I learned that a wedding... ...lasts only for a day. And it doesn't affect, in any way, how the marriage will turn out. Sheng (to marry Darrel) 30.jan.2010
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this blog by Abet ♥ Benz Rana husband & wife tag team behind WeddingsAtWork.com (W@W). friends since '91 • married in '98
built W@W & turned parents by '99
been blogging here since 2004
stuck with each other forever! ;)
It’s the second time that we are holding the W@W VideoFest. The first was back in 2009 as we celebrated W@W’s 10th anniversary. This year, the event spotlights the decade-long career of arguably the country’s most prolific wedding supplier.
But instead of seeing the works of JMag, what will be shown are docus about the videographer’s life and career. The participating videographers in this event were personally handpicked by Jason himself. Chosen were those whose career has been influenced and/or helped by Jason himself while they were still starting in the videography business: Ian Cruz, John Marvi de Guzman of CinemaWorks, Bob Nicolas, Threelogy, and Mayad Studios.
Below are aswers to some FAQs about the event:
Q. Is the event for free?
A. Yes this event is by invitation and guests come in for free. As of this writing, the 7:30 screening on March 15 is already at SRO capacity. We have just decided to opened another screening at 9PM. For those still interested to get invites, kindly email wawvideofest@gmail.com with the name of attendees.
Q. Should I dress up for the event?
A. You surely can but it is not required. While other guests are coming from work in their office getup, some wedding suppliers are likely to dress-up for the event much like attending a red-carpet premier. Either way is okay really. But of course, a snapshot in our paparazzi wall at Cinema 4’s lobby will be nice when you’re dressed up. Oh, and Baicapture will setup a photobooth there as your souvenir to all the guests.
Q. Will we see the best works of Jason Magbanua in the event?
A. Sorry, but no. What will be shown are works of other videographers (listed above) about the life and career of Jason Magbanua.
Q. Should we bring the invites we received in the mail to enter the cinema?
A. No need. Just give your name when you approach registration table at the lobby of Cinema 4. The staff of EventsExperts, who’s managing the event for us will be on hand to assist you. (By the way, the lovely invites were especially made for us by Printsonalities. Thank you very much!
Q. Who did the movie posters?
MangoRed did the shoot and layout for the posters. Aside from the one of JMag as seen a above, he made five more layouts each featuring the five videographers whose work will be shown during the event. You may see them all here. Don’t forget to checkout these posters in the backlit display along the Rockwell’s Cinama 4 lobby.
Q. Do we get a free popcorn or something?
A. Munchies are available at the cinema lobby. Feel free to order. KKB.
At the PowerPlant Cinema 4 lobby, these posters were on display. From the feedbacks we got, some attendees thought nothing of those. They simply presumed that those were posters of actual movies. Only guests who did a second take realized that the posters were of the five videographers and boy, were they pleasantly surprised! Props to MetroPhoto for the concept and photography. Benz & I didn’t realize how expensive those special backlit posters were to get printed. Hopefully, we get to find a printer which will sponsor those next time. See the W@W VideoFest poster layouts here(although the effect is not quite the same seeing them by the cinema lobby).
Beginning of our Pride & Joy
A big part of W@W’s success is the W@Wies. Benz & I would never take that credit away from them. They are the ones who brought forth undiscovered talents that are now some of the wedding industry’s biggest names. They are the ones who introduce W@W to the uninitiated wedding supplier.
Like what I said in W@W-SDG (Suppliers’ Discussion Group) before, W@W is not a “training school” for bridezillas. We do not mold a person and shape their character. W@W empowers the soon-to-weds, that much we can own up to. We NEVER asked any suppliers to be wary, or give any special treatment to W@Wie brides. Its a pressure that these suppliers impose to themselves. But W@W sometimes get the flack for their self-imposed pressure. It’s unfair but it’s a trade-off that we have come to accept.
Among the greatest joys we got in our lifetime were gifts from the W@Wies. For Benz, one of the greatest things ever done for her was when a group of W@Wies (they call themselves ‘CaliPanga’) planned a surprise 5th wedding anniversary party/Renewal of Vows for Benz & I (it was supposed to be for both of us, but I foiled their plans midway and left them with no choice but to let me in the surprise). The money spent for the event was raised out of their own pockets. We know that soon-to-weds save up for their own weddings and yet, this group chose to shell out a chunk of what they could’ve been added in their wedding budget, for us.
Another was when the N@Wies gifted us with two scrapbooks filled with thank you notes on how W@W/N@W touched their personal lives. One line from one of those letters is still stuck in Benz’ mind. It came from a new mom who uprooted herself from Cebu to join her husband who was then newly assigned in Manila. With no friends and family in an unfamiliar city, she found ‘home’ in N@W. Her message goes like this…
“Because of N@W, I am happy. And a happy person is a happy wife and a happy mother.”
These humbling gestures and kind words is what make our job the best in the world! Some say maintaining an online community is a thankless job. Since day one, it has never been the case with W@W.
He started in the wedding industry in 2000, a year after W@W. Since we were then the “newbies” in the industry, we naturally gravitated towards each other. He saw how W@W evolved throughout the years. Thus, he was an obvious choice for the 1st W@W Video Fest.
His name is now a brand bigger than W@W. Why, the guy deserves a videofest all to himself!
Strip away the friendship factor, Benz & I are honored that he even joined the videofest. But J-Mag never changed despite his success (although his pricing increased in leaps & bounds!). Maybe a little backgrounder is in order here.
Prior to his entry, soon-to-weds needed to shell out a big chunk of money to have a great and entertaining wedding video. We spent P40,000 for our 1998 wedding just to afford Imacron. Either that or we could have gone to a photo & video studio and spent way lesser and wouldn’t have waited for several months just to see our final video. But as they say, you can’t rush art.
Then in the year 2000, this one-man-show from Lucena entered the scene. His rate back then was P7,000. He positioned himself as the “3rd option.” The first generation W@Wies were truly lucky. It’s like they bought a painting of an unknown but talented artist who got a shot at fame in less than a decade. We knew the guy’s an artist more than a businessman. It was the effect of his true-blue Jesuit upbringing. He was okay with his rate and just too happy to earn some extra bucks to augment his measly salary of being a teacher (he chose to mentor in an all-girls school, so go figure!), and a DJ (he was “J-man” in Lucena City’s FM radio).
Fast forward to 2009. Soon-to-weds still pay big money (bigger in fact!) to book a good videographer. Couples still wait for months to get their wedding video. So what has this “wonder boy” done to get all the adulation he’s seems to be getting now? After all, the wedding videography sector is still the same. Today, Jason Magbanua charges P95,000 a pop. Has he sold his soul to the devil?!!
The answer is no. But the substance of his story lies within what he has done between those times. A cliffhanger that will serve as a precursor to what will be the 2nd W@W VideoFest in 2010.
Believe it or not, Jason was actually very pressured doing the video below for the 1st W@W VideoFest. We think its because it already reached a point that people expect nothing less from him. His name is among the “25 Hottest & Most Influencial Videographers in the World.” He continuously inspires fellow videographers (both here and abroad) with the work he does. He opened door for other Pinoy videographers to showcase their talents internationally. He helped shape the notion that the Philippines is the hub of great wedding videographers. He raised the bar for others in the local wedding industry to follow suit. He brought pride to a country that’s in need of more people to inspire its people.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the work of a very good friend and an inspiration… Jason Magbanua.
(just some of the wedding suppliers who attended the videofest [click to enlarge] | photo by ImagineNation)
Lighten up! Don’t take yourself too seriously.
That may be one of the most valuable lesson we’ve learned after the videofest. With all the good words we’ve heard in the five videos presented last Friday, it’s hard not to get carried away. We have to constantly remind ourselves that its just one side of the coin.
Beginning of change
Truth be told, we are aware that there are some suppliers who feels the exact opposite. Usually, it stems from a bad feedback from their client who happens to be a W@Wie. We understand that it’s hard not to take it personally when a supplier hears a negative comment about their product or the services they’ve rendered especially if they think the feedback is inaccurate or exaggerated. We should know. We’ve been exactly in the same boat when an affected supplier takes it personally and starts to blame everything on W@W. We were always on the defense when W@W’s reputation is on the line. Come to think of it, maybe we still are. But realization is always the start of change.
If you’re a wedding supplier and you get a negative feedback, try to let it slide and take it with a grain of salt. All of us could learn something from criticisms and do better the next time. Things like that will be only as big a deal as you make it. Yes, it may bother you but you have the option to move on and re-focus that energy into pleasing your other clients, W@Wie or not. We honestly believe that truth always comes out in the end.
But if you feel that a comment made in the group may adversely affect your business due to inaccuracy, please let us know and we will air your side of the story in the group. We just humbly ask that you don’t take bad feedbacks against Benz & I or W@W in general because its really hard to help someone who is also critical of us and how we do things here. We’re just human and cannot be magnanimous all the time. Be assured that we have everyone’s best interest in mind. It’s always been a balancing act. Some suppliers may think that we are pro-W@Wies. By presenting the supplier’s side of the story, it’s inevitable that the concerned W@Wie would think that we favor that certain supplier. No matter how good our intentions are, we’ve come to accept that we simply cannot please everybody.
I apologize if the above post dampens anyone’s spirit. I tend to get sentimental (read: balat sibuyas) in milestones such as this. But I just have to unburden and get that off my chest. I know it’s not exactly a fair segue considering how fun and lighthearted the video below is. I just take comfort in the fact that the featured videographers today are three of the closest I have in this industry.
About the videographers
Our friendship with these guys have gone a long way. Way before W@W ever existed. I’m talking about the guys of Threelogy.
Actually, if we relate the Threelogy boys to the cast of “Friends,” Jon would be Ross, Bong is Chandler and CJ is undeniably Joey. Bwahaha! People love working with them. How could I tell? Well I’ve heard clients call CJ “teddybear.” and witnessed a wedding planner called Bong a “gigolo”. Come to think of it, Jon is the only one who seems distant. But behind his couldn’t-care-less-facade, he’s actually someone who goes out of his way to lend a hand without ever needing to seek it.
These guys make hard work seem fun and easy. Christian Andaya, their fellow videographer, couldn’t have described them it in a better way:
“I love the guys! they are really “COOL”. I was also privileged to shoot & work with them (maybe play is the right word because, it’s like they’re just playing while covering an event). They are really generous in giving advice, how to maximize time in editing an onsite video & to show grace under extreme pressure.”
These guys may not take themselves too seriously but their passion in their work shows in their output. That is immediately apparent in their videofest presentation. All the suppliers they interviewed were obviously comfortable around them. The trailer they did for the videofest gave us a glimpse of that. Having given the chance to see parts of the unedited footage made me wish that I was there with them to join the fun. Felt like I missed a party.
That trailer too showed that these guys, specifically Bong who edited the project, delivers more than what is expected of them. It was done when Bong was waiting for his creative juices to flow for the intended main feature. The trailer was direct result of his “idle” mind. Indeed, It’s sometimes frustrating to have a friend who thrives in what seem like a very stressful situation.
A three-time W@Wie Awards Top 10 (2005, 2006 & 2007), and twice landing on the Top 5. They have consistently been the W@Wie’s favorite.
They are my sounding board and on very few occasions, my emotional punching bag, when things get too stressful. Benz told me that my friendship with them stood the test of time. Men are not big in BFF stuff, but I’ve been through it all with these three — from my very memorable bachelor’s party and up until this very day.
Lighten up! Don’t take yourself too seriously. – That’s a very valuable lesson I’ve picked up from these guys.
Personally, it’s hard to write about these guys without being wary that some people may think my compliments are biases brought about by deeply rooted friendship. I’ll stop here and let their work speak for itself.
W@W’s 10th anniversary is a milestone and the first ever W@W VideoFest(plans for a second one is underway) will go down W@W history as the first-ever red carpet event we ever hosted throughout these years.
And as they say, history is best documented in words and photographs. So here are just some of the pictures taken during the event (we’ll add links to other albums as soon as they become available).
W@W was a direct result of our personal wedding site, 1026 Online!(read more about 1026 here). Having done it only a couple of months after our wedding, we consider W@W as our baby.
That’s probably the reason why we used to get so defensive whenever we hear people talk — usually suppliers who got a bad feedback/review from a W@Wie and took it against me & Benz or the community in general. But through the years, we’ve come to accept that it has become part of handling an online community such as W@W.
About the videographer
Tackling more of the history of W@W in the videofest was Shierdan Pamintuan.
Dan is one videographer who had a roller-coaster affair with W@W & the W@Wies. He booked his first W@Wie client in 2006 and he was named one of the Top 5 suppliers in the W@Wie Awards later that same year.
But with the deluge of W@Wie bookings, he was later plagued with what we call the videographers’ curse: BACKLOGS! But Dan was never one who took bad feedbacks personally nor did he blame W@W for that unfortunate turn of events.
Today, bulk of Dan’s projects are not just wedding coverages but corporate videos as well.
His background in corporate presentations is immidiately obvious in his videofest submission. His treatment was straightforward and the voiceover (Randy Balaguer) lent an instructional video feel to his work. What’s amazing is that the script he used in his presentation were bits & pieces from different newspaper and magazine features about W@W. It was like a research paper on video complete with bibliography at the end credits. He translated these information from paper to video then inserted clips of Benz & I for our own personal inputs about W@W’s history.
I particularly liked the lighting in Dan’s video. He even brought a lighting director when he & his wife Jen went to our house for the interview. Too bad, the quality of the embedded video below doesn’t give justice to what was seen on the big screen.
And just like most of the videographers I know who are reputed crammers (they get a certain rush doing onsite wedding videos, right?), Dan works best under pressure. With the necessary revisions and tweaking as showtime drew near, he and Jen were sleepless. So tired that they just had to take a power nap inside the PowerPlant Cinema 4 a couple of hours prior to screening.
His work on the W@W VideoFest is sort of a comeback movie and proof that when a roller coaster goes down, it goes right back up again just like what he has already proven. A recent W@Wie client even call him ‘the magician.’
If there’s just one important thing we’ve learned in running W@W for a decade, it’s that there REALLY are no perfect weddings, only positive outlooks. Something unplanned is bound to happen. Either you let it ruin your day, or take it all in while it is happening then make it part of the whole experience. Water is always sweet after tasting a bitter pill.
That, in summary, was how our Friday night turned out. The bitter pill was the cinema’s projector conking out as we were beginning the show. But personally, it made the success of the W@W Video Fest even sweeter.
Judith Tabaquin, a W@Wie-turned-supplier, pretty much summed up the “theme” of the night:
“The technical problems during the presentation was some sort of a blessing in disguise. It highlighted what W@Wies are all about. The people behind the event showed great grace under pressure and the people who went there were very patient in waiting it all through. It epitomizes the meaning of what a community should be.”
Still, we take this chance to apologize for any inconvenience it caused anyone who took the time to be there to attend the affair. A projector wanted to act like a diva in the videofest, but it can never outshine an effort collaborated by many at curtain call.
Beginnings
Benz & I had simple but crazy dreams for W@W ten years back. In the first couple of years, we simply wanted a “W@W Bus” (buses plastered with ads were still a novelty in EDSA in those days). Another “dream event” we had was to maybe sponsor a major Hollywood bride-themed movie (Runaway Bride came out in 1999). We know the idea now sounds like what an active well-funded college org could easily mount but not for W@W at that time. Ours was a fledgling website back then. We were struggling newlyweds and simply didn’t have the funds nor network to mount such an event. Then after ten years, W@W Video Fest happened.
The five invited videographers who showcased their works last Friday were personal choices of Benz & I. Both of us wanted the videographers who’ll do a features on W@W to be people who knows our online community inside out. Allow me to devote each day of this week to write about each of the five videographers featured in the festival.
Bim is the “rookie” among the five. He’s half of what used to be known as Playback Video. I first saw his work in last years’ AVP Week and I was impressed. So impressed that I made that work of his the finale that time. His change of “branding” of “blog look” was a stroke of marketing genius. One videographer friend even quipped recently that he sees himself in Bim back when he was starting. But I must admit that Phoeben’s domain name is one of the hardest to spell in the world. bwahaha!
For the videofest, Bim was assigned to give an overview of all aspects of W@W. It was a challenge since it’s hard to depart from the other video treatments when he’s given a topic that the rest would also touch on more in-depth after his presentation. But the guy had the concept. He parodied four blockbuster Hollywood movies and made mini-trailers while turning some wedding suppliers into actors.
The video embedded below wasn’t seen in the original screening. It’s the making of Bim’s videofest entry and it shows that in his ‘movies’, actors are also propsmen. Indeed, the creative twentysomethings have been what’s keeping the wedding industry on its toes. Holds true then, but moreso now. Don’t miss as the amazing voiceover talent in the Forrest Gump clip is revealed after the end credits. Amazing isn’t it?
After watching the video, don’t forget to click the links of today’s main double back-to-back feature…
People love working with them. How could I tell? Well I’ve heard clients call CJ “teddybear.” and witnessed a wedding planner called Bong a “gigolo”. Come to think of it, Jon is the only one who seems distant. But behind his couldn’t-care-less-facade, he’s actually someone who goes out of his way to lend a hand without ever needing to seek it.
