Episode 1 in a series of videos related to the event industry in Kauai, stories about wedding officiants, hair and make-up artists, coordinators, caterers and other artists. If you are having/ planning a wedding in Kauai, this video might be a valuable tool in your research, as you’ll see in action the best non-religious officiants on Kauai, ideal for elopement weddings, vow renewals, and events that require official services by a licensed officiant.
2020 yikes!
2019 bye-bye. You went by in a blink. And so much happened? Now look, 2020 is almost here.Yikes! I dare not think what will happen.
All hail…here comes royalty
When you get married in Hawaii, ukulele music might fill your ears, or maybe your musician will play the ukeke or maybe even the pahu. You’ll probably have a lei placed around your neck. Leis are tokens of love and aloha. Grooms often wear a garland of green leaves (manly) rather than Kika or jasmine blossoms. At the beginning of your ceremony, the conch might be blown, especially if it’s a beach elopement—a Hawaiian tradition that dates back to the time when the conch was blown to announce the arrival of Alii or Royalty. Your officiant might smash open a coconut and spill the milk on the sand, and then ask you to rest your forehead on your partner’s forehead. But you’re unlikely to experience a wedding tradition in Hawaii that will shock you. If your breath is taken away, it’s probably because you’re standing on the most dramatic beach you’ve ever seen, not because you’ve been punched in the gut for good luck or because your guests have suddenly gone berserk, yelling and laughing and banging and rattling pots and pans. This pot banging business is an actual wedding ritual that was once commonplace in parts of Europe, especially in the middle ages. It’s still practiced today at some weddings. They call it Charivari in France, In Northern England, skimmington. Family and friends gather outside the house of the newly weds and make pot-and-pan music or the din of a lifetime. The wedding couple has to bring out food and drinks and endure the racket.
How about this tradition: in some parts of Korea a groom can expect to be slapped about with a dead fish, apparently to prepare him for his first night of marriage. The connotation is darn right unspeakable. In Scotland, there’s the old Scots blackening ritual. Wedding gatherers throw all sorts of black and brown vile things at the couple before the wedding—if they can accept the disgusting, stinky mess they can endure anything. Then there’s Chinese tears training — the bride-to-be spends a month before the wedding learning how to weep like a professional. They smash dishes in Germany and Swedes aren’t just noted for their meatballs, they’re known for kissing and spitting on the bride and groom—yup, a very Swedish thing, I’m told. So if a young man places a whale’s tooth in your palm, I’m guessing that you have to be a father, and the young man is asking for your daughter’s hand in marriage—a Fiji thing!
If you know of other slightly strange wedding traditions, I’d love to hear from you—Mahalo— David. See my website for more stories about weddings, especially in Kauai where I spend much of my time filming brides.
Cutaway, Reversal, and Don’t Cross the Line.
I’m David Marsh, a wedding cinematographer in Kauai and this piece is basically about me, what I do and why I’m different. So what’s “Cutaway, Reversal, and Don’t Cross the Line?” If you are a professional filmmaker, it’s everyday spoken nomenclature. Perhaps many wedding pros know these terms, although I’ve met plenty that don’t. But…ostensibly, film production protocols aren’t necessarily needed to film a wedding, right? That’s not what I believe! I believe there’s a story to be told in every wedding. On the HOME PAGE of my website I write: “I imagine first then shoot—having a script is how I produce high-end wedding videos that are crafted for originality and paced to be entertaining.” I also say, “a story has to have a story, you can’t call it a story when you show up at a wedding with a video camera and shoot some nice looking footage!”
These film philosophies run through me veins, as taught to me many years ago when I was a supernumerary/ apprentice at Pinewood Film Studios in England. Seventeen at that time, I’d quit school early because I hated school. My training started with brain fodder: knowing the difference between emulsion and celluloid, the difference between key numbers and reel numbering, to know butterflies, HDMIs, scrims, tying in, and a million other things—a training that lasted ten years. I worked my way up the ladder, becoming a film and TV editor, then a director of independent art films, before I decided to DP and write. After three decades in the film and TV business, I decided I wanted to be a writer of fiction. To facilitate my dream, I segued into wedding cinematography and wedding photography so that I could still earn a living. What I learned is shooting is shooting, however big, however small, it has to be done right or not at all.
To this day, I get really excited to go out and shoot. For photography, I like to use two cameras, one strapped over each shoulder, so that I can easily switch focal lengths without changing lenses. For video, I mostly shoot with three cameras, but sometimes four of five. You might be surprised to know that complex video shoots require fewer cameras.
wedding photography by David Marsh.
More about me at Kauai Video Productions
Rainy pre-wedding photoshoot
I do fusion
I do photography and I do videography and sometimes I do both…I call it fusion. It’s like two great elements coming together, like a kiss….
More on the PMRF wedding
This is a video glimpse of the PMRF wedding on July 11th. If you’re interested in a wedding video that does not fit the usual mold, if you’d like something with a little more design, give me a call or shoot me an email. Thanks. Difraser. http://www.difraser.com nomdeplumekauai@gmail.com
Not all wedding videos cost a bundle
Candidly, it boils down to 2 factors: time and complexity. But if it’s kept simple, just the ceremony filmed,and it’s post produced with minimal editing, then there’s no reason the wedding video—a really well shot video with awesome sound—should cost more than $500. And that’s my fee for a simple wedding video. Here’s a few samples.
You can reserve your wedding video by visiting my main website http://www.kauaivideoproductions.com
At Kalalau lookout for a Kauai wedding
How many hours do you think the videographer spent filming this Kauai wedding?
Wedding cinematographer: Difraser
Two hours won’t cut the mustard, as they say. To pull off a dynamic wedding video like this takes a bunch of hours. I shot this one a few years ago, but to the best of my recall I arrived at the lookout early for a morning ceremony, spent 2 hours at the lookout, then we headed to Poipu and I filmed for another 4 hours. If you’re looking for something as elaborate as this—by the way this is only the highlights video, the full length feature is thirty minutes long—ask me about my premium package. http://www.kauaivideoproductions.com
Pinetrees wedding
The name is really reserved for surfers. Pine trees. Or in this case pinetrees. But once in a while, this stretch of Hanalei Bay beach, notably known for the iconic Andy Irons, gives way to something else, like a wedding. The couple eloped. The ceremony was poignant, short yet meaningful with clever, humorous and heartfelt personal vows, caught by Difraser’s camera and wireless audio setup. www.difraser.com for wedding cinematography or photography.
Diamond Light Photography 