Tell us about your business, when did you get started?
We started Bodhi Tree Films in 2013. The business idea came about from our desire to tell more creative and meaningful wedding stories; to show different angle of the wedding day that you normally wouldn't see. My business partner Jason and I both have art backgrounds; mine in filmmaking and his in photography and graphic design, so we felt like we had a good foundation and experience to make that leap into entrepreneurship. The Bodhi Tree is an eastern philosophy symbol meaning to "live to your fullest potential." It's a fitting mantra for us as we apply it to every video project we take on.
What is your favorite part of the day to capture?
My favorite part about the wedding day is discovering and crafting a story from the little things that make the wedding and therefore, the couple unique. Whether it be DIY decor or a touching, handwritten letter read aloud, we always try to look out for these elements in every wedding because ultimately that's what is going to serve as the back drop for a more interesting and personal story.
What are some things couples should look for when looking for a videographer?
Every couple is different and their needs for a videographer will vary depending on their outlook on style, budget etc. I think what makes us unique our is passion to always to tell the best story we can. It's one thing to know how to shoot well, but it's another to know to tell a story with the moving images, editing and sound. That's something we're constantly exploring and trying to get better at. We treat the wedding day shoot much like a film production: pre-production, production and editing all go together hand in hand. We can't edit the way we want unless we shoot it the way want. And we can't shoot it the way we want unless we know what to shoot ahead of time. Whew! Hope that made sense! Ultimately, we want to produce a product that not only the couple will be ecstatic about, but also something we can be proud of as well. We work on these videos for a long time, we consider each and every one a passion project. We only try to take on 20 or so weddings a year.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
The most difficult part about shooting a wedding is finding that balance between what's expected, what's necessary and what's exciting. When you shoot 20 plus weddings a year, a lot of story lines may start to look and feel the same. A wedding day at its core is preparations/ceremony/photo session/reception; it can be difficult to craft a unique story every time. But we try our best to not fall into that trap of redundancy; our goal is to always get beyond that and find a deeper story. That's the tougher challenge, but it's also a much more rewarding experience once you find it. Essentially, with every wedding we're always exploring the theme of love and what love means to every couple.
Tell us about your latest project
Gigi & Perry's wedding took place at a very cool, but unconventional venue. Golden Walsh and Home is a garden center that they transformed into a wedding venue for a day. Everything was pretty much DIY by the bride herself. There was less than 60 guests there, so it was super intimate. Knowing all these details ahead of time really helped shaped a mood and style for us going in. We send questionnaires to all our brides before the wedding and that helps us to prepare a game plan for the day. I also attended their rehearsal, so I had a good idea of how the wedding would be set up and that really helped dictate our camera placement. We also shot much of the wedding at a higher frame rate knowing I was going to slow it down in post-production, making for a more dramatic effect. That effect wouldn't necessarily work for every video, but it did for this one given the mood the day conveyed. I can't stress enough how important preparation is for us!
"For All Eternity" | Gigi + Perry from Bodhi Tree Films on Vimeo.
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