This is a great example of what I call “The Curse of the Mini Packages.” I would have loved to spend all day with this couple, but it wasn’t in their budget!! Poop!
]]>This destination wedding in Glen Arbor, Michigan showcases one of the most gorgeous locations I’ve ever shot, and for a wonderful family that just keeps calling me back. I love them!
]]>This was, indeed, history in the making. Another terrific collaboration with Prestige Entertainment, and my first wedding shoot with the talented Brian “Solid” Schoof.
]]>Another phenomenal collaboration with Prestige Entertainment and Sarah Faith Merritt! The weather didn’t cooperate, but we weren’t about to let that stop us!
]]>The power of love is a curious thing. It’ll make one man weep, and make another man sing. This film soars.
]]>When one of your closest friends is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, you have a choice: You can choose to be sad, or to celebrate what has been wonderful about that friend’s life and make a hilarious music video for her.
]]>I remember the day my brother shipped off for the Navy. It was a sad day for me, but I’ve always been proud of him, and after 22 years, he’s finally hanging up his anchors.
]]>With a height difference like this, we really should’ve brought a foot stool with us everywhere. But then it might not have been as cute.
]]>This was a unique occasion: A fellow videographer who loved my work asked me to shoot his daughter’s wedding, and asked another editor to cut the footage. Frequent Lightcraft second shooter and collaborator Jamie Jantz shows us what she’s got!
]]>Things always get tense at any wedding where you’ve got Wolverines and Spartans, but at the end of the day, love won out.
]]>Chelsea and Steve made this an easy day. When a couple is this into each other, all I have to do is watch and record.
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Simply some of the best work to come out of the studio, this destination wedding in Saint Joseph, Michigan features the stunning Blue Dress Barn as well as a gorgeous first look on the pier.
]]>You may think Tinder is just a hook-up app, but for some people, it’s the start of destiny. Special thanks to Sydney at Master Mixin’ Entertainment for putting on a great show!
]]>My first ever booking from my short-lived (paid) spat on Wedding Wire, but this couple made the whole membership worthwhile. I hope I get to celebrate every wedding with their family and friends for years to come.
]]>What a wonderful day. This couple was an absolute pleasure to be around and it’s obvious to everyone they’re in it to win it!
]]>Alaina and Justin made the whole experience of shooting their wedding a pleasure.
Footnote: In terms of sheer Vimeo views, this is the most widely seen Lightcraft wedding film ever made!!
]]>This destination wedding in Crystal Lake, Illinois was the capstone on a three-wedding weekend in late July. How I survived it, I don’t know, but wow was it worth it!
]]>This destination wedding in Glen Arbor, Michigan showcases one of the most gorgeous locations I’ve ever shot, and for a wonderful family that just keeps calling me back. I love them!
]]>I couldn’t tell you the last time I hung out with so many teenagers, but it was a blast!!
]]>She knew she was going to marry him years before it happened. Watch his face as he reads a letter she saved for this perfect day.
]]>Seeing two people you’ve known for so long finally tie the knot is always an emotional experience. These two are remarkable.
]]>You know you’ve made an impression when a dude you used to work with years ago remembers your video work, and materializes from nothingness to ask you to shoot his wedding. When that happens, you say, “Yes!”
]]>Ordinarily I refuse to work on holidays, but for this couple, I made an exception. It was one hell of a party!
]]>Cold hands, warm hearts. A wonderful couple and another successful collaboration with the photographers at Studio 41.
]]>As part of Spoiler Free Movie Sleuth’s 31 Days of Hell, and just in time for the new Ash vs. Evil Dead to premiere tomorrow night, I decided to review the entire series that had such a big impact on me as a filmmaker.
]]>October 31st officially marks the beginning of the off-season here in Michigan. Many believe that wedding season dies down after the summer passes, but really it’s not until November that many professionals get to take a breath and begin to catch up on what is undoubtedly a massive backlog. For the last few years, I’ve been asked about giving off-season discounts. The truth is, I didn’t book enough weddings to even consider it, but given that the off-season is a time for bargain hunting, let the games begin!
If your wedding is between October 31 and March 29, you can save $200 off any Lightcraft Entertainment videography package! Ready, set, GO!
]]>Read my review on SpoilerFreeMovieSleuth.com!
]]>Sometimes you gotta bully the groom to get what you want. Ashton wanted a first look with Curt before their ceremony to get those jitters out. So we all kept after him until he agreed to do it. It worked out beautifully, and he thanked us for insisting on it. The moment was perfect.
]]>There are very few times when I feel completely accomplished as a filmmaker. This is one of them. Jacquie and Kevin’s film remains one of the high water marks of my career.
]]>My first collaboration with Sarah Faith Merritt was a smashing success. This gigantic wedding for Stephanie and Michael was a wonderful occasion with several beautiful locales and terrific speeches.
]]>This group of friends is simply amazing. I hope they all keep the tradition of having a Lightcraft wedding film going for years to come!
]]>This represents the first attempt at an experiment involving interviewing couples after their wedding in order to make them their own storytellers in new Lightcraft wedding films. If it continues to work this well, you will see this as an option for next year’s 2016 packages!
]]>My first cinematic wedding edit. This was an experiment to push my boundaries as a wedding videographer. For years, I had been allowing the music to tell the story of each couple. It’s much better this way — the vows and speeches of the couple themselves, as well as the people they love, bringing us into their world.
]]>When the couple is named “Wild,” what else would you expect?
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One of the best wedding films I’ve ever made. I’m still thinking there could be trims made to the style to make it even better. Thoughts?
]]>After three years, Lightcraft is changing up the package structure to allow more wiggle room for our wedding clients. The new packages include more diversity and more hours of coverage. As usual, all the edited packages include the uncut footage in addition to the cinematic wedding film. These prices apply to video only. A separate post will be put up later for photography combo packages!
P.S. Not really sure what’s going on with my Java menu, but I’m working on it. All the links still work in the meantime!
Kanye West, despite his insistence that he is the new Jesus, is burning down all that is sacred about music with the fires of Hell. He’s the treble clef’s equivalent of an anti-Christ.
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Kim Varley is the mastermind behind Happy Universe Photography. I’ve worked with her on many events, and not only does she have a great eye, but she’s extremely pleasant to work with. Don’t take my word for it, though: Look her up for yourself and enjoy!
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Follow Coach Beckie Francis on Twitter @CoachBeckieOU.
“Jar Jars Binks is in ‘Return of the Jedi’? NOOOO!!” |
Correction: He’s the only one who shot. |
“I don’t always nuke the fridge. But when I do, I drink Dos Equis.” |
Blu-Ray Upgrades are available on all packages for only $50!!
Photo by Kynna Scott |
Photo by Mayzie Photography |
Considering all of the bath salts zombification going on, I figured this one was timely.
]]>Contact Kayla at [email protected] with any questions or offers. She’s accepting PayPal, certified check, money order, or cash. Hope someone finds this useful!
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DJs don’t need darkness to play music. People don’t need darkness to dance. But good video does need light.
Thanksgiving is one of the most special times of year for me. Partly because of spending time with my family. Partly because it kicks off the holiday season and I love Christmas lights! And partly because, usually, it marks the official end of the wedding season haha! Don’t get me wrong: I love my job, and I love providing wedding films for people that they cherish and watch over and over again. But it gets tiring, constantly shooting and editing these things, so I look forward to a time of year when I can take a break from it, then approach it with fresh eyes in the spring.
I’d be holding a gun to my head if I were in this movie, too. |
George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead |
Connie Mangilin |
The combined attendance for my film when I attended DIFF, DWIFF and DC Shorts did not amount to the first screening which was held at the Mitten. Sorry guys, I know you pride your festivals on being big and “real,” but so far at every turn you’ve been getting your ass kicked by a tiny chick from Detroit who is apparently very clumsy on a bicycle.
And this is how it looked in the theater. (This is not an exaggeration.)
Everyone who grew up with these guys knows that parents and conservative media whores were in an uproar over this show. The language barriers it helped break down in terms of what’s acceptable on cable programming, the satirical wit the show applied liberally (even at the joking expense of its own network), and just the sheer hilarity of it all makes them a memorable addition to our childhood pastime.
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These movies are deceptively effective because we’re made to wait and watch for stuff to happen.
That being said, will the new one hold up the current streak of great writing and truly scary atmosphere? Who knows. If the “Bloody Mary” scene from this trailer is actually the jumping off point for this prequel, I may have to storm into the projection booth and defecate on the reels. If it’s just a scene of little girls being little girls, then fine.
Paranormal Activity pointed out a sad truth that putting a camera on a tripod in 2009 was innovative again. Paranormal Activity 2 upped the ante with multiple cameras and better effects. We’ll see what part three has in store on October 21.
This is one of the first photos I took with my new still camera.
]]>A beautiful sunset courtesy of my new phone. No color correction. Gorgeous.
]]>Just on the heels of the announcement by DC Shorts, we’ve received word that Purple Heart’s Final Beat is one of the finalists in the running for the FlickFire Online Film Festival! The hits just keep on coming! If you have a moment, please click here to cast your vote!
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One of the first pictures taken on my new camera.
]]>All photos by Sarah Reynolds |
Go to TheCameraChick.com for information, rates and hundreds of photos! Be sure to tell them Blake from Lightcraft sent you!
]]>This is just too damn cute to not share. Don’t you love how silly dogs are?
]]>All photos by Blake O. Kleiner |
Photo by Colette Mason |
Photo by Colette Mason |
“I’ll get you next Halloween, He-Man!” |
What were YOU thinking, Nic Cage? |
“If it is true I hope you die in hell…” That’s just lovely. But also raises an intriguing philosophical question: I thought you had to die to go to Hell, but now this woman is telling me that I can die while I’m there… I’m so confused. Does she mean Hell, Michigan? Or is her life so vacant as she searches for pathetic ways to steal my passwords that she views her life as Hell? Thoughts?