Epic Motion

Gretchen + Justin’s Wedding Film at the Royal Park Hotel, Rochester, Michigan

Ryan — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:26:06 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some people are larger than life. Gretchen and Justin – you guys get the Epic Mock Award for being just that.

I think you can get a pretty good idea of the fun we had with these guys… lots of laughter, tears, and ~~bloody noses at the barn~~… oh wait – we won’t talk about that…

But seriously – wow. I’m so proud of this film and so happy that we got to play this part in your journey. Happy ever-after, G+J!

ps. Thank you, Royal Park Hotel for always being awesome and thanks to Angela Butorac for making sure everything was perfect.

Kendall + John’s Wedding Film at the Colony Club, Detroit

Ryan — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:58:05 +0000

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Kendall and John. Super cute. Super sweet. Super rad wedding.

Everything and everyone was amazing. The venue (Colony Club in Detroit), the coordination and everything pretty (thanks, Flourish Event Design ), lighting (props to The Lighting Guy), photography by Jess + Nate (yeah, Jess + Nate!), and amazing dj’ing by Kurt (Mike Staff Productions)…

Thankful for the love we have felt from y’all. Your kindness and your constant encouragement to us is so appreciated. Thank you, guys – and best wishes always!

ps. This was the first time I was almost cracked over the top of the head with a hockey stick. Just sayin’.

An Epic Proposal – Joe + Sabrina (Same Day Edit)

matt — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 01:36:22 +0000

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A few weeks ago Linda, from Bella Uno Photography sent us a message on Facebook to see if we would be able to help out with an awesome project: Filming an engagement live as it happened! We have never been involved in a project like this before and jumped at the chance.

Joe pulled out all the stops, even having Epic Motion and Bella Uno pretend to be filming and photographing a promo for Meadow Brook Hall so that we could provide coverage without tipping Sabrina off. She bought it hook, line, and sinker.

We were so thrilled to be a part of this special moment, and are very excited that Sabrina said yes! We wish the happy couple many years of happiness together.

Who knows, maybe someday soon you will see them featured in an Epic Motion Trailer.

a Wedding Film: It’s more than two becoming one…

Ryan — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:08:50 +0000

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We had the honor of filming Brigitte and Kevin’s wedding a few months ago. Brigitte requested that at some point throughout the day we try and get a sound byte from her Godparents – mostly because her uncle was dying of cancer and she wanted to treasure any moment she could with him.

After interviewing, her aunt grabbed my hand and pulled me in… she whispered in my ear, “He is very sick…” At this point she was squeezing my hand extremely tightly… I didn’t know what to say other than, “I know. I’m so sorry.” It was an extremely emotional moment for me and I welled up with tears. Whew. Again, I’m reminded of what real love is: Commitment. Unconditional. Deep.

And now – they have this beautiful little nugget…

Amanda + Charlie’s Highlight Reel

Eric — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:21:08 +0000

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Charlie and Amanda (or Mia as she is better known as) were married last July in Ann Arbor, and the team had an amazing time with them. I’m not sure I have ever seen a couple smile so much through the course of one day. The whole bridal party and family were great to be around as well. I have two favorite memories from the day, the first was the speech from Charlie’s father. It was really touching, and you could tell it came straight from the heart. Second, was when we ventured out to the golf course and saw Amanda interacting and playing with all of the kids. A great moment, for sure.

We also had the chance to work with some wonderful vendors; including Kathy Bishop who did all of the planning, Jessica Fox of Special Moments Photography was rockin’ the photos, the reception was held at Barton Hills Country Club, hair was by Utopia Salon & Spa, and make-up by Posh Studio.

Some feedback and thoughts from Amanda herself, after receiving the highlight reel:

Wow! Where to begin…our wedding day was everything we ever dreamed of and more. People always say to be prepared, because there’s bound to be at least one thing that goes wrong on your wedding day. For us, this wasn’t the case – everything about our wedding was absolutely perfect. And, never do these feelings ring more true than when watching the stunning footage that Epic Motion captured. Our decision to hire Epic Motion to film our wedding day was the best decision we made throughout our planning process. We are so blown away by their genuine dispositions and truly priceless work. To Eric and his team – we cannot thank you enough! The highlight reel leaves us speechless and teary-eyed every time we watch. You guys are the absolute best.

Congrats to Charlie + Mia! Enjoy their Highlight Reel.

Epic Motion’s Greatest Hits of 2011

Ryan — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:15:15 +0000

Inspired by my good friend and filmmaker Matt Davis, here is our look back at 2011.

2011 was a year filled with achievements, life lessons, and love. I’m so thankful. Grateful for this company, grateful for those with whom I work, and grateful for the family and friends in my life. My life is FULL.

This is not meant to be a bragging list… please know that my intent in sharing our successes as a business and as individuals is to encourage and to help others move forward.

Badges Received

Named Top 25 Studios in the World by EventDV // This was so super exciting to me. I remember four years ago writing this on a list of future goals and thinking it was unattainable. This was a good life lesson for me: Setting goals that are bigger than myself and seemingly to hard to achieve make it that much sweeter when achieved. If my goals aren’t huge, what the heck is the point of all of this anyway? I don’t want to pursue mediocrity. No thanks. Not for me.

Re-elected as MIVA (Michigan Independent Video Assocation) President. Along with our involvement with MIVA came some awards including Best Wedding Trailer (voted by other studios).

Featured in Style Me Pretty for some of our gorgeous weddings including Colleen and Christopher, Jamie and Mike, and Kendall and John. And one of our favorite couples, Holly and Peter, are going to be featured in The Knot magazine!

Editor’s Choice Award received from Brides.com

Growing Pains

Filmed 42 weddings in 2011… more than we have ever filmed before in a single year! Our team continues to push forward as we constantly set the bar higher and higher. It is exciting to be a part of such growth.

Hired Director of Operations Matt Demorest who has been amazing in helping streamline our processes and procedures as well as help develop our new corporate brand Tell (www.gotoTell.com).

Hired business consultant Jaimy Weiler from One Heart Waking who has brought clarity, vision, and business strategery to our team and has really saved us from things unthinkable as her skills are unmatched. Our entire team recommends her highly.

Hired more incredible interns… Amanda, Marie, Colin, Jason, Darryl, and Jill. THANK YOU, guys for partnering with us! Three of those internships have turned into contracted positions and we couldn’t be happier with the work these amazing youngsters are producing.

Paying it Forward

One of our core values is based around paying it forward…

Launch of Made By Epic Motion // The site houses free education for photographers and filmmakers along with some fun tshirts that we are selling (for geeks only) as well as some tools and tutorials that we are offering for sale.

Adopted the Boys and Girls Club of South Oakland County as our Intern project for the summer and created a film featuring an amazing young lady named Hope and her family.

Blogging for InFocus // Have continued blogging for one of the major leaders in the event industry to help encourage and educate filmmakers.

Donated a wedding film to the Wish Upon a Wedding Auction // Our contribution to Wish Upon a Wedding raised more money than any other item! Great national organization and pretty flattering experience for us!

Enchanted Makeovers // Our team filmed 2 tireless days for this organization to help them create a sizzle reel for something exciting they are working toward…

Destination

Spent a week in Cancun filming for Inspire Smart Success including their magazine launch.

Spent a week in Spain filming a 3 day Indian wedding for an incredible family.

Spent a week at Central Michigan University filming their student Leadership Safari. Okay – so maybe we didn’t need a passport for this one, but with a name like Leadership Safari – we thought it was fitting…

The fun doesn’t stop!

Filmed the David Crowder Band (my favorite band!!) on a project we did for Echo Ministries. This was SUPER cool for me…

Produced over 20 videos for the 2 Word Story campaign.

Hired DJ at One Brand Studio and went through the branding process for Tell – our new brand built specifically for businesses and non-profits.

and More…

We have some other big things planned for 2012 that we can’t really say much about other than they will be music to your ears…

Thanks for celebrating with us in a year that was blessed by God and was enjoyed by many. We continue to be grateful for it all. And we look forward to an even bigger year this 2012. Thank you to my amazing team: Kari, Eric, Matt, John, Stew, Jason, Anthony, Miller Time, Hersey, Marie, Clay, Sean, Nick, Jill and anyone else who has joined with us on one project or many… this place would not be what it is without you.

If interested in learning more about our new brand, sign up to receive the Tell newsletter and check out the brand new site: www.gotoTell.com

Need an Officiant? Meet Reverend Brian Tuttle {the promotional video}

Ryan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:00:31 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’re on the lookout for an officiant for your wedding, meet Michigan-based Reverend Brian Tuttle. Watch this video we created for Reverend Tuttle from one of our favorite wedding films (and couples) of 2011 – Holly and Peter. He has a TON of positive reviews on WeddingWire (70 to be exact.. for a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars).

Check him out. We think he’s super nice and Holly and Peter were super happy with him.

Five Tactful Ways to Incorporate Social Media into Your Wedding // Guest Blogger Nikki Little

nikkilittle — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:00:59 +0000

Listen up, social media savvy brides and grooms! One of our recent brides, Nikki is a PR Pro for Identity and has some really good insight for anyone wanting (or needing) to weave social media into the wedding day. Here goes:

Your wedding day should be one of the most special and memorable days of your life. In order to ensure that day is unforgettable and stands out in people’s minds forever, many brides and grooms incorporate unique elements of their personalities, such as a wedding at the zoo for animal lovers, orange and navy blue colors for Detroit Tigers fans or two college university themed cakes to symbolize rivals coming together.Now that technology is at the epicenter of many people’s personal lives, it’s not surprising that more brides and grooms are finding nontraditional ways to add tech and social media to the wedding planning and day-of activities. According to surveys by the magazine sites Brides and The Knot, tech is on the rise in the world of weddings, with 65 percent of couples now setting up special sites to manage RSVPs, stream video of the ceremony and/or reception and keep guests in the loop (you can find more similar stats in this USA Today article).Speaking from experience, adding technology and social media to your wedding poses both an opportunity and a challenge. Depending on your budget and the size of your location, it may not be possible to invite every single friend and family member to the wedding, so social media allows you to share that experience with many more people. It also allows you to digitally document every aspect of the experience, giving you another outlet to look back upon when all is said and done.Conversely, adding social media to the wedding process also creates more to-dos for the bride and/or groom. You also have to consider the guests you’re inviting and how adding technology to your wedding may be a hindrance to those who haven’t quite embraced the tech world. Additionally, you don’t want social media to be such a huge part of the planning and actual wedding that you miss out on the full experience because you’re too concerned with posting photos and updates.

So, how can you tactfully and wisely add elements of social media and technology into your wedding so that it enhances the experience for everyone involved without taking away any wedding sacredness? Here are five suggestions:

Utilize online photo sharing sites – There are so many opportunities to share photos leading up to and on the big day. Take advantage of sites like Flickr, Picasa, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to document and share all the fun activities related to your wedding. Keep it basic by simply creating albums and sharing them with friends/family, or kick up the creativity a notch by using photo sites like Instagram (use your iPhone to add filters to photos and share them online) and Pinterest (create pinboards with online photos to organize and share different aspects of your wedding) with more unique capabilities.

One word of warning: Be conscious of how much you’re sharing through photos so you don’t drive people crazy. Don’t fill your entire Facebook and Twitter stream with wedding-related photos. And, be careful not to give away all the goods so there are elements of surprise to your wedding.

Incorporate video into the planning process – As long as you and your partner-in-crime are comfortable with being on camera, adding video elements to your wedding planning can create a really fun experience for you and your guests. If you have a wedding website, create a welcome video on the home page with a special message from you and your partner. If you’re blogging throughout the wedding experience or have a YouTube page, post video updates sharing details related to the planning process so guests can follow along with the progress.QR codes (a barcode that you scan with a mobile app that gives you information or takes you to a specific website/video) have really grown in popularity in the past year and can make for a distinctive addition to save-the-dates and invitations. Have the QR code on the card lead to your wedding website with more information or a video of you and your partner thanking guests for being part of the experience. To accommodate people without a smartphone, include a URL on the save-the-date or invite that will take guests to the same website (use a service like bit.ly to create a custom URL and track how many people access it).

Create a wedding hashtag – If you’re planning to use Twitter, create a hashtag to include in all wedding-related tweets leading up to and on the big day. The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords and topics in a tweet and to categorize messages. Be sure to clue in guests so those on Twitter can also use the hashtag. Tweeters and non-tweeters alike can follow along with the updates simply by using Twitter Search to find tweets with the wedding hashtag.

Live stream the ceremony – You will undoubtedly have friends and family from other parts of the world who won’t be able to travel to the wedding. Live streaming the ceremony is a fantastic way to bring the wedding to those people. If you’re willing to be more open with your wedding, live streaming can also bring the experience to people you care about but weren’t able to invite to the wedding.If you hire a videography company like Epic Motion, ask early on if they have the capabilities to live stream the ceremony. You’ll also have to find out if the reception venue has WiFi. If you only want certain people to access the live stream, you can use a site like Ustream and password protect your video. If you opt to share the stream publicly, enlist the wedding party and guests who use social media to help you share the link on social networks the day of the wedding.

Appoint day-of social media posters – The bride and groom should not spend their wedding day posting content on social networks. They may have some down time here and there, but this job is much better suited for guests and wedding party members who are active on social networks. Appoint people ahead of time as your chief social media posters. These people will be charged with tweeting with the hashtag and taking and sharing photos throughout the day to document the experience and share it with those who want to follow along on the Web. Think of how much fun it will be the morning after to look at all the updates and pictures from the wedding.

Those suggestions will get you well on your way to successfully integrating social media with your wedding. Have fun with adding technology to the wedding experience, but also remember to take it all in because it will be over before you know it. You won’t want to look back and wish you spent more time soaking up the entire experience than you did tweeting and posting on Facebook.

What am I missing? How else can you incorporate social media and technology into all your wedding activities?

Nikki Little is a recent bride and lover of all things social media. She’s a PR pro and social media strategist at Identity, an integrated public relations firm based in Bingham Farms, MI. You can find her blogging on her personal site and her agency’s blog. Follow Nikki on Twitter – @nikki_little.

Holly + Peter: The {New} Highlight Reel

Ryan — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:14:37 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Love. It’s the best thing. I love this couple. I love this film. I have watched it over a dozen times and every single time I watch it I get a little misty eyed… it is beautiful and powerful and shows that life is a lot more exciting and worth living when risks are taken.

Thanks for your example of love and commitment, H+P.

Minister: Reverend Brian Tuttle // Planner: TwoFoot Creative // Flowers: The Parsonage // Venue: Royal Park Hotel // The Cake: Sweet & Savory Bake Shop // DJ and Emcee: Mary Ann Productions // Photography: Aruna B. Photography

Made By Epic Motion behind the scenes video

Ryan — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:25:29 +0000

We are launching a new site for photographers, filmmakers, and creatives alike… here’s a behind the scenes look at a photo shoot we did for part of the site.

Click here to view the embedded video.

To receive more information about the site, you can sign up to the newsletter here or visit the site when it launches here.

Huge props to Tyler from Five Ninety Labs for helping with the shoot and to Claslan for letting us use his song-o.