LizWelsh.com

Society Hill Studios profile

Studio Time | Society Hill Studios & CANON FILMMAKERS LIVE

After introducing themselves to the crowd at Re:Frame Austin, Society Hill Studios’ Cristina Valdivieso and Jon Connor, along with partner Amy Reese now seem to pop up everywhere with the industry’s inner circle. But how did these Young Turks manage to crash this party, seemingly overnight, and set themselves on the road to becoming one of the go-to studios in Philadelphia for couples wanting a high-end, artistic wedding film?

I wrote (a few pages in) a book!

Check it! Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 3 by Dion Scoppettuolo is now on bookshelves.

I had a wonderful opportunity to write three photographer cameos for the book while discovering even more reasons I want to buy Aperture 3.

Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 3

Adventures in Fusion, Part 1

Adventures in Fusion, Part 1 by Elizabeth Avery Merfeld

Last fall, Canon shook our world when it released the transformative EOS 5D Mark II, a DSLR featuring full-frame HD video and dynamic depth-of-field control. Along with others of its ilk, the 5D is revving up videographers’ creativity, smearing the line between the photography and videography industries, and ushering in (some say) a new era of photo-video fusion. With several months of use under their belts, we asked a handful of early adopters for their take on how the 5D has impacted their businesses and where (if anywhere) their first forays into fusion have taken them.

Beyond Hello

The good people at Planet Propaganda gave me the opportunity to bid on an SEO and writing job for Madison-based mystery shopping company Beyond Hello. I’m happy to say I got the project. That was at the beginning of the year, and our work is now complete.

I had so much fun writing the copy for their website, in large part because the people I got to work with were some of the friendliest and most genuine people I’ll ever have the good fortune to collaborate with. Planet did a phenomenal job on their website. Take a look!

Wedding Video’s Hottest Garage Band

Studio Time: Starcross’d Creative | Wedding Video’s Hottest Garage Band

Some artists seek inspiration in long walks, majestic sunsets, or awe-inspiring works of art. Others, like the crew at wedding and event cinematography studio Starcross’d Creative (formerly Starcross’d Films), “get together over some beer and Rock Band.”

Deconstructing the Demo

Deconstructing the Demo

The Experts’ Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do, compiled by Samantha Ettus, is based on the premise that often “the simplest things are the hardest to master.” The simplicity of no-brainers such as washing your hair, telling someone a story, or even breathing makes it so these primitive tasks come naturally–but at what price? We are doing them–and ourselves–an injustice, she reasons, by not taking the time to become maestros of mundane activities.

To guide readers in perfecting their handshaking or lipstick-applying skills, she has compiled 100 chapters of golden rules, techniques, and instructions from 100 experts. It was this book–no offense intended-that came to mind when we approached the subject of creating a demo.

Super 8 and the BMX Factor

Joe Simon Productions: Weddings, Super 8, and the BMX Factor

The mid-1960s saw the advent of revolutionary film format Super 8–nowadays a medium used to conjure up memories of the “old days” our parents keep cocooned in cobwebbed basements and cold attics. In the ’70s, boys racing their bikes on dirt tracks kick-started a phenomenon that became known as bicycle motocross, or BMX. And in the ’90s, Joe Simon apparently developed a thing for old-school hobbies involving damage, scratches, dirt, and dust.

Hooray for Bollywood

Hooray for Bollywood: Kevin Shahinian’s Pacific Pictures

Game On

Game On—Bringing the NHL to IPTV

Neulion, Inc. and BandCon came together to bring the NHL to IPTV. Now fans can access live games, on-demand highlights, behind-the-scenes footage, clips from morning skate, and pregame and postgame interviews and commentary.

by Elizabeth Avery Merfeld (née Welsh)
December, 2008

Lee Bakogiannakis, 2dg

Lee Bakogiannakis, 2dg: Sound and Vision
When the time comes to put his legacy in order, Lee Bakogiannakis wants to be remembered for his contributions to the Greek wedding video industry. But for now he’ll settle for being known as the guy who “made Bon Jovi cool again.”
by Elizabeth Welsh
November, 2008

Enterprise Video Distribution

Meeting the Enterprise Distribution Video Challenge
With a 15,000-strong employee base and offices scattered around the world, commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield needed a reliable way for senior management to communicate with staff. They chose a content delivery solution from Ignite Technologies, Inc.
by Elizabeth Welsh
October 15, 2008

The future of internet radio

It’s aaall happening!

“There it was! We were on the cover of the upcoming issue of EventDV!!! And the article by Liz Welsh was even cooler! I was going out of my mind… like a rock band member hearing their song on the radio for the first time.”

“Liz, Just finished reading the article. It’s awesome! You did such a wonderful job. We’re so grateful. In the words of Russell Hammond to Rolling Stone reporter William Miller in Almost Famous, thanks for making us ‘look cool.’ ” – Loyd & Hazel Calomay, Red 5 Studios

Meet the New Doc

It’s not every day my name or anything I’m associated with is used in the same sentence as the word hot, which is why I’m using this rare event to link to an article I wrote for the March issue of EventDV titled, “Meet the New Doc,” which one Video University blog poster described as “HOT” (in all caps no less) and another poster said “should be read and reread several times.” I wouldn’t recommend that if you’re not in the industry or if you’re not shopping for a wedding videographer, but if digital videography appeals to you at all as an art, you might give it a once-over. The artists interviewed are clearly what make the article hot–check out the links to their work at the bottom of the article and you’ll see what I mean.

Cloud Nine

I’m on Cloud Nine. Or rather, Cloud Nine Creative’s website, gathering some last-minute facts for an article I’m writing about the multimedia company for an upcoming magazine article. For the past couple of hours I’ve been reading two issues of WedLuxe, their luxury wedding magazine sold throughout Canada. I went to bed day-dreaming of fairy tales, Prince Charming, and honeymoons. Visions of Vera Wang gowns, pint-size ring-bearers clad in Perry Ellis, Swarovski crystals, and Thailand retreats spun in my head. But I didn’t fall asleep. I couldn’t fall asleep.

I lay there with words ringing in my ears: decadent, artisan, haute couture. I lay there remembering my wedding. Not so luxe. Not so long ago. And no so lasting.

No Carmela Sutera gown for me. I wore one from JCPenny’s — a pretty white prom dress, in fact, that I returned with the receipt for a refund afterwards. The ceremony? I left the planning to my then husband-to-be, who arranged for us to walk down the aisle to a Smashing Pumpkins song at his home church in Kokomo, Indiana. (His uncle forgot to press play.) Our reception was held in the church basement with folding chairs and paper tablecloths. We dined on cheese chunks and grapes and opened K-Mart presents from selfless relatives who could barely afford to pay their trailer park rent. The cake we froze to eat on our first anniversary got thrown out.

In the premiere issue of WedLuxe, editor-in-chief Angela Desveaux waxes poetic on what a luxury is, exactly. She says, “Depending on who you ask, luxury can be defined in many ways. Some will describe objects of opulence while others speak of intangible qualities like time, passion and excellence.”

Since my wedding eight years ago, I’ve come to appreciate the fine details involved in wedding celebrations, in large part thanks to EventDV magazine, a publication I became involved with as a result of my background in film/video and writing. I was thrust into the world of weddings — a world I didn’t belong in but now feel, in some small way, a part of. I’ve come to know many of the North American players in the wedding world — filmmakers, in particular, who make art films that would blow you away. I’ve begun to see what all the fuss is about.

But as for opulence, it’s something I write about, not experience. Unless of course you subscribe to Desveaux’s second interpretation of luxury. After a $10K custody battle and half a decade of heartache, I am surrounded by those intangible luxuries she speaks of. Not just my darling daughter, but also my ex-husband, whose closeness to us is remarkable. Unconventional family unit, yes. But we vacation together, cook together, laugh together, and love our daughter together. Today he watched the Packer game with Granny as I worked. He made her dinner, and dessert.

Our Edy’s ice cream with Hershey’s syrup may not hold a candle to a monogrammed cake created by a world-renowned pastry chef, but the warmth in this broken family is felt. It is nearly tangible, and as I prepare to try yet again to fall asleep tonight, dabbing the liquid one of my dogs just vomited on the carpet with Brawny, I feel blessed. I feel like I am on cloud nine.