Good Relations: Videographer  Recommends – Wedding DJ Chris Brown

The choices available to a bride for her wedding day can be overwhelming. The sky is your imagination’s only limit. The old rules no longer apply unless you want them. And then there’s the budget…

Where to Economize

As wedding day expenses mount up it’s understandable for a bride to look for ways to cut expenses. Many budget-busting brides decide to reduce the expense of a reception by cutting out the DJ. This can be a great money saver if you’re having a simple affair with only a few guests. However, the more guests you invite and the more activities you plan, the more you need a DJ.

What a DJ Does

A Wedding DJ is more than someone playing a little dance music. A Wedding DJ is your Master of Ceremonies. When guests begin to arrive at many receptions, the bride and groom are still back at the wedding venue taking pictures. A good DJ will be there to welcome your guests, make them comfortable and warm them up for fun times ahead.
As the evening progresses, the DJ will direct the guests to cocktail hour, invite them into dinner, announce the arrival of the bride and groom and then keep everyone aware of events like cutting the cake and throwing the bouquet.
Eventually there will be the formal First Dance and then the party really begins. You expect a DJ to have a good sound system. He also needs to be able to motivate your guests to the dance floor and show them a good time. When one type of music sends the dancers to their tables, a DJ needs to know how to get them back on the floor, so he’ll need to be familiar with a wide range of music. You may even want your DJ to spice up the night with contests and games.

Who Do You Call?

We suggest you call DJ Chris Brown. LeniCam videographers have had the opportunity to work with Chris at weddings and also at other functions. He’s a really nice guy who works hard to be a team player. That’s important on your wedding day. He’s got all kinds of experience, almost twenty years of it, at everything from professional hockey games with almost 20,000 fans to concerts with country singer, Blake Shelton. To quote Chris, “If there are 2 people or 2000 people in the room, your job is to make sure they have a good time.” That’s the kind of guy you want spinning tunes for your dance floor.

Whatever the size or atmosphere of your event, on your wedding day, you want to make lasting memories. We can capture the sights and sounds of your wedding and create a video you can treasure for years to come. Call us now at 972-378-0446 or email us and info@lenicam.com to set up your videography appointment.

LeniCam Video Productions – Videographer Wedding Dallas TX

Margaret Ellis is really cooking now.  She recently kicked off a cookbook of Gambian-Inspired recipes called West African Perspective.  Now she’s launched her Classik Kitchen website with monthly video recipes.  You’ll want to check it out.

Cooking is More Than Food

For Margaret, cooking is more than a list of ingredients turned into a meal.  Cooking was the heart of her home back in Gambia, where everyone enjoyed the process of food preparation, even her father.  Though most men in Gambia spent their all free time with their friends, Margaret’s dad made time for family, too.  Margaret credits her mother’s cooking for the good times her family had in the kitchen.

When Margaret came to the States, she incorporated her mothers recipes and traditions into her own American home.  When she compared her family to the families around her, she noticed her own family seemed closer. She believes the recipes and practices she learned in her mother’s kitchen are what made the difference and tied the family together.  So she decided to share those traditions with others.

 Videos are More Than Recipes

For the month of September, Margaret introduced a tasty dish called Chicken Wing Soup.  It’s one of her favorites for a Friday night supper, because it rejuvenates and energizes her.  She invites the audience into her kitchen, along with a friend and a niece as they make the recipe.

Margaret’s cookbook embraces modern recipes as well as traditional West African dishes.  This month’s video recipe is a quick and easy stew made with familiar ingredients you’ll find at the corner grocery store, but the book also has traditional dishes straight from her mother’s kitchen.  Readers will enjoy a wide variety of choices.

As the food cooks on the video, Margaret chats with her guests about her recipes, her traditions and her philosophies.  She shares advice for romance and child-rearing, all the time she’s explaining delicious variations for the stew she”s making.  Foodies will enjoy the cooking, but anyone, foodie or not, can enjoy the kitchen banter.

Drop By Margaret’s Classik Kitchen

LeniCam is proud to be a part of this project.  We encourage you to visit Margaret’s Classik Kitchen via the miracle of the Internet.  We had a wonderful time recording the cooking sessions in her home and we know you will enjoy watching them.  We also know you’ll love her cookbook, so go to her website now to order your own.

Elizabeth and Michael’s Wedding at the Adolphus Celebrates Jewish Traditions

“Elizabeth always wished for the best,” said the bride’s father, “so Michael, you are the best.”   The bride’s smile confirmed her father’s toast.   Elizabeth and Michael were married in a beautiful Jewish ceremony at the Adolphus Hotel, followed by a joyful reception.

Elizabeth was a stunning bride in her drop-waist satin ball gown with crystals and beading on the bodice and pick-ups on the skirt.  Her strapless, sweetheart bodice with corset-closing complimented her curves.  A satin belt with crystal decorations accented her waist.   Her enchanting smile and pixie-ish features peeked from beneath her fingertip-length tulle veil trimmed in crystals.  She carried a beautiful bouquet of jewel-toned flowers to which she’d affixed photo charms of beloved family members.

The couple embraced their Jewish heritage with many traditions.  To demonstrate a beautiful soul and character are more important physical attributes, they held a Bradehen before the wedding ceremony, where the groom covered the bride with her veil.  Then the couple signed the wedding contract.  The vows took place under a chuppah to symbolize the home the two would share.  When Elizabeth approached Michael under the chuppah, she circled him seven times to symbolize the building of their relationship.

Before the Bradehen, a nervous Michael fidgeted as he waited for a First Look at his gorgeous bride.  After the wedding ceremony was over, the jitters were behind him and he led his bride in a graceful First Dance, dipping her skillfully at the end.  After dancing with her new husband, Elizabeth danced with her father, as tears streamed down her face.

Elizabeth wore two garters under her beautiful gown.  One was for tossing and sported a Dallas Mavericks logo.  Another keepsake garter was decorated with a crystal basketball.  When it came time for Elizabeth to toss her bouquet, she and some of her female guests conspired to get it to the most senior of the single women.

The high point of the reception was a gleeful Hora.  The crowd eagerly lifted the newlywed couple and their parents into the air in chairs as the couples waved white handkerchiefs.

When the evening drew to a close the couple exited the Adolphus on a carpet of rosebuds strewn by their guests.  At the bottom of the stairs waited a horse-drawn Cinderella carriage.

Behind the Scenes with LeniCam Video Productions – Dallas Wedding Videographers

Michael and Elizabeth’s highlight wedding video features excerpts of their wedding day cued to music selected by the couple.  The fun music captures the joy and energy of their celebration.  The highlight is just a part of their full length wedding video, which covers the all the festivities of the wedding reception the night before the wedding and all the ceremonies and celebrations at the Adolphus in detail.

We used two cameras at the wedding and the reception.  We work hard to be everywhere, all the time, yet remain invisible to the participants and guests.  The two cameras allowed us to capture the father of the bride as he made his toast and the couple as they listened and reacted to his precious words.  Moments such as these are the reason you want a wedding video.

In our studios in the weeks after the wedding, we edited and mixed the audio and video to create a sequence allowing the viewer to feel they are sitting right next to the bride and groom as they appreciate the father-of-the-bride’s sweet words.

We Sweat the Small Stuff So You Don’t Have To

Video Sports Action Now for Upcoming Sports Banquets

One of the best parts of any sports banquet is the highlight reels – those videos showcasing the best moments of your season.  Why else would you get all dressed up and eat banquet food?  Of course you want the opportunity to share the great moments of your season with your teammates and loved ones, one more time.

Sports Videography

Smartphones have changed the world.  Sports videography used to require special equipment, at the very least a consumer-grade videocamera, but nowadays all you need is a smartphone.  And those videocameras?  So much smaller and affordable than they used to be.  Still for the best quality videos, nothing beats a professional videographer with a professional-grade HD videocamera such as LeniCam Video Productions uses to record all of our videos.

Whether you hire a professional videographer, have a staff videographer or use videos taken on smartphones by your fans, on your banquet night you want a slick presentation of the videos where every player gets a moment in the spotlight.  Even if you don’t hire LeniCam to record your games, we can still help at the end of the season as you get ready for your banquet.

The Big Yellow Circle

Though it takes every player on a team to win a game, in sports videography it is sometimes difficult to see all the heros.  The viewers focus naturally follows the ball, but sometimes the game is actually won elsewhere.  When LeniCam Video Productions edits your video for your banquet, regardless of who took the video, we can emphasize the contribution of every player with the use of a yellow circle.

At the beginning of a play, we can hold a frame for a moment and direct the viewers’s eyes to a particular player by highlighting them with a yellow circle.  Then the viewer will focus on the highlighted player rather than follow the ball.  Every player can have their moment in the limelight at your banquet.

Start Recording Now

Only one thing can keep you from have entertaining season footage to show at your sports banquet and that’s not having any footage to show.  If you need a sports videographer, then we’d love for you to contact us.  We’ve developed proprietary equipment that allows us to get all the action from the sidelines without having to jostle through players, coaches and fans.  Sports videography fees begin at $170 per game and for many of the teams we cover this cost is shared among the parents, making it very affordable.  Our editing services range from $50 to $125 based on whether we choose the segments to be shown or someone from the team.  Each yellow circle is $10.

Contact us today to get your team’s schedule on our calendar.

Thanks to Recital Video Grandmother Gets to See Granddaughter Dance

What’s more fun than seeing small girls in tutus dance?  It’s truly a delight, whether you know any of the dancers or not.  If one of those tiny tutu-ed miracles is your daughter or granddaughter, the pleasure is magnified a thousand-fold.  For several years now, we’ve had the privilege of producing the annual recital video for Sway Dance Center, but this year’s recital gave us the opportunity to do something very special – something that reminded us why we do this at all. 

Sway Dance Center

Sway Dance Center, in North Richardson, offers premium dance training to all kinds of dancers, whether the goal is to make dance a profession or just to dance for the pure joy of it. Sway’s classes include Jazz, Tap, Ballet and Hip Hop classes for anyone from three-year-olds to adults.  At Sway, dance is about more than steps and pointe.  Their goal is to “focus…on character and discipline to improve the overall well-being of our students through positive reinforcement.”   They  assume “every student is capable of achieving their goals as a dancer” and their job is to “provide a nurturing atmosphere and a dance education that will last a lifetime!”  That’s the kind of organization we love to work with.

Production Time

The production of a LeniCam video takes time, because the raw video and audio must be edited and mixed to create the Hollywood-like quality our customers expect.  We tell our clients we’ll be delivering their finished video in 6-8 weeks, but we’re amused by how many call us immediately after their event and ask how soon we’ll be through.  What seemed reasonable beforehand becomes unbearable afterwards.

A Different Kind of Call

This year, after Sway’s annual May recital, we got a different kind of call.  This call came from the father of one of the tiny dancers.  The dancer’s grandmother had not been able to attend the recital, because she was dying from cancer.  The prognosis was not good and if the recital video wasn’t available until 6-8 weeks had passed, this grandmother would never see her precious granddaughter’s performance.  Was there anything we could do?

This request touched the heart of our founder and producer, John Lenihan.  He started this company because he understood the profound emotional impact of milestone moments.  Preserving and sharing memories is our primary mission.

As much as our producer wanted to move up the time of delivery, he knew he couldn’t scrimp on the amount of time and effort devoted to the Sway recital video.  After all, Sway Dance Center is one of our most important clients and all of their dancers expect and deserve our very best.

As we discussed the situation with the caller we realized this dad didn’t care about seeing the whole video.  He just wanted to show the segment highlighting his daughter to his mother, while he still could.  John was able to provide the father with excerpts from the raw footage which included his daughter.  We sent the excerpts just in time.

After we took care of this special request, production of the Sway Dance Recital Video continued.  The complete video was available on schedule and we’re very proud of it.  As part of our services to Sway, we even assist with the sale and delivery of videos, which allows Sway to focus on dance.

What milestone moment is coming up in your life?  A wedding, birthday, anniversary, mitzvah, sporting event, recital or even a funeral?  Whatever your milestone, even business milestones, LeniCam Video Productions wants to help you preserve your memories and share them with others.

Claudia v15 highlight v9

Claudia and Jared at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and Bent Tree Country Club

“It’s almost time,” Claudia said as she sat before a fireplace waiting for her wedding ceremony to begin.  Elsewhere in the church Jared enumerated all the things he loved about his bride.  Claudia and Jared were married at the beautiful St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in the historic Lakewood area of Dallas.  Their reception was held at elegant Bent Tree Country Club.

Claudia and Jared’s wedding day was a miracle of logistics coordinated by wedding planner Colleen Harkins.  The first vendor to report for duty was hair and make-up artist Brittany Jones.  She helped Claudia get ready at the bride’s parents’ house, while the guys dressed at the country club.  Then Romantic Remembrances conveyed the bridal party to the church in a limousine and the groom’s party in a bus.

Upon arrival at the church the wedding party was adorned by glorious floral arrangements from Garden Gate – bouquet and corsages for the ladies and boutonnieres for the men.  The florist provided arrangements for the pew ends, as well.  Meanwhile, Christopher Walker of Christographer  ( Formerly Lucky Pro Photography) captured the still shots while we were shooting audio and video.

At the appointed hour, the music of St. Thomas Acquinas’ legendary pipe organ filled the air as the father-of-the- bride walked Claudia down the aisle of the magnificent church.  Claudia looked stunning in a strapless, shirred-satin, fit-an-flare gown with crystal accents at the empire waist and just above the knee.  As Jared escorted her to the altar he couldn’t resist telling her how lovely she looked.

After the wedding, guests headed to Bentree for cocktail hour where other vendors had everything ready.  Linen Hero provided the table and chair covers, Absolute Entertainment set up the lighting and a Creative Events had a photo booth waiting.  Meanwhile Christopher took the post-wedding photographs.  Then Romantic Remembrances transported the couple, the bridal party and their families to the country club.

A little Italian flavor entered the celebrations after the wedding party was announced by the Ice House Band.  For the First Dance the bride and groom swayed to the sounds of Al Martino singing “I Have But One Heart.”  The Italian flavor continued as Claudia danced with her dad to the “Godfather Waltz.”

After Jared danced with his mother to “What a Wonderful Life,” the bride and groom finally got a chance to relax and enjoy dinner.  After dinner they slipped away for a wardrobe change.  This time Claudia had on a smooth satin shirtwaist dress with short, full skirt, accented with a sequined belt.  Now she could really enjoy the high energy sounds of the live band.

When the celebration were over, the cake cutting, the bouquet toss, the garter toss and all the dancing, Claudia departed the country club through rows of sparklers and rode away in a vintage Daimler to Hotel ZaZa where their honeymoon suite awaited.

Behind the Scenes with LeniCam Video Productions

Two Lenicam videographers arrived at Claudia and Jared’s wedding an hour and a half before the ceremony.  There’s a lot to set up to properly capture a wedding.  We had videocamers, tripods, lights and audio equipment to manage.  We also took the opportunity to coordinate with the other vendors and the church’s wedding coordinator, so things will go smoothly during the day.

One of the cameras we set up was our custom-designed proprietary camera with remote control.  This one-of-a-kind equipment allows us to have a camera recording at the front of the church.  Because no other Dallas Wedding Videographer else has this equipment, we are the only ones who can get footage at the front of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.

Once everything was in place the cameramen split up to capture the pre-wedding activities, so later Claudia and Jared could enjoy watching the first part of each other’s wedding day together.  For the ceremony, one videographer stood at the back of the church for shots from the audience’s point of view, while another camera was hidden out of site near the front to get the close-ups during the ceremony.

After the ceremony, one camera leap-frogged ahead to the reception, while the other stayed behind to capture the fun of the photo shoot.  After the photos the second cameraman joined the reception.  With two cameras at the reception, we were able to keep one camera focused on the bride and groom, while the other camera went around and captured well-wishes from the guests.

When the night is over, we take all the audio and video footage back to our studio to create a wedding video for the couple, their family and their friends to enjoy for all the days of their marriage.

We Sweat the Small Stuff So You Don’t Have To

May and June may be the most popular dates for weddings, but every season is wedding season.  The rich warm colors of autumn create beautiful wedding days.  Perhaps you’re getting married this fall and you haven’t really considered whether to hire a videographer or not.  We’ve got good news.  It’s not too late to book a Dallas Wedding Videographer.  

Benefits of an Autumn Wedding

Each season has its own charm, but autumn weddings benefit from a beautiful array of color:  rich warm colors like pumpkin, spice and gold; deep hues like eggplant, ultramarine and evergreen; and gorgeous neutrals like charcoal, umber or ecru.  These splendid colors can be used to create remarkable wedding palette.

Autumn offers many themes, too.  Imagine invitations with a border of falling leaves.  Calla lilies, orchids, roses, snap dragons and delphiniums are just a few of the flowers which are in season.  Sit-down dinners with pumpkin soup, signature drinks made with warm apple cider or hot chocolate or a groom’s cake covered with candied pecans are fall food choices that will get your guests salivating.  Then send your guests home with a favor they’ll enjoy like apple butter, maple syrup or decorated pine cones.

Many brides discover more guests are available in autumn, because they don’t have to work around family vacations, graduations and other weddings.  The real bonus is the savings a bride can get because there’s not as much demand for venues, wedding planners and other wedding-only vendors.  Often a venue will offer deep discounts rather than have an empty date on their calendar.

Perhaps as you’ve been planning your fall wedding you’ve discovered some of these discounts.  Perhaps you really wanted to have a professionally produced wedding video, but you just didn’t see how you could afford it.  Maybe you’ve found just enough in the budget for a videographer or someone has come forward and offered it as a gift.

If you think it’s too late

Dallas Sports Videos Use Yellow Circle to Showcase Heroes

In team sports, the guy with the ball is the one everybody watches, but it takes the whole team to win. Many heroic maneuvers can be completely overlooked because someone else had the ball. In a LeniCam Sports Video a bright yellow circle can change that.

Highlight Your Hero in Scholarship Films

College is expensive, so many parents don’t wait around to see if a scout is going to discover their superstar.  They bring their superstar to the attention of the schools their child is interested in, by sending videos to prospective schools.  Our yellow circles can help.

In most sports there’s a positio

n which naturally gets more attention.  In football, for instance, they always snap the ball to the quarterback.  No yellow circles are needed for someone to follow what the quarterback does with the ball.

If your sports hero’s maneuvers aren’t as obvious, getting them the attention they deserve could require a little technology.  If you just send a video and tell them your child’s number, it could be difficult for the coaches and scouts to follow the action.  Many times when the play starts the potential hero of the play is positioned in a way that makes it impossible to see his number.

Using a yellow circle to highlight a receiver, before they get the ball, or a great block by another player can change the viewer’s perspective immediately.  LeniCam Video Productions, Dallas Sports Videographer, inserts the yellow circle around your player at the beginning of the play and holds the frame for a moment to capture the attention of the viewer.  Then as the play progresses the viewer follows your player, rather than the guy with the ball.  It will be easy to see your hero in action.

Hire Us to Record Games or Use Footage You Have

We’re sports videographers, so we’d love to record your games.  The price is $170 per game and often several parents will join together to cover the cost.  However, if your team already has video or you record the games yourself, we’ll edit them for $50 – $125.  Then each circle added is $10.

If you’ve got a sports hero in your family, give us a call and we’ll help you get them seen by the people that matter.  Your investment now could make your child’s scholarship dreams come true.

Senior Follies!  Show Girls and Show Tunes!

The Spectacular Senior Follies at Richardson’s Eisemann Center

Who says young folks get to have all the fun? Ned Startzel and The Spectacular Senior Follies certainly don’t believe it’s true.  These young-at-heart senior citizens have only retired from their 9-5 jobs, not life. You can see them do their stuff this weekend at the Eisemann Theater in Richardson, TX.

How It Began

Ned Starzel was retired and one of his favorite things to do each day was read the newspaper.  One day he read an article about Mark Carroll, a popular pianist here in the DFW Metroplex, in the Senior Section and felt a call to action.  In the article, Mark has shared a wish he’d been cherishing – a talent showcase for senior citizens in the area.

Ned shared the same dream.  Though he’d pursued a typical professional career for most of his life, back in Pennsylvania, during his college days, he was active in theatrical productions, musical composition and performing.  The performance bug had never really died.

So Ned called Mark.  Mark agreed with Ned that something needed to be done, but Mark was just too busy right then to pursue the project.  Ned understood, but wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily.  Two years later Ned contacted Mark again.  The rest is history – a great history.

Seven Year of Excellence

The Spectacular Senior Follies were featured in a recent article in Celebration Magazine.  Here are some some excerpts from the article about the Follies:

• “Cast members are from Broadway, Las Vegas and local theater and dance groups, including The Tap Dazzlers and Class Act Tap Company and features many other surprise guests.”
• “[Ned Starzel], the oldest performer in the Follies at 97, was a vaudeville performer as a kid.”
• “Also in the cast are Dallas’ favorite storyteller, Rose-Mary Rumbley, Jackie Troup Miller, whose fame started as a tap dancer from the golden days of MGM musicals, vocalist and showstopper, Lillie Madison, along with dancer Joe Cutaia, and many of your Follies favorites, including a visit from the Follies’ own Marilyn Monroe from Hollywood.”
• “[T]he Follies is directed and choreographed by Broadway Tony winner, Michael Serrecchia.”
• “The Follies artistic director, Dee Anne Meece, started out as a jingle singer for many national companies and later was featured in many equity theater musical roles.”
• “Andy Michlin, musical director, has worked with show business giants like Tom Jones, Lisa Minnelli and Linda Carter. Andy was also a member of the New Christie Minstrels.”

As you can see, this is not your grandmother’s local talent show.  Lenicam Video Productions, your Dallas Events Videographer, is pleased to be a part of the production this year, recording the Saturday performances for a souvenir video DVD.  Tickets are still available just click here.

Back in January, just for the fun of it, we sponsored a contest in our booth at the Dallas Bridal Show.  As soon as Erica heard what the prize was, she was determined to win.  She worked hard to get Facebook “likes” from all her friends.  Now she has the Love Story Video she wanted so badly.

What is a Love Story Video?

How did you meet?  Where did you go on your first date?  When did he propose?  All these questions and more can be answered by a Love Story Video by LeniCam Video Productions, Dallas Wedding Videographers .

A LeniCam Love Story Video is a compilation of photos, memorabilia, video and audio that are put together into a professionally produced video to tell the history of your relationship.  Some couples want to show the video at pre-wedding activities, before their ceremony or during the reception.  Others just want it to be part of their wedding video.  Either way, LeniCam can take your memories and turn them into an entertaining and enjoyable video to share with family and friends, both now and in the future.

What was the Contest?

During the Bridal Show, we videotaped brides-to-be sharing memories from their romances.  For two days we had the opportunity to hear some of the most amazing love stories from brides of all ages and all walks of life.  Some of the brides had us clutching our sides in laughter.  Others sent us flying for tissues to dry our tears.  Then we posted the videos on Facebook.  The bride with the most likes would win their own Love Story Video.

The competition lasted for a week and it was fierce.  Thousands of folks flocked to our website to vote for their favorite video.  The first few days were a free-for-all, but soon several winners pulled ahead.  After awhile, other contestants were slowing down, but Erica never did.  She had folks coming to like her video right up until the last minute.

And the Winner was Erica! 

Though many of the contestants earnestly wanted the free video, no one worked harder or would have been happier to win than Erica.  She was thrilled when we informed her that she was the winner.  A few months later she and her fiance came to our offices to shoot live footage for the video to go along with the pictures and memorabilia the couple brought with them.  Hearing them talk about meeting, falling in love and starting a life together was heart-warming.

The other day, Erica came by to pick up her video.  We wish her all the happiness in the world.