going to pick me up if you don’t know my address.”

Touche.

Vendors: Photographer: Karlee K Photography // DJ: Vox DJ’s // Florist: Milagros Decor

When we met Hannah and Josh we knew their day would be full of class, tons of fun, and blush pink. The moment we arrived and saw the set up by Imoni Events we knew we were in for a treat. From Hannah’s gorgeous blush details, to the emotional first look (we were all in tears!), to the fun floral champagne bar. There was no detail left undone.

El Chorro is one of our favorite venues to film at. It is not a huge sprawling property which is a good thing for both guest experience as well as your vendors. The ceremony site is right next to where the cocktail hour is held which is right next to the ballroom where your reception is held. All of this making for a flowing and easy guest experience. The aesthetic of this property as well as the foliage makes for the most stunning backdrop for your photos. Everything is green all year round including the artificial turf they had installed a few years back again making your walk down the aisle flawless and beautiful. The ballroom at El Chorro is a blank canvas that you can make your very own with whatever color palette you have chosen for your wedding.

Now back to this super cute couple… Through out the entire day Josh could not keep his eyes off Hannah. The love these two have for each other is indescribable and the fun these two have together is unreal. Josh and Hannah are perfectly made for one another and we couldn’t feel more honored to have captured their love story. Seriously wishing we can do this day over and over again. You just have to watch their feature film to understand!

Vendors: Photographer: Andrew Jade Photography // Videographer: Simply Cinema // Venue: El Chorro // Planning & Design: Sarrah with Imoni Events // Florist: Flower Studio // Entertainment: Sweetwater Strings & DJ Groove Tech // Stationary: Victoria York Design

Being a wedding videographer, we get to meet the most amazing couples. Each couple has their own story, their own unique personalities, and fun personal touches they add to their wedding day. We honestly have the best job ever! And capturing a first look has to be one of our favorite parts of our job!

One of our favorite moments in a wedding day though, is the first look. What is a first look you ask? Well it is a time prior to the ceremony where the couple gets to see each other for the first time. I know what you may be thinking, wait.. aren’t we supposed to wait to see each other for the first time under the alter? Waiting till the alter is a very traditional approach, and still very much respected and can be done. A first look though, definitely has it’s own perks. Lets talk about them!

1. You are free to have sincere authentic emotions and thoughts:
When you do a first look prior to ceremony, it is just you and your significant other. (And your paparazzi of course) But ultimately it is just the two of you. Both free of judgement and free to openly express how you feel about one another in that moment, your thoughts about marrying each other, and your love. When you wait for the alter it’s hard to express those emotions fully while your officiant is holding your ceremony. So it truly gives you time to just soak in that moment together intimately and privately.

2. You are able to get the bulk of your photos out of the way: Ever wonder how couples are able to enjoy their cocktail hour with their friends and family? First look! By having a first look it gives your videographer and photographer time to capture couple portraits, bridal party photos, and family photos before the ceremony even begins! Giving you some time to capture a few couple portraits at sunset after the ceremony, and then enjoy cocktail hour with friends and family.

3. The feelings don’t go away: If you’re worried that having a first look will make the feelings and emotions go away during the ceremony, it’s not true. If the feelings and emotions are there, then they will be there regardless. I have seen so many amazing ceremony reactions, moments after a first look. If you don’t want to give your whole look away prior to ceremony, but want to have a first look, consider saving your veil for the ceremony. It is something different for your groom to be looking for. Either way, nothing can take away from the moment you walk down the isle toward your significant other to commit your life to them forever.

Either way, whatever you two decide on, it will be perfect for your wedding day. We are ultimately just so grateful to be there to capture it. Let us know if you have any other questions on First Look’s! (If you’re interested in seeing another, check out this Private Estate Dairy Farm Wedding! There first look was so sweet!)

Vendors: Photographer: Leslie Ann Photography // Videographer: Simply Cinema // Venue: Villa Siena // Florist: Blume Events // Entertaiment: SKM

This romantic Royal Palms wedding, where do we even begin? The connection Josh and Christina have is almost indescribable. Their love, fun flirty actions, and affection towards one another is so contagious. I have never felt so excited during a first look. Christina could not wait for Josh to turn around, and as soon as he did she couldn’t help but jump up and down with joy. (Seriously, watch their wedding trailer!) It was the sweetest moment, and they didn’t stop there.

If I were to ever renew our vows, my wedding may look a little something like this. The moody colors, the black velvet chairs, and the dark flowers. Seriously, I’m in love. This wedding was perfectly Josh and Christina. We honestly couldn’t feel more blessed we were there to capture their love. Congrats Josh and Christina!

FEATURE FILM:

Vendors: Photographer: Andrew Jade Photography // Videographer: Simply Cinema // Planning + Design: Sarrah with Imoni Events // Venue: Royal Palms // Floral + Decor: Sarah’s Garden // Hair: Pin & Primp // Makeup: Mischief Makeup // Rentals: Glamour & Woods + Event Rents // Linens: BBJ Linen + La Tavola Linen // Stationary: Victoria York Design

Most couples have never hired Wedding Videographer before, so they are not sure what they are looking for or what questions to ask to make sure that it will be everything they are dreaming it will be. Here is a little guide on how to select the right Wedding Videographer for you as a couple:

style:

The first thing you need to identify with is the style of the videographer. Take a look at their website samples and review their blog. Ask to see films from the venue that you are getting married at, but don’t bypass that videographer if they haven’t filmed at your venue. That is often times a good thing because they see it as a blank canvas and it can stimulate creativity to be able to film at a new location. If you are finding yourself sending who you want to hire samples of other videographers work, then hire the videographer that you are sending samples of. If you are asking to change that videographers style then they aren’t the videographer for you.

experience:

It is really important to look at the experience of the company you are hiring. How many years have they been in business? How many wedding seasons have they gone through? Do they specialize in weddings or all video production? You want to work with a company who specializes in wedding films. Weddings are a very different production than commercial video production because they are live events. You can rewind the first kiss as a couple because your videographer wasn’t ready. We get one chance to get the shot, so live event experience is a must!

videographers:

Who will be filming your wedding? Do they have a staff of videographers that are trained to film weddings or do they just hire freelancers to shoot the weddings booked? Be very aware of this. Freelancers can operate cameras just fine, but they may not be trained in filming weddings. Again weddings are live events and require a specific level of expertise and experience. It is important that your team of videographers is in sync that day and has experience with one another. You don’t want a couple of random hires to film your once in a life time event.

a one camera package, its never a good thing:

The offering of packages with one camera and one videographer is never a good thing. Do not purchase this despite the temptation of the low price. It is very dangerous for your wedding film for so many reasons. When you do this you truly are selling you, and your wedding film short.

  1. What if something happens to the one camera they are filming on? Then what? All filming stops while they figure out a solution?
  2.  What if something happens to the one card they are recording on? If your wedding is filmed with one camera and one data card and the card fails… then what? Your whole day that was filmed is lost and can never be recovered.
  3. So much is missed when filmed by one person because they can’t be in two places at once. Getting ready of the couple, cocktail hour and reception detail coverage, both reactions during the first look, and so much more.
  4. You only get one angle of everything..

service:

Who will you be working with throughout the process? Are you working with a sales person who just sells you on the service and passes you off? Will you be working with the owner or have access to the owner should the sales person leave? Your wedding film is a very important investment. Who is servicing you and how they are servicing you is of utmost priority.

investment:

You truly get what you pay for with wedding videography. There are a lot of low cost providers flooding the marketplace with some very cheap packages. A quality wedding film is definitely something worth investing in. If a company is significantly less than others in the marketplace, there is a reason why. You need to look long and hard at their product and what your experience will be like with them. Quality wedding videography is not cheap and owning a wedding videography company is not cheap. There is a reason the pricing is the way it is for a legitimate company that may cost more. You need to be concerned about the low cost providers, and their ability to still be in business by the time your wedding comes if the price point is so low.

watch out for fluff:

You need to look at the meat and potatoes of the collection or package you are purchasing. There are many things that videographers offer to make a collection or package look like you are getting so much, that is truly of no value to you. For example the raw footage; everything that is usable is going to be in your film, trust us, you do not want the raw footage. When you get the raw footage there isn’t a mountain of memories that was missed because if it was good, it would have made it into the film. Almost all of the raw footage that didn’t make the film is generally because it was a practice shot and then also out of focus stuff. There is no value to that, plus are you ever going to really look at hours of footage? What would you do with it? What matters most is what is going to be delivered and these are what you need to be asking for:

  1. How many hours of videography am I getting?
  2. How long is the Feature Film going to be?
  3. Am I going to receive a Wedding Movie Trailer?
  4. How many videographers will be at my wedding?
  5. How many cameras will the videographers be filming with?

delivery:

How the company delivers a finished wedding film is important. Are they delivering on old outdated technology like DVD’s and Blu Ray’s? Those are both dying technologies that in a few years won’t be around. Asking for a DVD is like asking for music on a cassette tape or CD. Everything is going towards streaming, downloadable films, or URL based delivery methods. These are how you should be delivered your film at this point.

Overall we want your wedding videography experience to be all that it should be! Check out our blog and feel free to email us if you’re looking for a wedding we filmed at your venue, to see our style. We would love to capture your special day and we are looking forward to hearing from you!
Happy wedding planning!

Vendors: Photographer: Rachel Solomon // Videographer: Simply Cinema // Planning + Design: Regan with Imoni Events // Venue: Paradise Valley Country Club // Floral’s: Sarah’s Garden // Entertainment: Neon Band // Stationary: Paper Joy // Makeup: Lillian Fogel // Hair: Pin & Primp // Rentals: Event Rents + Glamour & Woods // Beer Burro: Haul N Ass Productions

Classic El Chorro Fall Wedding

Conner and Tegan are such an adorable couple with such class. Their wedding was a dream from the catholic ceremony in the gorgeous St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, to the stunning dinner space set up and designed by Sam with Revel and adorned with florals from Carte Blanche, to the after party space which was so fun you couldn’t help but want to have a good time! Conner and Tegan, we wish you a lifetime full of love, happiness, and adventure!

Feature Film:

Vendors: Photographer: Elyse Hall Photography // Videographer: Simply Cinema // Planning + Design: Revel Wedding Co. // Venue + Catering: El Chorro // Hair: Chelsea Sprinkle // Makeup: Created Beauty Co. // Floral: Carte Blanche // Rentals: Event Rents + Prim Rentals // Lighting: AZ Uplighting // Linen: La Tavola // Entertainment: The JJ’s Band // Getaway Car: Roscoe & Louie // Cake: aBake Shop

Serendipity in Life and Film with Taryn Pollock

Taryn, Owner of Serendipity & Simply Cinema, had the opportunity to be featured on Your Jubilee’s Podcast. They started up their podcast in June of this year! Your Jubilee started this podcast, The Celebrated Life, because as they shared; they wanted a way to live their purpose of a celebrated life. They wanted to connect with more people and share how life is more than the big moments. They’re passionate about “celebrating the journey and not just the destination.”

On this episode Taryn opens up about how she started Serendipity and Simply Cinema. Two very successful Wedding Videography companies based in Arizona.

She also shares out her top pieces of advice for starting up a new successful business and about her and her son’s struggle with PANDAS. If you have not educated yourself about PANDAS, and want to know more head to: www.pandasnetwork.org.

Taryn is now at a point where she advocates for PANDAS and wants to help others with PANDAS and their family recognize the symptoms. She understands all the people that could be currently dealing with misdiagnosis, so she tries to share her story and open other’s eyes about it.

To Hear Taryn’s Episode:

Click Here and play the link!

Taryn is so honored to be featured on this boss babe podcast and we can’t wait to listen to even more episodes! Make sure to subscribe if you’re interested in listening to amazing stories from local rock stars!

Photographer: Leslie Ann Photography

Bright Modern Arizona Biltmore Wedding

As I am sure you can tell by our social media, this was easily one of our favorite weddings to shoot! Also Jenn Wagner‘s photos she captures are unreal. I love when we are able to shoot a wedding alongside a photographer and capture the same emotion, moments, and feelings throughout the day. So when the two are looked at together, they are seamless, and that’s how I feel about this wedding.

Kristin and Jamie are absolutely made for each other. Both so sweet and thoughtful in their own ways. I learned from Jenn Wagner that the two planned a surprise each for one another. Jamie planned a flower wall for Kristin after a small little comment about it months prior. Kristin planned a firework show for Jamie. Both were able to keep the surprises totally secret until the day of the wedding when they were revealed.

Their wedding was full of bright colors, lots of flowers, and many happy tears. The two shared very sentimental vows with one another during the ceremony and had so much fun during their couple’s session.  We wish we could shoot their wedding over and over! Congrats Jamie and Kristin, we wish you two a lifetime of love and happiness, and lot’s of surprises!

How They Met:

Jamie and Kristin met online! She was new to Arizona and Jamie sent her a message, which actually impressed her, but she didn’t respond. Can you imagine?! Thankfully he is persistent, because he saw that she read his message and sent her another message, this one asking her to dinner. The two met the next night and have been together ever since!

The Proposal:

Jamie and Kristin had looked at rings together while on vacations and what not, so he had an idea of what she liked. Something big and shiny…who doesn’t?! But still, Krisitn had no idea when, or even if, he was actually going to propose. They were in Hawaii in November over her birthday so she thought if he was going to do it, he’d do it there. But what do you know, it didn’t happen. He, very cleverly as Kristin said, waited until the following week when they were hosting a 30 person Thanksgiving with all of their family and friends. With everyone present at the dinner Jamie asked Kristin to marry him! Kristin said it was amazing because then they got to have an impromptu engagement party afterwards!

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vendors: Photographer: Jenn Wagner Studio// Videography: Simply Cinema // Venue: Arizona Biltmore // Planner: Jessica with Shine Events // Florist: Sarah’s Wedding Garden // Entertainment: Got You Covered // Shoes: Badgley Mischka // Dress: Bella Lily Bridal + Hayley Paige // Cake: Ruze Cake House // Rentals: Prim Rentals + Party People

Modern Clayton on the Park Wedding

Adam and Sarah your wedding last season was such a joy to capture! Sarah and Adam were married at Clayton in the Park which is located in the heart of old town Scottsdale. The venue is so unique to Arizona as it’s not your typical desert scenery. Inside it is modern and chic and we absolutely love it there! You photo session has so many backdrop opportunity’s throughout old town!

Sarah and Adam decided to do a first look at it was absolutely precious and so emotional. Sarah couldn’t help but tear up with joy seeing her groom. Later during the ceremony, the emotions poured out again as Adam and Sarah committed their lives to one another.

They ended the night with the most epic dance party! I mean that floor did not empty for even a minute. We had the absolute best time capturing their day! Congrats Adam and Sarah! We wish you both a lifetime of love, happiness, and lots of dancing!

 

Vendors: Videographer: Simply Cinema // Photographer: Mary Claire Photography // Venue: Clayton on the Park // Florist: Lux Florist // Tux: Celebrity Tux and Tails // Hair: Hair by Emily Hughes // Makeup: Ashley Doran Makeup // Planner: Andrea Leslie Weddings