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Cinematography

0 In Cinematography

Cinematography For All Budgets

If you attended the winter Indie Wed and visited the Belles & Gents Lounge then you most likely saw a big tv playing a black and white film on a loop.  Presented by Amelia Street Studio, this trio of talented sisters created a lovely visual element for our lounge, highlighting the city of Chicago in a way befitting our theme.

Belles & Gents Lounge – IndieWed 2013 from Amelia Street Studio on Vimeo.

Most people only think of having someone there to film the event but don’t really think about incorporating existing footage into the event. Or when they do, they assume it is really expensive and has to be this custom made movie.  One thing to think about, is if your cinematographer has existing footage they can use.  For example, the gals from Amelia Street can take the video above and change the music, get rid of the text (or replace it with your names), and even change the look and feel…. they have the raw color footage and can transform it to work with any style of wedding.  It would be a great way to showcase the city of Chicago to your guests.  They also have lots of b-roll footage of non Chicago specific scenes for those getting married in other areas.  This can be a great cost-effective way to incorporate visual elements into your big day.

0 In Cinematography/ Events

Indie Wed Highlight Film

If you weren’t able to make it to our recent Indie Wed event, or if you want to relive it all over again… check out the new highlight film below.  It was created over the course of several days by the fabulous Tom Buttaccio of XO Pictures (one of our Indie Wed participants).  Isn’t it just lovely?!

2012 Winter Indie Wed from Tom Buttaccio | XO Pictures on Vimeo.

 Film by Tom Buttaccio of XO Pictures

 

4 In Cinematography/ Photography/ Uncategorized

WHAT IS “INDIE” ANYWAY?

by Tom Buttaccio | XO Pictures

XO Pictures is an “INDIE” film studio, run by my wife, Jenny, and I. After a few people we recently spoke with asked us what “INDIE” really meant, I decided to Vlog on the idea of – – – “INDIE.” Check it out…

* * * UPDATE (for those who care to go a bit deeper into some film theory):

Even though Alfred Hitchcock was part of the monstrous Hollywood Studio System, he stands out as unique and extremely original.  He was indeed a true “AUTEUR,” and always found a way to put himself into his films (both figuratively and literally). His fingerprint is left on all the films that he created. The idea that Hitchcock was actually an “INDIE,” though, is actually quite a stretch. I simply used Hitchcock because his name and films are recognizable. For those who might care, film directors like François Truffaut or Jean-Luc Godard would have been even better examples of “INDIES.” The correlation between “INDIE” and “AUTEUR” that I was tryng to make was that of artistic integrity and “voice.”

To grasp the idea of “INDIE” even better, one can look to the world of music for examples of thousands of musicians who became fed up with huge corporations telling artists what their art should sound like. Anyway -the idea that the “INDIVIDUAL” can flourish without necessarily needing to be part of a large, over-controlling system…this is the “INDIE” idea.