BRAND NEW BLISS* BLOG!

Yep! It's time to say goodbye to blogger and hello to a beautiful new custom blog. If you happen to have this on your RSS feed, please update with our new address by clicking the button above or here: www.blissvideoproductions.com/blog .

{Bliss* Buzz}

I know, I know. It's been much too long... but a new blog at a new address is around the corner and we are so excited to share it very very soon.

::Wedding Chic:: hosted by Gump's

Let's just say... this ain't no bridal fair.

If you are getting married in the San Francisco Bay Area, this is a MUST SEE event. Hand picked artists and businesses are on hand to discuss and meet with you in an intimate setting while you peruse Gump's always gorgeous store. What I love about this event is that Gump's only chooses one specialist from each category so there's no awkward trade show feel. This year Bliss* is honored to be chosen for Cinema along with our friends www.kathleendeerydesign.com and www.idreamofcake.com. If you are looking for inspiration this is the place to find it. Be sure to stop by and say hi!

{Check it Out}

:: NEW TREATS COMING SOON! ::

As you may have noticed, we have been very bad at updating the blog.

Traditionally the end of the year is a slow time for us, but not the case this year! We were jet-setting machines over the holidays with Kristen* and crew racking up over 300k air miles since our last post. So much has happened and we wanted to let you know that lots of great new work, info and insight is going to be hitting your screen VERY soon.

We've been hard at work on some fabulous things and we just can't wait to share them with you. So please, accept our apologies for the lack of posting, we promise it will be worth it once you see what we've put together.

love Bliss*

Laughternoon Break

We just can't get enough of this clip. It's just... well.... see for yourself.

YAY for GREEN FESTIVAL!

It's our favorite time of year....

The leaves are turning... pumpkin soup is in season.... Starbucks brings back it's peppermint hot chocolate {yum}.... and The Green Festival rolls into town!

Just blocks from our office, sustainable and fair-trade organizations from around the country converge to put together the most kick-ass 3 day weekend of earth friendly products and seminars. Yes the smell of patchouli and body odor may fill the air, but it is well worth it once you're inside. The veggie food, handmade goods and new green technologies are amazing. Last year we saw everything from silk worm shawls from Vietnam {which we bought} to solar powered toilets. It's also so fun to people watch, it's like a post-tribal burning man reunion.

Another reason we love going {besides the epic amount of free tea and vegan goods} is the seminars. Learning about how to run an earth friendly business that gives back to the SF community is serious stuff here at Bliss*. Last year we went to hear and support our friends Ari & Eric at Back To Earth Organic Catering as they taught about how to grow a sustainable company while staying fiscally transparent. Good stuff! This year they have names like Chuck D and Dr. Cornel West speaking. Wow!

If you are wondering if the Green Festival is heading your way, check out their website at: www.greenfestival.org .

Ahem....

For Realz.

Fashion + Art = Lampshades Film!

{for best viewing, press pause just after hitting play to allow the film to load. Wait for it to load fully before watching}

I am so excited to share the film that we produced for Gump's. This was a fabulous runway fashion show of amazing lampshades designed by artists, celebrities and designers. As a lover of fashion, I've always enjoyed shooting models on Black and White 16mm film. It just has a wonderful texture, especially for a behind-the-scenes feel. Not only was this so much fun for us to shoot and edit, but as an art school graduate I love that the money went to a great cause - a scholarship fund for California College of the Arts (CCA). Enjoy!

Re:Post from Sparkliatti:: Feed Me

This is a brilliant post from our dear friend Sasha at Sparkliatti. Enjoy!
Today we introduce a new segment -- the "Sparkliatti Lesson" These lessons are geared mainly for brides but hopefully other vendors will gleen a little bit out of it as well.

One reason why I selected Feeding Your Vendors as the first "Lesson" is that it's something that you can easily put into production when you're figuring out your budget.

The first lesson is on feeding your vendors. It's unfortunate, but my contract spells out the kind of meals that we are fed at weddings -- even if I'm the one organizing the menu and calling in your final counts. I cannot stress to you enough that if you do not think about your vendor meals, the vendors will be in a hurry to go home and stop & McDonald's on the way. In other words, a well fed vendor is a happy vendor.

Some things to remember:

1. Vendors working four consecutive hours or more are served a HOT MEAL. Most vendor meals are 50% of the guest meal cost.

2. Vendors should always be seated within earshot of the wedding festivities or they could miss the toasts, cake cutting or anything else spontaneously happening that is either moved up or not on the timeline.

3. Vendors should NEVER sit at tables in the room with the guests. Why? Because it's just tacky. That's right, I said it.

4. Vendors should NEVER go through the buffet line with the guests. Once again...tacky. It's not that hard for the caterer to put some of the buffet into disposible containers and deliver it buffet style to the vendor area.

5. If you have a band that needs to be fed - serve them separately before the other vendors. for a few reasons: a) they notoriously eat all the food and leave a huge mess of nothing for all the other vendors & b) if you feed them first, their breaks will be shorter later.

Don't even get me started on the fact that I was once served a moldy sandwich at a very well known wedding venue in San Francisco.

Now, let me explain how this works. You've asked to add vendor meals to your banquet order or menu pricing and the caterer or site has given you a cost. What you need to know now is...is that a hot meal? Buffet? Or is it a box lunch with a soggy sandwich, chips and apple juice? Please ask and use this rule of thumb: Whether it's a buffet of lasagne, salad, bread and cookies or a seated meal of chicken, salad and potatoes. Does not matter, usuallly, to the vendors.

Also and MOST IMPORTANTLY the vendors need to eat at the same time or before the guests. Do you want your photographer noshing while you're supposed to do your first dance? Then why is it so difficult for caterers to understand that it's in the client's best interest to feed us all early? It all cooks at the same time, so what the heck? I don't understand it but Brides - stand up and make a point to tell the caterer that this is NECESSARY no matter how much they try to convince you that it's not necessary or it's "not how they normally do it". What.ever.

When seating your vendors, it's typical that there is a kitchen area or a room within earshot where teh vendors can toss their items down, plug in their battery packs for the photographer & video and have a meal. Not all vendors dine at the same time so it's a great idea to have a buffet for them and as stated above PLEASE feed the band separately. As much as we "love" the band -- nothing is more irritating to a vendor than a needy band who just showed up an hour ago and wants their food and we've been there for 10 hours doing hard labor and had a Diet Coke and some stale crackers from the trunk of our car.

Just remember, while it may cost you a few extra bucks, a happy, well fed vendor is more willing to work harder, longer and be less irritable. In the long run, it makes you the best bride ever!

Food for thought....when was the last time you worked 8 hours straight WITHOUT a break?

Rocky Mountain High

Just wanted to let you all know that Kristen* is still in Colorado on personal leave and will be back in the office Wednesday. If you need to get in touch, Madelaine is in the office this week from 12-5pm or reachable by email at blissvideo[@]earthlink[dot]net.

Happy Anniversary! :: Alana & Javier

A year ago, we had the wonderful pleasure of working with Cara & Erin at Caravents in Los Angeles to film the wedding of Alana and Javier at The Vintage Estate in the Napa Valley. Their event was designed by the always inspiring R.Jack Balthazar who created a "modern harvest" feel. Alana and Javier are no strangers to beautiful design, they are the design team behind Me Art & Design which creates modern minimalist cards with custom illustration printed on high end papers.

This is just a taste of their gorgeous event which we filmed mostly on Super 8mm film sprinkled with bits of video here and there for a documentary feel.

Enjoy!

Laughternoon Break

Julie Hill from Elysium sent me this and I fell off my chair. Brilliant! I wish I could have been at this wedding.

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Here We Go!

It's going to be a busy week{end} and coming week!

We are heading off to LA for a modestly HUGE event with our gal pals event designer Sasha Souza and photographer Elizabeth Messina. We are so excited about this party.... can't spill the beans now, but *hopefully* we can share some of the cool and outrageous moments that are to come. The decor alone is going to be off the grill and we are pulling out all the stops with multiple 16mm cams, High-Def cams and steadicam. This party will have over 30 vendor companies.... I think we {vendors} even get our own deluxe bathroom trailer... whoohoo! Let's hear it for air conditioning and faux wood walls.

But even more exciting than hot towels and scented handsoap is:

This is where it is at! From Sunday-Thursday our offices will be closed as we spend time with fellow photographers and videographers in the great city of New Orleans for Re:Frame 08.

Kristen* will be speaking on Super 8mm film and the use of branding and marketing to an intimate group of about 50 studios from all over the world. We *LOVE* New Orleans, especially the french quarter area and are excited to be coming back to be a part of this incredible industry experience. If you are a event video company or a photographer that is interested in film or being a part of a new experience in the wedding field, you must head on over to Re:Frame and check it out.

Exciting news is going to be hitting the net as each day unfolds over at the Re:Frame blog...... stay tuned!

~ Constant Rotation ~

Radiohead "True Love Waits"

One of my favorite songs to listen to when I travel.... which lately has been all the time. I especially love starting the song just as the plane starts to pick up speed for take off. {try it sometime} :)

Happy Anniversary! :: Wendy & Frank

A year ago today we were celebrating the marriage of Wendy and Frank at a private estate deep in the Wine Country. Not sure what's harder to believe... that a year has already past, or that it was raining in September!

This fabulous wedding was created by the always wonderful Annena Sorenson at Annena & Co. and designed by the one and only Kathleen Deery. Kathleen created a warm and yummy rustic charm palette filled with baby birds nests, vintage ribbons and woven branches surrounded by candlelight. Check out Wendy's ethereal Jenny Packham gown {a personal fave}. Love! Love! Love it! San Francisco photographer Karina Marie Diaz took fabulous photos like the one below. It's always a pleasure working with this team of talented women in the Bay Area.

So in honor of Wendy and Frank and their fabulous wedding, we share with you a small snippet of their wedding shot on Super 8mm film. Their wedding was filmed with a mixture of neg and reversal stocks and transferred to enhance the organic and rustic tones of their party. Enjoy!

Fashion + Art = Lampshades!

"Most brilliant ideas begin with a lightbulb. This one began with a lampshade. Gump's handed a basic shade to an array of artists, designers and celebrities, and asked them to create one-of-a-kind works to be auctioned in support of a new endowed scholarship to the California College of the Arts (CCA). Their works will be presented in one gala evening, atop the heads of models on the catwalk, in what will surely rank as one of the most inspired fashion shows ever staged."

This past Wednesday we had the distinct pleasure of shooting a very unique fashion show for Gump's. What a blast! It was so cool to be able to shoot so many incredible designs as well as to see such an array of San Francisco's most respected artists and designers come out to support such a fun and fabulous event. As an added bonus, our neighbor and good friend Kathleen Deery (her studio is just behind ours) designed the shows finale shade and it was truly decadent.

There are still shades available on the online auction here if you are interested in donating for a great cause: Clothes Off Our Backs.

We are busy editing the film from the event but will be sure to feature it here when it's ready!

From Miss to Mrs.

photo by Elizabeth Messina

What an amazing day it was! It the coming months I'll be blogging about the ups and downs and the do's and don'ts that I experienced in this crazy wedding process. What kept me sane was my all-star team of friends in this industry that pulled out all the stops to make that weekend one of the best weekends of mine and my husbands life.

Vote for Us! ::pretty please::

Wow! We just found out that we were nominated for SF Gate's Best of the Bay. It would mean so much if you could take a moment to vote for us! All you have to do is:

:: Click here ::
Create a Login and Vote!

It's also a great way to look up yummy eats and services. We've already cast our votes for favorite tea house { Leland Tea Company } and coffee shops { Philz }.

From Wedding Videographer to Bride...

An enchanted and magical wedding occurred this past weekend. Bliss* will have limited office hours for the month of Aug as Kristen* is taking some down time to enjoy wedded bliss! (haha, get it? oh that was bad). Studio Manager guru Galen will be in the office on Monday's & Thursday's from 9:30am-5:30pm to take calls. The sparkle ship will be back to full speed on August 26th.

It's been a while

With the start of our destination weddings in May, wedding season has kicked into high gear and sadly, our blog has been neglected. So much has been going on. Full disclosure is coming soon but here is a glimpse at some of the exciting things happening in the world of Bliss*:

New Toys! The Sony XD Camera for our HD clients. Now we can offer weddings in a variety of formats including 24p, 16x9 and 1080i in addition to Standard 4x3 and our 16mm and Super 8mm packages.


Marriage? Yes! That's right... in a matter of weeks Miss Bliss* herself will be getting hitched and sharing her journey through the good, bad and crazy as an industry bride trying to plan 'the wedding of her dreams' in just 6 months.

Tapeless Format. Goodbye tapes, hello tiny memory cards! Greener, cleaner and more efficient. (a little scary to adjust to... but no different than photographers who shoot digital). Now raw footage will be digital from the moment it's first captured. Exciting!


New Crew! In June we welcomed a new studio manager to the Bliss* team. Galen is an organization wizard whose passion for fashion has him getting his degree at the Academy of Art University, our Alma Mater. So happy to have him onboard.


Travel. Lots and lots. This weekend takes us to Santa Barbara and in a few weeks we will be heading to Colorado. We are looking forward to the season chilling out so we can hunker down and edit and showcase some of the amazing events we've been privileged to capture this year.

More info and clips coming soon!