CT Wedding Vendor Spotlight | JF3 Productions | Videography

For a while now I have been tinkering with the idea of featuring Vendor Spotlight posts on my blog. I love talking about weddings with my clients, especially because I end up helping with a lot more than just the photography on a wedding day. As a bride-to-be planning my own wedding, I found out that I still have much to learn about the wedding industry. What I love about Connecticut and New England’s wedding scene is that they have a fabulous network or professional vendors who all love what they do, want to make your wedding the best that it can be, and they also collaborate well with other local vendors. Connecticut’s wedding vendor community truly is an amazing group and I am so happy that I moved back into the state. I reached out to a Vendor group that I am a part of and also reached out to vendors who I personally know and was amazed by the positive reception I received for my interview idea. Together we have collaborated to give you some insider tips to plan your wedding day. I never expected that I would learn so much by conducting these interviews. Every month I will be posting various Vendor Spotlights to teach you about what they do best and to help you plan your special day. I will be featuring businesses in all realms of the wedding industry.

Today’s interview features Jeff of JF3 Productions, a videography business in Connecticut. I had so much fun reading his story about how he got his start on the big screen to how he decided to go into wedding films instead. You can check out Jeff’s website here and please take the time to watch some of his movie trailers. I also enjoyed Jeff’s movie posters that he personalizes for his couples. To see more of Jeff’s work follow JF3 Productions on Facebook. Jeff, thank you for taking the time to join my new blogging project.

What is the name of your business?
JF3 Productions – Videography/Cinematography

 
What inspired you to enter your field of work?
I went to school for film in New Hampshire at Franklin Pierce University and when I graduated in 2009 (seems so long ago!) I moved to New York to pursue my love for film making. I ended up living there for about 8 years and while there I worked on a movie from Paramount Pictures called Morning Glory as an assistant editor, a few shows with The Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, Smithsonian Channel, CNN, and most recently worked in post production for MTV on the shows 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom 2. In 2011, a high school friend of mine emailed me to see if I wanted to film her wedding for basically nothing, but I agreed to! When the video was complete I looked at it and thought to myself, ‘Wow, I think I have something really special here.’ Before this, I had no intentions of ever doing wedding films nor even attended a wedding personally, so I didn’t know what to expect. But after that 1 wedding, a few more inquiries came in over the years and eventually I decided to leave NY and move back home to Connecticut to pursue this full time.

What do you love most about your job?

A lot of people don’t know but the film industry is a very difficult and nasty industry to be in. You work incredibly long days regardless of what position you’re in and we’re not always paid that great. When I would come home for Christmas and holidays my friends thought I was rich just because I worked with MTV. NOPE! Eventually it got to the point where I felt like I was not lending a creative hand to the show and I’m sure you know, most reality TV shows are all scripted and overly produced and edited to create more drama and make it appear that there is more drama than what is actually going on. Sure, it’s entertaining, but there’s no value to it. When I started doing weddings I really felt important to be a part of such a special day for couples. To me, I’ve never been stressed filming weddings and you’re always surrounded by love, laughter, smiles, etc. By the end of each wedding I felt like I knew the bride and groom like best friends. So over the years I did more and more and realized that I wanted to do my own thing and not work for 15 producers above me barking orders haha. It was a life changing moment for me that has since only been a positive force in my life.

Where do you find your inspiration?

I find inspiration in just simply believing in yourself. I don’t watch a lot of other wedding videos and not because I don’t want to, but there is so much talent all over and I never felt like I should compare myself to someone else. I had a formula going that seemed to work and couples loved it. The inquiries kept piling on, so I felt like what I was doing was right and people were finding my name. But of course, it’s inspiring to be in a field with like minded individuals who share the same passion as you and can understand things on your side of the fence. It’s inspiring to see so many others in your shoes doing what they have to do because it is not easy running a business doing your own thing, but it is so incredibly rewarding in the end and I have no thoughts of ever slowing down.

Do you work alone or with a team? Tell me about them.

I work with one of my college friends, Frank as he is my second videographer and our drone operator, Mark. I am the lead videographer and only editor currently.

What goals do you have for the year?

The main goal is to always stay fresh and never make each film the same. I’m always trying something different whether it’s a piece of music or a certain angle. The most important thing to me is to follow your vision, but also be open to try new things. Eventually, we all become bored or stale of our work and trying new things leads to different creative visions that we all can include in our work.

Tell me about a favorite memory while on the job.

One of the best memories I had was filming a wedding last year that ended up being a 12 year shoot in Hartford, CT. The bride/groom and family and friends were so much fun and incredibly nice that they all invited myself and Frank out to the bars and even got us a hotel room. Of course, we were so tired but couldn’t pass up the opportunity. We went out with the bridal party and all just chatted like we were friends. We didn’t even talk about wedding stuff. The best part of this job is that we get to meet new people who always end up becoming our friends. Yes, this is a business, but I value the relationship I have with couples way more than money or this or that. Weddings should be fun, loving, and stress free. I feel fortunate to be able to do this and meet so many awesome people because back in NY i was in a rut with my job and surrounded by constant negativity.

 

What is the best piece of wisdom that you share with your clients about your industry?

Wow, there are several, but the best thing I can think of is to just go with the flow. I’m getting married next June so I understand that in the months or years planning your big day, you ideally want everything to be perfect. But I’m sorry, it just won’t be perfect, but I say that with a few caveats. The perfect wedding will always be perfect in someone’s mind, but when the day arrives and maybe the table setting isn’t just right, you can’t worry about it. Sometimes the weather doesn’t always cooperate, but you just have to go with it. A wedding goes by fast and you don’t want to look back on it where you were upset about something so small for the whole day. The best thing to do is embrace it. A wedding is about the love of two people coming together forever surrounded by their closest family and friends. If it rains? Who cares! Does the suit not fit perfectly? Who cares! You have to put on a smile and just go with the flow. Nothing in this world is perfect and though we all try to plan the perfect wedding, it sometimes doesn’t happen, but in the end, it should always feel perfect regardless of what happened 🙂

When you’re not doing videography what do you love to do?

I’m an avid hockey player, golfer, and cat lover haha! My family also owns a cottage in East Otis, MA so I love to go up there and relax, water ski, jet ski, etc!

Anything else you feel that clients should know about what you do?

I’m just a down to earth person who loves doing this job. Our whole vision is to never get in the way, or direct people, or be rude, etc. The goal is to simply film the wedding naturally and let things happen organically because the best moments always happen when you least expect them. We will always tailor each of our films to the couples wants and needs and always let them know they have a say!