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.
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!
Sometimes, you capture a couple’s story by laying it in the actual context of its occurrence.
Other times, we lay it out against the backdrop of a fictional setting.
This fictional backdrop lends a strange authenticity to a couple’s story. For while the story in and of itself may not be uncommon, its presentation is what defines it, sets it apart. And when presented as a culturally recognized plotline, that story becomes all the more memorable, fun, and ironically–unique.
That’s precisely the manner in which we approached Justin and Kajal’s story, and demonstrative of their mutual love of mafia films.
When they came in, I made it clear to both Justin and Kajal that whatever we end up doing as a concept film, it will take a huge commitment on their part which will include a lot of rehearsals, travelling and a # of days of filming. Once they agreed, we decided to figure out how to approach their story. In our discussions, one thing that stood out the most was their mutual interest in mafia films. They were a fan of everything from ‘The Godfather’ to ‘Boardwalk Empire’. Justin’s bedroom is draped in classic mafia film posters. So we took their story of how they actually met through friends at a restaurant and their interests and hobby and tossed that into a fictional setting. From the beginning, I wanted to give tribute to these classic films by tying them into the story and not being cheesy.
After the scripting stage, we did at least 2-3 rehearsal sessions with the lead actors involved and 1-2 with the rest. Like any production, the idea behind rehearsals of course to get things right before the production. Believe me that makes a big difference on production day. Because on that day, there are all these unexpected problems which did happen to us. Here are few ; while filming at Kelsey’s for the opening scene, there was constant background refrigerator noise and it being restaurant, that couldn’t be turned off. And then on top of that, we ended up getting just 2 hours to shoot the scene as oppose to 3 hours originally planned. 2 hours are decent, if you have one set up and rehearsals. But we had at least 4 set ups for coverage purposes. For each set up, lighting and make up needed to be adjusted and then making sure timing of actors entering is dot on for continuity sake.
So all in all for Day 1, the production lasted 6 hours, with 3 hours dedicated to b-roll footage (couple hanging out together). Add another 2 hours to make up:)
Day 2 lasted 8 hours. It started with Make Up by Huma’s Bridals (who btw did a fantastic job) followed by 5 scenes. Originally we were planning to do only 4 scenes. The Pie scene was planned for another day at a BMW dealership but since that wasn’t 100% go, I decided that we should film it just in case we can’t access to other location. And guess what, it never worked out so we saved ourselves
Day 3 consisted of two final scenes all in one location. The fact that this was the third day and actors involved were used to screen direction, it flew by. We spent 2 hours in Bombay Bhel and wrapped it all up.
A special thanks goes out to Kelsey’s, Bombay Bhel Thornhill and The Vig Law Professional Corporation for providing us with some key locations.
When we decided to tell this story, we knew it would be a challenge during the production. With so many different set ups, indoor and outdoor scenes, we wanted to use the right tools but in a limited way. Thanks to ‘Cinevate’ and ‘Small HD’ we were able to do that. We used Cinevate’s Atlas 10, Pegasus, Durus Follow Focus and Cyclops during this film. Our original plan was to use Pegasus quite a bit for in door scenes and Atlas FLT for outdoor scenes. However, due to time constraints we ended up using Pegasus a lot less than we had anticipated. Not because it wasn’t a good enough tool to work with but more so due production hurdles. We also used Cinevate’s Durus Follow Focus with 15mm rails. It’s one of the most versatile Follow Focus on the market. While some may argue that Cinevate’s Cyclops is not a great viewfinder due to it’s size, I would disagree. For us, it has been a great tool as it allows you to give a full perspective with both of your eyes instead of one.
When deciding to use a monitor, SmallHD was the obvious choice. In my view they make the best DSLR Monitors. Again we utilized this for indoor scenes while we stuck to Cyclops for most of the outdoor scenes. SmallHD 1280×720 resolution really made our life a lot easier on the set. In the web design world, there is a term WSYWIG. What you see is What you get. And that’s the bottom line for SmallHD.
Again thanks to everyone involved in the production, my crew who did a great job, Huma’s Bridals for a marvellous job, the cast and of course our supporters who helped us made this film
Besides sharing a vibrant chemistry, Salman and Arooj bring similar family values in each other’s lives.
As always, our goal is to reflect couple’s personality in our wedding films and we made an attempt to keep the essence of their Next Day Edit. But we also wanted to give this wedding trailer an emotional touch.
We proudly present Salman + Arooj Wedding Trailer filled with tears, laughters and endless joy.
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.
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.
Two months later, when the couple flew down to Toronto to visit Suri’s sister, we met up with them, even though it was our busiest weekend of the year. I had 45 minutes to spare in between a ceremony and a reception taking place at the Bellevue Manor in Vaughan. Suri and Ruben drove down there, where we discussed among other things their wedding
While we were in Winnipeg for 6 days, our team provided coverage for the couple’s pre-wedding events including mehndi, mayyun and chunni rasm, which was later followed by the Sikh ceremony and reception.
We always feel that getting to know the couple is the most important part of our service and in Ruben and Suri’s case it was no different. It was because we spent such a great deal of time with them that their chemistry translated onto the screen as beautifully as it did.
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.
Producing Next Day Edits (NDE) for pre-wedding events (e.g. mehndis) is something we don’t usually do. But for Salman and Arooj we made an exception. These two shared a very vibrant chemistry, likely a result of their vibrant, fun and free individual personalities. We had to convey that sparkling energy and good cheer (the individual and the collective) so we produced an NDE of their mehndi—an event filled with entertainment and merriment, aptly reflective, we think, of Salman and Arooj.
At each and every wedding, a specific event becomes a most memorable highlight of the wedding itself and the major underlying theme in our same-day or next-day edits.
At Indi and Jason’s wedding that highlight was the “Money at the Door” game. The game, for those unfamiliar with it, is similar to the “Chinese Door Game.” Following the marriage ceremony, the groom, along with his entourage of male friends and family, arrives at the bride’s house to “retrieve” his bride, as it were. His entrance is blocked by the bride’s entourage of female friends and family. Passage is only permitted when the groom hands over cash (large sums only) to the bridal party. Traditionally, the game takes place immediately after the ceremony, but in the case of this bride and groom, it took place much later and went on for a lot longer.
The groom and his entourage made the bridal party wait for over an hour before gracing them with their presence. If that wasn’t enough to annoy the ladies, the gentlemen then went on to play cards, have drinks and generally have a good time, making the ladies wait even longer for the request of passage. But the ladies were opponents on par. Watch for yourself, their method of reprisal.
What can be said about Bobby and Sharmi? Well, for starters, both are well-grounded in their adult selves, but neither is afraid to let loose their inner child. From the very first it was clear that their personalities complemented one another’s well. It was also quite clear that Bobby was out to make his future wife as happy as he could—which became even more evident on their wedding day.
Bobby is brimming with positive energy. And he knows how to pass it along. He strives to make others happy and manages it rather well since own his positive energy is so contagious. He’s a good chap and a good load of fun to be around.
As for Sharmi…well, let’s just say Sharmi was a startlingly calm bride. When her Mehndi artist was about 3 hours late, she didn’t so much as twitch, let alone fret. She may have been bothered and troubled on the inside, but she never let it come across. Not even for a second. And on top of that, she is quite the people person. In her reception speech Sharmi said, “people’s success is measured by the number of friends they have and considering that I am blessed with so many, I consider myself successful.” If success is measured by the enrichment brought into our lives by our relations, then Sharmi is indeed successful—as a daughter, sister, friend and future wife.
It was an honor to be a part of such a dazzling and delightful event. Congrats guys!
The song we used for Bobby and Sharmi’s Same Day Edit features the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Entitled “Afreen,” it came out in the mid 90’s and a personal favorite of mine because of its beautiful vocals, music and of course, for its rich poetry. Cheers!
Farah the bride is a wedding planner. Kazi the groom is a stand-up comedian. Considering the stress and strain of wedding planning, the comic relief provided by Kazi is likely a welcome and blessed break from all that stress. (Farah must have a laugh). And in case the stress of becoming humorless ever plagues Kazi, we’ve no doubt the traumas and dramas surrounding wedding planning are inexhaustible sources of jokes and jabs. (Kazi must have a blast).
All in all, this couple is a match made in heaven.
Farah and Film-Style have often worked together. Farah, a wedding planner for Sapna Weddings, became interested in our work upon seeing it at many a wedding. We were happy to shoot her wedding as well–a gem of tradition. A traditional Bengali Muslim wedding to be exact, filled with dancing during the mehndi and followed by a visually stunning reception.
With all projects, it is our intent that we should meet the bride and groom first and foremost to ensure that we understand their vision and that they are comfortable with our work and our creative aspirations.
However, in Monica and Anu’s case, we had to settle for meeting just the bride initially, along with her father and uncle. Considering that Monica had already seen our work at another wedding event and was eager to have us cover her own wedding, the contract was settled straight away. After that, a date was agreed upon when we could meet up with both bride and groom, since Anu was unable to make it to that first meeting.
Anu is by far one of the most carefree grooms we’ve ever encountered. If our initial meeting wasn’t indicative of this fact, Anu’s disappearing act on the wedding day certainly was. Our team of cinematographers and photographers could not locate which room he was staying in at the Royal York Hotel and it seemed that no one else knew either. After about 45 minutes of fruitless searching, Monica began to panic and our team began to get the jitters too thinking that this would be a first in all our experience.
But we’re glad to say that all such concerns were baseless. Better yet, we managed to capture the phone conversation between Monica and Anu, once Monica had finally gotten a hold of him. (It was quite the conversation and we’ve no doubt that the footage we captured will be a source of good laughs for years to come).
The wedding was one of the most beautiful outdoor ceremonies we’ve covered. It was held at the Liberty Grande and was followed by a visually riveting reception at the same venue.
