KRISTEN AND DAVID'S GOLD COAST WEDDING

I think Kristen’s mom said it best in the speeches when she said that “Kristen and David like each other.” I hope I do justice to this sentiment in words but there is something particularly endearing when you see how much a couple genuinely likes being around each other. Love is always present at a wedding day but there is so much charm in the “liking” of one another. The “like” is where you witness the silly moments in between formalities, the inside jokes and the foundation of the love responsible for the day. There was no shortage of love but an abundance of “like” at this wedding too. 

Getting married in the midst of a pandemic also speaks volumes about their commitment to each other. With the world not in anyone's favor they still wanted to celebrate their love with a special day and make the bond official. There is a poeticism to getting married in the world we are in and not only do I wish the best to Kristen and David but I commend them on their dedication, their positivity and their kindness. 

TECHNICAL MUMBO JUMBO

This was the first wedding season where I committed to using multiple BMPCC6K cameras and I couldn’t be more pleased. I love the color space, the tones, the feel that the camera provides with weddings. Timing almost couldn’t be better to commit to these cameras since they certainly aren't champions of the low light like Sony cameras. But nightlife really isn’t a staple of wedding during COVID so the footage during the day is what absolutely counts the most and again I couldn’t be more pleased.

I also started using the F6 by Zoom to record audio and the 32bit quality is somewhat of a lifesaver to work with. There ceremony in this wedding video is a great example. The priest while undeniably charming and beautifully introspective in his message delivered it in a way that I could only describe as a projected whisper. That projection mixed with a very echoey room did not make for good raw audio. Had I not had the range in the quality I’m pretty certain I couldn’t have mastered it to the level that I did. Again, lifesaver.

Team Involved

Planner: Amy Champagne Events

Photo: Melani Lust

Makeup: Simply Gorgeous by Erin

Gear Links

Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K

Zoom F6

Sennheiser G4

MoviPro

Cheers - Will

Will Talamelli - Cinematographer Director DP

Founder/Owner Will Talamelli Films

FOLLAIN SKINCARE BOSTON

This was a video produced by 309 Productions in Boston that I was hired exclusively as the DP. It was essential to stay on brand with Follain while in production. I went to Follain’s social media for inspiration with the content. I’m happy to say it ended up being very much in line with the content they produce. Soft, even lighting to create very airy, relaxed environments. 

Technique/ Cinematography

Shot in 4k60 on the BMPCC6K with the always incredible Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 lens. I usually opt for parabolic lights by Aputure but for this shoot I used Astra LitePanels which were perfect for the airy, even look we were going for. A Ronin M was used for most of the day to add some dynamic movement and worked especially well for the running shot. Fun story about that running scene - it was under 20° in Boston that day, with icy streets, snow on the ground and I had to run backwards downhill. Terrifying, but worth it for a successful shot.

For more information visit Follain.com

Will Talamelli - Cinematographer Director DP

Founder/Owner Will Talamelli Films

Namaste NYC - Commercial video for Namaste NYC Wellness Brand

Namaste NYC is a wellness brand based in New York City.

We wanted a video that highlighted all of their services and the unique capacities they provide them in.

Technique/ Cinematography:

It’s great to have a style but cinematography many times is about adaptability. It was essential that this video was visually “on brand” with Namaste straight out of the camera. This wasn’t the time for moody lighting scenarios, each situation needed to feel bright and airy without being overexposed. The beautiful mid century home I shot in was an ideal situation aesthetically but like many homes from that era, I was fighting the contrast of light all day. Either it was just overhead lighting in a dark room or giant open windows with the morning sun blaring in. Every scene was lit with two Aputure 120Ds and an Aputure 300D. A Sony A7SII with a Canon 50mm 1.2 lens on a Ronin M was used for the moving shots along and an FS7 for the interview section.

It was also important to break production up into two sections. Ones with movement and ones stable as a reflection of the brand. So much of what Namaste NYC does is about slowing down, breathing, stillness so I wanted to camera to reflect those feelings.

For more information visit www.namasteny.com

Will Talamelli - Cinematographer Director DP

Founder/Owner Will Talamelli Films

PURE GREY - Promotional Video for Pure Grey restaurant consultants in NYC

A visual narrative and fashion forward approach to a commercial for Pure Grey restaurant consultants in New York City. “Day in the life videos” are always fun and provide great insight into a company. We didn’t need a big story for this one we just followed the experts around for a day and documented their approach to menu development and cooking.

Technique/ Cinematography:

Shot in 4k60 on the Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera which is truly my favorite camera to use. The place needed light badly, so at all times we had two Aputure 120Ds and an Aputure 300D on set. We weren’t trying to stylize with the light but we wanted an abundance of light to make the environment feel clean and open like a Michelin star kitchen. When working with food it’s so important to keep colors honest, it’s not the place for artistic liberties with color grading which is why we went with prisming and flares for affect opposed to post production styling.

For more information visit www.pure-grey.com

Will Talamelli - Cinematographer Director DP

Founder/Owner Will Talamelli Films

KYLEROSE AND JEFFERY'S NEW YEARS EVE WEDDING AT THE DARIEN COUNTRY CLUB

There is something really special about a New Year’s Eve Wedding. In my film maker brain it feels like something straight out of cinema. Everyone is dressed well, there is champagne all around, great food, lots of people, dancing etc. But for Kyle and Jeffery it was more significant than just a day to party, it was the day they met years ago and wanted to celebrate their marriage by recognizing the day that they were introduced to each other. New Year new life as husband as wife.

As someone that likes to support local businesses I really appreciated how much of a Darien affair this wedding was. The dress was from a local vendor (and friend I might add) A Little Something White and The Darien Country Club is literally across the street from where Kylerose and her sisters grew up. The wedding was such a beautiful event and so quintessentially New Years Eve. From the black tie attire, to the jazz quartet during happy hour and of course the grand finale of fireworks. Alright thats enough from me and I’ll let the video do the rest of the talking. Cheers to Kylerose and Jeffery!

Will

ALYSON AND DAN'S NEW YORK CITY WEDDING AT CHELSEA PIER

I don't know if there will be a moment in my career where I can properly articulate what makes working a wedding in NYC such a special event. There's so many neighborhoods, art, structures etc. as backdrops to work with; it's kind of an endless supply of imagery. In addition to the magic of NYC I was able to have the honor of capturing Alyson and Dan's wedding. These two are both those type of persons that people are just happy to be around. They were so much in love and just exuded great energy all day; really, they could not have been easier to work with! The wedding itself was a stunning nautical inspired wedding on the Chelsea Pier with the beautiful evening Hudson River as a backdrop. Such an incredible day of perfect weather and great vibes between friends and family! Cheers to Aly and Dan!

Will 

WEIYI AND IAN'S WEDDING AT CLASSIC CAR CLUB MANHATTAN

I normally start off describing a wedding by discussing decisions the couple made to enhance their wedding in terms of additions. What type of flowers, theme, layout, location, color palette etc. All with the goal to make their wedding day as unique as their story. This blog post is in the same spirit but instead focuses on the subtractions made to set their wedding apart. Weiyi and Ian had only one objective for their wedding day which was to make sure everyone had a great time and didn't feel like they were at a formal event. To ensure this they stripped away most of the formalities associated with a wedding day. Starting from the beginning of they day where they got ready in the same room, there was no first dance, parents dance, seating arrangement, sit down dinner or cake cutting, along with business causal attire. Instead 40oz bottles of Coor's light were flowing around (ironically but still awesome), passed food all night including a delicious bowl of ramen, a self serve giant dessert table, a scotch bar, an acoustic music performance before the DJ got the crowd moving. To wrap this post up, Weiyi and Ian's wedding was exactly what they wanted in the way they wanted everyone to experience it and just based on the interactions I had with them on their wedding day, thats how they like to live their life. 

Cheers to Weiyi and Ian... affectionately known as "Weiyian!" 

JACQUELINE AND JONATHAN'S LONGSHORE WEDDING

For the people that check out my blog who are not in the wedding industry one thing you may not know is the relationship between client and vendor really does vary from couple to couple. Sometimes you know everything about them, sometimes you barely know anything other than the formal interactions over the phone and the rest unfolds on the wedding day. While Jacqueline and I conversed over e-mails and had a couple phone conversations I had no idea that her and Jonathan have a beautiful story of rekindled love over the course of many years. Best friends that lost touch for a moment and then found each other as their partner in love.

Aside from their beautiful story the wedding itself was gorgeous. Stunning flowers everywhere, subtle nautical details, including the "Jacs and Jonathan" glass as a gift. Also, Jacqueline was the star of the show but a very close second was a good boy named "Tank" who let everyone know when the bride was coming! 

Another great wedding in the books at one of my favorite venues in Connecticut. We were honored to be there and wish Jacs and Jonathan a lifetime of good memories. Cheers!

- Will 

LISA AND SHAWN SOUTH FARMS WEDDING

There are two things you can never control on a wedding day; time and weather. Weather is the tricky one, when the cards are laid out for you it’s easy to plan accordingly. For example, if it is raining, I can mentally prepare for what type of shots I can capture indoors. Or if it is blazing heat I can bring reflectors and diffusors to fend off some of that direct sunlight. Where it gets tricky is that in between, the “is it going to rain.” Nothing is more terrifying than having your cameras set up for an outdoor ceremony and hearing an impending storm in the distance; mentally preparing for what you would do if it started raining.  Needless to say, it didn’t rain but it wasn’t far away. What did happen was some particularly beautiful moody atmosphere for a gorgeous backdrop for an amazing wedding at South Farms in Morris, Connecticut designed by the incomparable Amy Jones of Amy Champagne events.

I had never worked a wedding at South Farms before and I was surely spoiled with this as my first experience. For starters I was working with all my friends, Brooke Allison was the photographer, Amy Jones was the planner, On the Marc was the caterer, Jenn Kinford did the makeup, Carrie Wilcox did the flowers and my favorite New Yorker Kristen Kiraly came through as my second shooter. Big shout out to her for traveling almost three hours to help me out. As mentioned before I think Amy is talented but she outdid herself with this wedding. Everything was so expertly designed it just seemed to flow as an extension of the farm and it’s space.

So the weather held out and was on our side, I had nothing but friends working with me and to top it off I had an adorable story since Lisa and Shawn have two adorable children that they were able to feature in their wedding. Which leads me to my favorite part of this wedding; they did this for themselves on their own terms. They didn’t abide to any traditions of time or order, they did it the way they wanted to when they wanted to. I love that.

So hit play and enjoy the highlight reel of Lisa and Shawn’s South Farm wedding!

Cheers,

Will

Also shout out to The Plumed Serpent for providing her stunning wedding dress by Bliss Monique Lhuillier

ETHEL WALKER COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY

One of the most overused words in the English diction is "amazing." People use it to describe everything from a balloon ride at sunset to a pint of ice cream. I am writing this post to say that the Ethel Walker School for young women is nothing short of amazing. When you step on campus you are greeted with the cognition that you are someplace exceptional. The campus is tucked away in a stunning part of Connecticut surround by evergreens and maple trees. The grounds are immaculate and the buildings exude personality. Immediately you know this is not just a school for young women, rather a place for them to truly grow, to become well rounded, confident adults. It's amazing. 

I am honored to have worked with them on multiple occasions including a commercial which gives a tour of the whole Ethel Walker experience (which I will also link to). For this event they asked me to document the commencement ceremony and to produce a video consolidating the experience. These are always fun because there really is only a few ways to approach the actual content and the rest is how you capture and edit the B roll. The story is there for you to miss so it's a practice of being very aware of your surroundings and being able to anticipate actions. 

Big thank you to Matt Branscombe at BSC Photo www.bscphoto.com for being a great producer and starting this relationship we have with Ethel Walker. 

My congratulations to all the graduates - "may all your hours be golden!"

-Will