Our film: http://www.shakewellstudios.com/2014/03/15/margaret-vincent/
The short of it
Creativity and teamwork at its best. Stealthy film ninjas. Laughter, fun, and more laughter. Book them, hakuna matata!
The long of it
I never had the chance to meet with the Shakewell Studios' team in person before our wedding day. Jesse (the owner) and I mainly communicated via phone and email. From the start, Jesse was incredibly patient, understanding, and helpful. If I had any questions or ideas to run by him, he would respond within 24-48 hours with his answers, thoughts, or advice.
When you get closer to your wedding date, it becomes harder to keep track of everyone (family, guests, vendors, etc.). With Shakewell, I never had to check in on them. We kept each other updated with any information we needed - and we did so in a timely manner. Everything went smoothly and their questionnaire is beyond helpful. I recommend going through it very carefully, because it helps you think, organize, and anticipate what your day will be like and what moments you want captured on film. We collaborated on ideas and it was great to feel like a part of Shakewell's team.
Last Sunday was our wedding day and it was the best day of my and my husband's lives. When Shakewell arrived, we did the formal handshakes, "this is so and so," "nice to meet you," etc. Those formalities lasted about 1-2 minutes. After that, Shakewell immediately fit right into our group and it felt like we were surrounded by our close friends. From Shakewell Studios, we had Jesse, Ferguson, Mike, Church, and Libby.
I remember the exact moment that I knew we had chosen the right film crew. My girls and I were getting ready in the downstairs suite and the boys were getting ready upstairs. Jesse, Ferguson, and Church were with me/running around outside, while Mike and Libby were upstairs. Suddenly, you heard a roar of laughter, coming from everyone above and below at the same time. The crew and our wedding party were running up and down the stairs, bursting into each other's rooms, laughing, chatting, and just having a great time. I knew that we were all having a blast with the Shakewell team. It definitely put me at ease and again, it felt like we were surrounded by our friends.
Everyone pitched in to help out, move things around, and make creative shots come to life. At one point, I think one camera was filming some wedding shoes "dancing" next to me while another was filming my hair and makeup getting done - I hardly noticed, because I was chatting with Ferg about StarWars.
When I think about Shakewell Studios and the first look, ceremony, and the reception, the words "stealth," and "teamwork" come to mind. Shakewell was beyond amazing, caring, considerate, calm, team oriented, well-orchestrated, and so many more awesome things.
I never noticed the cameras, only the team who worked so hard to bring our special day to life. I would catch their eye from time to time and would receive a smile, a wink, a nod of encouragement (if I was on the verge of tears), and drive-by high fives. Our wedding party and I could not stop talking about how great Shakewell was and how much fun they were to spend the day with. At one point, I saw Mike and Church help hold the lighting for our photographer - that act of kindness and going above and beyond their job duties definitely touched my heart.
You should book Shakewell Studios for your wedding, your love story, events and more if you are looking for cinematographers who:
- Pride themselves on their creativity, artistry, and story telling
- Will go the distance to get the shots you want and the ones you didn't even know you wanted
- Squat and crawl on the floor to get a shot of your wedding dress train go by (thanks Jesse ;))
- Work incredibly well as a team and who makes you feel like a part of their team
- Who believe in telling your story in a way that takes you back to those very special moments, a day that you can relive over and over again for the rest of your lives
Thank you so, very much to Shakewell Studios' Jesse, Ferguson, Mike, Church, and Libby for being there to capture and celebrate our special day with us. And thank you to the Shakewell team members who may work behind the scenes on our film.
We cannot wait to see what you come up with and look forward to watching our wedding film and sharing it with our family and friends. You are the best filmmakers we could have ever asked for - THANK YOU! read more