With a unique perspective and cinematic flare Nashville, TN based company Feria Cinematic Imagery classify themselves as storytellers. Comprised of Bobby Marko and Ben De Rienzo the two started Feria Cinematic Imagery with a passion for telling a couple's love story in a new approach than that seen in traditional wedding films. Realizing that the wedding day is only the culmination of many chapters of a couple's love story, Feria Cinematic Imagery takes every approach to get to know the couple and their personalities before the big day resulting in emotional and breathtaking films. Read on to learn more about Feria Cinematic Imagery's storytellers, Bobby Marko and Ben De Rienzo as they tell us what inspires them and their work.
Feria Cinematic Imagery is based in Nashville, TN. To contact Feria Cinematic Imagery, visit their website or call 615.270.9891.
Weddings Unveiled: Tell us a little bit about Feria Cinematic Imagery.
Bobby Marko and Ben De Rienzo: Two creative friends burnt out on stale wedding imagery re-invent themselves, finding passion in taking a new approach.
That would describe us in a nutshell.
Feria Cinematic Imagery (Bobby Marko and Ben De Rienzo) has a unique approach to wedding film: to capture a couple’s larger story—rather than just a single event in their partnership. To us, a wedding ceremony is the culmination of many chapters of a love story.
More and more, we see the term "wedding films" and "cinematic" as a descriptor to many wedding videographers when there's really nothing cinematic at all to what they create. To create wedding films, you must tell a story and we approach every project with that mindset. We don't just film our clients on their special day and use their wedding day as the main event—our client's story is the main feature. Therefore, we spend time with our bride & groom before the wedding day to get to know their stories, both personal and as a couple, and shoot material to create a unique wedding film.
We are passionate about cinematic story-telling, and utilize techniques we’ve learned from filming documentaries, short-films and other work into making our wedding films not feel like traditional wedding video. We travel a lot for destination weddings, but, no matter where we are, we love what we do and have become good friends with a lot of our brides and grooms. Their stories are what drive us.
WU: How did you become a videographer?
Marko: I started getting into wedding video back in 2006 shortly after my wife and I were married. For my own wedding, I did my own video. I had two cameras setup on sticks and had a friend in the audience holding a third. After editing it down and creating a dvd out of it, I actually got many compliments on how I did everything myself (including co-starring in it!). So after doing a couple more videos for friends' weddings, I knew this was something I could pursue as a side job. However, after a couple years and many weddings, I got burnt out on creating wedding videos the same way every time. I took about a year off to help shoot a documentary and other types of projects. Having learned so much in that time off, I decided to take that knowledge and apply it to creating a whole new way of filming weddings. I asked Ben who I'd worked with on other projects to join me on this venture and in 2009 we did our first wedding film together.
BDR: My creative career has been ceaselessly evolving—first graphic design into interactive web design, my first camera purchase a few years ago turned into shooting clients in entertainment and editorial, and then shooting wedding photography for select clients. A book publisher asked me to direct a commercial video for a new line of books, and I actually asked Bobby to be my shooter and editor. I loved brainstorming the initial ideas, creating storyboards and directing actors and knew that I wanted to do more of it. In the meantime, I took a break from wedding photography because I wasn't inspired. Lo and behold, later Bobby approached me to work with him on weddings, and I said to myself, "I'm not going to do it unless we offer something completely different." And here we are.
WU: Describe your wedding videography style.
Marko: I love one of our tag lines to describe our style: "We are cinematographers by skill and storytellers at heart." We believe in the power of someone's story and two people are coming together to begin a new life together—it's a pinnacle time. What better way to show who they are as individuals and how they will be as man and wife. There's always a story in that and we love to have the chance to tell it!
BDR: In-depth, emotive storytelling with cinematic flair. Obviously, we want our weddings to look amazing and make brides and their girlfriends/moms cry from the visuals, but, on top of that, we want the larger, developed story to tell so much more about our hero couple than just the events of one day.
WU: Show us your favorite wedding film and tell us why it represents who you are as a wedding videographer.
Marko: Every time we create a new video, it's our favorite! I love each of our clients but we are always finding new ways to tell a story and unique perspectives on visuals so I'm always so excited when we create a new piece. At this point, our film on Kara and Jake is my favorite. We were able to tell a story of a couple who continuously gives themselves away and personally, knowing what that looks like, it's an honor to tell those kinds of stories.
BDR: We haven't released my new favorite video yet (still finalizing editing), so I'd say probably Amy & Bryan our couple from Chicago. It was a crazy weather day, so we had to really react to situations and avert disaster a few times. It was a challenge to keep composure and still think artistically, and based on the response we got from viewers, I think we succeeded. It was a huge confirmation of what kind of visual storytelling was possible with our new approach.
WU: What inspires you?
Marko: I guess it's a "no-duh" but honestly, personal stories that are compelling always inspire me. I've had my hand in commercial shoots and have been able to be very creative with those but my favorites are those in which I can tell a story that can impact someone's life.
BDR: People. I believe that everyone has an interesting story. I think growing up all over the world in a few different countries helps me appreciate different cultures, so, I think I am drawn to finding out more about people and what makes them interesting.
WU: What inspires your videography?
Marko: I love listening to a story and immediately seeing visuals pop into my head. I don't know how or why it happens but it does. When I'm listening to my clients in our initial meetings I'm constantly making notes, because if I don't, I won't remember. I always tell clients ahead of time, though, so they don't think I'm not listening! :)
BDR: I come from a diverse creative background (print/web design, branding, photography) and have many talented creatives as friends so, I really have a wide influx of creative inspiration. It could be lyrics or music from a song, a picture I saw somewhere, or even just something that came up in a discussion on art—anything that will inspire me to tell a story through moving pictures.
WU: How do you keep your wedding videography fresh?
Marko: I think because weddings are not the only type of projects we work on (although lately they have been!) we pull from our experience working on short films, documentaries, music videos, etc. Engaging with other people, asking questions, trying not to be complacent with our skills and what we know. It's not just about having the best or newest technology in camera and editing gear—if you don't know how to use it and/or tell a good story—none of that matters.
BDR: I try not to pay attention to what other wedding videogs are doing. I try to stay inspired by great work out there in the world and keep pushing Feria to try new things or do things differently. Bobby and I work well together because we're very open to new ideas and always game to take chances on an untested approach. We're not afraid to fail.
WU: Do you do non-wedding videography work? If so, how does it influence your wedding videography?
Marko: Yes, working on other types of projects definitely helps our creative and technical processes. We also surround ourselves with other creatives who we bring on board or we network with and many of them bring allot to the table. No man is an island and no one person can do any of this on their own. So by working on other projects we are able to meet many people and learn much more than if all we did was do wedding videos.
BDR: Luckily, we have clients that have seen our Feria work online that ask us to bring the same style to their projects. Which makes us happy that they don't consider our material as "wedding video". We've been able to shoot commercials, music videos, short films, documentaries, etc. Some people say "only hire wedding-industry videographers"—we think it makes us much more well-rounded and able to bring a lot more to the table for our clients.
WU: What makes you different from other wedding videographers?
Marko: I think our approach to wedding films is what makes us unique. Since we make the story telling the main feature, it allows us to be so much more creative and we can effectively adapt the style to our clients. I can't tell you how many times we've heard from non-clients: "I wish we could get married again so we could have you to tell our story!" That is so good to hear because it tells us that what we create will not just be shown once or twice but will be something a couple will want to see over and over again throughout their marriage.
BDR: Time. Before and after the wedding day. We invest more into our couples beforehand—crafting a film based on their unique story really requires us to learn a lot about our subjects. We capture more footage than most—b-roll, interviews, etc. And in the editing process, we always take a unique angle to each film. No cost-cutting, template-style approach—continuously adding in new techniques and styles we develop.
WU: What would be your ideal wedding assignment?
Marko: Tough one! I love Italy, went there in 2007 and fell in love with that country. I'd have to say a Tuscany wedding set on a Tuscan farm with a vineyard on rolling hills as a backdrop.
BDR: To document a wedding experience for avid travelers—we'd follow them thru a whirlwind of countries, ending up with an intimate ceremony at the base of a volcano in Iceland. I'm predicting best highlight video of all time!
WU: Tell us three things you can't live without.
Marko: My wife, my daughter and my iPhone
BDR: Family (wife, son, dog) aside: White Chocolate Mochas, Gummi bears and the world wide web.
WU: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Marko: "No matter how hard it gets for you, someone else has it harder." Don't know who said it but it just reminds me that even at my lowest point, there's someone else thats in a lower place so getting back up doesn't seem as impossible.
BDR: Love wins.
WU: What is the best advice you can give to an engaged couple?
Marko: The same as I was given: "No matter how hard it gets for you, someone else has it harder."
BDR: Enjoy this time of your lives—don't worry about anything too much. As long as you have each other it will all work out. And I would highly recommend ANY couple go through pre-marital counseling—it is very valuable.
Feria Cinematic Imagery is based in Nashville, TN. To contact Feria Cinematic Imagery, visit their website or call 615.270.9891.
Weddings Unveiled: Tell us a little bit about Feria Cinematic Imagery.
Bobby Marko and Ben De Rienzo: Two creative friends burnt out on stale wedding imagery re-invent themselves, finding passion in taking a new approach.
That would describe us in a nutshell.
Feria Cinematic Imagery (Bobby Marko and Ben De Rienzo) has a unique approach to wedding film: to capture a couple’s larger story—rather than just a single event in their partnership. To us, a wedding ceremony is the culmination of many chapters of a love story.
More and more, we see the term "wedding films" and "cinematic" as a descriptor to many wedding videographers when there's really nothing cinematic at all to what they create. To create wedding films, you must tell a story and we approach every project with that mindset. We don't just film our clients on their special day and use their wedding day as the main event—our client's story is the main feature. Therefore, we spend time with our bride & groom before the wedding day to get to know their stories, both personal and as a couple, and shoot material to create a unique wedding film.
We are passionate about cinematic story-telling, and utilize techniques we’ve learned from filming documentaries, short-films and other work into making our wedding films not feel like traditional wedding video. We travel a lot for destination weddings, but, no matter where we are, we love what we do and have become good friends with a lot of our brides and grooms. Their stories are what drive us.
WU: How did you become a videographer?
Marko: I started getting into wedding video back in 2006 shortly after my wife and I were married. For my own wedding, I did my own video. I had two cameras setup on sticks and had a friend in the audience holding a third. After editing it down and creating a dvd out of it, I actually got many compliments on how I did everything myself (including co-starring in it!). So after doing a couple more videos for friends' weddings, I knew this was something I could pursue as a side job. However, after a couple years and many weddings, I got burnt out on creating wedding videos the same way every time. I took about a year off to help shoot a documentary and other types of projects. Having learned so much in that time off, I decided to take that knowledge and apply it to creating a whole new way of filming weddings. I asked Ben who I'd worked with on other projects to join me on this venture and in 2009 we did our first wedding film together.
BDR: My creative career has been ceaselessly evolving—first graphic design into interactive web design, my first camera purchase a few years ago turned into shooting clients in entertainment and editorial, and then shooting wedding photography for select clients. A book publisher asked me to direct a commercial video for a new line of books, and I actually asked Bobby to be my shooter and editor. I loved brainstorming the initial ideas, creating storyboards and directing actors and knew that I wanted to do more of it. In the meantime, I took a break from wedding photography because I wasn't inspired. Lo and behold, later Bobby approached me to work with him on weddings, and I said to myself, "I'm not going to do it unless we offer something completely different." And here we are.
WU: Describe your wedding videography style.
Marko: I love one of our tag lines to describe our style: "We are cinematographers by skill and storytellers at heart." We believe in the power of someone's story and two people are coming together to begin a new life together—it's a pinnacle time. What better way to show who they are as individuals and how they will be as man and wife. There's always a story in that and we love to have the chance to tell it!
BDR: In-depth, emotive storytelling with cinematic flair. Obviously, we want our weddings to look amazing and make brides and their girlfriends/moms cry from the visuals, but, on top of that, we want the larger, developed story to tell so much more about our hero couple than just the events of one day.
WU: Show us your favorite wedding film and tell us why it represents who you are as a wedding videographer.
Marko: Every time we create a new video, it's our favorite! I love each of our clients but we are always finding new ways to tell a story and unique perspectives on visuals so I'm always so excited when we create a new piece. At this point, our film on Kara and Jake is my favorite. We were able to tell a story of a couple who continuously gives themselves away and personally, knowing what that looks like, it's an honor to tell those kinds of stories.
Kara // Jake Having fun, living large from Feria Cinematic on Vimeo.
BDR: We haven't released my new favorite video yet (still finalizing editing), so I'd say probably Amy & Bryan our couple from Chicago. It was a crazy weather day, so we had to really react to situations and avert disaster a few times. It was a challenge to keep composure and still think artistically, and based on the response we got from viewers, I think we succeeded. It was a huge confirmation of what kind of visual storytelling was possible with our new approach.
Amy and Bryan Nashville Wedding Trailer from Feria Cinematic on Vimeo.
WU: What inspires you?
Marko: I guess it's a "no-duh" but honestly, personal stories that are compelling always inspire me. I've had my hand in commercial shoots and have been able to be very creative with those but my favorites are those in which I can tell a story that can impact someone's life.
BDR: People. I believe that everyone has an interesting story. I think growing up all over the world in a few different countries helps me appreciate different cultures, so, I think I am drawn to finding out more about people and what makes them interesting.
WU: What inspires your videography?
Marko: I love listening to a story and immediately seeing visuals pop into my head. I don't know how or why it happens but it does. When I'm listening to my clients in our initial meetings I'm constantly making notes, because if I don't, I won't remember. I always tell clients ahead of time, though, so they don't think I'm not listening! :)
BDR: I come from a diverse creative background (print/web design, branding, photography) and have many talented creatives as friends so, I really have a wide influx of creative inspiration. It could be lyrics or music from a song, a picture I saw somewhere, or even just something that came up in a discussion on art—anything that will inspire me to tell a story through moving pictures.
WU: How do you keep your wedding videography fresh?
Marko: I think because weddings are not the only type of projects we work on (although lately they have been!) we pull from our experience working on short films, documentaries, music videos, etc. Engaging with other people, asking questions, trying not to be complacent with our skills and what we know. It's not just about having the best or newest technology in camera and editing gear—if you don't know how to use it and/or tell a good story—none of that matters.
BDR: I try not to pay attention to what other wedding videogs are doing. I try to stay inspired by great work out there in the world and keep pushing Feria to try new things or do things differently. Bobby and I work well together because we're very open to new ideas and always game to take chances on an untested approach. We're not afraid to fail.
WU: Do you do non-wedding videography work? If so, how does it influence your wedding videography?
Marko: Yes, working on other types of projects definitely helps our creative and technical processes. We also surround ourselves with other creatives who we bring on board or we network with and many of them bring allot to the table. No man is an island and no one person can do any of this on their own. So by working on other projects we are able to meet many people and learn much more than if all we did was do wedding videos.
BDR: Luckily, we have clients that have seen our Feria work online that ask us to bring the same style to their projects. Which makes us happy that they don't consider our material as "wedding video". We've been able to shoot commercials, music videos, short films, documentaries, etc. Some people say "only hire wedding-industry videographers"—we think it makes us much more well-rounded and able to bring a lot more to the table for our clients.
WU: What makes you different from other wedding videographers?
Marko: I think our approach to wedding films is what makes us unique. Since we make the story telling the main feature, it allows us to be so much more creative and we can effectively adapt the style to our clients. I can't tell you how many times we've heard from non-clients: "I wish we could get married again so we could have you to tell our story!" That is so good to hear because it tells us that what we create will not just be shown once or twice but will be something a couple will want to see over and over again throughout their marriage.
BDR: Time. Before and after the wedding day. We invest more into our couples beforehand—crafting a film based on their unique story really requires us to learn a lot about our subjects. We capture more footage than most—b-roll, interviews, etc. And in the editing process, we always take a unique angle to each film. No cost-cutting, template-style approach—continuously adding in new techniques and styles we develop.
WU: What would be your ideal wedding assignment?
Marko: Tough one! I love Italy, went there in 2007 and fell in love with that country. I'd have to say a Tuscany wedding set on a Tuscan farm with a vineyard on rolling hills as a backdrop.
BDR: To document a wedding experience for avid travelers—we'd follow them thru a whirlwind of countries, ending up with an intimate ceremony at the base of a volcano in Iceland. I'm predicting best highlight video of all time!
WU: Tell us three things you can't live without.
Marko: My wife, my daughter and my iPhone
BDR: Family (wife, son, dog) aside: White Chocolate Mochas, Gummi bears and the world wide web.
WU: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Marko: "No matter how hard it gets for you, someone else has it harder." Don't know who said it but it just reminds me that even at my lowest point, there's someone else thats in a lower place so getting back up doesn't seem as impossible.
BDR: Love wins.
WU: What is the best advice you can give to an engaged couple?
Marko: The same as I was given: "No matter how hard it gets for you, someone else has it harder."
BDR: Enjoy this time of your lives—don't worry about anything too much. As long as you have each other it will all work out. And I would highly recommend ANY couple go through pre-marital counseling—it is very valuable.
Brianna & Seth: You've Got Your Fireworks! from Feria Cinematic on Vimeo.
Brianna & Seth: Stunning Nashville Wedding from Feria Cinematic on Vimeo.
Sarah Jay - Simple Love! from Feria Cinematic on Vimeo.
