Some TTD candid moments

These are some shots that my niece, Samantha took during the Philadelphia Trash the Dress on May 11, 2008. I just wanted to share some shots with everyone to show what a great time we all had. It was a blast, and I have some other photos that I will be posting over the next weeks.

I decided to do a little Photoshop work on these two. To see some truly excellent photos, go to the Philadelphia Trash the Dress blog.

Katie takes a break between shots

Carrie loves her Cats

The B.I.G. Video Show

B.I.G. = Bride Instant Gratification.

This video was filmed, edited and shown on May 16, 2008 for Jennifer and Nick. Not only is it great for the guests to see things they missed, but the bride and groom get to view their wedding from the guest's perspective. And then they get an instant keepsake of their wedding to share with friends and loved ones.

This song is by Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers and is about two people who have identified themselves as soul mates and know that it's inevitable that they will fall in love. My favorite lyrics in the song are - 

So it's official now, there's nothing we can do.

Now you're a part of me, and I'm a part of you,

and we can see our one and one makes more than two.

Is Roger trying to say that the couple is greater than the sum of their parts, or is he saying that it destiny that they have children? Only Jennifer and Nick can answer that question.

The song is Maybe We Should Fall in Love by Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers. 

Philadelphia Trash the Dress

The Philly Trash Bash was a tremendous success. We all had such a great time running around Philadelphia and making spectacles of ourselves. The photographers got so many great photos and we got some great video. We'll be posting some video teasers later today or tomorrow, but for now you can munch on some photos at The Philadelphia Trash the Dress Blog.

photo by Kamila Harris

Starting the Season

This weekend marks the start of the wedding season. I think of a better way to do it than with two weddings - one at The Curtis Center and the other at Glen Foerd Mansion. These are two of our favorite places to film. And then we have the Trash the Dress on Sunday with the 6 great photographers.

I'd say we're hittin' the ground running in 2008.

And we are really looking forward to a great wedding season. I have had the opportunity to meet with so many great couples this past year and hear so many creative ideas to make their weddings unique. I think we're going to end up with some of our best work to date.

Making your wedding favors count

Wedding favors can not only be expensive, but can be extremely difficult to seem "cool". Each favor is only about $5. So what can you get that is really cool for $5?  Not much.

But your $5 can make a difference in somebody's life. I encourage brides that if you are having a hard time finding the perfect wedding favor, consider making a donation to Alex's Lemonade Stand as your favor. You can contact them and I understand you can get a yellow rubber bracelet for every donation you make.

Your wedding is going to make a big change in your life, why not have it make a big change in a child's life?

Stone Temple Pilots (?)

On a search of Ticketmaster.com I come across a listing for Stone Temple Pilots tickets. I figured they must be still plugging away after they kicked Scott Weiland out due to his repeated drug use and subsequent trips to jail and/or rehab. Curiousity got the best of me and I clicked and I saw what appeared to be a recent picture of the band with Weiland. A few clicks more and I discover they have reunited for a summer tour with their ultimate goal to land an opening position on a possible Led Zeppelin reunion and tour.

First, I find it amazing that STP has any fans at all. In their heyday they had a few songs that I played in my cover band, but I really never knew anybody who could claim to being a fan or seeing them in concert. They were like Michael Jackson. Everybody knew and liked a few songs but would never admit to being a fan.

Second, they have never been known to be the most creative band on the planet so why Scott Weiland would leave a band like Velvet Revolver, with legendary guitar player Slash, is just mind boggling. This guy should have been dead from drugs over 10 years ago. He's probably got the most charmed life of any drug addict rock star I have ever seen and yet he never seems to appreciate what he has.

My prediction - Velvet Revolver will come back with a better singer with a great 3rd CD, and with 3 members from the Guns 'n' Roses line-up there is no reason they can't do so. STP will play half the shows of their North American tour when news reports will fly that Weiland has once again broken his parol orders and been caught with drugs on him. The DeLeo brothers weren't able to keep this freak clean 10 years ago, I don't know why they think they can now.

The Flu

Last week I had 3 days out with the flu, so I wanted to warn everybody to try and prevent illness whenever possible. Wash your hands more often and don't touch your hands to your face. there is definitely something going around. I had a bad case of it in January, my wife had it just a few weeks ago and I had 3 days last week.

Vote for Kenneth Stillman Video

They finally listed me for best videographer on the Jersey Shore. So y'all should head on over and vote for me.
Click here.

Vote for Kamila

Vote for Kamila Harris to be the best wedding photographer on the Jersey Shore. This is a contest run by a local Fox TV station.

I was supposed to be nominated but they haven;t listed me yet. I have a feeling thy might be limiting the contest to only vendors who are actually located near the Jersey Shore. This is completely unfair as I do about 30 weddings down the shore each summer. But keep an eye on the videographer section anyway and if I show up you should vote for me as well.

Artie Lange Quits the Howard Stern Show

Today on the Howard Stern Show, Artie Lange got in a verbal argument with his personal assistant, Teddy. It escalated to to the point where Artie left his chair and attempted to hit Teddy. After a minute of cooling off Artie came back and started arguing with Howard and accused him of fanning the fire and provoking the attack. The end result was that Howard told Artie that he cannot be allowed to stay if he's going to hit people. Artie could not guarantee he could control himself and offered his resignation, which Howard quickly accepted.

For a long time Howard Stern fan this is great news although I have doubts it will be permanent. I think Artie will be back after the show takes a week's vacation. I have been listening to Howard for over 20 years and I would love to see Jackie Martling come back to the show. To me it's just not funny watching a guy self destruct on the air. I also don't like the way the dynamics of the show has changed since Jackie left. Jackie would wrote skits and song parodies, and during interviews would hand Howard funny lines and questions to ask the guests. It seemed like Jackie was very unselfish the material he wrote and didn't mind somebody else getting credit for his jokes.

With Artie all that seemed to change. When he decides to stay awake he interjects stupid little comments that are only meant to be self-serving. His only real purpose there is to promote his standup act, which is not that good to begin with (we saw him at the Borgata). The same can be said for those two idiots Sal Governale and Richard Christy. They don't ever write anything for Howard - they just do song parodies and make prank phone for Howard to play on the air. Didn't the Jerky Boys already do that?

For years a running gag on the show was for everybody to say "F- Jackie", but now I want to say " F- Artie" and bring back Jackie.

MIKA

For the last 6 months I have been listening to a great new artist named MIKA. He has some vocal characteristics of the late Freddie Mercury, while creating some catchy and danceable pop songs. If you haven't heard of him you can check him out on iTunes with his new CD Life in Cartoon Motion.

My favorite songs from the CD are Grace Kelly, Love Today, Lollipop, Stuck in the Middle, Billy Brown, and Big Girl (You Are Beautiful). Once you start listening to this CD you won't be able to stop.

Reconciliation

Monday night I had to attend church, but I wasn't filming a wedding. My son, Andrew, had to go for reconciliation. This is the first time a child offers his confession to a priest. He also gave a reading, which he did very well. I was expecting him to be sitting with the priest for well over an hour but surprisingly he was only with him a few minutes. So either my son isn't as bad as I thought he was, or the Father gave him a raincheck because he didn't have enough time.

Reader Comments

For the life of me I haven't been able to figure out how to turn comments on my blog. I know it shouldn't be hard, and I have clicked on every stupid button in the settings menu and it's not working. Can anybody help me?

White Castle

Last night I met with a nice couple in Hoboken, NJ. Somehow during the conversation the subject turned to White Castle. I honestly cannot recall how the topic got from wedding videos to White Castle, but it just happens sometimes.

So I explained that we used to have White Castles down in Philly but they have all closed up. The groom was nice enough to draw me a map to the nearest restaurant up there. Sure I know it was 9:30 at night and I was 90 minutes from home, but when faced with a tough decision you just have to ask yourself - what would Neil Patrick Harris do?

Philadelphia Trash the Dress get official website

We now have an official website to compliment our official blog.

Okay, I admit it....our official website takes you directly to the official blog. But at least now you have a shorter website name to give to people when you try and explain what Trash the Dress shoot is.

Vendor Spotlight - Cindy Patrick Photography

Wedding Myth: Vendors can do their job much better when they have worked together before.

Answer: False.

I don't know how this myth ever got started but working with a certain vendor or at a certain location has absolutely no effect on how well a vendor will perform on your wedding. Case in point was the wedding of Joanne and Dan that I filmed with Cindy Patrick this weekend. I had heard Cindy's name passed around quite a bit lately, so I'm sure that we're working together at a few more weddings this year, as well as our Trash the Dress session on May 11, 2008.

But not only did Cindy not hinder my performance, I think she actually enhanced it. I think wedding vendors do better work when we're in better moods (take heed all you bridezillas). Cindy was so much fun to work with. We talked about weddings, and the industry, and traded war stories. Her assistant for the day was her sister, Robin, and she was loads of fun as well.

Cindy does fantastic work. She is creative and is always looking for new twists on the old themes. Check out her blog and the pictures of the couple's rings. That shot is so reflective of the couple's personalities. Now I would love to be there to film it when Joanne and Dan have to explain this picture to their kids. LOL

So the key is to get wedding vendors that are both creative and friendly. True professionals know how to show up and do their job without hindering the performance of any other wedding vendor. And in the process it's nice to make a new friend or two. I'm now looking forward even more to working with Cindy at our Trash the Dress, as well as many more times in the future. I now not only have a fun and creative colleague to work with, I have a great friend.

American Idol

So let me start off by saying that I am not a fan of American Idol. I've never seen the show except for the few short weeks when the fans of Howard Stern were voting for Sanjaya. I'm sure it's entertaining as millions of people watch it every week. I just don't like the whole premise of selecting somebody to be the next big pop star. I'm 39 so I grew up in an age when bands and singers had to go out and earn people's respect. They had to go and play small clubs and build a following. This was called paying your dues.

The singers on American Idol are given songs to sing each week. They don't get to choose the songs, but they do get to change the arrangements if they wish. So they are just doing a bunch of cover tunes, which is another thing I am not happy about. Most cover tunes are bad renditions of classic hit songs and except for a few cases do not need to be redone in the first place. If you need an example just do a Google search for Hillary Duff doing The Who's My Generation, or Dolly Parton singing Stairway to Heaven. 'Nuff said.

So what does this have to do with anything? Last week on American Idol a young singer came on and did one of the most incredible covers I have ever heard. He did a cover of Michael Jackson's Billy Jean. I heard Howard Stern talking about how good he was so I went to iTunes out of curiosity. When I heard this song I downloaded it immediately. Out of all the winners on American Idol, I haven't really liked any of them, but this kid can sing and I hope he wins and then doesn't go all bubblegum pop on us. I'd like to see him use his strong vocals to build a solid music career around some good songs.

So go to iTunes and download David Cook's version of Billie Jean. You will be amazed.

Concert of one of my favorite bands.

This Friday night I am going to see one of my favorite bands of all time, Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers. I haven't been able to see them the last two times they came to town because I had weddings to film. They aren't a huge national act so their tours get booked only a few months in advanced, while my wedding videos can sometimes get booked up to two years in advance.

you may not know this band by this name but most people recognize them by their former name, The Refreshments. They had a big hit back in 1995 with a song called Banditos, and are well know for recording the theme some to the King of the Hill TV show. Since their major label dropped them after their second Cd didn't sell very well (mainly because it wasn't promoted very well), they have gone on to become one of the most popular indie bands in the country.

Their southwestern style of rock is in the vain of the Eagles and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Their songs are often flavored with lyrics and images of Mexico, Tequila, and having good times with good friends. Even going to a concert there are many fans who come from all over the country to see them.

Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers are appearing live at World cafe Live this friday night. tickets can be purchased here - World Cafe Live.

The bands website is here - Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers.

Philly Trash the Dress - THE WINNERS!

Wow, we have had such a great response to our little contest and so many great brides responded that it was a tough decision. We really wish we could film them all. We would like to thank all the entrants for sharing their passion for their wedding days with us. But alas, we only have 6 photographers so we can only take 6 brides. But if this is as successful as we think it will be there may be another TTD in the fall.

So here is your Philadelphia Trash the Dress Class of '08 -

Caitlin
Carrie
Erika
Katie
Christine
Constance

Congratulations to all the winners. You will be contacted by Kamila Harris with further details very soon.

To see the work of our video team and the photographers involved click on the links below. We have the day scheduled so you will work with each photographer at least twice.

Kenneth Stillman Video
Kamila Harris
Sarah Schulte
John Arcara
Paul Roebuck
Cindy Patrick
Stephanie Sherwood

Trash the Dress Blog

The Philadelphia Trash the Dress is in full swing now and we have set up our own blog to keep brides up to date on the happenings in the PhillyTrash world. The winners of the PhillyTrash contest will be announced her as well as on our individual blogs. 

We will also keep the winners and other interested parties informed of our plans that we will be hatching. The brides will have a chance to add their own contributions to the blog and we will also use it to announce future Trash the Dress sessions.

The blog can be found here.

Trash the Dress Update - the voting has begun

We have closed the entry process because we have so many great brides already. We will be making our decisions and announcing the winners on Friday, March 21st at noon.

The Trash the Dress will take place on Sunday, May 11th in various locations around the great City of Philadelphia. I will have the opportunity to work not only 6 of the most adventurous brides in the area but 6 of the best photographers in the area.

So far the line-up is this:

Kamila Harris

Sarah Schulte

Cindy Patrick

Paul Roebuck

Stephanie Sherwood

John Arcara

Going Over the Details

With the wedding season fast approaching I though it would be a good time to cover our MO (Method of Operations).

Because we film everything documentary style, with absolutely no posed shots, the only thing we need to know is when and the where things are going to happen. We need times and locations for bride and/or groom preps, ceremony, and reception. We also need a rundown of all the important events happening at your wedding. We don't need exact times because the time line is usually out the window by the time the bride's makeup is done.

AS far as the reception is concerned, the best thing you can do for us is to explain to the DJ that you are having your wedding professionally filmed and instruct them to make sure they tell us at least 30 seconds in advance of any events or announcements. This allows us to get our cameras in position. And you read correctly we only need about 30 seconds so it shouldn't be that hard for the DVD to accommodate us.

Now to keep things organized and so there is no last minute change of plans that we aren't aware of, we deal with each wedding on a week by week basis. So you won't hear from Ken a month or two before the wedding, you'll only be covering the details the very week of your wedding. So don't panic if two weeks before the wedding you haven't spoken to us. We have been doing it this for 3 years and it works out better so there is no confusion. This might kind of laid back for some high strung people, but remember that while this is your one and only wedding, it's our 300th. We're professionals and we know exactly what to do. Your wedding is in good hands withe KSV Team.

Getting caught up

As I explained in earlier postings I became very ill right after Christmas and wasn't able to edit for a few weeks. I then took a working vacation to Orlando to a videographer's conference for a week. Although I left Philadelphia still slightly sick, I came back feeling much better and with many great ideas on how to improve our filming and editing.

So I want to keep everybody informed of the progress of the videos. I hope more and more people will read my blog as this is the best way to communicate with all clients at the same time. If you know another couple that hasn't seen any progress on their video lately, please direct them to this blog so they understand why.

Right now my primary goal is to get all the fall weddings started. many couple from earlier in the season saw their ceremonies within a month or two of the wedding. Even though it takes longer to get started on the fall weddings, these clients have had to wait even longer due to my illness. So if your wedding was anywhere from October to January, you will be seeing your ceremony online very soon and your video will then be in production. You will receive an email when the clips goes online and then just follow the instructions in the email so that we can move onto the the rest of the post production.

If you have been waiting for your video to be finished, I appreciate your patience. I know that everybody is anxious to see their wedding video. Many videographers who might get behind will instinctively start rushing through videos to get them out the door. I don't want my clients to get quick and dirty videos. I want them to have a cleanly edited video that they will bring back all the great memories of their wedding day. I have been working extra hours to get caught up as well as bringing on a fourth editor to speed up production.

Same Day Edit now known as The B.I.G. Video Show

Our new option for our Standard Package is the Same Day Edit. And while this is an accurate description of what we do it doesn't exactly describe the purpose for doing it in the first place. So coming up with a name for it was difficult. So a few names were thrown around and we finally decided on The B.I.G. Video Show.

What is the B.I.G. Video Show?

The acronym simply stands for Bride Instant Gratification, and we feel this is a good name for something like this product for several reasons.

• The video acts as an extension of our extremely popular Prologue videos that are included with the Standard Package. Because we have to edit the video, we stop including footage after the first dance. And since we need footage to fill a 4 minute song, the B.I.G. video is going to include many shots of the details - like the shoes, the rings, the gifts, and a lot more shots of the bride and groom preparations.

• Because we show the video during the reception the guests get to share many special moments during the preps and behind the scenes that they normally would never see. Your guests will have one more thing to rave about at your wedding.

• In addition to showing it at the reception the couple gets a DVD to share with loved ones, friends and co-workers. This is where the instant gratification comes in. A bride spends all this time planning a wedding (we know you helped a little, guys), and normally would have nothing to show when they go back from their honeymoon. Now they have a beautifully edited wedding video that they can share with loved ones.

• You didn't think we would leave out the iPod version, did you? If you don't know what an iPod is, what planet have you lived on the last seven years? Now showing your video to friends, relatives and coworkers is as easy as reaching into your pocket.

Call me at 267-738-1187 or email me at info @kennethstillmanvideo.com for pricing and availability for this fabulous new product.

Introducing - The Same Day Edit

Take your guests behind the scenes of your wedding day with our exciting new product - The Same Day Edit.

We film your wedding as we normally would. But after the first dance we take all the footage captured up to that point and we edit it into a beautiful video and show it after dinner. Now your guests have one more thing to rave about at your wedding. Great Food, great DJ, great video.

And the best part is you have a wedding video to take home and show all your co-workers after you get back from the honeymoon. We provide you with a copy of the video on DVD and in video iPod/iPhone format.  How cool is that?

We also have an option called The Video Wedding Favor. We will take the video that everybody cheered to and make copies for every guest to take home with them.

So without further ado, Philadelphia, I bring to you.....the same day edit.

ReFrame 08

Hot on the heels of the Video 08 Conference in Orlando I started to hear talk about a new kind of learning seminar, called ReFrame 08. Nobody knew what exactly this new venture was going to entail - until today.

ReFrame is going to be a collection of some of the best wedding storytellers in the industry who will help and a coach a select group of 50 up and coming videographers who want to take their skills to a higher level.

At Kenneth Stillman Video we are always looking for ways to improve our products and service to our clients. It's our dedication to this things that has made us one of the most popular and creative event videographers in the Philadelphia and New Jersey areas.

iDo on your iPod

Just over 2 years ago Apple released an iPod that could play videos. KSV were one of the first companies in the area to offer the wedding video on an iPod. Today many other companies have followed our lead and offer this service, except they charge for it. Some as much as $200.

Apple's original slogan for the iPod was 1,000 songs in your pocket, but with the video iPod you can carry 1,000 memories in your pocket. We think your wedding day is something you should be able to share with everybody.  Just imagine being able to show all your friends at work how beautiful you looked on your wedding day.

We film in HD so the picture and sound quality are superb. Check out samples of iPod wedding videos by clicking here.

Caitlin Domanico Photography

As a wedding videographer I get to meet many great couples, but there are some that just have a wedding that is really close to my heart. Jill and Matt, Coleen and Craig, Nicole and Franco, Carrie and Robert, Katrina and Patrick. Another wedding that always brings a tear to my eye is that of Caitlin and JP. It was just one of those magical days.

Even though it's been almost a year since her wedding we still keep in touch from time to time. Caitlin has been doing photography most of her life, and since her wedding has been doing it commercially. But she doesn't do weddings. So the obvious question would be, "What is she doing on a wedding video blog?"

As many of you know I have a links page on my site where I like to recommend other talented vendors that will help you have a great wedding. But as I was looking around Caitlin's website I thought to myself, "Myself, why must our recommendations to married people be limited to just the wedding?" And the answer came back that it doesn't.

Caitlin does great family portraits and she is making a name for herself with her photography of children. And since many married couples go on to have children I thought I would pass along a name they can trust. So if you are a current or former client of mine and are looking for some great family or child photography look no further than Caitlin Domanico Photography.

Big Announcement!

A group of photographers and myself are planning to do a trash the dress with several brides who are interested. We're looking for some of the most adventurous brides in the area to do this with. The wonderful Kamila Harris is handling all the details, but it will be a group effort to decide who the lucky bride(s) will be and the locations. Each bride will receive their own video of the event. For all the exciting details go to the Kamila Harris Blog.

Toshiba ends HD DVD; Blu-Ray wins

I am both relieved and shocked by the outcome of the announcement by Toshiba today that they will no longer manufacture HD DVD hardware. I am relieved because now I know what format to start preparing for my loyal clients who have waited patiently for their HD version of the wedding videos. I am shocked though by these results. Anybody who looked deeply into the history and specs behind the two formats would have bet that HD DVD would have won. It was, in many ways, the superior format.

Blu-Ray wasn't even a finished product until about a month ago. It had some features missing that HD DVD has had from it's introduction. Internet connectivity and picture-in-picture were just a couple features that Blu-Ray was lacking.

But it's all over and there is no point in arguing the merits of one format over another anymore. Blu-Ray will be the hi definition format in the future, so now I just need to wait for Apple to update their video software, and then I can start burning and shipping out Blu-Ray discs.

Lightscribe recognizes event videographers

Lightscribe is a technology that allows a monochromatic image to be electronically etched into a specially coated DVD. Not only is the look very classy, but it's permanent and has many advantages over stick on labels. There is no ink to smear or fade and there is never a label that bubbles up after subjecting the DVD to the laser inside the DVD player.

We have been using Lightscribe for over 2 years and are proud to say that this is the only way we offer graphics on the DVD now. It does take much longer to design and etch than a label, but our clients are worth the extra effort and time. We only want the best for them.

A few months ago I was connected by their representative Russ and he asked what I thought of Lightscribe and if they could spotlight Kenneth Stillman Video as an endorsement. Well I answered with a resounding "yes".  Why wouldn't I want to help promote a great product?

It's a great honor to have a worldwide corporation recognize an event videographer from Philadelphia. We thank Lightscribe for creating a great product that helps to make our product look great.

Read the story here.

Back in the thick of things

As may of you know, my team and I worked extremely hard during the Christmas season to get many couples their videos to share with loved ones. I personally worked many 16 hour days, but in the process made myself very ill. Nothing serious, but the symptoms grabbed hold of me and didn't let go for almost a month. One day the headache would be gone, but the sneezing would be bad. Other days a sore throat kept me down. It was not a fun month but I'm glad I did it all the same. I appreciate all the emails I received from the Christmas deliveries.

Now that I am back into the swing of things, I have about a month of backlog in front of me. For those October and November couples I apologize because normally you would have al least the ceremony to watch by now. For those whose videos that were scheduled to be completed shortly after New Years I apologize as well.

But even though I am back and healthy things are still a little slower because I have a crazy number of weddings to get started and a crazy number to get finished and juggling all this work can be overwhelming sometimes. So if everyone hangs in there and is a little patient you'll be happy with the results of your video.

Most of you who have met me in person know that we are dedicated to creating great videos and just because I have fallen a bit behind doesn't mean we're going to rush through them and sacrifice the quality. Making great wedding memories is now my life's work and I treat each video as a custom work of art. Your patience while I get caught up is greatly appreciated.

Trash the Dress

Kenneth Stillman Video now offers Video Trash the Dress

Now why on earth would a bride want to trash her dress? Well, first let me dispel the rumor that the dress gets completely destroyed. It doesn't have to if you don't want it to. I've heard stories of brides doing a trash the dress session and having the dress cleaned and it's as good as new.

The concept behind trashing the dress is very simple. Take your wedding dress that you will never wear again, and use it for a stylish fashion shoot. How cool is it? Very cool. And if you don't believe me you can check out these photos from one of South Jersey's most respected photographers, Kamila Harris.

The possibilities are endless for where you can have your dress trashed. At the beach, in a field, in a river, a construction site, a train station, etc. We can follow along on a photoshoot or do a dedicated video, complete with storyline and dialogue. The choice is up to you. Either way, you have a unique opportunity to put that dress into action one more time and get those shots that you always knew you wanted.

Vendor Spotlight - Fairytale Weddings, Boston

I met a lot of great videographers in Orlando last week. But one  of the nicest and talented people i met was Liz, Jen and Danielle from Fairytale Productions in Boston, MA. Now I wouldn't normally do a spotlight on a company that is out side of the area that we cover. But I know that sometimes brides who live in Boston hire me for a Philly wedding, so it just makes sense that it probably works the other way from time to time as well.

Jen and I have chatted on a videographer's forum for a couple months now. And despite all the bickering that goes on in those forums, she always seems to have a no-nonsense approach to things. So we bumped into each other and started chatting and I met Liz and Danielle, and we compared notes on our work and the state of the wedding video industry.

After looking at their site I can say they are one talented group of people. So if anybody from Philly is planning a wedding in the Boston area. Look up Fairytale Productions. You will be amazed by your wedding video.

Video '08 Conference in Orlando

Every year in Orlando, FL some of the best videographers in the world get together to swap ideas and learn from each other. I wasn't sure if I would be able to go due to my illness, but I made the trek anyway. I am sure glad I did. I learned lots of great things from many different people. I learned the importance of sound from Steve and Laura Moses. I learned how to make a great wedding soundtrack from Chris Jones. I learned about the marketing possibilities of Trash the Dress from Darrell Aubert. I got some tips on how to make '08 my best year ever from Eric Taylor. Joshua Smith made me think about creativity and color correction a whole new way. Got some great advice from Ron Dawson on how to expand and network. Steve Fowler talked about how to "Shoot Ta Thrill". And Jeff Wright showed how capturing your subject from many different angles can create a very emotion video.

Last, but not least, was the seminar by Jason Magbanua. He is the top wedding videographer in the Philippines and he has been trying since last May to get his Visa to come to America. Well, he got it and turned the American Wedding Video industry upside down. Anybody who saw his presentation is going to go home and rethink how they do videos. Yes, his work is THAT good.

On my first day there I was proud to have met him and call him my friend. A few of us took him to Hooters so he could get a real taste of American culture - bad food sold by chicks in shorts. How American is that?

Videographer Health Sweepstake

Today is my first full day back to work since Christmas. before christmas I was working 16 - 18 hour days to get as many videos delivered as possible. I even hand delivered 11 videos on Christmas Eve, while my wife delivered 2 local clients. So I think I wore myself down, but now I am back, with just a slight sore throat and I'll be working hard to get caught up. Thank you all for your patience.

Illness

Hello all. From the discomforts of my bed, I just wanted to let you know that I have been a bit under the weather since Christmas. I have had various symptoms of the flu that seem to come and go as they choose. I nursed myself back to an acceptable state of health to film a wedding on the 5th,but I'm afraid that doing so has only made me sicker.

I have been very behind on emails and phone calls and website updates, so please bare with me while I get over this ailment.

Thank you.

Getting a Wii

All our kids have been talking about was getting a Wii for Christmas. We tried - and when i say we I mean me -  we tried so hard to get one but with not much success. I was at K-mart at 3 AM on Thanksgiving Day and was 9th in line only to be told 4 hours later that they only got 5 of them in. We are now boycotting K-mart because of this. I mean really - can't put a sign on the door? Or was this the typical bait that retailers use.

Through some tactful questioning I found out that Toys R Us get about 50 every shipment. So if it's in the Sunday ad they will have at least 50. I drove over there at 2 AM the Saturday night that it snowed and wouldn't you know that  there was already about 50 people in line - covered in snow. I went home and went to sleep.

Just out of giggles I decided to Google "wii inventory tracker" and came across a great site called Refresh Thing dot com. Now when you first go on there you will be really excited but then be really let down. Mainly because there are web sites that claim to have it in stock. One of which is Amazon.com. But when you go to the site you find out that it's people selling it through Amazon for an inflated price. By the way - when did Amazon  get into the business of ripping people off? It's always been understood that eBay was good for jacking up prices, but Amazon? I'll think twice before I buy there again.

Eventually I checked the site and saw that Walmart has it, but only as a bundle. But I figured we would eventually buy the kids 6 games anyway, so we bit the bullet and got the gift our boys have been asking for. It all worked out because we called all out relatives to tell them and discovered that they didn't know what to get our boys for Chistmas. So we were able to sell off the 6 games to our relatives. Recouping some of our costs and helping them get a present all at the same time. I also understand that some people have been successful at taking the games back to the stores, because on the receipt thay show up as individual items and not really as a bundle.

For all those looking for a Wii, I wish you luck.

High Definition Video

As many of you know, we have been a huge advocate of HD videos. We have been offering HD filming and editing for almost 2 years now. And we offer it as part of our standard package, not an upgrade for $1000, like many area videographers. The HD picture is something that is really spectacular when you see it.

The question then becomes - why haven't you seen it? Where is my HD copy of my video?

When I first started offering HD I explained that the HD burners had not yet hit the market. Well almost 2 years later they have it the market, but on PC (we're Mac users), and with no software to record with. So to sum up where we stand - we have the burners for PC but no software, and we have the software for Mac but no burners. Hmmmmm. Sucks, eh?

But not to worry. Your HD files are backed-up as data on DVDs and are ready to be committed to HD DVD when all the pieces are in place.

There is one bright spot to this whole thing and that is this - the Toshiba HD DVD players and the Xbox 360  HD DVD add-ons can play HD content on a standard definition disc; up to 30 minutes. That means that every client who has some form of  HD DVD player can view at least their prologue in HD. If your wedding had a short ceremony we might be able to get on the disc as well. So if your video is finished and you have purchased a Toshiba or Xbox HD DVD player we can get you portions of your video in HD. Now we're extremely busy getting videos ready for clients to show for the holidays, so we probably won't get to making the HD disc until after the new year, but I know those of you who are excited about the great picture quality HD offers will understand that it's worth the wait.

To get portions of your wedding video in HD please contact me at info@kennethstillmanvideo.com.

Tips - How to make a good wedding video

I have a saying, and I try and convey this message to every couple I work with - "It's hard to make a bad wedding video of people having a good time." Now that sounds overtly simple and probably thinking, "Well, duh Kenny, it's our wedding day - of course we're going to have a good time." But it's not that simple. I have seen many brides just go through the motions of their day and never really let their hair down, or some will be so obsessed with everything being perfect that they never fully enjoy their day.

So this will be the first of many tips on how you can make sure your wedding video is the best it can be. Once you've hired the Kenneth Stillman Video team of videographers the filming and editing are in great hands - the rest is up to you.

So tip #1 is just to enjoy your day. In my experience no wedding ever goes exactly as planned - there is always some snafu, whether it be big or small. You should just "roll with the punches" or "turn lemons into lemonade" or whatever cliche' you like best. You're throwing the biggest party of your life, just enjoy it.

While I am on the subject of enjoying weddings I'd like to direct you to the website of Jennifer Childress, where you can see a wedding of a fun couple that we filmed this weekend. Not everything went 100% perfect with this wedding but you would never know it by the pictures.

Nicole and Kenny Klein

Remember - It's hard to make a bad wedding video of people having a good time.

Thank you, thank you

Tomorrow marks the end of another great wedding season for KSV. We're finishing up the season in style with me and Lynn at The Downtown Club and Cindy and Jimmy at Sofitel tomorrow and then me and Lynn at Bonnet Island Estates on Sunday. We feel so blessed to have met so many wonderful couples this year and it's our honor to capture your special day and create a work of video art from the footage. Me, Jimmy and Steve will be working hard at editing to create the best videos we can so you'll want to share this with all your loved ones for a long time to come.

Thank you so much for making our team part of your team, if only for a day. We capture the memories that you'll want to relive again and again, and it's only with video.

AC/DC

Just thought I'd let you all know that AC/DC has a new website and a DVD box set for sale.

Christmas comes early for HD DVD fans

Just a couple days ago I reported that Walmart would be carrying the HD DVD format exclusively. The latest announcement is that K-Mart will also be carrying the HD DVD format exclusively. But wait, there's more!

Tomorrow at 8 AM, Walmart will sell the Toshiba HD-A2 for $98 starting at 8 AM. I just hope my wife doesn't find out. I talked her into buying me this same exact model for Christmas last year at $500. I'll never be able to talk her into buying me anything cool every again. LOL

I know the Walmart website has changing content so I took a screenshot of their web page to prove I'm not a raving lunatic. Check it out at my website.

Toshiba HD DVD player in Wal-Mart for $200

So a couple months back I gave a brief overview of HD video. I also gave my reasoning behind going with the HD DVD format instead of the Blu-Ray format. There has been a rumor floating around for a few month that was confirmed yesterday.

Wal-Mart will begin selling a $200 HD DVD player starting next weekend. This is great news for the high definition video market as this could be the final nail in the coffin for Blu-Ray. Now the big news is not really the price, because I'm sure Sony will start to lower prices to try and compete. The real news is that Wal-Mart will carry HD DVD players EXCLUSIVELY. They will not even be carrying the Blu-Ray players ever.

Why is this big news? Wal-Mart is the biggest retail store in the United States. Since most consumers shop at Wal-Mart and are not techno-geeks (like me), many customers will see the improved picture quality and grab a HD DVD player without even considering looking for an alternative. Because Wal-Mart will not be carrying Blu-Ray, most customers will not even know there is an alternative. 

My prediction - Christmas will see many of HD DVD players fly off the shelves and the format will take a commanding lead over Blu-Ray. By the 2nd quarter of 2008 the movie studios that have made exclusive content for Blu-Ray will be forced to offer HD DVD formats as well. Sony will continue to offer Blu-Ray discs to their small following of customers who use their Playstation to play movies. They will eventually discontinue the format like they did recently with the UMD format they developed for the PSP.

Groom gives me the finger

You would think that with all the preparations that go into a wedding a simple task like putting a ring on would be a no brainer. Check out the latest video in our "only with video" section of the website.

Vendor Spotlight - Generation Next

The entertainment for a wedding is probably the most important vendor to consider. Great care should taken in choosing a DJ or band. Your guests will leave your wedding remembering two key items - the food and the entertainment. Choosing a band can be a daunting task, to say the least. They are more expensive than a DJ, so getting your money's worth isn't always guaranteed. Bt the one place you can turn for a fair and objectional review of bands is Kenneth Stillman Video.

I have played guitar for 27 years and have been in bands for about 17 of those years. I have a good ear for music and an eye for live entertainment. I recently had the pleasure to work with one of the best bands I have ever seen. I don't mean just wedding bands - I mean best bands, period. Generation Next. I worked with them back in July and they put on one of the best shows I have ever seen. I worked again with them this past Sunday and after be blown away for a second time I just had to write about it.

The guitar player, Joey, and I immediately hit it off. I love players with top notch equipment and a great tone. I'm also a fan of guitar players who make an attempt to sound like the original artist and Joey definitely come close on just about every song. He's got a great tone and if you were to watch his fingers move across the fretboard you would know he is just a natural born musician. It's in his blood.

The rhythm section of Larry on drums, Darin on Bass, and "Shrimp" on keyboards is second to none. On every song, from AC/DC to Justin Timberlake, they play the songs with such precision that it's scarey.

The faces of the band are the co-lead singers, Shannon and Nick. Not only are they two of the best vocalists I have ever heard, but they are extremely personable and friendly to all the guests. They go way above their duties of entertaining the guests by getting them involved in the show itself. When the band suddenly stops during the chorus of Bon Jovi's hit song Livin' on a Prayer, every member of the crowd can't help but sing along. I've also never seen a band so adept at getting guests dancing. Having a few dancers before dinner is served is always a good thing. Having a full dance floor before dinner is unheard of! But not with Generation Next.

Our goal at KSV is to recommend vendors that will help your wedding be the talk of the town. Generation Next is one of only a few bands that I would recommend to my clients. Check out Generation Next if you want your wedding to be the party of the decade.

Trash The Dress - Free

Like my previous post indicates, we are looking to add additional services. So to get the ball rolling on the Trash the Dress idea we're offering to do a TTD session at no charge. In exchange for doing it at no charge there will be a few stipulations.

1. You must be a bride that I have filmed.

2. You must be willing to do the TTD by the end of November.

3. You must be willing to completely trash the dress. It will most likely just get dirty but I don't want the creativity to be limited.

4. You must be willing to go to any location that I think would be appropriate.

5. You may invite a photographer but we will not be posing for pictures. They can take candid shots and must agree to stay out of our cameras unless I would like them in the shot.

6. You must be willing to have fun and be completely carefree with the dress.

I will accept 1 bride on a first come, first served basis. If you are interested please email me at info@kennethstillmanvideo.com or call at 267-738-1187.

Possible new video options.

At Kenneth Stillman Video we are always trying to  add services and options to our packages while still keeping our work affordable. With this in mind I have set up a poll on this blog to get an idea from past and future clients what new features or options they would be most interested in. Just so their is no misunderstanding I explain each option below.

UPDATED: We only got a few votes so I take that to mean that nobody reads my blog or my options are just fine the way they are.