Jennifer & David | The Spy Who Loved Me

When Jennifer and David approached me to do a concept video based on their favorite TV show, Chuck, I thought “How’s this gonna work?”  My only impression of the show was that it was about a nerdy guy who works at a Best Buy type electronics store that gets involved in some spy vs. spy capers.  Then they explained the show to me and it was a lot more interesting than that.  They let me borrow the DVDs and I instantly became a fan of the show.  Like most great shows, at its heart is a love story.  And that’s all we needed to make it work.  Oh… and an e-mail of government secrets embedded in a photo montage of images.  Check out Jennifer & David starring in their version of “Chuck” by clicking the photo above.

Peichi & Sothea | Eastern Promises

Peichi and Sothea exchanged their wedding vows in a teahouse that overlooked a beautiful Japanese garden. It was a hidden gem located in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, which is where I grew up. I didn’t even know it was there. But it was the perfect setting. A Western ceremony amidst Far East traditions. For their Same Day Edit, Peichi & Sothea thought it would be nice to separate their two ceremonies, their morning tea ceremony and afternoon western ceremony, with two different songs. The first song, a Chinese ballad, and the second song recorded by, appropriately enough, an American Idol. Check out their two-part SDE by clicking the photo above. Congrats Peichi and Sothea!

A huge THANK YOU to my good friend Mon Villacorta, for helping me capture the day and for coming through in a pinch to help pull off the SDE presentation.

Event Planner: Sandy Liang, Aquafuzion
Photography: Kim Le Photography
Make Up: Angelina T, AT Makeup Pro
Officiant: Alan Katz

Rocelle & Sonny | West Side Story

What we’re gonna do is go back. Way back. Back into time.

I met Sonny, a close friend of my cousin AJ, during my college years. That was in the 90’s. Before cellphones, facebook, iPads, digital video editing and way before any of us were married. We were both part of the same brotherhood, Theta Delta Beta… me from the original UC Irvine chapter and Sonny part of the newly created UCLA chapter.

So when Rocelle & Sonny asked me to capture their wedding day on video and be a part of a new “chapter” in their life , it came with great anticipation. A chance to serve one of my brothers and also an opportunity to shoot back in the town I was born in, Santa Monica.

Click the photo above to watch their Same Day Edit wedding film, which was shown at their reception, our first using footage entirely shot with Canon DSLRs (yup, they look like the cameras that the photographers use but we’re now shooting spectacular looking video on them).

A big thanks to my wife, Hazel, for shooting alongside with me, my assistant Marcus “Beantown” Brian (yes, Lakers and Celtics fans can work together), and my brother-in-law Bobby for taking some cool behind-the-scenes photos. Check them out below.

Congrats, Rocelle & Sonny! WESTSIDE!!!

Ceremony: St. Monica Catholic Church, Santa Monica
Prep & Reception: Marina Del Rey Marriott, Marina Del Rey
Photography: Tara Rochelle Photography
Entertainment: Dennis de Castro, Audio FX Productions

Mylene & Jesse | Wedding Film Trailer

Have you ever seen a wedding filmmaker cry in front of all the guests at the reception? Well, if you were at Mylene & Jesse’s wedding celebration at Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant, you would have seen one… me! Mylene has been a close friend of ours for many years and to see this day come, well… it was really special. So when she asked me to put down my camera and come up for a big hug from the two of them, I couldn’t hold back all the happy tears. Will you ever see it? Maybe… if it makes it into the final cut of the wedding film. But for now, you can check out their trailer by clicking the frame above. Aloha, Mylene & Jesse. We love you guys.

Are We Your Miscellaneous?

Recently, I watched an episode of Platinum Weddings.  I had heard about the show from friends in the industry and was able to catch it on our cable’s On Demand viewing channel.  Now what the show highlights, beyond the couple’s love story, is how much they were willing to spend on their wedding day.  They go down the list of obvious first choices when putting together a wedding: rings, planner, venue, etc.  And with these featured weddings on this show, money is no object.  By the time everything is added up, the couple on this particular episode was spending over a quarter of a million dollars for just over 100 guests!

But what bothered me was that there was no mention of the photographer and filmmaker.  Towards the end of the show, a list of how much they spent was shown on a graphic, the bottom item being “Miscellaneous”.   So on one of the most important days in someone’s life, the two vendors entrusted to record and capture the moments to be remembered and shown to future family members is just… a footnote?!  A miscellaneous expense.

Don’t get me wrong.  All of these details are important.  But when the cake has a budget listed more than all the other unmentioned items put together (including the filmmaker) something just doesn’t sit well… at least in my opinion (no offense to you great cake designers out there).

My point is this: If you’re going to invest into creating your perfect wedding day, shouldn’t you give a high priority on your cinematographer and photographer?  To me both are equally important and should have an equal investment.  Photos capture special moments in time.  We hang those moments on our walls, use them as our desktop screensavers, share them with others on our iPhone.  But your wedding film is your time machine.  Your passport to relive those moments… in motion… and in sound.  These combined, photos and video, eventually “become” your memories.

So if you’re planning for your special day, a day that you will want to remember and one day share with your children, please don’t make us your “miscellaneous”.

UPDATED - The reason why I feel strongly about this is because we made that mistake on our wedding day. We didn’t set video as a priority. Granted, it was recorded by a friend who was a hobbyist, and we’re totally grateful because we can look back at it now. But it wasn’t at all creative and felt very distant (it was shot with one camera and a lot of the shots were wide). In honesty, it’s what planted the seed in my mind to start a wedding video business of my own, to offer something highly creative, in hopes that others wouldn’t make the same mistake that we did.

Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now.

Are you still shopping around?

Well, it’s that time of the year again. We’re rapidly approaching our goal for the number of weddings we want to do for 2010 and this here is the “two-minute warning”… the “last call”… the “bring your items to the checkout” announcement. There are only a few spots left, so contact us ASAP!

Red 5 Voted One of the Top 25 Event Filmmakers in the World!

Wow! We just learned that we were voted by our industry peers as one of Event DV’s 2009 All-Star Team and among the hottest, most influential studios on the planet. It is truly an honor and we’re thankful to all of those who considered us deserving.

There’s much to say… but right now I’m speechless.

Stay tuned. I’ll update this entry once I’m able to pick up my jaw from the floor.

- Loyd

UPDATED - Here is the press release from EventDV:

MADISON, WI—February 25, 2010—EventDV magazine has unveiled the 2009 EventDV 25, and Loyd Calomay of Corona-based Red 5 Studios, was named to the list as one of the 25 hottest and most influential event filmmakers in the world. The honorees were announced in a four-part awards show presented this week on EventDV’s online video channel, EventDV-TV.

EventDV, the Authority for Event Videographers, is published monthly by Information Today, Inc. and read by over 20,000 event videographers and independent video producers around the world. For more information on EventDV, visit www.eventdv.net. To view the 2009 EventDV 25 awards presentation online, visit www.eventdv-tv.com.

IN[FOCUS] Supplemental Videos

For those who signed up on the IN[FOCUS] learning site, here are links to the videos that I played and referred to during my presentation. Thanks for taking the time to watch!

Red 5 Studios Movie Trailer Demo
“Romeo + Juliet”
“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”
“Entourage Behind-The-Scenes”
“Heroes”
“50 First Dates”
“Forrest Gump”
“Sneak Preview”

My In[Focus] Experience

Well, I’m back from Austin and the first In[Focus] conference for event filmmakers… and I’m more excited about the business I’m in more than I ever. This “gathering” was special. I can’t put a finger on exactly why it was, but there was something different and fresh about it. I can spend days writing about everything I learned from all the amazing speakers. But I can spend even more raving about the things I learned just from being around all the attendees. It’s what I love about going to these events. And it’s what inspires me to work harder. 2010 is off to a great start and I’m looking forward to the year ahead.

Here’s a nice video and article by Steve Nathans-Kelley, editor of Event DV magazine, reflecting on all the things that happened at In[Focus].

If you’re an event filmmaker and missed out on In[Focus], they’ve created a learning site where you can view many of the great seminars. Check it out here.

Photos by Jet Kaiser and Joe Taravella

Get IN[FOCUS] with Red 5 Studios!

Excited to announce that I will be speaking at the IN[FOCUS] video conference this week. For more info, check out their website. And check out this video to see what I will be presenting. It’s gonna be sweet.

Valerie & Eric | Wedding Day Short Film

Hey everyone and Happy New Year! Lots of new things are in store for 2010 including a new product in our lineup: Wedding Day Short Films. Check out Valerie and Eric’s highlights (click on photo above), an incredibly fun celebration at MOLAA in Long Beach.

Home For Christmas - A Tribute

On Monday, I got to say farewell to my Auntie Candi who passed away in her sleep at the beginning of December. She has gone home to the Lord and will be reunited with my Uncle Paul, her husband.

I arrived at the memorial service with my camera, not thinking about shooting any video but maybe taking a few shots here and there to send to my mom who is currently in the Philippines. She was close to my auntie and I know how much she would have wanted to be here to say her goodbyes.  As I looked around, I realized that no one had a video camera. Well as an event filmmaker, I thought recording the speeches and our final moments with Auntie would better serve those who could not attend. This is one of the advantages of having the Canon 5D MkII camera which shoots beautiful HD footage as well as photos. Switching between the two can be done at a moments notice. I’m glad that I changed my mind because her grandchildren gave some of the most heartfelt tributes that I have heard at a memorial service.

My auntie was much loved, was so central to our family, and will be dearly missed. It was difficult to shoot and to hold back tears and emotion. However, capturing these moments in full motion video with sound, reminded me of how important it is to record these events and why I do what I do. I recently saw a picture of my grandfather holding a super 8 film camera.  He recorded events like I do today.  Not professionally, but it seemed like he always had it with him.  In my closet, there’s a box full of film reels that he shot that I have not seen yet. But because he captured things with his camera, I will be able to see his life through his eyes. I barely knew him since he passed away when I was only 6. But in a way, I think I do know him well. He understood the importance of documenting the most special events in life: children, marriage, and even the passing of our loved ones.  I’m glad that part of him is part of me.  I guess it’s in my blood.

My grandfather, Prax Candari, and his Super 8 camera on top the Empire State Building.

To all reading this, take the time this Christmas, to be with those you love. That is the best gift you can give.  Thank you Auntie for bringing the family together to celebrate your life and the love you shared with all of us.  We will miss you.

Three’s Company

It’s been 2 months since our little boy came into the world and it’s been quite a journey so far. Here’s some things we’ve learned as new parents.

T-Shirts are for spitting on.
Boys like to pee when they’re naked.
I now know why I have a strange fondness for vacuum cleaners.
You can never have enough baby clothes, pacifiers and burp cloths.
It is possible to sleep 2 hours at a time (though it messes you up real bad).
Grandmothers are invaluable.
Kids do grow up fast.

A year ago, we didn’t even think we’d be where we are today, holding our very own happy and healthy baby. But looking back, I believe that this was God’s plan for us and I am thankful that He gave us the time as husband and wife for those many years. For those of you reading this blog, and you’re struggling or know someone who is waiting on their blessing, know that miracles do come true.

Ours is named Jude.

Desiree & Manny | No November Rain

“How can the weatherman predict the weather, let alone the future.” - Marty McFly, Back To The Future

Well, the forecast for November 28, Desiree and Manny’s wedding day, was rain. But the showers came in the early hours of the morning and the rest of the day was perfect. Though they never had to use one, I used the the love song “Umbrella”, a cool acoustic cover by Boyce Avenue, for their Same Day Edit. Congrats, Desiree and Manny!

Be sure to also check out their concept video, a movie trailer spoof of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”!