Due to the overwhelming response to the film, this post will be updated to address all the questions that are being asked about it. The answers are coming soon…
Check out the film below then watch the wild audience reaction at the premiere!
It’s been a year and a half since our last movie spoof, but here’s our latest, a spoof of TOP GUN! I met with Francesca and Andres over 6 months ago and when we all agreed to do the 80’s classic, we did not realize that we would premiere it on the very same weekend of Top Gun’s 25th anniversary!So check out the film below and then the reaction of the bride & groom (and 120 of their closest friends & family) as they see the video for the first time on their wedding day in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Enjoy!
When Aira & Dave approached me to be the filmmaker for their wedding, they showed me their custom made “Save The Date” cards. I instantly recognized what they were. They were replicas of a ticket to a L.A. Lakers game! Aira & Dave are die-hard Laker fans and it was clear that it was going to be a Purple & Gold wedding. Not only did they want to use the team colors, Aira & Dave wanted their guests to experience the atmosphere of a game at Staples Center, the arena where the Lakers play their home games. Well they came to the right guy. I’ve been a Lakers fan since… well… before this couple was born! So when they asked me to make a video to be played before the bridal party grand entrance, like the one they play on the Staples Center jumbo screen before they bring out the Lakers, I knew EXACTLY what they wanted.
I spent an afternoon shooting with Aira & Dave their wedding entourage at a local gym running specific plays, even paying homage to Laker greats like Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant. This wasn’t work… it was fun. Especially when you combine two of my favorite things to do, making movies and watching basketball.
When I found out that one of the maids of honor and best men were not able to make it to the shoot, we got together again, this time at the ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney to shoot an intro that would tie the film into the wedding, hence the title: Love + Basketball. Add some pulse pounding music from e.s. Posthumus and play-by-play commentary from the late great Chick Hearn (who I really miss) and we were ready to premiere this this video and get the reception guests on their feet.
The premiere at Aira & Dave’s wedding reception at the Long Beach Hyatt was like no other. The crowd roared like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals and they welcomed Aira & Dave with gold rally towels waving in the air. Check out the video and it’s premiere below. And give us a shout out if you love the Lakers as much as we do!
Congrats Aira & Dave! GO LAKERS!!!
Crystal + Jed | A Love Story from Loyd Calomay Films on Vimeo.
When Crystal and Jed approached me to create a Love Story video for their wedding I knew it would be an opportunity to do something special. Our concept was not only to tell the story of how they “got together” but we wanted to relay the message that you can trace God’s fingerprints at every moment of the courtship (and even years before that). We wanted an entertaining piece and at the same time let it be a testimony of God’s love.
The process began by tagging along during their engagement portrait session with our friends John and Lauren at John Lauren Photography knowing we would use some of this footage in their film. Plus it was a great excuse to run around the Orange County Fair sampling all kinds of deep fried goodies.
Next, I took Jed and Crystal to the Newport Back Bay area and interviewed them separately, each telling their story from their perspective. It didn’t help that we were in a direct path of John Wayne Airport. Note to self: no interviews near airport runways. During this session I began formulating ways to involve others they mentioned in their story (close friends, mentors and pastor) so that we would be able to cut away to other (and sometimes funny) points of view. It wasn’t until I started editing that I added our Red 5 spin on the film (using movie titles to define each chapter) and finding the Facebook thread that tied everything together.
Our final piece to the puzzle was to add footage from the day of the wedding. And what a beautiful day it turned out to be. It was a joy to present the film in front of all their guests and to see them laugh and cry as they watched the story of Crystal & Jed unfold before their eyes.
I want to take this time to praise and thank God for this opportunity to be a part of Crystal and Jed’s wedding and to be able to use the talent He has given me for His glory.
Above is their film (minus a short photo montage intro). It’s a lengthy piece but enjoyable from beginning to end. Thanks for watching!
Photo by John Lauren
Jennifer & David | “Chuck” Concept Film from Loyd Calomay Films on Vimeo.
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”.
When Sheila and Jerry approached me about doing a concept video they gave me these things to work with: They both studied kung fu, Jerry rode motorcycles, and they both were frequent attendees of Comic-Con. Of course, I wanted to showcase their fighting skills in their movie but when I got an e-mail from Sheila telling me that Jerry picked a G.I.Joe Snake Eyes costume from the latest convention I got excited! Growing up as a kid in the 80’s, I was a big collector of the toys and action figures and was a huge fan of the animated series. A chance to make a live action Joe movie?!! I knew I had to do it. “And knowing is half the battle.” 
The world premiere was at their reception in The Great Hall of the Aquarium of The Pacific. It was projected through seven (yes, 7) different projectors on the walls surrounding Sheila and Jerry’s friends and family! How cool is that! Thank you Sheila and Jerry for letting this “kid” be a part of your special day.
Watch the video in HD here!
Photography: John Lauren Photography
Event Coordinator: Joan Bautista Weddings
Entertainment: Cerritos All-Stars
Here’s the conclusion to our behind-the-scenes look at the making of our HEROES spoof! In this featurette we get a glimpse at what we do in post production, which includes editing with special effects, music and sound effects selection, and color enhancing. You’ll also get to see the premiere of the short film at Hieu & Elaine’s wedding reception. For those of you getting married next year, be sure to watch PART 1 to see the entire experience of making your very own movie for your wedding day. Enjoy!
When Erin & Justin asked me to do a spoof of “50 First Dates”, I was all smiles. It happens to be one of my favorite romantic comedies. Beyond the cool twist on the boy meets girl story, what I love about the movie is the memorable characters. And Erin and Justin had the perfect cast to fill in those roles. We had a great time making their version of the film and their wedding day was also just as cool! If you’ve seen my messages on twitter, then you know we got to shoot their post-ceremony photos at Costco (stopping at the warehouse store is a big event tradition of Erin and Justin’s friends). Yup, these guys were all about FUN.
Check out the trailer below and be sure to watch the full version in HD (which includes their photomontage and Same Day Edit).
Photography: John Lauren Photography
Entertainment: Art The DJ
Here it is folks! Our behind-the-scenes featurette about shooting our latest concept video, a spoof of the TV superhero drama, HEROES. It’s a peek at how we shoot on-location, what it takes to make a successful spoof, and the fun that the bride and groom (and their wedding party) have while making their movie. Check it out if you’ve ever been curious to see what it’s like to be on a Red 5 Studios set.
Click here to watch in HD
I met Elaine and Hieu last summer at Linda and Dennis’ wedding and they were impressed by their video presentation. They wanted to do the same for their wedding guests. Hieu was certain of one thing: it had to be fast and action-packed. So I pitched the idea of doing HEROES, a show that I liked because I thought it would be cool to do a lot of characters with different super powers. Elaine and Hieu had an outstanding cast who were very patient with me during the shooting process. There were a lot of effects shots that required precise set ups and the actors had to use plenty of their imagination (picturing things like flames and bolts of electricity that weren’t there) as I directed them through the scenes. We are working on a behind-the-scenes featurette that will appear online at eventdv-tv.com to give fans a glimpse of the fun we had on the set. Saturday’s premiere at Hieu and Elaine’s wedding reception was a HUGE hit along with their Same Day Edit that played immediately afterward (appropriately set to the song “Superman” by Five For Fighting). And now… HEROES!
Click here to watch in HD!
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at our next spoof, NBC’s HEROES, created for Hieu & Elaine’s wedding coming this May! For more sneak preview pics, check us out on facebook!
I met Terrance and Maggie last month and they asked if it was possible to do concept video for their reception. They were referred by their event planner, Helen Wu of A Timeless Occasion, who had seen one of our productions on our blog. All they knew is they wanted something that was laugh-out-loud funny. We talked about potential ideas in our first meeting. But then I got an e-mail asking if they could do a spoof of Forrest Gump and somehow incorporate a photomontage. When I saw that they wanted to do Gump, I got excited! Gump happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time (Hazel and I got engaged the year it won Best Picture). Needless to say I was really looking forward to making it.
There were 3 things we needed to get it right: 1) locations 2) costumes and 3) Gump’s voice. The first 2 were easy. We shot at Cal Poly Pomona, SC Village Paintball, Fullerton Arboretum, and, of course, Hollywood Blvd. and Santa Monica Pier (which appear in the real movie). Terrence and Maggie did a great job finding the right costumes (even down to the classic Nike runners) and getting all their friends involved and excited. However, getting the voice right was tricky. Now here’s a little secret… that’s my voice narrating the film. As in most of our movies, I like to make a little cameo (whether its playing a villain in MI3, or the voice of Vader in Nacho, or just my hand in The Office). This time I got to play Forrest… well at least the storytelling part.
On the wedding day, we added highlight footage, making the Same Day Edit the conclusion of the film. Again, the locations were fantastic. We shot around Old Towne Pasadena with their photographers, Jerry and Ingrid of Jerry Yoon Photography (one of the most creative photogs I’ve worked with). The premiere at the reception was incredible. I’ve never seen a crowd laugh so hard then turn around and ball their eyes out! Terrance laughed so hard he lost a contact. It was quite a memorable moment and it was truly a pleasure making this for their wedding.
And as Forrest would say… “that’s all I have to say about that”.
Click here to watch Terrence Gump in HD! Enjoy!
A big thanks to Ricky and Brady of Props FX for setting up the AV and cranking up that volume!
A few years back, David Robin shot our friend’s wedding. I remember checking out his website back then and saw that he was doing concept videos for weddings and events. I thought to myself “how cool is that!” But I never thought I’d be doing the same thing many years later. Fast forward to earlier this year… I get an e-mail from David asking me if he’d like to collaborate on a project if ever an opportunity would pop up. I replied with an enthusiastic “Absolutely!” Well folks, that opportunity came this last weekend.
You’ve probably seen the teaser photos below and were thinking “What in the world are you guys doing in Paris’ bedroom with video cameras… and a kid”! Well, the concept video is a spoof of the HBO series “Entourage” but in our version, the star is a 12-year old boy. And like the show, it would have cameos by celebrities playing themselves. For one scene, we got to work with Hollywood legend James Caan a.k.a. Sonny Corleone of “The Godfather”. That was very cool… and it was the very first shot of the production!
On the second day of the shoot, we went to the home of the lovely Ms. Paris (who was an absolute sweetheart and a great host… seriously, I’m a fan now). I even got to set up my PS3 and Rock Band in her living room. As Paris would say… that’s hot!!! Anyway, we’re still in production and should be wrapping up soon. Working with David has been the best since we both share the same passion for movies and movie-making. We also put together a great team to really make this one as cool as the real show. Stay tuned!
UPDATE!
Here’s a link to the video!
Dennis & Linda had a difficult time choosing a movie for their concept video to be played at their wedding reception. So we ended up using that dilemma as the plot for their story! The inspiration came from Billy Crystal’s opening videos at The Oscars, where he jumps around different movies, interacting with characters and asking for advice. We chose five Tom Cruise movies for Dennis to run around in and look for help for his wedding day.
Their wedding day began with a morning tea ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Redondo Beach and then it was off to the Neighborhood Church on the bluffs of Palos Verdes Estates. It was a beautiful setting for the wedding ceremony. Although the church had strict rules (we couldn’t move from our two spots), we were able to get some good shots. It was one of those ceremonies that reminded us why we love doing weddings. Finally, for the reception, we headed up to the movie capital of Los Angeles… Universal Studios, where Dennis and Linda’s 400 friends and family gave their short film a rousing ovation. It was great way to end a long, but incredibly fun day shooting alongside our friends JP and Owen from John Lauren Photography (we stayed at the Hilton to visit the theme park the next day)!
Check out Dennis and Linda’s “Cruise Control” Concept Video and Same Day Edit!
Here’s the complete video on vimeo and the Same Day Edit below (note: the last shot of the Concept Video is in the first shot of the SDE)!