Unique Asheville, NC Vintage Camcorder Wedding Videography
Uniqueness:
Uniqueness is the quality or condition of being one-of-a-kind, or distinct from others. In a sense, it's what makes something stand out or differentiates it from others.
Uniqueness can refer to a variety of things, such as a person's characteristics, traits, personality, and skills, as well as the qualities that make a product, service, or idea distinctive.
Embracing one's uniqueness is a positive and empowering aspect of personal growth and development. It allows individuals to recognize and celebrate their individual qualities and differences, and to express themselves in their own unique way.
Jake McCormick
I am so excited to be sharing something from my Asheville-based friend Jake McCormick. Jake is the picture of uniqueness to me. From his amazingly outward and open personality to the beautiful nature of his work he is one of a kind.
What drew me to talk to Jake about being on our blog was a new service he rolled out this last year that really caught my eye! Jake is creating wedding films on a vintage camcorder. In a world of new technology, 4k, 8k, and high-res, Jake is focused on capturing feeling so powerful it is stunning!
The Camcorder
"I offer a service called Vintage Camcorder Wedding Video Videography. This genre of films is often referred to as “unposed” or “candid” because I capture weddings on a camcorder from the 90’s! The camcorder itself does not produce “high resolution” footage by any means, but the use of tapes to record footage adds an immediate level of nostalgia for anybody watching. I record the weddings I have done on the camcorder tapes and digitize them once I am home, which involves playing back the multiple hours worth of footage in “VCR” mode haha! I take this footage and cut the clips to music from 1960-1999 ish that fits the overall vibe of the day/couple themselves. I consider this a passion project each time I take a client on because I am the one who ends up picking the music each time. All of the couples I have done this for have granted me full creative control over all parts of the process and I can’t thank them enough honestly." - Jake
Skills
Jake uses one of the most important skills a wedding vendor can have and that is being yourself. Understanding the role you play on a wedding day. Wedding vendors often find themselves trying to be "Invisible" but that is just not possible to do, you need to lean into who you are. Learning to be openly you is such an important skill.
Profesional Vendors
"I would say a professional exudes a sense of confidence that you can just simply tell this isn’t their first time doing this. An amateur may lack in this area simply because they need more repetitions of a wedding to feel comfortable. Everyone starts somewhere, you just have to continue to move forward." -Jake
Command The Day
Jake used this term to describe being a wedding professional and It really hit home! Wedding professionals command the day by staying calm, knowing when to take charge, taking on complex situations, and remaining a steadfast problem solver for the day. It is such a powerful idea of feeling comfortable and confident in your vendors that a lot of people might overlook. Experienced wedding vendors do more than just their craft, they manage families, manage timelines, sew buttons and straps, solve new problems, and so much more. This idea of being able to command the day is super powerful for having a smooth and coherent day.
The Steps From Jake
1. Know your budget, find it and give yourself a maximum that you understand is your hard ceiling.
2. Find out what style you want in EVERYTHING. This is where you as a couple need to figure out what style of photos or video you like, what cake kind you like, what flowers you see that you like, etc. Find what you think you want and start there.
3. If this is all tough already, hire a planner! They can help you with all of the things you don’t know and the things your don’t know you don’t know. There is absolutely no shame in bringing on a professional to show you what the wedding space in your area has to offer.
4. Honor the pricing of vendors. You can very easily send an email if a vendor is out of your price range letting them know this. No vendor is going to scoff at a budget if they are true to their own because vendors take a long time to make sure their numbers make sense for them. Maybe have a list of a few options at different price points so you can decide where the percentage of your MAX budget should go.
5. Book early and book with people who have the proper professional aspects of running a business (taxes, insurance, gear to an extent, communication)
Why Jake decided to Create Camcorder Films
"I want to touch on the purpose of why I am doing this vintage service anyways. To me, I love the look of typical videographers in the space and absolutely respect the LARGE amount of time and energy they spend on their craft. I wanted to offer a couple the chance to experience what it would be like to walk through their wedding day, as opposed to seeing it from the side. I give my couples all of the unedited footage back to them (which is typically multiple hours worth) so that they can see all of the missing moments from their day they didn’t get to see! The couple is the busiest group on a wedding day and this gives them an opportunity to see what was happening even with just their spouse during their time apart." -Jake
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