Kickstarter video production from Long Haul Films | Boston Kickstarter video production company

May 17, 2013 by Melissa No comments »

We are beyond excited to announce that the first product from our Long Haul Gear range was successfully funded on Kickstarter! Woop di woop!

The Multiplate is an essential mounting hub designed especially for DSLR filmmakers, by DSLR filmmakers (i.e. Tom). We didn’t just hit our funding target, we smashed through it! And more than 90% of our backers were people who discovered the product and liked it– not many friends and family in there (though my Mom, bless her, did support the campaign and so did my dear friend Celina Wyss and our wedding industry buddy Stacey Kraft. I know none of you shoot DSLR video, so huge thanks for your support!).

One of the ways our Kickstarter campaign connected with people was through the video, which enabled us to show the Multiplate’s benefits in a quick, fun and engaging way. With so many products competing for funding on Kickstarter, having a well-produced and interesting video is one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd. This is our second successful video-driven Kickstarter campaign (our other was for our documentary, 24 Hours At The South Street Diner) and we’re currently working with another client on a Kickstarter video for her incredibly cool product.

We’ve learned a lot about how to create a Kickstarter video that breaks through the clutter and gets people to back a campaign. So if you’re thinking about launching an idea on Kickstarter and need a kick-ass video to help you reach your audience, give Long Haul Films a call. And now that we’ve had so much success with the Multiplate,  keep your eye out for the launch of our product line LONG HAUL GEAR – coming soon!

A huge thank you to everyone who backed the Kickstarter campaign, spread the word, tweeted, posted and generally supported us on our latest crazy entrepreneurial scheme!

Ashley and Mike’s Saltwater Farm Vineyard wedding trailer | Long Haul Films New England wedding cinematography

May 14, 2013 by Melissa 2 comments »

“We both know that we are so funny however I believe other people think that we are weird… and I love that.”

That might be my favorite line ever from a letter written from a groom to his bride-to-be. Isn’t that one of the best things about being in love? That the two of you can laugh about things that no one else in the world would ever think was funny? That you can be your unadulterated, undisguised weirdest self without worrying that the other person will judge you?

Ashley and Mike met each other back in school and have been together for 10 years; so this wedding felt like the ratification of what their friends and family all agreed was true: they’re the “dream couple”.  Their wedding day was full of personal touches and handcrafted details, many of them made by Ashley herself– who is seriously talented and needs to launch a career in wedding planning and design.

We loved working at Saltwater Farm Vineyard in Stonington, CT. The reception venue is a former airline hangar and the vines are planted on the old airfield. It’s a truly unique space and perfect for Ashley and Mike, a couple who love enjoying “life’s libations” together, as they said in their vows. To keep with the theme of libations, Mike (who works at Harpoon Brewery)  created a signature beer for the wedding.

Working with Ashley and Mike was a delight, from start to finish. We couldn’t be happier that this dream couple had their dream wedding day, and we felt very lucky we were there to capture it.

If you’d like to enjoy more loveliness from this wedding, hop on over to Jennifer Bach Photography and check out the beautiful photos from the day. We’d also like to give a shout-out to Flair Brides + Maids – that’s where Ashley got her wedding gown and bridal party dresses. Thank to the lovely team there for telling Ashley to give us a call!

Songs are Make A Noise (Instrumental) by Katie Herzig and Little Love by Riley & The Roxies, licensed from The Music Bed. We are OBSESSED with both of these Music Bed artists, and I think this is the third time we’ve used each of theirs songs on trailers– though the first time we’ve had them on a trailer together.  Katie, meet Riley. Riley, meet Katie. Thanks for giving us such bey-yoo-tee-ful songs to work with!

“Like We Did” official music video by Dana Hom: Long Haul Films music video production

May 7, 2013 by Melissa No comments »

Dana Hom wanted to hire Long Haul Films to make a music video for “Grow Old”, the first single from her debut album. But there was a catch: we had to to develop the concept, cast, shoot and edit the video in less than two weeks.

It sounded fun, challenging and a little crazy. So, of course, we were in.

After 12 days, one major terrorist incident and lots of Steadicaming around Boston, we had the video for “Grow Old”. We had a great time working with Dana so when she called a few days later and asked if we’d be interested in shooting another video for her at short notice, we didn’t even have to think twice. Yup yup.

Dana is one to watch, no doubt about it. She’s a talented singer/songwriter and she just has IT; you know, that thing that separates superstars from mere mortals. All that and she’s 18 years old. What!? Cannot wait to see where it all goes for her but certain it will be big places.

Without further ado, check out the video for “Like We Did”, shot at Sanctum Sound, just downstairs from Long Haul HQ!

And just in case you missed it, here’s “Grow Old”…

Huge thanks to everyone who helped bring both of these videos to fruition, especially Kathy and Y from Beleza Salon & Spa who handled hair and make-up for “Grow Old” and Shruti Bawa of Goka Love, make-up artist for “Like We Did”.

Don’t be shy, tell us what you think of “Like We Did” and “Grow Old” and calling all rock stars, come and hire us please. We LOVE making music videos!

Faina and Edward’s State Room wedding | Long Haul Films Boston wedding filmmakers

April 26, 2013 by Melissa 5 comments »

One of the most important parts of our process when we’re getting ready to film a wedding involves drinking. Ok, stick with me here…

We love to take our clients out for drinks before the wedding. One reason is because we’re going to be following them around with cameras for 8-10 hours on the biggest day of their life. Getting to know each other makes that process a helluva lot easier. Beyond that, it gives us the opportunity to hear our clients’ story: how they fell in love, how they got engaged, what they like to do together. And it’s an opportunity to talk about the wedding plans and dig deep to find out what moments we can capture to make a wedding film that is 100% them.

When we met with Faina and Eddie, we learned that Eddie is a cosmopolitan guy who appreciates the finer things in life– excellent whiskey, great cigars and an old-fashioned wet shave. We found out that Eddie was going to a barber in the South End with his groomsmen for shaves on the morning of the wedding. Tom and I didn’t have to say a word to each other– we knew we had to film it. It was such a cool and classic things for the guys to do on the morning of the wedding. And so completely Eddie.

Then as we got to chatting some more, Faina and Edward told us that they’d had a crazy idea for their engagement photos– they wanted to pretend to trash a hotel room. They had decided against it at the last minute– but it was still on their minds.  Again, I didn’t even have to look at Tom to know that we were making this happen, no matter what it took. Taking a little time out from the wedding for a “trash the hotel room” shoot – yes, purh-lease!

So in the weeks running up to the wedding, Faina and I emailed about buying feathers and glitter, and I told Faina we’d bring along one of Tom’s old guitars for that authentic rock star feel. This will be our first wedding trailer to feature the bride and groom getting all Rolling Stones in their hotel room– and it might be the last (Sorry Ames Hotel! It was all pretend trashing, we swear!) . We love that this moment was totally Faina and Eddie- fun, cool and a little bit crazy.

Beyond all the exciting moments at this wedding (and there were a lot), we have to mention the moving ceremony presided over by Rabbi Lev Baesh. You hear some of his heartfelt and eloquent words at the beginning of the trailer. I love his comparison of marriage to a work of art. Beautiful and true, even if sometimes it feels more like a Jackson Pollock than a Monet.

So with that, we want to offer a huge congratulations to Faina and Edward. You two are crazy and we love you for it!

Huge thanks to Bior and the wonderful team at The State Room, one of our favorite venues in Boston.  Thanks to State Street Barbers for letting us film. Also, thanks to photographer Liz Linder for being a great collaborator. Music is “Rise” by Tony Anderson and “Make it Right” by my personal faves Riley and the Roxies, both licensed from The Music Bed.

Long Haul Films commercial video production: VentureScape promotional film

April 19, 2013 by Melissa No comments »

Way back in December, team Long Haul ventured out to San Francisco, one of our favoritest cities, to create a series of short web commercials to promote The National Venture Capital Association’s VentureScape event. While the other videos got a little crazy (see here , here ) and involved scuba gear, fog machines and some serious stage diving; this one is a more straightforward take on what attendees at the annual conference will experience.

We really love how this piece came out and enjoyed doing the interviews at The Great American Music Hall and Four Seasons Palo Alto. Great locations, great people and a great piece to promote VentureScape. If you want more information about the event, visit http://venturescape.nvca.org

Song is “Take Me Into the Beautiful” by Cloverton licensed through The Music Bed.