Cold Oak Productions

Lea & Yinka - Smeetham Hall, Sudbury

2008-05-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

One of the summers lovely days. None too hot, lovely venue and extremely helpful staff at Smeetham Hall.

To say this was an unconventional ceremony would not be right. This was an hilarious ceremony. The groom was a laugh a minute and certainly was not afraid to let out a few (..ahem lots!!) expletives in both the ceremony and speeches!

The meal was cooked by a close friend of the groom in the venue kitchens, a lovely personal touch. The Bride & Groom had been playing a joke on me since booking saying we would be getting rice & peas for our hot meal and were most amused when they served me the same as they got, a lovely roast dinner! Well anything hot will do..!

Great guests, venue and Bride & Groom meant we got some memorable footage, if not conventional and contemporary, variety is the spice of life..!!

Here is the email we got (in classic fashion !):

"We have just finished watching the DVD.........it was f***ing brilliant....didn't know I swore so much, but that's me ain't gonna change even on my wedding day.......we forgot soooo much about the wedding......
Thank you very much it was worth waiting for."

Alex & Ricky - Newland Hall, Chelmsford

2008-05-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well the weather all week has been nigh on perfect. We have been moving premises over the last week and it was so nice I packed away all the wet weather gear and warm clothes..Well it has been warm, sunny and perfect for filming. The phone has been ringing with bookings. People seem so much happier when the sun is shining!

I got up this morning and opened the curtains to see how things looked as I am not a great believer in forecasts as they are so often wrong. Well, sadly today, they were spot on. Steady consistent rain without a break all day. And it stayed like that...All Day.

Newland Hall was a beautiful converted house with a marquee to the rear. The wedding was planned to be on the lawn in a quaint gazebo with close friends and family. It was such a shame to have to film inside. The ceremony room was very small and did not allow much room for movement but we still got some great shots from the front. In a small room the rear camera often blocks a few guests view, so we try to move it every now and again discretely.

The bride & groom both said I do, not without a few hiccups on their lines! The gardens and opportunities for picturesque shots were plentiful, but mother nature did not want to play ball. The rain was so hard we could not risk the camera's. Let alone let the bride & groom get soaked!

We were working with Lee Walsh again of Lee Walsh Photography who is in my opinion one of the most down to earth and laid back photographers we have worked with. Not only is he at ease with the Bride & Groom he also manages to get the right people where they need to be in a calm and easy manner. Too often Photographers can end up running your day and be obnoxious and stressed right when you don't need it. I can't recommend him highly enough.

Lee ran to the car and got out his studio lighting and took photos inside the marquee. The speeches were informal and heartfelt and the day ran not without hitch (from the weather) but was hopefully memorable for the Bride & Groom.

I am looking forward to the task of editing!

Here is an email from the Bride on return from Honeymoon:

"Hi Jon!

Im back in the country and straight back to work! Hope alls well with you and youve settled into your new home by now!

Just wanted to say thank you so much for filming the wedding, ...The day went so fast for me, Im just so pleased we decided to get it filmed so I can go through and live it all over again! Please also pass on my thanks to your camera lady..she was really lovely....take care and thanks again,

Alex xxx"

Ling & Kirk - Cooling Castle Barns

2008-04-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Ling was quite possibly the most lovely bride we have dealt with. I have only ever had one Bridezilla and even she was not that bad, but at the other end of the spectrum was Ling.

The wedding took place at Cooling Castle Barn in Rochester and the weather as we arrived was overcast and drab, but as the ceremony took place it brigthened up into a perfect day, not too hot. Not too bright for the cameras and just the right number of people!

The breakfast room ranks up there as one of the best we have shot. Although it was low light we had enough room to move the steadicam around the place for a lovely montage. We also got the Chinese tea ceremony in which is traditional for all chinese weddings.

A lovely day with some great personal moments. Below is the showreel...

Suzanne & Matt - 5th April 2008

2008-04-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Filmed at the Swan Hotel in Bedford. Guess what, we managed to film some evening swans passing the hotel! Another of those moments in time when you just seem to have the camera in the right place at the right time... Suzanne & Matt were truly amazing with a lovely ceremony and reception. The ceremony took place in front of a window which is usually a difficult place to expose from a camermans persepective and any BBC operator will tell you move from windows..Thankfully our Sony HVR-Z1's managed no problems and we got some stunning backlit shots.

Later into the evening We got loads of video messages and the first dance lighting was perfect. We side lit it with our on camera PAG-C6's and the second camera filmed from behind which created a perfect effect. For us usually the First dance represents the greatest challenge light wise, with DJ/Disco lights often taking over or there simply not being enough but here we had just enough to light across the face. Another great photographer as well, David Lester of David Lester Photography. He provided us with some fantastic images from the day which you can see here..

Matt, our main camerman went down very well with the ladies there! Here is a the email we got 2 days after the wedding!

"I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to Matt for shooting our wedding on Saturday. You were great, everyone loved you (especially the ladies!!) and felt at ease.

We cant wait to see the DVD! "

Below is the promo video sent out prior to the DVD being delivered.

Beth & Chris - St. Nicholas, Chiselhurst - 8th March 2008

2008-03-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

Every time I leave I print out a Google Map as well as venue directions in case our Sat Nav leads us up the garden path, or the venue Postcode is not accurate. This was one of those days! We turned up in a blind alley with 4 other confused guests! Lucky we had the age old Map, Compass and a kind man washing his car to guide us in plenty of time.

It was a cold but dry day in another lovely church. On arrival we spoke to the warden who informed us we might have some problems from the local 'wedding crasher'. Basically, a 'bag lady' from the area liked to sit in on every wedding in the church. Not only that, she enjoyed giving the wedding her X-Factor entry piece when it came to the vows...Thankfully, the ushers told her, in no uncertain terms, she had no future in X-Factor or the Church that day and she left quietly. Never a dull moment!

For this wedding we used 3 cameras. Which gave us a great 3rd angle on the congregation and another audio pickup point. The vicar, again, in this instance did not want to wear a wireless but we were close enough with our gun mic for it not to matter at all. Below is a short promo clip sent out prior to the DVD being delivered. On most edits we do this as a teaser around 4 weeks after the wedding so you can see how we are getting on.

Thanks for reading, as ever.

Nicola & Adrian - St. Peters, Clerkenwell - 22nd Sept 2007

2007-09-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

This was possibly the most stunning churches we have filmed at. It was St. Peters Italian Chruch in Clerkenwell, London and my vocabulary would not do it justice. If you are ever in the area pop in just to see how stunning buildings can sometimes be inside. As with all London Weddings prior preparation is key. Logisitcs are always difficult there as moving kit into and out of the church, and then transferring it to the venue along with London's notrious parking problems always present us with challenges and why for us two camera operators are essential and the reason we charge a premium for London Weddings.

The groom did not want to wear the small Sony Broadcast radio microphone so we put this on the altar, with the fathers permission, and still got great audio, but not from our preferred pickup point, the groom. Again, overcoming these small but ever present challenges are all part of a cameramans life and why experience is the key to capturing your day. The ceremony itself was like being in a family enviroment and was without pomp and circumstance, just a young gifted italian priest welcoming everyone into his beautiful church. I don't think anyone could ask for more from a place to make a lifelong promise to one-another.

The reception was held at the Royal Institute of Architects. Again, the building was amazing with stylish lighting, excellent audio set up and 1st class staff. Whenever we edit a film there is always something that would have made it our best which we werent allowed or able to get, in this case the grooms audio feed, but whilst it was still good audio from our Sennheiser ME66 Gun Mics on the Camera, when you are used to the sound from the two Sony Broadcast radio mic's we use you can't help wishing you could use them all the time. Again, we always respect the wishes of all our clients as everyone is different and has their own tastes and comfort levels.

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Kenny & Kate - Long Sutton, Hampshire - 1st September 2007

2007-09-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

I always say if you want good weather, book your wedding for September. It seems to be the new August just like Thursday is the new Friday and Black is the new White. Well on this occasion I was wrong as it was overcast on what was forecast to be a lovely day. The first thing you do on the morning of any shoot is look of the window. Today looked ominous, but I prayed it would not rain as the reception was in a Marquee and the Bride walking to church!

On this occasion Cold Oak was providing the video as well as photography so we were at the house promptly on time and everyone was already finished getting ready! The vicar in this case insisted now no photos in the church whatsoever. That was the Bad News. Good news was she seemed happy for us to stand exactly where we wanted with the camera. Strange ideas they have sometimes, but on all these days they are the boss!

The groom drove a beautiful Aston Martin lent to him by pain of death by his new father in law. We had real fun photographing them in front of the school gates where they both met and where the Bride lived next to and then it was up to the Marquee for afternoon tea.

We use a steadicam for much of the motion shots and in this video you can see the pan around the Bride & Groom on their first dance using the excellent but expensive piece of kit!

Phillipa & Steve - Wentworth Golf Club - 25th August 2007

2007-08-25T16:35:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the vicar in this particular church did not allow filming of any kind, or even the sound recording of the vows so we were restricted to footage after the ceremony. As we arrived towards the end of the ceremony to capture the outside of the church and get set up we could hear Ave Maria being sung by a truly angelic vocalist. We were both gutted we weren't allowed to capture it. With every wedding there are obstacles to your filming and with experience you learn where they are and how to tackle them. In this case filming was just not allowed and we of course always have to respect the wishes of not only the Bride & Groom but all official involved in the day.

Afterwards, the reception was held at Wentworth Golf Club which was a truly stunning place to film. The weather was perfect and the bride and groom took golf buggies and messed around Wenworth for 30 minutes. The Breakfast room looked like a state banqueting hall and throughout the day we just kept rolling. The band 'Fun Monkies' played well into the wee hours. For us the lighting and sound were perfect and we came away with probably one of our best films. The icing on the cake would have been the ceremony, but you cant win them all!

When capturing the first dance and during the dancing with the band we used a Camera 'Top Light' in this case a PAG C6 to minimise the amoint of 'Gain' we have to use with degrades the quality of your film. In the final few scenes when Steve spins Phillipa around we are using our Steadicam rig for ultra smooth camera movments with the second camera lighting. The Showreel was encoded using a high contrast Black & White 'crunch'.

Jayne & Chris - Holiday Inn, Borehamwood - 11th August 2007

2007-08-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

This was one of those days where you could just switch the camera on, point it in the Bride/Grooms general direction and you'll get a great day. Both were so relaxed, friendly and a joy to work with. The venue had very limited picturesque features but Lee Walsh of Lee Walsh Photography was truly an artist when it came to dealing with the guests and everyone around him. I think this guy deserves a medal as I never seen anyone try to help out so much. He even drives guests home in his car afterwards!

Chris worked for a piano removal and sales company and got in a beautiful grand piano played by a leading voice and piano coach and Jayne's daughter sung to an enthralled audience. Talk about pressure!

The video messages we got that day are probably the most entertaining we have had to date. As you can see from the video, all smiles and loads of fun for us and the guests...did I say we have a great job??

Bridal Preparations - 11th August 2007

2007-08-04T18:09:00.000-07:00

We were with both Lisa & Anthony all day and onto the carriages at night on a bespoke package. I always enjoy the bridal preparations as it gives us a chance to get to know the bride and become part of the day. Not only do we capture memorable and emotive footage we become a friendly face on the day for you which often disarms many couples and lets them relax and enjoy the day without worrying about us. Our style is reportage, that is, fly on the wall. Rarely do we ask you questions, shove a camera in your face and interview. That is of course unless you want to! We stand back and try to be another guest. If at the end of the night you say we barely noticed you then we have done our job (well one third of it as then comes the hard bit of editing it!)

Many say the cost of this seems high compared with other extras but the logistics of filming the bridal preparations are the primary reason for the cost and often it means cutting out a sequence from another portion of the disc in order to ensure the best possible quality footage. If there are two camera operators they both must travel. This then involves 2 extra man hours, extra editing, tapes and travel costs.

Lisa & Anthony - Church of St. Mary, Bocking

2007-08-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it would seem whoever is looking down on us, deals us a good hand on occasion. This was one of theose days! On this one the weather was fantastic and a lovely Bride & Groom. We were with the Bride & Groom from preparation until carriages and got every last minute of the day. Very tiring, but well worth the effort..!

The vicar would not allow the 1st Camera in a suitable position at the front of the church so we were extremely limited on the shots we could get there but nonetheless we captured the ceremony well from the rear of the church, but just not where I would have liked to have been. As always our preferred position and that of the vicars almost always confilct. We want to be as close as comfortable, he rarely wants you in there at all so it is always a compromise and a fine line to tread. Once outside the Wedding Car broke down (it seems to happen a lot!) so extended photos were taken outside and we got some great reportage shots. Once a replacement car was sourced by the car company it was onto Channels Golf Club in Chelmsford.

We experimented with our 4m Jib which is a camera crane. You can see it with the shots of the 'resevoir dogs' style of the groom and groomsmen walking towards camera and the shot of the veranda panning up and right was were we used it. We found that the time taken to set up and operate the jib did not justify the limited shots we got. Plus once set up, it is virtually immobile. Whilst great, with two people required to set up and operate we did not feel it was a good use of the time and decided should the jib be required on another job, then a separate operator would be required for it.

When the sun started setting we went outside for some more photos and two white doves landed on a rooftop. One of those rare moments, the camera is rolling and something just happens in front of you, quite magical.

Lucy & Steve - Addington Palace - August 2007

2007-08-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes vicars/priests can seem to us to be there only to obstruct the filming of your day. On occasion they seem to just want to bend over backwards to help you and here was one such fellow. I never seen a priest seem so happy to marry a couple I had to include it in the showreel. We were told there were to be minimal photos at the church afterwards because it was not very conducive to photos and whilst it was not the most run down church we have seen in our time we still got some great shots on a lovely summers day. What we lost at the church we made up for at the reception in Addingtion Palace. The Red Arrows were displaying next door and one flew right over smoke on which we caught, which made our day!

Again the staff were superb and the friendly toastmaster gave us the running order and plenty of notice about each event making our lives a breeze. Some days it seems a shame to take the money, when the sun is out, the venue is stunning and people are all around to help you. If only it were always that simple! Again, on this video you can see the steadicam in action with the pans around the toastmaster, bride and groom and during the first dance. Notice the lack of jolting and shaking as we walk freely with camera creating dramatic and memorable footage.