humanstory is about real and honest storytelling for events. We think the stories that bubble to the surface at a wedding are the ones worth telling and the ones worth keeping. Pleaase leave a message. We would love to hear your thoughts about events and event filmmaking.
Friday, November 20, 2009 at 8:39AM Alex & Taylor's story reminds me of a 1950's Hollywood romantic comedy. I had a great time with this couple, their families and their friends. This was a beautiful day to film a wedding in Washington D.C. .
I am very grateful to have had the chance to meet and work with some really amazing wedding professionals.
A. Dominick Events, Aimee Dominick
Jay Premack- Photographer
Evan Reitmeyer-My DJ
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 9:44PM
Venue- The Barns at Wolf Trap
Photographer- Katie Stoops
Event Coordinator- Maria Cook- Ritzy Bee
Flowers- JM Flora
Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 9:57PM 
As often happens, I didn’t get the chance to meet with Pia and Micah until the day before their wedding. I did however have several really great and insightful conversations with Pia on the phone and though emails. What struck me from the start was her amazing awareness of why documenting the wedding day with photo and video is so important.
I liked her quote so much, it is now on the back cover of my demo dvd.
“It is more than just the event, it is about how these people came to be who they are, how they found each other and the impact of the moment on those closest to them.”
-Pia
I love that quote. Pia really gets it. And, if I didn’t understand why she gets it, all I had to do was to meet her, Micah and the people that love them. Pia and Micah’s family made it very clear how important those two are to them. They are everything.
It was a great event.
All of the the wedding activity was in and around the New York City area.
Pia and her bridesmaids got ready at the beautiful W Hotel in Hoboken while the ceremony and reception were in Brooklyn. The reception was at Stage 6 at Steiner Studios, a working film and television studio that happens to have a great view of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.
I also had the pleasure of meeting photographer Punam Bean. That in itself was a great experience. Her work is breathtaking. You can always tell when a photographer really loves life and loves people, not just by where they aim the camera or what moments they release the shutter but also by the photos they choose to show on their blog. Punam is one of those photographers with a joy and style that has a way of reminding my of why I love photography.
Thank you to Tracey Goldstein of Polka Dot Events for all of you help. I also wanted to thank documentary filmmaker, Alexis Neophytides for making herself available to film the event with me. She is not only very talented, but a lot of fun to work with too.
And, thanks most of all to Pia and Micah for asking me to take part in this weekend. Congratulations.
Planner: Polka Dot Events – Tracey Goldstein
Venue: Stage 6 at Steiner Studios
Photography: Punam Bean
All photos in this post by Punam Bean. Video to come soon!
Monday, July 27, 2009 at 11:48PM
Oh my! I was totally shocked to hear this news.
The nominations were just announced for the 30th Annual Emmy® Awards in the News and Documentary categories. I was so thrilled to hear that Documenting the Face of America received the nomination for Outstanding Historical Programming-Long Form.
http://www.emmyonline.tv/mediacenter/news_30th_nominations.html
The film was produced by Jeanine Butler of Butler Films and was edited by William Gaff (me).
It was really an incredible experience to work with Jeanine, Catherine and Alistar of Butler films on this project.
It was also a great opportunity to work with a good friend and amazing designer, Dave Swain. Check out his work.
A dramatic story of how an unlikely group worked together for social change and ended up creating one of the most astonishing portraits of America ever compiled. The Farm Security Administration /Office of War Information photographic archive chronicled the heartbreak of the Dust Bowl era through the forced relocation of Japanese-Americans at the outset of WWII. This vast collection of photographs remains hauntingly relevant to our lives today. -PBS
“Documentary TV at it’s best” -NY Daily News
For more information on the film visit.
http://www.documentingamerica.org/Program.html
The film will be broadcast again nationally on PBS on August 10th. Check your local listings for times. It is available for purchase on ShopPBS
Congrats to everyone who put their time and their hearts into this film. You should all be very proud. I know I am.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 9:06AM Julia and Ryan got married at Celebrations at the Reservoir just south of Richmond Virginia. Which happens to be less than a mile from my home. Gotta love that!
Like a lot of outdoor weddings, everyone was afraid of what happens if it rains. Well, it rained and I hear to tell you that all was still went very well. A few people got a little wet and the harp player had to race the 7 foot harp to cover. But the rain stopped, they dried off the chairs and the harp and went on with the ceremony. Rather than getting stressed about it, Julia and Ryan just rolled with it and trusted that, no matter what, they were going to get married.
Julia and Ryan had friends and family there to help them to enjoy their day. It was great to see everyone pitch in and get involved in making sure that Julia could just enjoy the day and not worry about anything. Alyssa from Celebrations was also there to contribute to that end as well. Alyssa made herself available to help me and the other vendors too. It is such a pleasure working with her.
Julia and Ryan have a really nice story to tell. I was especially impressed with the great lengths that Ryan went through to make the proposal one that she would never forget.
Julia is the last of 3 girls to get married. Her older sister Angela, an ordained minister, was the officiant of the ceremony while her other sister Dana, was the matron of honor. Ryan is an only child but has some very close friends that stood up for him as did his father as the best man.
This was the first time I got to work with Eric Cunningham of Choice Entertainment.
Eric was a great guy to work with and really turned the reception into quite a party. This includes his coordination with Ryan and Julie in their “surprise first Dance” (See below)
The event was photographed by Bruce Ellis. It was a pleasure working with Bruce.
I really had a great time. Thanks Ryan and Julia.
Take care.
William