Wedding Videography by Unknown Films

By Guest Blogger:
Dawn Morris of Rockin’ the Big Apple – New York City

Colors play an important role in the world that we live in. Color can persuade the way we think, the way we act and cause reaction. Many people think that color is just how things look and it is often mistaken as being only cosmetic. However, as a powerful form of communication, color is irreplaceable. Red means “stop” and green means “go.” it is a universal message. Likewise, the colors used for a product, web site, business card, or logo cause powerful reactions. On a wider level, the colors of our environment affect our behavior and mood. When yellow daffodils and red tulips bloom in spring, we immediately begin to feel happy; when grey skies and rain surround us we instinctively tend to hibernate.

A website is more than just images and text. A website is a marketing tool, like a storefront. It represents the company, owner, employees and products. It is a personality. A personality?! Yes. It represents a positive or negative presence. In a face-to-face meeting our body language speaks for itself. We smile, gesture, laugh, and become nervous. A website does exactly the same thing. The difference is: a website does it with color. They can make us happy, sad, angry, comfortable, nervous, and even trusting.

Colors and their meanings

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Blue is the number one “favorite color.” Blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable and committed. The color of sky and the ocean, blue is perceived as a constant in our lives.
How the color blue affects us physically and mentally

* Calming and sedate

* Cooling

* Aids intuition

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Green is second only to blue as a favorite color. Green is an ideal backdrop in interior design because we are so used to seeing it everywhere.
How the color green affects us physically and mentally

* Soothing

* Relaxing mentally as well as physically

* Helps alleviate depression, nervousness and anxiety

* Offers a sense of renewal, self-control and harmony

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Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. Yellow can also spark creative thoughts.
How the color yellow affects us mentally and physically

* Mentally stimulating

* Stimulates the nervous system

* Activates memory

* Encourages communication

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Orange, in most occasions it’s a strong “hate it” or “love it” kind of a response, also Fun and flamboyant orange radiates warmth and energy.
How the color orange affects us mentally and physically

* Stimulates activity

* Stimulates appetite

* Encourages socialization

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Red has more personal associations than any other color. Red draws attention and a keen use of red as an accent can immediately focus attention on a particular element.
How the color red affects us mentally and physically

* Increases enthusiasm

* Stimulates energy

* Encourages action and confidence

* A sense of protection from fears and anxiety

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Brown says stability, reliability, and approachability. It is the color of our earth and is associated with all things natural or organic.
How the color brown affects us physically and mentally

* Feeling of wholesomeness

* Stability

* Connection with the earth

* Offers a sense orderliness

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White projects purity and cleanliness. 
How the color white affects us mentally and physically

* Aids mental clarity

* Encourages us to clear clutter or obstacles

* Evokes purification of thoughts or actions

* Enables fresh beginnings

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Gray is timeless, practical, and solid. Gray also is associated with loss or depression. 

How the color gray affects us physically and mentally

* Unsettling

* Expectant

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Black is authoritative and powerful; because black can evoke strong emotions too much can be overwhelming. A classic color for clothing possibly because it makes the wearer appear thinner and more sophisticated.
How the color black affects us physically and mentally

* Feeling inconspicuous

* Restful emptiness

* Mysterious evoking a sense of potential and possibility.

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And we have saved the best for last… Our Color: PURPLE

Purple is the color of good judgment.

Purple has been used to symbolize magic and mystery, as well as royalty. Being the combination of red and blue, the warmest and coolest colors, purple is believed to be the ideal color. Most children love the color purple. It is the color most favored by artists.

It stands for luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also the color of passion, romance and sensitivity. Purple is the third favorite color in terms of color preference after blue and green. 

Purple also represents independence, creativity, nobility, power, passion, love, dignity, wit, and keen observation. In which we believe are important factors to event planning.

Colors are Universal, and throughout the ages, many different colors have been associated with different religious and spiritual meanings. 

But one aspect of color holds true in every corner of the world.  The colors we chose are not arbitrary, but hold personal meaning for us. 

We definitely have certain colors that “attract us”, and other colors we cannot even stand to wear or have around us.  The colors we chose are deliberate, carefully selected, and have personal meaning to us as an expression of “who we are”.

The colors we chose, to decorate our homes, flourish in our gardens, and adorn our body and personal spaces have a lot to offer us in the way of personal insight about what is going on inside, our innermost thoughts, feelings and emotions

So get to know yourself a bit more, know your true color and wear it well!

By Guest Blogger:
Dawn Morris of Rockin’ the Big Apple
(This post has been cross-posted on Rockin’ the Big Apple’s Blog)

By Guest Blogger:
Ashtyn Dickmeier of Glass Slipper Weddings

The True Value of a Bridal Consultant
Part 2 of “Don’t think you need a wedding coordinator? Think again!”

Take a deep breath and relax
We know you can’t be in two places at one time. Prior to your wedding you have enough on your plate already! Then your wedding day arrives. Sure, your mom can handle setting up the reception site, but she would much rather be sharing laughs with you as you get ready for your big entrance.
Wedding coordinators want you and your family to enjoy the day (and the months leading up to it!) Rather than calling around to dozens of vendors and venues, comparing prices and contract stipulations, you could have only one call to make. Your consultant is your liaison between you and everyone else involved. Knowing that everything is being taken care of can put your mind at ease and calm your nerves.
Not only can your planner handle the details, but they are also prepared to handle any unexpected situations that may arise. Coordinators do their best beforehand to prevent any possible “crisis”. However, should something happen, they will be prepared to tackle the problem. Many planners even bring along an “emergency kit” specifically for any problems that may arise at (or before) your wedding.

Sticking to the budget
Many brides hear about a great consultant in town and the first thing they think is, “I can’t afford that!” What they don’t realize is this: A coordinator is not out of their budget, but rather an important tool working for the budget!
“I would gladly give a bride $100 off of any package just for hiring a planner…simply because they make my job so much easier,” photographer Andrew Bowser expressed.
Andrew is only one of several vendors that offer special deals for wedding planners. Some planners also have contracts with certain venues to get their brides a lower rate every time!
In fact, for many coordinators, their goal is to save the bride what their fee would be. With the great rates a coordinator can often get, the bride actually saves any money she may have spent on the planner.
With planners like this in the area, it is a wonder that all brides don’t use one! Great ladies who know the right vendors, prepare for anything, and save you money – you can’t afford not to hire them! Remember the importance of your wedding day and hire someone with the knowledge and experience to make sure it goes smoothly!

Ashtyn Dickmeier
Personal Bridal Consultant
Glass Slipper Weddings
(417) 536-0584
Ashtyn@GlassSlipper-Weddings.com
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By Guest Blogger:
Ashtyn Dickmeier of Glass Slipper Weddings

To the rest of the world you may look like Superwoman. Maybe you’re taking several classes and trying to earn a living. Maybe you’re working odd hours at a stressful job. Maybe you’ve got children that need attention and support. Throw a wedding into the mix and you may find yourself a little overwhelmed. Wouldn’t it be nice to hand over a little of your stress and a lot of your to-do list to someone else? Solution – Hire a wedding coordinator.

It is a common misconception that a bride does not need – or cannot afford – a wedding coordinator. In reality, planners and coordinators are key if you want your wedding to be a success. There are many reasons why this is true, but wedding industry professionals all seem to agree on these top three reasons:

•They work with reputable vendors.
•They take a lot of stress off of the bride, groom, and both families.
•They can actually save you money!

Trustworthy vendors
Coordinators spend a lot of time getting to know their vendors. They find people that they can trust to be there, do a great job, and mesh well with the personalities of the bride and groom. We have all heard the horror stories of a DJ that the bride found on CraigsList for cheap that never showed up. Or even the photographer that snapped pictures of the couple with getting their heads in the shot, but somehow got lovely pictures of the bride’s attractive cousin…

Coordinators develop relationships with legitimate vendors they know they can depend on. A wedding is a reflection of the coordinator’s quality of work. They want to find vendors for you that will represent them well. Often, coordinators will keep a few special tricks up their sleeves just for their brides.

“We all have our secret vendors, you know,” shares Joyce Criswell of The Bride’s Maid, “A vendor with a special service who doesn’t market themselves to the rest of the wedding industry.”

Coordinators are gold mines of information. If you want it, they know how to find it!

In PART 2, check for more about how a coordinator can rid you of stress and save you money!

Ashtyn Dickmeier
Personal Bridal Consultant
Glass Slipper Weddings
(417) 536-0584
Ashtyn@GlassSlipper-Weddings.com
Follow on Facebook

Today is the launch on the new and improved unknownfilms.com homepage! After a couple months of planning, ideas, and lots of designs it’s finally here. We really liked our little, simple, easy to use homepage we used to have so it was a difficult decision to change it. With inspiration from the artwork of Piet Mondrian and the html coding work of Noah Helterbrand we created the next era of our company’s online face. We hope you like it as much as we do.

Our New Homepage

What I am going to do now is actually quite revealing for us. I’m not only going to explain why we chose the final design we did and show you the many designs it took us to get where we finally ended up, but I’m also going to show you pictures of the very first unknownfilms.com design, created seven years ago, that was never launched. Check them out at the end of this post.

I think you’ll agree with me that as clients change a company needs to change too in order to meet their requirements. New trends are always popping up and it’s up to each company to be ahead of those trends to provide the best possible service to every customer. Innovative ways of thinking and doing things are constantly happening all around us. If we don’t become a part of that innovation and create our own new ways, some other company will.

DEFINING OUR NEW HOMEPAGE:

It’s important to us at Unknown Films to have a solid structure on our website that allows for each user to have a fun and easy way to navigate our services. As we were getting very frustrated with not be able to decide what we liked and what design truly was an example of what we stood for it was brought to our attention by Kyaw Tha Hla that our latest design was emulating a famous artist by the name of Piet Mondrian (1872-1944). As you know our logo is based on the concept of squares. Mondrian held symmetry in a very high regard. This symmetry was something we were struggling to accomplish with our designs. After spending some time with images of Mondrian’s paintings our final design was born. As an homage to Piet and what his art stood for we created a design that not only can be viewed as a revival of Neo-Plasticim but also a way for us to show our visitors that everything we do is connected and strong. Our new design adds a level of happiness when its viewed compared to our old one, and lets us still remain mysterious without being too dark. In fact this is the first time we have ever used color on our homepage. We believe this new design will be ahead of the trends we see in our market and let our users find out what we do and who we are faster than before. This is the hub where everyone will be able to find and stay connected with us no matter what city we’re in.

Stay tuned for some slight modifications to the inner pages of our website too.

DESIGNS IN ORDER FROM NEWEST TO OLDEST

Concept #4 14 Mondrian

Concept #3 | Original Artwork

Concept #3 Gray

Concept #3 Black

Concept #2

Concept #2.1

Concept #1

2003 Design Page 1

2003 Design Page 2

2003 Design Page 3

2003 Design Page 4

This post has been dual posted on doingwhatweknow.com

by Nathan Maulorico
Unknown Films Wedding Videography

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve over heard brides and wedding coordinators explain the woes of not wanting to have a wedding just like everyone else’s or another family member. They say “My sister did that last year.”, or “I want to have my wedding in a really cool chapel, some place new!” etc. etc…. It seems some couples are looking to add originality into their wedding. Great!

I have always considered it part of my job to be creative. Not only do people just expect it of me but they want me to use that ability to make better videos for them. Part of being creative and business oriented at the same time is showing that you can explain your creativity to the client, so here it goes…

Choose innovation over limitation! People often mistake creativity by thinking it only applies to some kind of art form. It applies to everything! Including your wedding. Being innovate DOES NOT mean reinventing the wheel. It DOES mean taking everything you’re doing and finding new ways to accomplish the tasks you’ve made for your wedding plans. It also means making those new ways better. Better could mean better for you or better for everyone, who knows? A very good friend of ours once told my wife and I “It’s not the invention that changes the world, it’s innovation!”-Jeff Clinkenbeard

How are you going to make your wedding innovative? DON’T think in terms of limitations. DON’T assume your budget calls all the shots. DO let your passions and insights guide you throughout each idea. DO remember that you have a support group, even if it’s just the two of you. Take a breath and think.

Here’s a few quick notes about the good and the bad:

HELP INNOVATIONS
•Hope (it keeps you involved)
•Working & Brainstorming together (search out vendors that you feel are innovative too)
•Give things time to work out (you might not figure it all out overnight)
•Watch films and look at paintings that inspire you (I do this one a lot)
•Remember why you’re getting married in the first place (for love or glory?)

LIMIT LIMITATIONS
•Stress and pessimism (serious buzz kills)
•Not listening to others (you’re not the only one with good ideas)
•Arguing and telling everyone why their idea is wrong (Another one from Jeff)
•Being afraid (fear can lead to fast not well thought through actions)
•Not taking any breaks (Changing tracks can naturally lead to new ideas)

By Guest Blogger: Caroline the Bubbly Bride

Many times brides will ask me – if they have to choose between a photographer and a videographer, which one would be better to have at their wedding?

Just as every other detail and decision of a wedding goes back to priorities, so does this big question. There is no ‘better’, just a personal preference of how you want to remember your big wedding day. Photographers and videographers take the same wedding event and tell a similar story in two very different ways.

Photographers capture moments, they are able to shoot different angles and change the settings on the camera to create breathtaking still portraits. They edit each individual photo so that you are looking your best and the pictures are framed and designed. Photographers bring lighting and equipment with them to your wedding and work at capturing the perfect shot. Recently the most popular wedding photography style is photojournalist. Photographers snap unposed shots of the day so that you don’t just remember the planned pictures, but the uncensored details of the day are included. As a bride, you are able to flip through the photos, delete the ones you don’t like, and pick your favorites to display in a coffee table book for friends and family to see. With photos you can frame them on your wall or choose one as your computer desktop wallpaper. Photos are easy to change in size, put on a Christmas card or fill an album with.

Videographers on the other hand recap the good, the bad and the funny. From the time the video starts you hear and see everything. Adding audio to the photos allows you to remember the story in sort of a 3D way. You don’t just see your bridesmaids laughing – with a videographer you hear what they are laughing about. It becomes extremely personal when you hire a videographer to record your day. You hear yourself saying your vows, you feel the emotion in the room, you see the action of your first kiss and the cheers of celebration once you are announced as a couple. Your videographer will edit your video for you and usually set the day to music, but will keep your voices to help tell the story. There is no forgetting what happened in between the photos – you see it all. The bustle of getting ready the morning of and the rush to get to the church – you hear the guys joking around together before the big day and you hear the loud singing and dancing at the reception. Your video will be filled with emotion and create more vivid memories of your day. But you can’t create the same coffee table book out of an hour long video, or frame your DVD and put it on your wall. The video won’t be something you look at every day on your computer background, but when you do look at it the details of the day will rush back to you with full audio and emotion.

So, back to the first question – which one is better? That is not for me to decide. Every bride is different with different budgets and expectations of their day. I personally made both a priority and saved money elsewhere, while other brides I know didn’t have money for either and had to get creative with photos and videos of their day. Decide how you want to have your wedding day remembered because the photos and videos are what you will be watching on your 50th anniversary – what stories will you still be telling from the day?

Written by Caroline
Blogger at BubblyBride.com : Chicago. IL

By Guest Blogger: Susane Gruning

He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me!

Eureka, meaning “I found it – and you too will find Eureka Springs to be perfect wedding and honeymoon destination.

Why Eureka Springs? You will find Eureka Springs located in the heart of the Ozarks offers romance and ambience in peaceful and serene settings.

Because Eureka Springs is a favorite, many of the hotels, Inn Owners and event planners are experienced and ready to help you make your day fun and fabulous. Attention to detail is a promise so that your day is worry free. Wedding and honeymoon packages are abound to meet your specific needs and budget.

Thorncrown Chapel

There are so many possibilities. Whether traditional and in a church, a simple elopement ceremony for two, an over-the-top wedding ball room extravaganza, an intimate family gathering, dreamy and tranquil by the lake, magical in a glass chapel, storybook on a horse & carriage fit for Cinderella or fun and funky in the middle of a park or a ballroom. We are delighted to offer you a special one of kind package to make your stay magical.

We welcome you to visit our town or visit the Chamber of Commerce’s wedding planner site for more information. eurekasprings.org or contact me at info@eurekaspringsaccommdations.com.

Written by Susane Gruning
Inn Owner and Event Planner
Owned and operated a turnkey business for the past 5 years. Holds a MBA and specializes in hospitality. Her husband Mike Gruning also has hospitality experience and currently is employed with Hyatt Hotels as Regional Director of Engineering. Together their skills offer a unique blend of talent towards success. Susane is also exploring the possibility of Inn owning consulting. She teaches a part-time as an adjunct professor at Southwestern College and University of Phoenix.
chantillylaceinn.com

Part of creating you own wedding day masterpiece is finding what makes your work of art stand out above the rest. Every couple wants unique ways to remember their big day, without having to wonder if all their friends are just going to do the same thing later at their wedding (those idea thieves!).

If you want to keep your guests talking about your wedding years later you’ve got to dazzle them while still having fun and seeming stress free yourself. Don’t be afraid to try new things, and in this case try a new old thing by having all your guests sign in using a cool vintage typewriter.

Each guest will have the opportunity to literally type their names and/or message to you on on a real typewriter! Not only is this fun for the guests but also a unique way for you to save what everyone wrote to you as a keepsake. Use a good, thick, high quality paper in a color that accents your theme or good ol’ classic white. Properly preserve each typed page into another old book you might find at the antique mall or something else you want to show off in your home.

Simple but creative ideas like this will keep people enthusiastic when retelling the story of their experience at your wedding. The typewriter guest book isn’t too strange and won’t weird people out either. It’s also clearly understood what do with it when your guests see it at an entry table. If you’re unsure just type a heading on each page that defines what you want the guest to write. Have Fun!

It’s only appropriate that the first topic we address on this new wedding blog is about Videography and why it’s important. Of course right, I mean that is the name of the blog after all. I’m going to go over the basics to clarify what it is to those not familiar with it and show how it’s one of the greatest complements to photography when both used at the same time. Don’t hesitate to ask questions and/or further develop this conversation with your comments either. I really want to hear what everyone has to say.

First of all let’s cover what present day wedding videography is. Wedding videography can actually be a few different things. A record of an event, a cinematic interpretation of an event or some kind of combination of both. These two basic types can also be broken down into sub categories like storytelling, interview, journalistic, traditional and on and on and on. Not everyone will agree with me but I think the “what actually happened version” and/or the “interpretive version” are the foundations for the rest, which are really just editing styles anyway. Don’t get me wrong here, editing style should play a huge role on who you choose to produce your wedding video. We’ll save editing styles for another post though. I just want everyone to know what videography is.

Wedding videography has been around for a while now, about 30 years or so in a professional main stream format. Since the invention of a hand held camcorder by Sony. 8mm did precede video but due to cost and user ability it couldn’t catch on as fast as video tapes did. Quality was also a feature that took a while to advance to what we know and enjoy today. Considering the fact that viewing documentary cinema publicly has only been around since December 28, 1895 with films shown by the Auguste and Louis Lumière, in Paris France, videography has had a short life so far. Photography on the other hand can be traced back to as far as even the 5th century B.C. with people already developing primitive versions of a pinhole camera.

Enough history, what does that mean to wedding videography? It means that it is still a relatively new thing in the wedding industry. It hasn’t caught on near as much as photography. The trend is leading that way as brides find new talented video producers, but look at the obvious. How many couples ensure they have a photographer before a videographer? How many couples don’t even add a videographer into their budget? Photography is simply more popular at this moment in time. The beauty is that photography and videography together can create a masterpiece of an event. As the future approaches people will see that a moving picture is equally important as a non moving one. Video contains audio and visual sense awareness. In the future it may even contain more! We all watch TV and most of us love it because it does let us use multiple senses. To have a personal “TV show or movie” that no one else can have an exact copy of is an elite thing. When a wedding is involved, videography can be a very special memory that only the true filmmaker can give you. You must find that videographer that has the raw talent to know how to move the camera and use it as an extension of their body.

That videographer must also have the skills to edit your story the way you want it. Let’s be realistic, yes we’ve all heard the cliché about your uncle who has a video camera and makes home movies, but doesn’t everyone have a photo camera too. Why not have your uncle shoot the photos? Why?! Because it’s your wedding! Everything has to be perfect. Cutting corners may be something you HAVE to do but it’s never anything you WANT to do.

Minimizing your chances of imperfection at your wedding by hiring a professional is worth paying for. Knowing that you get what you want and don’t have to settle is worth paying for. An everlasting memory made by people who love the art of visual moving pictures is worth paying for. I’m a videographer and even I paid for it. Don’t miss out on what you could have had because you didn’t think it was as important as a photo. Together a photo and a video will give you what you want to see. A photo will hang on the wall in your house as a happy reminder and the laughter, tears, feelings, and moments you didn’t get to see, captured on video, will allow you to go back and relive that very special day.

Since this blog is new, I wanted to write a little bit about what our intentions for this blog are and what Unknown Films is.

Let’s start with who we are. My name is Nathan Maulorico and my wife’s name is Megan. We created Unknown Films in 2003 as a way to improve the quality of video work we had been seeing for years in our area. Although I have been involved in filmmaking for years before 2003, the many people asking for us to shoot their videos and weddings started to become a full time job. That’s when we decided to open our doors, and now we have expanded to serving Manhattan and Eureka Springs as well as traveling all over the country to anywhere brides ask us to go. We knew our goals were to have better customer service and even better videos. This is an art form! We also wanted to have a real relationship with all our customers and the fans of Unknown Films. We accomplish these goals by doing everything we can to make our clients happy as well as being available in multiple ways and far more often than our competitors. We legitimately care! Just caring and going the extra mile isn’t everything though, so we have the quality and commitment to back it up.

Our goal for this blog is to have an avenue for you, us, and others we trust to communicate about thoughts and events on wedding related topics. We’ve read a lot of wedding blogs and we don’t want this to be just another wedding blog lost in cyberspace. We intend to give our readers real content they can use, insights into ideas you may not have thought of before, and a new way to meet creative, unique, and quality vendors in the wedding industry.

As we get this blog up and running feel free to let us know what you like or don’t like. Tell us what you want to read and see so this blog can become even better.

Thank you!
Nathan & Megan Maulorico