Warren Dietel's 40th Birthday Party

Unquestionably, the hot ticket last week was Warren Dietel's 40th birthday bash at Church Street Station. While most of us know Warren as the owner of the peerless Puff n' Stuff Catering, many of us also know him as an all-around great guy, fun and friendly, and as you'll see in the video below, he can really rock a white fur coat.

Hosted by his always stunning wife Melissa, the party had an 80's theme and guests were encouraged to dress from the era (which explains my dubious choice of hairstyle for the evening). Vintage videogames, stage performances, and even a mock-up of Orlando's beloved and long-lost diner, Ronnie's, were there, as well as guests dressed as everything from Richard Simmons to Devo to the cast of "The Love Boat". My favorite was Warren's sister Heidi, who wore a classic (?) 80's style wedding dress, complete with puffy sleeves and baby's breath in her hair.

Thanks to Kristal & John of Unrue Photography for the images!

It was a totally good time. Like, totally.

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Q & A with Stephanie Rounds

It recently occurred to me that -- *duh* -- I'm in the video industry, and maybe I could create some content specifically for the blog. I wondered if I could call upon my wedding industry friends to help me out by agreeing to a lighthearted Q & A to learn more about them. Knowing I was shooting with Stephanie Rounds of Nu Visions this past weekend, I asked her to be my first subject. She was a very willing participant, and did a great job by getting into the spirit of it!

I've already compiled several of these and will be posting them periodically, so check back for new installments! And, wedding vendors, if you want to do one just let me know!

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Best Music Video EVER

I am humbled by the brilliance of acclaimed director Michel Gondry. I don't know that I'm even capable of comprehending what goes on in that crazy head of his, so suffice it to say that he is a slightly mad visionary. If you're interested in this stuff, I highly recommend this collection of his work. The more you watch, the more complex it is. Best of all, very little of his work is accomplished through CGI, but through good old fashioned clever camera work.

Here's the best example.

Upon first viewing, it may appear that you are watching 2 different video clips below -- one on the left half, one on the right. In reality, it's just one video -- played forward on the left side, and played in reverse on the right. Same video, shot all in one take. But, the brilliance of it comes from the idea that it is something like a video palindrome, because things happen at the same point in the video in both the forward and reverse versions.

See? It's so hard to explain and yet it's such a simple idea. Remember, it's just one video clip! In fact, it may be more interesting to cover up the right half of the screen the first time you watch it so you can see how it was actually shot, and then watch it again watching both versions.

Does this all make me a giant geek?