Red 5 Studios

Photo by Nelson Nunez

A year ago I was lucky enough to be one of the attendees of the first Re:Frame in New Orleans.  There’s a saying: “Iron sharpens iron”.  Meaning if you want to be the best you need to be around the best.  And essentially that’s what Re:Frame is all about.  The highest level of learning in wedding & event filmmaking in a small, intimate group setting.  I came away from that first event so inspired and excited.  It was a game changer.  Wanting to experience more, I quickly signed up for the follow-up event in Austin.

It was there in Austin, the Re:Frame Collective, made up of Julie Hill from Elysium Productions, Bruce Patterson from Cloud Nine Creative, and Kristen* from Bliss Productions approached me to speak at the next event.  Me?!!  Stand in front of a group of people and teach them something?!!  I can hold a mic, sing badly and do The Running Man to get some laughs… but say something intelligent and inspire creativity?!!  Ummm…

Quick flashback to when I was in Junior High.  Remember those days when you had to stand in front of the class and do oral reports?  I hated them.  And hated having to speak in front of people.  Why?  Because for some reason, I would break out in a cold sweat, get incredibly dizzy, and come seconds away from fainting each time I did.  It was so bad sometimes I couldn’t  even hear the words coming out of my mouth.  I would have to put my head down when I returned to my desk relieved that I had survived such horrible torture.

Flashforward to Austin.  “Sure!” I said to them as we strolled to the karaoke bar.  O. M. G.  Was I nuts?!! But it was time. I wanted to do this.  My heart was so full… I wanted to give back and this was the opportunity.

So as nervous as I was, I came to Re:Frame San Francisco, ready to speak about my experience in the industry and hoping that at least one person would take something away from my talk.  The good thing was that I had plenty of videos to share (so I would get to sit down, watch, drink lots of water and catch my breath - something they didn’t let you do in Jr. High).  After some early jitters, I was able to get through my Concept Video presentation without passing out.  Whoohoo!!  It was actually a fun experience.  The best part was being introduced by Jason Magbanua, the newest member of the RF Collective, a superstar in the world of wedding cinema, and good friend from the Philippines.  That totally made my day.

If Re:Frame was a “trilogy”, then this third installment set in San Francisco was the biggest and baddest of them all.  It was truly epic… like “The Return Of The King” or “Return Of The Jedi” (without the Ewoks).  Although I was only able to attend the first half, I felt I had learned so much in the time I was there.  Not only from the incredible speakers in our “classroom” sessions but during the in-between times just hanging out.  So much fun. And it was fun watching the faces light up on all the first time attendees who I know went home inspired and excited as I was just one short year ago.  I’ve been there, done that… and want to do it again and again and again.

Julie, Bruce, K*, and Jason: Thank You (x4).  Look forward to the next Re:Frame!

- Loyd

Also, check out this incredible video from RFSF by Philip Bloom made up entirely of stills!

When Kat and Don found me they had to go half way around the world.  Well, not literally.  But with the help of the internet. They came across a brief mention of our studio on the Weddings At Work site, a website dedicated to helping brides and grooms plan weddings… in the Philippines! Thankfully, the wedding was right here in Southern California but Kat & Don’s wedding had all the charm of a celebration “back home”.

I always enjoy a ceremony that openly invites God to be a part of it. It is a reminder of how blessed I am in my own marriage. And if you see me hiding behind the viewfinder of my camera, it’s probably because I’m shedding a tear. Ya, I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for weddings.

Kat & Don, God bless you in your new life together. Praise Him in the good times, praise Him in the tough times and always look to Him for strength and wisdom.

Check out their fun and fast paced Same Day Edit set to Dashboard Confessional’s “As Lovers Go”.

Watch it  in HD here!

The blog-a-thon continues!

I love shooting in Downtown Los Angeles.  Sure there’s lots of traffic.  But I love it when we get to shoot in locations that remind me of how cool L.A. is. Joanna and Alan’s wedding was one of those days.

Location #1: The Standard Hotel. After Joanna opened up the door for us, I scanned the room and thought: This place was made for rock stars. The guest rooms looked like they were designed for partying not sleeping. Strangest piece of furniture: The bathroom had a giant foot statue (and for you LOST fans, it was almost big enough for someone to live in. Just kidding). We also got a quick shot on the legendary rooftop lounge before security told us to move on. Wow… a breathtaking 360 degree view of Downtown L.A.!

Location #2: St. Brendan Catholic Church. Still my favorite church to shoot in in all of SoCal. I could have swam in the rose petals laid out in the center aisle! Beautiful.

Location #3: The Bank (and Neon Museum). Very L.A. chic. Whoever thought of converting an old bank lobby into an art museum/event venue is genius. Very, very cool.

This was the first wedding shoot after my “new daddy” hiatus and it was so much fun to be back. Thank you Joanna and Alan for a memorable wedding! You guys rocked the dance floor.

You can also watch their Same Day Edit in HD here!

PS - Check out (500) Days of Summer for very cool L.A. cinematography. One of my favorite movies of the year.

Photography: Evoke Photography
Event Coordinator: Skybox Event Productions

Leave us a comment!

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

Yes, that seems to be the question everyone is asking.  No, I wasn’t eaten by a shark (though some of you probably thought I might have).

But if you’ve kept up with us over facebook, twitter, or read our last blog post, then you know that Hazel and I experienced the joy of having our first child.  The weeks leading up to and immediately after Jude was born have been, well… kinda crazy (you parents know what it’s like).  How can I describe what we’ve been going through? These words come to mind: Amazing, difficult, humbling, incredible, draining, exciting… life-changing.

So now that things have settled, I’m going to make up for the lost time by blogging each day this week to let you know what’s been going on.  And there’s been a lot going on besides changing diapers, feedings, and getting used to life’s new schedule.  So stay tuned for plenty of videos, news and stories in the upcoming days.

Hey everyone!  We wanted to introduce to you our son, Jude Cameron Calomay, born Friday October 2nd at 3:10 pm at an astonishing 8 lbs. 11 oz. and 20.5 inches.  As most of you may know, we’ve waited a long, long time for this to happen.  Jude is a happy and healthy boy and mom and dad are so proud. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!