video

Look Park Improvements

Took a walk around Look Park in Northampton today after dropping off my kids’ carpool at school. I haven’t been there for a while, and didn’t realize the the Willow Lake dredging project had already been completed. The lake now looks to be in great shape. The bandshell by the lake makes a great location for weddings, if you’re looking for a beautiful spot outdoors. And if you don’t want to travel to another location on your big day, the Look Park Garden House is a great place to have a reception.

Look Park

Bat Mitzvah Video

On Saturday, I was in Florence, MA taping Olivia’s Bat Mitzvah. The service was at Beit Ahavah (they use the Florence Congregational Church), and the reception was at Mill 1 at Open Square in Holyoke.

It’s always nice to return to Beit Ahavah. Rabbi Riqi Kosovske leads an inspiring service. It was my first time at Mill 1 in Holyoke, and I enjoyed videotaping in the space, which is a large, open, brick-walled room in an old factory building. Klezamir provided great music, there were games for the kids, and there was a photo corner where the kids could get pictures taken while dressed up in crazy accessories.

Amazing Designer

Just finished up a quick video for an amazing Northampton designer, Jon Schluenz. Jon does fantastic interior design and artwork, and needed a video to apply for a reality design show.

Check out his website if you need interior design work and to see some of his artwork. He also recently curated an art show at Whoo Space in Northampton.

Tapestry Health

Spent the last two days videotaping interviews and other footage for a promotional video for Tapestry Health. The focus was their programs for the homeless and reentry populations in the Springfield, Massachusetts area. On Tuesday, we interviewed some counselors, participants, and Tapestry Health founder, Leslie Laurie.

I rode along with a counselor around Springfield on Wednesday, getting shots of damage from the June tornado, shooting galleries (for drugs) in the woods and by the railroad tracks, and some economically depressed neighborhoods where their clients live. It was eye-opening to see that side of the city. I was in awe of the task facing Tapestry employees, and impressed by their passion.

From their website: “Tapestry Health is a locally grown community-based provider in Western Massachusetts that offers affordable, high quality care. Our services include family planning, reproductive health exams, STI screenings, HIV counseling and testing, insurance enrollment, needle exchange, community education and outreach, medical case management, a family nutrition program, legislative advocacy, and much more.”

Wedding in Brookline & Wellesley

CathedralThis Saturday, I had the pleasure of taping Maureen and Matt’s wedding. They were married at St. Mary’s Church in Brookline with a reception at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It was my first time working with the photographers from AMW Studios. Ariel and Matt were great to work with, and I could see that they were efficient and fun in working with the bridal couple and their family and guests. Brendan Howard of Murray Hill Talent was their DJ, and he kept the party moving along effortlessly. Overall coordination was handled beautifully by Erica Jones of Events by Sharon’s Daughter.

QR Codes

You’ve probably seen these funny looking black and white squares while out shopping or reading the newspaper. QR codes, short for Quick Response codes, are often used to give consumers more information about a product or business. Use can use a mobile device with a camera to view the code, which then links you to the information, which could be a website, video, PDF, etc.

Here’s the QR code that will take you to the Klituscope Pictures website:

A client recently used QR codes to link to videos that we produced to explain how to use one of their products.

Thank You Note

Lately received a thank you note from Sara and Billy, who were married at the Most Holy Redeemer Church in Hadley, MA. Their reception was at the Sheraton Springfield.

“1 word—Fantastic! We love it! Thank you so much for all your work and amazing talent! It is wonderful that there are extra copies for our families! Great Christmas Gift! We truly enjoyed and loved seeing the finished product. We got so many laughs and saw so much we had no idea of. This video will be a continuous reminder of what an amazing day we had. Again I can’t thank you enough for the wonderful work you did with our wedding video. I will certainly recommend you to any couple planning a wedding.”

New Year’s Eve Wedding

On New Year’s Eve, I was in Longmeadow, MA for Meaghan and Tom’s wedding. They were married at St. Mary’s Church with the reception at the Longmeadow Country Club. A bit of snow throughout the day made for a beautiful setting, and I got home in time for the New Year’s countdown with visiting friends from Virginia!

Hartsbrook School Video Online

Today I’m uploading the Hartsbrook School’s enrollment videos to Vimeo.com. There are three, one for the early childhood program, one for the elementary school, and one for the high school.

Hartsbrook High School Enrollment Video from Tom Klitus on Vimeo.

Amherst College

On Saturday, I was in Amherst for Krista and Aaron’s wedding. The ceremony was at the Johnson Chapel on the Amherst College campus, with the reception at the Lewis-Sebring Commons, also on the campus.

Great idea: turning their wedding program into a fan, so guests could keep cool!

Got to work with some new (for me) vendors there. Becky Kusek was a great photographer to work with. You’ll see great work on her website—I especially like her nighttime exposures using streetlamps and marquees. Dana Collins was the DJ and kept the party moving. And Erica Kates was the wedding planner who kept everything running smoothly.

Sports Recruiting Video

On Saturday, I was at the New Haven Track & Field Center, shooting a recruiting video for two runners, a brother and sister. Sports recruiting videos are often used to give a college coach their first impression of a high school athlete. They are more commonly used in basketball, soccer, baseball, or football recruiting.

I taped each athlete running a 1600m race, and they each won their heat! What’s usually done next is adding graphics & text, like a short bio or list of accomplishments. Freeze frames and graphic arrows can be used to highlight a player, so the coach knows who they’re supposed to be watching.

With scholarship money hanging in the balance, recruiting videos are becoming a common investment for potential college athletes.

Chuppah

I love when these connections happen!

I e-mailed a prospective bride a few months ago, and she recently responded. She was watching the “Ron & Jen” wedding video on my website, and absolutely loved their chuppah. She e-mailed me to find out where they they got it. I e-mailed Jen, who explained that she made it herself, but had blogged about the experience and sent me the link. Actually, Jen reposted the very detailed information onto her newest blog, Willow Street Creative, and the prospective bride was very thankful. It’s a must-see!

Jen is an amazingly talented illustrator and artisan who crafted a lot of her wedding accessories. Her blog is filled with detailed descriptions of her handmade wedding items and with great wedding advice, all accompanied by photos. Ron and Jen were married at the Lyman Estate in Waltham, MA.