The MINIMIST videography philosophy

MINIMIST was created after I had spent about five years working for nearly a dozen other wedding companies. I always thought there must be a better way to approach this type of work. As an editor, it was always apparent to me that the shooters probably didn’t even know the couples’ names until the day of the gig, let alone who they were as a couple, how they show love, or who in their lives were most important to them. I could always see when a couple was uncomfortable in front of the camera and it always made the edit more difficult. I decided that I needed to start my own company and try things differently. It wasn’t long before I came up with the main philosophy for MINIMIST video.

“Stuff is staged but people need to be authentically themselves.”

People that are not professional actors or models tend to be a little more self conscious in front of the camera. On a day as important as your wedding day, I don’t want to capture anything other than the most authentic version of you and your partner. So, after the photographer has captured the staged portraits, I ask for a couple minutes for a “couples bubble.” This is where I ask my couples to just be. If they want to smooch, dance, talk about the crazy hat aunt Lindsay is wearing, laugh about how one of you tripped on the way to the first look, or whatever else might come up, that’s the gold I want to see.

I always want to capture as much as my couples will allow me. Whether it is a letter reading or a first look, I always advocate for having hidden microphones to stay out of the photos while still capturing the moment. My couples always get to view their films before anyone else, so anything I have used that feels too personal or private may be requested to be removed, but we only get the one shot to capture it, and so was born my second philosophy.

“Capture everything, edit later.”

Story comes before everything else. I go to great lengths to have no surprises on the wedding day but let’s face it, stuff happens. I’ve seen a bride hire a zoo to bring a sloth to the reception, a groom that hired a Johnny Depp impersonator (a la Pirates of the Caribbean) to entertain guests at their cocktail hour.  I have seen family members surprise couples with choreographed dances, and even parents of a bride that surprised the couple with a fireworks display at the end of the reception. I will go the extra mile to ensure that there are no surprises (for me and my team) on your wedding day, without spoiling the surprise for you two.