Category: SDE

  • Saif + Samia – Next/Same Day Edit

    A Wedding is about about two people who are in love and share similar yet opposite interests. Traditionally, the bride is more keen and interested in minor details as it’s the day she has a been looking forward to for a very long time.

    However, things are changing now. Lately, there are few weddings that we have done where grooms have taken a keen interest in all the details That being said, Saif is one of those rare grooms whose eyes were glowing with happiness from the initial consultation. To backtrack, he was in one of the most memorable performances that we captured 2 years ago. He did a performance at his cousin’s wedding which led him to meet Samia.

    He wanted everything to go perfect from the very beginning. Yes a groom. Normally that’s the bride’s department. He is one of the nicest and detail oriented guys we have ever met. From the grande entrance of mehndi to the unexpected ride for his wedding entrance, he wanted everything to be different and to our knowledge, it certainly was. Kudos to him.

    Enough about Saif now let’s talk about Samia. If there is one person that Saif can be with it’s Samia. She literary drives and inspires him in every way. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that. It’s all in his eyes. And if that becomes the basis of every relationship, nothing can come between the two souls.

    In short, a true gem of a couple and we are extremely proud to have the chance to cover this fabulous wedding.

  • Amit + Priya – Next Day Edit

    We met Priya almost 3 years ago at her brother’s Shawn and his wife Sapna’s concept film back in 2009. Incidentally, that was the first time Amit met Priya as well. Small world.

    We have known Priya for 3 years now and between now and then have met her at countless weddings. She is a shy, down to earth and simple girl who expects nothing from life but is always willing to give. As for Amit, we began seeing him at various weddings as well as time progressed. He is full of life, fun and quite opposite from Priya. Not that opposite but enough for them to be 100% compatible with each other.

    Our most challenging task is to get to know the couple as a couple after they sign up with us. In this case, it was a little different. We already knew Priya very well but it was Amit who we grew to learn about in the past year. And believe it or not that’s always challenging. It’s easy to get to know two people and their tastes towards life, each other a lot faster but somehow very difficult when you already know one person and you have to get to know the other person separately. But we did and it was an experience getting to know him. He is one of those guys who is always looking to be better at what they do.

    The wedding festivities kicked off few days before the grande ceremony itself. Both families are so full of warmth that we blended as their own. From the heroic entrance of the groom to the beautiful bride, everything about this wedding was perfect. The people, the decor, the chemistry all clicked.

  • Salam – E – Ishq – Thank You 2011 Couples // Welcome 2012 Couples

    Every year, we have couples who gives us the opportunity to film their special day. And every year, we get different couples with different ideas and although traditionally more or less they are all same, each wedding has it’s own spark.

    To salute our 2011 Couples, we have put together a Reel as we bid them farewell in the married lives and look forward to 2012 couples.
    Enjoy

  • Shafaq + Raghib – Next Day Edit

    Shifa who has been an avid fan of our work along with her sister Nida, approached us in Fall of 2011 for her wedding in January 2012.

    Having rarely done off season weddings, and meeting the bride and her sister, it was something we definitely enjoyed. Both Shifa and Nida had already watched most of our YouTube Channel and pretty much like many of our couples came to us with the mind set of booking.

    As a boutique studio we are eager to meet both the bride and groom but unfortunately her fiancee Raghib couldn’t meet us until close to the wedding due to his work in Middle East but despite his unavailability, we were able to connect with him on phone.

    He arrived here just few days before his wedding and we had the pleasure of meeting them in person.
    Shifa + Raghib wedding festivities were full of colors and love. Both families were so hospitable as they looked after our food situation more than their wedding itself:)

    At the 3rd and final day of our wedding, our entire team was a bit down because we knew it was the last day for us to see them all together.

  • Kulsoom + Hadi – Next/Same Day Edit

    Late bookings are a rarity. But Kulsoom and Hadi were a couple we just couldn’t turn down.

    It was their down-to-earth nature, their honesty and humility that drew us in. But even these words fall rather short of describing them aptly and fully.

    The coverage began with the Nikkah ceremony held at a Mosque and was followed by cultural traditions. The Nikkah took place in the morning and was followed, at night, by their vivid Mehndi ceremony, full of colour, life and energy.

    The next day was the Wedding Day. Our goal in the Next/Same Day Edit was to incorporate the getting ready footage as well as the reception entrances. And yes, we pulled it off and completed the final edit a tight ten minutes before the viewing.

  • Nicole + Jonathan – Same Day Edit

    Nicole and Jonathan’s wedding was a double ceremony affair. A Hindu/Christian Guyanese Wedding that featured the rich colour of a traditional Hindu wedding and the stunning architectural beauty of a Church.

    Film-Style’s approach to this one was a little different from the rest. It is our creative policy that the music accompanying the footage reflect (and reflect well) the bride and groom’s heritage. As a fusion wedding, Bollywood simply wouldn’t have been suitable, nor Western music alone. The music had to be a fusion as well. Thus, the selection was an English song with some lovely Indian musical elements.

  • Gagan + Rashmi – Next Day Edit

    Gagan and Rashmi’s wedding was simply magnificent. It was, in fact, an epic wedding, if you will. Every event, from the Sangeet to the Reception (including everything in between) was planned with precision, every single detail carefully considered and executed–because an event is the sum of its parts. And if the parts are perfect, then perfection prevails overall, and indeed it did.

    Following our initial meeting with the couple, we took a tour of the wedding venue: Sarkaria States. We often visit venue sites, beforehand, just to acquire a sense of space and energy, so that we can translate such elements onto the screen effectively. The first event, the Sangeet, featured quite a lot of energy with music, performances, ceremonies and a mouth watering menu. Then came the Sikh Ceremony. We arrived early to cover the preliminaries–the getting ready and the general prior pandemonium. It was an early morning for us and those tend to be tough, but, as always, once the event began and we became absorbed with the task at hand—ensuring full and creative coverage—it all flowed seamlessly. The simple but elegant ceremony was followed by the photoshoot.

    According to Sikh Tradition, before entering the groom’s home as his bride, the bride must first be given away by her parents, at her own home. In a highly symbolic procession, the groom leads her out of her (former) home as her parents follow her departure. But since Rashmi’s parents flew in from their home in Africa, the Rukhsati or the “giving away” ceremony took place at the Hotel, where Gagan sang his self-made musical masterpiece: “Rashmi Rashmi tu Kithe Hai, Tu Darwaje Se Bhar Nahin Andi” (“Oh Rashmi, Where Are You and Why Don’t You Come Outside?”)—a truly unique touch—one we can honestly say, we’ve never seen before (and we thought we’d seen it all!)

    While filming some general footage, we requested Gagan to allow us to mount our Go Pro cameras on his beloved Aston Martin, but he wasn’t too keen on the idea—understandably. But no quandary ever plagues us for long. We simply mounted them on our own car and acquired the footage beautifully.

    Like any film, the finale had to be grand and it certainly was. Following the Rukhsati, both bride and groom drove to Gagan’s house in Gagan’s Aston Martin and then took a romantic ride on a Horse Carriage. The grand finale carriage ride was shot with 2 Go Pros, mounted on our vehicle and by 3 separate cinematographers with DSLRS

    Finally, our heartfelt congrats to the couple and a warm thank you to the Sarkaria and Pradhan families for their hospitality and for the opportunity of allowing us to cover their epic event—Cheers!

  • Destination Wedding – Suri + Ruben – Next Day Edit

    In June of 2010, we received a phone call just as we were closing office for the day. A Suri Dhaliwal from Winnipeg was calling to inquire about our Cinematography & Photography services. Normally, we request the client to call back during business hours, but on a whim, I asked Suri to call my cell 20 minutes later.

    Twenty minutes later, I was out shopping with the family when Suri called back accompanied by her fiancée, Ruben Karla on speaker phone. While my wife carried on with the shopping, I wandered around aimlessly, immersed as I was in the conversation, which lasted about 30 minutes. Even though I’d never actually met the couple (not yet that is), they struck me straightaway as clientele for whom we would no doubt do something very special.

    Our team flew down to Winnipeg for 6 days to cover the pre-wedding events including the mehndi, mayyun and chunni rasm, followed by the wedding itself i.e. the elegant sikh ceremony and then the grand reception.

    Getting to know the couple is central to Film-Style’s philosophy. Ruben and Suri proved this philosophy all the more indispensable. We spent a great deal of time with both of them, which is precisely why we believe that their chemistry translated onto the screen as gracefully and as seamlessly as it did.

    Congrats to the couple and their families. Cheers!

  • Sameera + Jagandeep – Next Day Edit

    Film-Style has always had the unique pleasure of working with interfaith couples. Covering an interfaith marriage is loads of fun, not just because of the different cultural and religious traditions that are all wrapped up in one big happy package  but also because it’s a rewarding experience to be able to see two very different worldviews, encompassed within those cultural and religious traditions, become as one. It’s a ‘feel good’ kind of wedding that enables and embraces differences even as it reconciles them within the institution of a marriage.

    Sameera (the Muslim bride) and Jagan (the Sikh groom) proved to us once again this beauty of an interfaith union. On July 8th, this couple held their Sangeet/Holud where their respective cultural traditions were paid tribute to “desi-style,” with a lot of dancing and a lot of performances. And on July 9th, their respective religious traditions were honored and upheld at their respective religious ceremonies, with a lot of love and respect from their families.

    We wish this couple great success in the future and a lot of happy new traditions in the making. Cheers!

  • Annum + Saad – Next Day Edit

    Sometimes eloquence lies in simplicity Although Annum and Saad’s wedding appeared to be no less than Royalty but their wedding was very traditional. Something we see very rare these days.

    We met Annum mid last year but didn’t get a chance to meet Saad up until few months ago since he is from Boston. Although, it’s always good to meet the couple before the wedding, we learned a lot about Saad very much through Annum. And that really is a testament to their relationship.

    We wish them all the best

  • Aliya + Eric – Same Day Edit

    Aliya and Erica saw us in action at Sapna and Shawn’s wedding, back in April of 2010 and upon seeing the Next Day Edit, decided to book us for their own wedding. Initially, they said, they’d decided against hiring any professional cinematography services, but our style was just too striking to pass up.

    Aliya and Eric make quite an adventurous couple.  They’re rock climbers, scuba divers and hikers. You’ll find this adventurous streak of their’s apparent in the Same Day Edit.

    The wedding day started off with the usual universal pre-wedding preparations. Then occurred the park shoot followed by the Church Ceremony (a salute to Eric’s heritage).  After about 7 hours of coverage, we headed over to the other end of the city to cover the Ismaili Ceremony (a salute to Aliya’s heritage) and then were back in Downtown Toronto at the Palais Royale for the Reception

    The Same Day Edit features footage from the reception as well, including their choreographed First Dance. Enjoy.

  • Summer of August – A Short Film

    Based on true story of Monika & Ashish’s 12 year journey of falling in love, growing apart and then falling in love again.

    Production Notes:

    Monika & Ashish came to us in Fall of 2009 for wedding cinematography services. After sitting down with them and learning their story, I knew there was a story at hand to be told. I proposed them the idea of a short film.

    Naturally, they don’t have any acting background, so they didn’t welcome the idea that much. But after speaking to them continuously, they bought it into the idea and hence began the scripting stage.

    We heavily involved them in the scripting process so their story is told properly. Our goal was to make something with light humour.

    The concept of Same Day Edit integrated with their story was something that I never told them about. I wanted to see surprise faces on the wedding day but the whole concept was always there from the beginning.

    PRODUCTION

    Once the production began, we spent a lot of time rehearsing and driving and more driving:). Both Ashish and Monika were extremely busy with their professions so it took a while to get the production going. Initially, we filmed b-roll footage that we knew we might end up using in the film but it was mainly shot for the teaser trailer.

    That being out of the way, we then filmed scenes in chronological order. The story was given a little more weight thanks to their dance video from 1997 that brought them together.

    Aside from our Canon 70-200mm lens falling and splitting into 2 pieces and then fixed again, we didn’t have any other problems (trust me that was enough; a short film on it’s own as to how it happened)

    Although, we did rehearsals to make sure there is a believable story, I was a bit surprised by both of their acting abilities. Especially, the opening scene at the locker surprised us quite a bit.

    Overall, I was pleased with how things turned out including couple’s performances.

    We also filmed 3 additional scenes which didn’t make the cut. Although 2 of 3 scenes weren’t that critical to the story, I wish that we were able to put 1 of the scenes in there. But it will be included as a Deleted Scene on the final DVD.

    We filmed at a high school thanks to couple’s friend Nupur and UofT Scarborough Campus, thanks to Vinay. We also got a chance to film at Toronto Curling & Cricket Club where Team Canada’s national matches take place. A big thanks also goes to Vikram for allowing us to film in his office.

    This short film was edited on Adobe Premiere CS 5.