A videographer’s quest to rediscover the true soul of film.
“Hiring a videographer was, at the time, the last thing on our list,” admits Cindy Yun when asked how she decided to choose Cinematic Studios to create the film for her wedding, which took place at the Marin Art and Garden Center in August 2004. “When most people think of a wedding, they think of wedding pictures, flowers and so forth. But when people started suggesting hiring a videographer, we decided we’d rather watch a video than flip through photos anyway.”
So, on the sage advice of friends, she and her husband Jin decided to interview videographers, leading them to Ron Dawson of Santa Rosa-based Cinematic Studios (www.cinematicstudios.com). They were expecting the typical wedding video—shot like a home movie and lasting about two hours, detailing every (let’s face it) boring detail of the day and only appreciated by the bride and groom (but that every friend and family member is obligated to sit through while trying not to yawn). What they were surprised and elated to find, however, was a true video and production studio that delivered a tightly edited, 45-minute Hollywood-caliber production, complete with nonlinear storytelling, romantic imagery and an eclectic mix of music—all representative of the style and personality of the bride and groom.
“When we talked to Ron about his ideas, it was as if he were going to create a motion picture for us!” exclaims Yun. “And when we saw the finished product, it was exactly that. It felt like we were in a documentary movie.”
For Dawson, weddings are more than just a way to pay the bills. “The original plan was to play it safe until I could be discovered…and at the same time keep my six-figure salary,” chuckles Ron Dawson, who started Cinematic Studios in the summer of 2002 after leaving a successful career in marketing for Quicken Software to pursue his passion for filmmaking. “But really, the rule in life is, if there’s something you’re passionate about, you just have to go for it.”
Dawson always had a dream to create his own feature film, and a close friend’s advice to take the leap and make his dream a reality was just the push he needed to venture out on his own. “My original plan was to only do weddings until I could do ‘real videos,’ like music videos or films,” says Dawson. “The irony is, I think I had the same kind of negative perception of wedding videos as most people do.”
So what started out as a way to pay the bills for his new video production company has turned into a successful firm that still gives Dawson the ability to use his creativity and cinematography skills. After all, what does a feature film have that a wedding video doesn’t? There’s drama, romance, laughter, tears and sometimes even a little intrigue. And while a wedding video may not feature big name celebrities, you can bet the impact of the final production will be much more memorable and meaningful for the bride and groom than most premieres are for any Hollywood star.
“When I started wedding videography, I used my regular filmmaking skills. It was just a natural way of doing it. Whereas most wedding videos were 90 minutes to two hours—something you’d probably fast-forward through most of the time—I made wedding videos that tended to be closer to a half-hour, condensed the day and felt more like a movie.”
After seeing the impact of his final productions on newlywed couples, he realized that, more than just paying the bills, this was something he was meant to do. “Every filmmaker wants to know that his or her films are important and affecting people’s lives,” explains Dawson. “With the wedding business, I get that feeling with every video I make.”
You get what you pay for
Despite weddings often costing into the tens of thousands of dollars (the average wedding in the Bay Area costs $35,000 to $45,000), the wedding video is often the last planning item a bride and groom considers—and is often discarded in favor of other wedding expenses. Only about one-third of all couples today hire professional videographers for their weddings. Does this low priority discourage a lot of clients from choosing Cinematic Studios, which is admittedly more expensive (more than double the average cost of a Bay Area wedding video, which is about $2,000)?
“I explain to clients that this [the wedding video] is an investment in their marriage,” explains Dawson. “This is not just a cost of the wedding day—there are so many things on your wedding day that are going to be gone—all the money you spent on the food and drinks, the flowers, the dress…. There are only a few things you’re going to spend money on for your wedding that are going to last beyond the actual day—the photography, the rings and the wedding video.”
That perception, however, of the wedding video being an “extra” if the budget allows, is changing. Today’s engaged couples are more multimedia savvy and know they want a unique product that’s a true reflection of their personalities, personal backgrounds and styles. As Cindy Yun puts it, “I appreciate video format much more than just looking at pictures—you can definitely relate to the emotions of the day and how you felt about each other.”
Dawson relates it to the way photographs were perceived 100 years ago.
“As the younger generation, which grew up on videos and TV, grows up and starts getting married, getting videos will be as important to them as getting photographs,” says Dawson. “When photographers started in the wedding business, they went through some of the same trials and tribulations that videographers are going through now. Getting a portrait—a painting—was the big thing then, because it was real, there was texture. Taking a photograph was the new thing to do. In the early days, there were only a few photos taken. Now couples are having thousands of photos taken and the photographer is one of the most important parts of the wedding.”
Dawson believes that as more people realize the value of being able to relive your wedding day in a multimedia form, the more wedding videos will become a necessity, not just an optional expense. His clients tend to agree.
“He was on the pricier side, and we’d considered that,” admits Yun. “But I think in the end, he was way above and beyond what we paid for.”
Improving more than perceptions
Fortunately, the video production industry is very team-oriented, and artists share resources and skills. Dawson even created a training video to help other videographers produce better productions.
“The more we can improve the skillset and success of other videographers, the more it really helps everybody,” explains Dawson. “It increases the awareness [of videography as a popular service] and reduces the amount of bad videos. One reason people don’t get wedding videos is because all the ones they’ve seen are bad—they’re either cheesy, long and boring or they look bad. So the more we can educate other videographers to produce stuff that’s really cutting edge, artistic and stylish and is looked at as art—the way that photography is—the better it is for everybody because then more couples will be getting it.”
It’s also about giving back to the industry. Dawson recounts times when other video production artists—even within the same geographical location—gave him advice and shared their knowledge and expertise. This led him to take on the role of president of the Professional Videographers of the North Bay association and also create other services outside of just video production. They include two video blogs, weddingflix.com and BridalBeeTV.com, that not only provide educational and entertaining short video segments geared toward engaged couples and newlyweds, but also feature other top wedding vendors and marriage professionals.
These video blogs are just a start to Dawson’s vision of creating different media outlets to provide his services. In addition, he has a dream to one day have a George Lucas-style film and video ranch geared toward wedding and event videography with a state-of-the-art facility for editors and other talented filmmakers.
Beyond weddings
While weddings make up about two-thirds of Dawson’s business, under the name Cinematic Studios, another third is corporate work and is conducted under the name Cinematic Video Productions. Many of the firm’s corporate clients are actually nonprofits that have the same need to evoke strong emotional responses and tug on people’s heartstrings as does a wedding video. Many of these organizations use Dawson’s videos to showcase their work at fundraising events in an attempt to inspire potential donors to make or increase their contributions.
“Our typical corporate client is an organization with a message it needs to get out that requires people to act,” says Dawson.
In the same spirit of giving back, Dawson completes at least one pro bono video per year for worthy organizations. One of his latest helped raise funds for the San Francisco 49ers Academy, an alternative middle school in East Palo Alto for at-risk children.
“Ron is my hero!” exclaims Michele Sharkey, executive director of the 49ers Academy, when talking about the promotional video Dawson created for the school’s annual fundraising gala in October 2006. “He just nailed it and produced more than just a video; he really showed what we’re all about.”
And indeed, the academy raised $65,000 more at its 2006 annual fundraising gala than the prior year.
Whether conveying an organization’s mission about the lives it’s affected or recreating a couple’s story of how they fell in love, Dawson can say he’s achieved his dream of creating cutting-edge, moving films.
“I love the idea of creating something from nothing—having an idea and telling a story that moves people,” says Dawson. “Whether it’s a corporate video for Girls for a Change [a Silicon Valley nonprofit committed to empowering urban teen girls with the tools, skills and resources necessary to initiate positive social change in their communities] that’s going to make people cry or a couple’s personal wedding video that everyone loves, I love the storytelling part. I love using cinema as a storytelling tool. And the fact that I can use it to positively affect people’s lives is very fulfilling and rewarding.”
