Captured Productions

A Day in the Life of Cassidy.....

Producing "Day in the life..." videos have stemmed from my love of creating movies for each of our kids.  It started with taking home videos and editing them together and has evolved into every year capturing a day in their life.  We think about what the ideal day would be where all of their personality would come out, and then capture it.

Since then we have extended these types of videos to our clients who to want to capture their children before they blink and they are all grown-up.  Recently we had a chance to capture a Day in the life.... of Cassidy.  Cassidy is the daughter of the talented photographer Trudy Holtz.  Leave it to Trudy to plan a day that let Cassidy be herself and show off her true colors...not to mention some pretty cute outfits as well.  Ya gotta love this little cutie, I love it that Trudy has made it a priority to capture a "Day in the life..." for both of her girls.

How will you remember your wedding day?

How will you remember your wedding day?  A very important question every couple should ask themselves. Photography?...there is no better way to grab an emotion and freeze it in time...a must and a great way to have beautiful art from your wedding day that will live on for generations.  Cinematography?...there is no better way to relive the sight and sounds from one of the most important days of your life and then be able to share it with your kids years down the road.  I often tell my potential clients to imagine if they were able to watch the wedding day of their parents or even grand parents, and hear their vows and watch them so young and in love...how great would that be?

Well a couple weeks ago I got the privilege to edit together a short montage of a wedding day filmed in 1959.  Watching the couple in motion I was again struck with the power of video.  Imagine if they opted to not have their wedding day filmed to later watch at their 50th anniversary party, sitting with their kids and grand kids.

Fortunately, due to the amazing talent that is available as well as the publicity wedding cinematography has received on blogs and the web, we are seeing more and more couples understand the power of video.  Here is the montage that was created for this couple for their 50th anniversary...we love that we create a wedding movie every week that 50 years down the road will be viewed by the couples kids and grand kids to watch how it all got started.

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Jordan "Picasso" Turns 7!

I am so excited with the way that Jordan's video turned out.  I have to say I had my doubts at first, but with Renee's brilliant idea and an amazingly cute boy who loves to ham it up for the camera, we have success!  Jordan's movie was also inspired by the movie "August Rush", which is fitting since music is another one of Jordan's passions.  In the words of Jordan, "this is AWESOME!"...I couldn't agree more.

Jordan, you are truly one unique kid, to quote your grandpa Deckrow, "I am not sure what makes you tick".  Like you have said many times, Jesus has a big plan for my life, all I have to do is ask him what it is and he will show me.  Well, I can't wait to see all that He has in store for you my little buddy, and I am excited to be a part of that journey with you.  Your humility and love for life is evident.  You are definitely one of a kind...and you rock!  Thanks for producing your movie with me, you definitely had A LOT of input.  You are the coolest 7 year old around.  Happy Birthday "Jordan Picasso".  I love you!  -Dad

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Jordan Picasso....Coming Soon!

One of the biggest holidays are coming up...at least in Jordan's eyes...his birthday.  Ever since Christmas, he has been asking me how many more days until his birthday...I am so glad "they have an app for that"...172 more days Jordan.

Ever since I started creating movies for others, I promised Renee' that I would never get too busy to create them of our kids.  I can't say I have not gotten too busy to create them, but I have found a way to continue to create them throughout the years...I'm not doing anything from 1AM to 6AM anyways right?

Each year Jordan has a theme for his birthday party, usually chosen 6 months in advance.  With every theme we try tie it to his annual birthday video and show it at the party or send it as a DVD invitation.  In the past it has been, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and this year he threw us a curve ball, "Dad, this year I want an art party".  Wow, an art party, how do you create a video about art.  I gave it a few months to sink in...still nothing...what if it was only 30 seconds long?...still nothing.  In his past movies Jordan has played the part of Jordan Skywalker and Indiana Jordan.  I asked Jordan, "what should we call this movie", he replied "Jordan Picasso", in his best French accent.  At least now we have a title, which was very fitting since that has been Jordan's nick name ever since he was 2 and he colored the neighbor boys entire face blue and his own countless times.  Jordan has always loved art, and if you ask him what he is going to be when grows up, he will confidently say, "an artist".  Okay, an artist video it is for sure now, but I still don't have a clue what it looks like.

Renee' & I started brainstorming the idea together...and leave it up to Renee' to come up with the most brilliant idea.  I can't give away all the details yet but it involves nature, a very creative boy and A LOT of paint.  The video will debut right here on this blog on June 3rd, in time for his June 22nd birthday.  Until then, here is a shot from behind the scenes of "Jordan Picasso"

Other Recent Deckrow Videos:

1. Lauren's First Video - Safe in my Arms
2. Ethan's 8 Year Old Video - Skate....Ethan Turns 8!
3. Lindsey's 2 Year Old Video - Something Beautiful
4. Lindsey's Outtakes
5. Jordan's 6 Year Old Video - Indiana Jordan
6. Jordan's 5 Year Old Video - Everyday Superhero
7. Jordan's Outakes
8. Lindsey's First Video

A Day in the Life of Kennedy..... Coming Soon!

Three years ago we had the opportunity to film Chris & Jessica's wedding movie.....this week we got to capture "A Day in the Life....." of their 1 year old girl Kennedy.  Ever since we started Captured Productions our tag line has been "Capture the Moment".  This of course applies to weddings but over the last couple of years, capturing the moment has evolved into our "Day in the Life....." shoots.  It started with the idea and a few shoots and has recently taken off.  The "Day in the LIfe...." videos fit well into what we have love doing for our own kids.  It is so cool to be able to cue up a DVD (or now Apple TV)  and navigate through the years of our kids through their "Day in the Life...." videos.  It is so cool that we can now provide this power of video to our other clients and even our past wedding clients.

Caught in Action....

Kennedy did great for her shoot and we had a ton of fun playing with Kennedy and capturing her in her element and with her mom and dad.  We can't wait to share her "Day in the Life...." video with you.  Stay tuned for more from this cutie......

We will only be taking on 3 more "Day in the Life..." shoots this fall.  If you are interested in having one created this year, please contact us soon.

Safe in Our Arms - Lauren's First Video

Wow!!! It is finally complete!  It has been a slow and long road for this five minute video for Lauren......it hasn't been your typical summer...being out of our home and studio for over a month of her first few months.  This little girl never had a chance to sleep in her newly decorated room before we were displaced by the fire in our home.  She didn't have your typical first few months home from the hospital but has taken it in stride.

I caught the video bug back in 1999 when our first son was born and since then we have never looked back.  As Captured Productions was launched I promised Renee' that I would always make time to continue to create videos of our kids.  As our summer wedding season ramped up and proved to be one of our busiest and being out of our studio, I didn't plan on so many hurdles in creating Lauren's first video.  I managed to steal away a few hours here and there to finally complete this short 5 minute video of Lauren''s first few months.  The irony is that we selected the music for Lauren's video before we knew what this summer had in store.....needless to say it was the perfect soundtrack for Lauren's video ......"Clouds will rage in....Storms will race in....But you will be safe in my arms.....Rains will pour down....Waves will crash all around.....But you will be safe in my arms".  The contrast in this video of the good times with the bad, caused great reflection of how blessed our family is and how many things we have to be grateful for.

Lauren, you are a precious little baby, I love that we can see your personality already.  Your smiles brighten our day.  It is hard to imagine "The Deckrows" without you.  I can't promise you an easy life, but I can promise you that you will always be safe in God's arms.  No matter what life brings at you remember that God has you in the palm of his hand.  

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  You saw me before I’ve born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  How precious are your thoughts about me, Oh God.  They cannot be numbered!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!  And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!"  -Psalm 139:13-18

We love you Lauren and we can't wait to see your life unfold.   -Mom & Dad

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Other Recent Deckrow Videos:

1. Ethan's 8 Year Old Video - Skate....Ethan Turns 8!
2. Lindsey's 2 Year Old Video - Something Beautiful
3. Lindsey's Outtakes
4. Jordan's 6 Year Old Video - Indiana Jordan
5. Jordan's 5 Year Old Video - Everyday Superhero
6. Jordan's Outakes
7. Lindsey's First Video

"I do....." Deckrow Style

To quote one of my previous posts, We Are Family, "What else happens when the Deckrows get together.....a lot of memories are made and they are all captured with photos and video.  With 3 professional photographers and 2 professional videographers in the family our gatherings somewhat resemble the papratzi."   Well the Deckrows got together again, all the way up from Georgia.  This time we got a little surprise....as well as Kaylie.

Josh had big plans to propose to Kaylie and thought it would be a good idea to do it at Michigan Adventure when the whole family was together.  So how was Josh going to propose in front of 20 Deckrows who didn't know the plan and still keep things looking normal......well a train ride of course.  Some were complaining about a dumb train ride, some were starting to wander off.  Then we get in line and realized we were the line and pretty much took over the whole train......sounds like the Deckrows.

So here we are....the 20 of us going on a train ride at Michigan adventure....not necessarily an everyday affair.  Then you have a video and still camera turned around and pointing at you.....okay that is a little more normal in my family.  Josh had strategically placed signs along the train ride to do the talking for him.  Now it was a little awkward when the signs said, Will...... You....... Marry...... Me........................ (long pause) and there were two of my sisters who were with their boyfriends.....hmmmmmm......who's it going to be...........Kaylie!

It was quite an exciting time for my family.  Josh I am glad we haven't scared you away yet.  You will be a great husband for Kaylie and fit in well as our new brother-in-law.  For the rest of you that didn't happen to be on the famous train ride here is a short video of the proposal and of course the "I do.....".

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What's New for 2008

We have been talking to a lot of couples lately about what is new for 2008.  You will be hearing more about these as the year goes on, but I thought I would list a few things to look forward to in 2008.

1. High Definition - All CP productions will be shot in HD.  We started mid-2007, were blown away with the quality, and never turned back.
2. More Wedding Trailers - If you would like to see a sneak peek of your wedding day a few days after your wedding and be able to share it immediately with friends and family, especially those who couldn't make it, talk to us about adding a Wedding Trailer to your package.
3. Trash the Dress - You'll either love it or put knots in your stomach. We have found that trash the dress means different things to different people, but no matter what the interpretation, it creates a memorable video.....stay tuned for more.
4. Bridal Elegance Video - A much more elegant version of Trash the Dress with no trash dressing.
5. iPhone/iPod Touch Video - We have always put video on any portable device.  With the ground breaking iPhone & iPod, it gives us an even more beautiful way to show off your wedding day.
6. A Day in the Life... Video - We started promoting these at the end of 2007 and they have taken off.  Needless to say you will see more of them in 2008.

Valentine Weekend Getaway

Lately most of our posts have been done about recent work or weddings we had the chance to film.  Here are a few pictures from Renee' & I's Valentine weekend getaway.....with no kids!!!!  After shooting a wedding at the JW Marriott and hearing all of the great things, we had to see what all of the talk was about.  It has been a standing tradition to get away each Valentines for little R&R....minus the kids.

I used to get a big bouquet of flowers, Renee' got bummed when they died, we had to travel with them.....and you couldn't eat them.  You can't beat chocolate covered strawberries...they taste better than roses too.

We had a great view of the sunset.

We have gotten pretty creative propping the Elph up on just about anything to get a photo with the two of us in it.

Yikes....even the picture makes my stomach turn. This is the overlook in the JW. I was comforted that a piece of glass separated us from quite a drop.

We ate pretty good that weekend....we got to eat without any interruptions from the kids and we were served for a change.

 

Happy Valentines Day Renee'!  I am truly blessed to be married to my best friend and share this wonderful life together.  I look forward to the future and life's journey ahead.  After a few days back in reality, I am already looking forward to next year.   -Love, Aaron

Tis the Season.....

Not only has it been a great year for Captured Productions, but for our family as well.  We look forward to growing our family by one more come next year.  We have so much to be grateful for, and this time of year is a great time to reflect on our many blessings.  We hope you all have a great holiday season!  Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

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