#sylvairwedding

 My cousin, Sylvia, and Eric have been together for more than a decade, so I wasn't the only one to exclaim, "finally!" when their wedding day arrived.

Although Sylvia and Eric hadn't planned for a big show, it just so happened that they got one. All the lives of all the people they've affected can't bare to send these two off on their married life without recounting some of the great memories along the way. The following snippet was shared by her brother.

Eric was very specific about not "burdening" me with having to film during their wedding. However, he epxressed that a record of all the speeches would be invaluable, so we just up an audio recorder and let it run. This also gave me a chance to experiment with "dynamic typography." 

I didn't pick up my camera until the very end of the night, but if you're interested, here's the small set of photos I took as well.

Mason Ryan Tan

 I have been distracted from producing videos lately… by my first son! :)

Mason was born December 4, 2011. I'm still working out this parenting thing; once we get a routine down, I'll get back to some editing.

Share DDB

 When it comes to supporting charities, I'm always pleased to learn that I can donate my skill/abilities as a filmmaker/editor. And that's what I did for Share DDB.

Share DDB is a silent charity auction of art pieces by our staff, their families, illustrators, photographers - and you.

Share a recipe, create a painting, write a poem about your gerbil, or cut out the water stain in your ceiling that resembles Michael Bolton. Whatever the artwork, we'll auction it for charity.

This year's auction benefits the James Lee Foundation, giving grants to youth with creative aspirations, and Covenant House, an organization helping street youth on their way to better lives.

I'm glad to report that people have placed bids on my donation, and hopefully I'll get to share the results of my donation soon!

Help-Portrait BC Children's Hospital 2011

 The premise of Help-Portrait is simple:
Find someone in need.
Take their portrait.
Print.
Deliver.

This event has been running in Vancouver every year since the idea for this international event started 3 years ago. Last year, the Help-Portrait Vancouver team added an additional event at BC Children's Hospital; they returned again this year. I've decided to capture a few anecdotes from the people involved.

For more stories, please visit http://stevetan.net/help-portrait

Same-Day Edits

 A "same-day edit" is the name given to those wedding day highlights videos shot and edited during the day and shared during the reception. They're really neat because reception guests aren't necessarily able to see all the great, fun, and quirky moments since the bride and groom starting making their preparations that morning. There's also the bonus of possibly making it into the reel as well!

Due to the nature of weddings, same-day edits are generally high-stress projects. Not only am I working against a short timeline, there are situations throughout the wedding day where a sit-down location to edit isn't even available. Sometimes, I'm dealing with multiple cameras as well (as I was at this wedding). However, once I've sent the files to Compressor or Media Encoder to finish, it's pretty much the third best feeling of that day. The second best feeling is sharing the video on the big screen in front of a live audience, and the best feeling: the bride and groom telling me how much they loved it. :)

Here's one I put together for Three Sixty Photography earlier today. Enjoy!

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

 The world lost a great visionary yesterday. Although I've never met Steve Jobs, his ideas and contributions has changed the way I see and interact with the world.

Fact: when people ask how I found my passion, how got started in filmmaking/editing. I reply, "with iMovie."

That's A First

 I'm fortunate to have many family and friends with young children so there's no shortage of fun little birthday parties. However, I've never been to a Mexican Fiesta-theme party yet – complete with a taco bar and a piñata!

In keeping with the casual and fun atmosphere, I adapted my shooting style to match. All the footage was shot on a Canon 7D with my go-to event lens: Canon's 17-55/2.8 IS. The Image Stabilization came in handy because that allowed me to shoot handheld; it was perfect because it was both a) quick and easy to setup the shot, and b) it was more discrete and drew less attention than a monopod, tripod, shoulder rig or Glidecam. And since I was shooting outdoors, I also had a Fader ND filter as well, just so I can keep shooting wide open. And that's it, nice and simple.

High and Wide

 Table toasts are a staple event at Chinese weddings. The bridal couple, their parents, and the wedding party make their way to each of the tables during the reception and toast their guests. It's usually a crowded affair and capturing everyone is usually out of the question. My usual strategy involves my trusty Canon 17-55/2.8, picking the right focal length depending on what's going on, and focusing on whoever's the most interesting and/or across from where I'm standing. :)

During yesterday's wedding reception, my co-shooter Eric Tuason and I came up with an interesting angle to capture the table toasts. I paired my Canon 7D with a Tokina 11-16/2.8, mounted it on my Manfrotto 561BHDV video monopod, aimed it down, and raised the camera-on-monopod like a flag. The only problem was that it was impossible to see the camera LCD screen, and therefore, it was difficult to frame the shot. Enter the Zacuto EVF. I mounted the EVF on a Noga Cine Arm, clamped it on the monopod, and voila!

Canon 7D + Tokina 11-16/2.8 + Manfrotto 561BHDV + Zacuto EVF

Here's some raw sample footage directly from the camera:

Keep in mind that while it's interesting and different – like all novelty shots – it's best used sparingly.

Help-Portrait 2011 Is Coming

 Help-Portrait is a simple idea, but can have profound effects on a person's life. I highly recommend that if you can volunteer and/or contribute, please do so – the experience is very rewarding.

For more information, visit Help-Portrait Vancouver's website here.

Check out last year's event videos here.

I'm On TV!

 Although the internet (Vimeo specifically) has made it really easy to distribute and share my work, there's still something special about seeing one of my videos on TV—which is exactly what just happened a few moments ago!

Ian Sheh speaks on the importance of a photograph in my video "Help-Portrait Is…"

I have artShuffle to thank for the opportunity to have one of my works aired. The original video is below: