Based in Lynchburg, Virginia Shaking Hands Productions takes a cinematic approach to filming a bride and groom's special day, proving wedding videography can be much more than a cheesy documentation of your wedding day. From the details to the emotions, Brad Bennett captures all these moments in his films. Through the editing process he choreographs music along with each clip to not only convey the overall mood of the day, but to also enthrall the viewer. With 10 years experience in the industry creating unique and modern wedding films, Brad Bennett's passion for what he does is seen in each production. Read on to learn more about Brad Bennett of Shaking Hands Productions and what inspires the creative cinematographers work.Shaking Hands Productions is based in Lynchburg, VA. To contact Shaking Hands Productions, visit their website or call 434.258.1212.Weddings Unveiled: Tell us a little bit about Shaking Hands Productions.Brad Bennett: I've had my company for a little over 10 years now. I came up with name after wanting to do well in the business world. I thought the name "Shaking Hands" Productions would suit me just fine. We are a full service video production house in Lynchburg, Va, composed of myself and a few dedicated freelancers. We do everything from corporate/promotional videos to documentaries. I have worked with local companies to fortune 500 companies. Obviously, weddings are huge for us as they are the most consistent means of income...and we absolutely love producing them!WU: How did you become a videographer?BB: My gift as videographer is God given, I had no formal education in video. I actually started out shooting professional surfing. I spent most of my late teens years surfing everyday in Virginia Beach. I had a lot friends that were sponsored and I just started shooting and editing local pros into my surf video. That particular video did so well, that I produced my second surf video called "All The Hype"(nationally sold). It was a fun time in my life and we got to travel all around the globe shooting in exotic locations. In 2003 I started working for a big wedding video company in Virginia Beach. I learned from a very seasoned pro who taught me all the ends and outs of the wedding video industry. I learned much there and in 2007, I decided to move back home to Lynchburg, VA to grow my own business. I have been here ever since.WU: Describe your wedding videography style.BB: I started out shooting in a very documentary style in getting all of the important moments of the day. Now I focus a lot of doing just that, but taking more a cinematic approach to both my filming and editing techniques. We have even added the super8 film medium to our creative tools. I like to keep my wedding films very unique and contemporary. Our finished wedding films runs anywhere from 20-30mins edited, our goal is to enthrall the client with our work not bore them.WU: Show us your favorite wedding film and tell us why it represents who you are as a wedding videographer.BB: hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....The cinematic shots of this wedding fit so well with the chosen music, and the emotion of the days events coordinated quite well with our meticulous editing=)
Lauren + Drew :: Virginia Beach :: from Shaking Hands Productions on Vimeo.
I loved shooting and editing this wedding, it had a lot of eye candy and emotion to capture that day...Megan + Lee :: Smith Mountain Lake wedding:: from Shaking Hands Productions on Vimeo.
Another one of my favorites....promotional video on event lightingBlue Ridge Light Forms from Shaking Hands Productions on Vimeo.
WU: What inspires you?BB: Details. I love being at weddings where you can tell the bride and groom have taken time to show off their style and love for each other. I get really inspired just seeing that at a wedding and it makes me want to shoot/edit things differently. I swear this industry has turned me into a girl!WU: What inspires your videography?BB: Watching others work and learning new elements to make our videos even better...believe it or not, photography has a lot to do with my cinematography. I don't shoot photography but I love looking at how someone composes their images. I am bit of a photo snob=)WU: How do you keep your wedding videography fresh?BB: Music is huge for me. I believe music can make or break a video section. I edit/choreograph all of my video/audio clips to the mood of a song in a particular section. The term videographer and cinematographer get thrown around a lot. Yes, I am a videographer by trade name but I am also a cinematographer that makes creative wedding films.WU: Do you do non-wedding videography work? If so, how does it influence your wedding videography?BB: Yes, we do all sorts of video work outside of weddings, I love producing promotional videos. I think in our promotional videos, we love to tell stories with music, moving images and voice. That translates well into our wedding films and trailers.WU: What makes you different from other wedding videographers?BB: I love my job as a wedding cinematographer and I love our clients. I think a lot of people who are in this industry just do it because of the money but they really don't enjoy what they do. I think you can tell a lot about a company by their finished product and work ethic. I come across wedding vendors that just vent about their clients and stressing of the day....that just doesn't phase me=)...You have to love your job or it's not worth the effort.WU: What would be your ideal wedding assignment?BB: Maybe mediterranean destination wedding since I love to travel. I love places with tuscany feel=)WU: Tell us three things you can't live without.BB: My relationship with God. My beautiful wife. My family.WU: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?BB: Don't settle for the ordinary, do what you love and what makes you happy!WU: What is the best advice you can give to an engaged couple?BB: Invest in a quality videographer/cinematographer. I think couples still have a distorted look on what a wedding video really is now a day. It's not some cheesy 2 hour long shaky documentation of your wedding day. We are constantly educating our clients on how we do things differently. It's an unobtrusive reflection of your day, seen through our eyes and edited artistically throughout the entire film.Shaking Hands 2010 wedding reel from Shaking Hands Productions on Vimeo.
Mexico teaser from Shaking Hands Productions on Vimeo.
