august 15, 2008 - mt. carmel shrine
linden suites
oasis
it took more than two years until i finally got to shoot a wedding at the mt. carmel shrine…almost like a dream come true…the anticipation and the excitement to tell the story of how my father built the floors of that church’s altar at least thirty years ago and the fact that it’s a our parish church however, has long been gone. i wrote it a hundred different times inside my head, how to tell it to my blog that is, during those sleepless nights might have sucked all the anticipation and come the day i write about it (today), pffffffft! wasted!
my team usually stays until after the music and lights are turned off. most of the time, we were the ones left in the reception hall but this was a different night. =) most of the members of the entourage were still there dancing the boogey (including the kids and some principal sponsors) like no one was watching!… and after the music was turned off, somebody’s still shouting for more! that was one heck of a party, but then again, it was friday night!
i may refuse to tell it to myself but i feel like every new video i upload becomes my new favorite! i just hope it’s a good thing. here’s the onsite video that is long overdue. after playing this at the reception, the emcee thanked the photographer (not the first time.) joel francisco and i had a good laugh.
august 8, 2008 - munting buhangin, nasugbu batangas
this ain’t deja vu, we were at nasugbu again. =) the weather can’t be any better and the beach was a beautiful sight. i love the place, i love the set-up, hands down it was the most beautiful beach wedding our young team has ever witnessed.
it was also the day that we got the chance to work with oly and the whole metrophoto team. they looked totally cool in their beach outfit. my only regret that day was wearing black overalls plus leather shoes and telling my whole team to do the same (my team officially hates me!). =)
i had a four-minute onsite video and a shooter short but with gen as my back-up editor, i knew everything’s gonna be fine. nothing overly romantic, no extra cheese…my kinda style our kinda style…
august 8, 2008 - the manila cathedral
the manila hotel
i find it really interesting that each one of the supplier wedding blogs i frequently visit is totally on a standstill. very interesting indeed, a day after the most awaited date in the wedding industry history, nobody is ready to tell their story? hmmmm….
here’s mine - a love story. lomo colors, the private beach, a little red crab, the umbrella, kix posing like a chic (spot that if you can!), student-teacher relationship, mostly interesting stuff! the shoot took place somewhere in batangas it was another one of those long drives, but i didn’t mind (i was sleeping). though our team didn’t get the chance to take a dip, it didn’t stop us from having absolute fun.
the one thing i secretly hate about doing avps (i’m spilling the beans) is that the couple get to watch the video before the actual day. they get the chance to play the video over and over again and come the big day, my video, for them, is no longer unpredictable…and their reaction has long been said to me.
what’s great news is that the two people reading my blog haven’t seen the video yet…and in their eyes, it’s gonna be fresh, unpredictable and fun to watch…enjoy the video!
well, well, just when you thought i’m done and out for an eight-eight-eight story, i have another story later. man oh man, the blog entries are getting longer and longer…i mean, what’s not to write? there’s a brand new story every time!!! =)
july 24, 2008 - university of the philippines
crowne plaza
sedated by silence after four long days of laughter, gossiping and fooling around with hundreds of different faces, i woke up this afternoon with a smile of contentment on my face. my ankles hurt, my throat is sore, my back aches a little and i terribly need a masseuse (no, no, not the kind that offer special services.) =) today, i go back to work, but before everything else, i will blog!…today, i blog about the first day of that long but very fulfilling four days. =)
thursday started quite well and the weather was great. i was so excited to try out my new camera and our new lens that i had a hard time sleeping the night before…when i read the word “super” in the macro lens’ box, i didn’t think it really was that super!!! man oh man, was i in for a treat! check out the screen grab!
i knew the perfect song to use as soon as cielo informed me that it was a french-themed wedding! everybody may have heard the song before (which is a good thing because they can sing along) but not this version. working with mangored is always crazy as hell. with mangoryan and mangorandall laughing like we own the place, i always look forward to working with them. mind blowing ideas these guys have.
even the rain was unable to stop the fun. it did, however, gave me extra time to get the video done in time. the pastor loved the video so much that he said he’ll get married again soon. i just hope he’ll marry the same woman he married the first time!..and of course, get me to shoot it!!! =) check out the video here.
the day after, while cielo and edward are enjoying their free boracay honeymoon, we were getting ready for ptv’s very first bridal fair…the wedding congress…but this is a totally a different story. =)
june 28, 2008 - san roque chapel, subic freeport zone
legenda hotel
olongapo city convention center
it was one heck of a dance! i swear i still hear people talking about the couple’s first dance as i was walking out of the venue. =) i had to watch it again when i got home just to make sure that i captured it on tape. it was unique, totally unexpected (even the emcee didn’t see it coming) and totally extraordinary…then again, these are what weddings are made of!
it was a little tricky making this video. imagine, i had three weddings to tell in a five minute song. i had a couple of sleepless nights to figure out how to weave it together and come up with something like…maybe the first dance…unique, unexpected and extraordinary. =)
we are happy to announce that we will be a part of this year’s wedding congress to be held on july 25, 26 and 27 at the megatrade hall 2 sm megamall. we will be offering discounts and special packages for on-the-spot bookings! register now at www.weddingcongress.com. gen and i are totally looking forward to tintin bersola babao’s “first year joys and pains” lecture! see you there!
april 26, 2008 - boracay
the holy rosary church
mandala spa
friday’s resort
our recent trip to boracay was simply amazing. we were able to enjoy the beach for one whole day. it almost felt like it was a vacation! man, i almost got myself into a beach volleyball tourney only to chicken out the last minute. in my defense, the last time i played v-ball was when i was in high school ten years ago and my partner, erwin (my main shooter) has no experience at all. plus, the other players looked like they’ve been playing beach volley all their lives! (call me prejudice but their skin tone, in my opinion ain’t tan, it’s…uhm…burned…and i believe the reason for this is, well, beach volleyball!) if only i got gen suited up to play with me, i would’ve gladly gotten my behind kicked with her. =) nonetheless, everything is absolute fun!
i promised myself i’m gonna get me an SLR soon but then again i’m a videographer with a video blog and the best way to document our trips/adventures is, yep, a 3ccd video camera. =) gen gets the credit for this one, she did the arrangement and the clip selection…all i actually did was tell her what song to use! =) enjoy the video.
may 29, 2008 - st. ignatius chapel, camp aguinaldo
holiday inn
the mango farm
less than three weeks before their wedding day, i got a call from sam. the conversation went something like this:
4:30 pm
sam: hello, can i speak to phoeben?
bim: yes sir, speaking…sino po ito?
sam: this is sam…we would like to get your video services…can we set an appointment soon?
bim: sige po sir, kailan po? available po ako any time this week except weekends…
sam: mamaya, pwede ka? mga 6:30?
bim: huh? ah…sige po…
haha…of course i was still free on the 29th, i mean, who gets wed on a thursday afternoon of may? jayson did give me the heads up about this couple. =)
the reception i got in this onsite video totally overwhelmed gen and me. we were watching from the second floor of and we saw/hear people cheering on almost every clip. just wow!
watch the video here. hope you’ll enjoy it ‘coz the next onsite video i’ll be posting may take more than a month from now. =)
i had two hours raw video to be squeezed into a 4-minute mtv. it wasn’t as easy as i thought it would be…or maybe i tried too hard. =) nonetheless, i made something quite extraordinary. watch closely and see if your eyes are as fast as your ears in this one of a kind avp. i’d be the happiest if i get you to watch it again. =)
may 24, 2008 - gazebo royale
imperial palace, quezon city
we arrived at the hotel at about ten a.m. thinking the ceremony will be held at three p.m in the afternoon. not surprisingly, kix and his team were there a couple of minutes earlier. no problem, really, except that it was a five p.m christian wedding. man, that was the longest preparation shoot we did.
i heard the emcee said “wow!” but i thought she was just being nice…the reaction from the couple after watching their onsite video though, totally made my day.
may 17, 2008 - malate church
manila pavillion
teatrillo intramuros
ten years (is it?) together is a very long time for a couple this young. as soon as she said those famous two words (in this case “opo padre!”) though, all those years are gone and the first day of the rest of their lives begins.
the reception started with one of the best first dance i have witnessed. everybody was hollering from start to finish, literally!!! i think i saw a ninong pumping his fists in the air like he was a young groomsman.
watch the onsite video and if you watch very closely, hopefully you’ll see my version of the “film” look is getting better. :)
