Exciting Times

I won't say much right now because I have soooo much to get done but......there are some really exciting things happening at the studio. I can't WAIT to tell everyone. As soon as some of it gets finalized I will let everyone know :)

Ciera Bridal Shoot

I love the word "awesome."

Before going into the shoot with Ciera, Michael and I sat down to discuss what ideas we wanted to convey in this Bridal Elegance film. Naturally, Michael thought of words like epic, slick, intense, and beautiful. We try to keep those words commonplace around the studio, so it was nothing out of the ordinary.

I, however, like keeping it simple. Less is more. Essentially, this video just needed to be...

AWESOME.

This was our mindset before the shoot. Then Ciera came along. The deal was sealed. She wanted nothing but awesome. The day was perfect, the cameras were rolling, and the high fives were plentiful. Alton has to be the greatest little town to shoot a film in- we used Riverview Park and the old Piasa bluff to their fullest extent.

In the end, we were just plain excited. After showing Ciera and her mom a few clips, we knew they were just as pumped as we were. The song took a while to tie down, but it hit us like a ton of bricks once we found it.

Thank you, Ciera, for such an awesome day. :)

And, just for the record, Michael's final steadicam circle around Ciera was easily the most epic shot ever recorded by Gebbs Total Video. Here's the full clip-

Kendall & John Reaction to SDE

The reactions to this film over the past week have been AWESOME. Luckily, we caught Kendall and John's reaction to their Same day Edit. The impact it had on them was tremendous- happiness, laughter, and a few tears all wrapped in one. We hope that your reaction to this reaction film will be equally impactful and...of course...AWESOME. :)

Red Card Royale- The Pageant

All I can say is Patrick Gable singer, guitar master, and song writer for Red Card Royale has been my best buddy forever!! When I heard he was going to get to play at The Pageant I couldn't help but go and film it. That has been my favorite venue to see bands play. We used to go there together when we were younger. I knew this was a dream come true for him :) So here's one song I edited together for them....ENJOY!!!

Kendall & John SDE - 5/26/09

Kendall and John are smilers. They're laughers. They're kissers.

But most of all, they're lovers.

Happiness, tears, laughter, and love...these aren't uncommon at weddings. There was something about Kendall and John that makes your heart swell a little though. At the reception, a few technical problems were encountered that would give most couples heart attacks. We only saw smiles. :)

All the craziness of the day was worth it in the end- When we showed the SDE, we experienced the resounding emotional reaction to what real love looks like on film. Luckily, the whole Gebbs Team was there to share it. You can tell from the picture above- we had some smiles of our own...and a little craziness, too.

When it's all said and done, we are simply the capturers and presenters of emotion. There was more than enough emotion to be had, and we can promise that a good chunk of our emotion went into making this film.

Watch it for yourself. And trust us- smiles are contagious. :)

Lindsey & Jared SDE -5/9/09

I'd like to get one thing straight. This may come as a shock, an outrage, or downright blasphemy to some...but it will be worth it. When it comes to filming weddings (SDEs in particular), we like awesomeness. We like good food. Heck, we even like uncles who think they can dance. But most of all, at the very top of the list, there is one thing that we love more than film itself...

We LOVE clouds.

With that in mind--Lindsey and Jared, we would like to personally thank you for picking an absolutely OUTSTANDING cloud-enriched day. As a couple, you both were amazing. The clouds hardly stand to the splendor of your wedding. But (and this is a big but)...they did make the day a little more awesome. :)

We spent most of the morning filming at Lindsey's parent's home, and, thankfully, they were successfully able to curb my appetite. This accomplishment makes a SDE look easy. :) Lindsey's family is great, her bridesmaid's were great, everything was great! The ceremony was simple, yet elegant, and Michael clearly had some fun filming bubbles and around the church. Some technical problems had us worrying for a while about the SDE, but how could we be worried with such a great couple and...of course...wonderful clouds?

The rest of the day went smoothly, and the SDE turned out to be a hit! Overall, it was a great day, and we couldn't be happier!

Inspiration

"Inspiration is not the exclusive privilege of poets or artists generally. There is, has been, and always will be a certain group of people whom inspiration visits. It's made up of all those who've consciously chosen their calling and do their job with love and imagination. It may include doctors, teachers, gardeners- and I could list a hundred more professions (wedding cinematographers). Their work becomes one continuous adventure as long as they manage to keep discovering new challenges in it. Difficulties and setbacks never quell their curiosity. A swarm of new questions emerges from every problem they solve. Whatever inspiration is, it's born from a continuous 'I don't know.'" -Wislawa Szymborska

I thought this quote was awesome. To me, one's calling is usually more than what you want out of life...it isn't fame or fortune or power or attention or anything that other people can give you...it's something that is connected to something greater than you. Fredrick Buechner described a "calling" as "the place where our deep gladness meets the world's deep need."

To break it down for you, we don't know what tomorrow will bring. Michael and I are still two young human beings. Barely adults. Call it a little ballsy, but we know what we love. Our "calling" is film. It brings us happiness. One could hardly call it work.

Our happiness, more or less, is sought by others. (This is where you come in.) We deliver films to YOU. It makes you happy. It makes us happy. Essentially, Gebbs Total Video is a happy place.

You should visit sometime. :)

STL Fashion Week Promo

New Kid on the Block

Hey everybody! My name is Charles Phillips, and I am the newest member of the Gebbs team! I’ve actually been around almost a year now; Michael has kept me as his secret weapon…To give you a brief autobiography- Currently, I am a sophomore at Columbia College in Chicago, majoring in film. I actually grew up just down the street from Michael in Alton, but, to my dismay, I had no idea who he was until about a year ago. (I went to Alton High, he went to Marquette.) During high school, it seems we both took the role of the notorious “video guy.” I made movies, wrote crazy scripts, etcetera, just like Michael. In the end, my true claim to fame was seniorFILM, a documentary about senior year at AHS. My first year of college was spent at Purdue, finding out that I didn’t want to be an engineer.

That’s how I ended up at Gebbs Total Video. I wanted to chase my dream, and Mr. Michael Gebben had already begun to pave a path, so I figured I would get busy and start laying some bricks with him. We hit the ground running, and I brought some new things to the table. I had a knack for editing that meshed with Michael’s style, and from that, I’ve basically taken his mindset and gone through the roof with it. One of my life philosophies is to learn constantly, and since I’ve been around, I’ve learned more than can be explained in a blog. If anything, I will continue to push the envelope alongside Michael, one frame at a time.

Outside of filming, I do just about everything under the sun. Like I said, I’m an avid learner, so I literally have a million hobbies…Everything from juggling, mountain biking, and basketball to poi, living statue, weight lifting, and anything art related. Ask me about them, I’ll be more then happy to tell you. And, just for the record, I LOVE to dance. I can promise you this: I WILL positively dance at your wedding. Basically, I try to take my love of all things visual and kinesthetic and translate them to film. After all, isn't that what film is: images + movement?

Overall, I’m a super nice guy, I pride myself on my enthusiasm and friendliness, and I love where my life is heading. Feel free to add me on Facebook! Oh, and for all the single bridesmaids out there- I am, by far, the best looking employee of Gebbs Total Video. Haha :)

Sincerely,
Charles Phillips

Gebbs Total Video Production Meeting

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First wedding and SDE of 2009

The 2009 wedding season has begun! We are in the midst of exciting times- a new standard has been set for this entire year, and all the awesome couples we’ll be filming are on the forefront. We’re going to push the limits, try new things, and create the best wedding films we possibly can. Katie and Spencer’s wedding is the first of many to experience our Same Day Edit, including future SDEs from weddings in Seattle and Milwaukee :) They were a blast to film, and they had a beautiful wedding. For the record, Same Day Edits get the heart pumping a bit- not just for us, but for the couple and guests as well. On top of all the awesomeness, I was privileged enough to work alongside some amazing vendors! Thanks to everyone who made this possible. Also, on a little side note- this was the first SDE not edited by me, but instead, by the infamous MISTER Charles Phillips, who will be at all the weddings this year…Enjoy!!!

-Lot of firsts at this wedding. First time using the slider, steadicam pilot, HMC150, letus adapter, 24p.....

-Had a great time, and everyone went crazy at the end!

-Tried to be totally different at this wedding, and naturally, it was quite the challenge.

One vendor in particular (the coordinator) I would like to thank was Sabrina and her team from Proposing Dreams. She made the day run so smoothly and helped us out in every way possible.

-Vendor line up-
Ceremony site - Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Collinsville IL
Officiant - Reverend Dr. Dale Meyer
Ceremony Music - Rosewood Ensemble
Photographer - Zettl Photography
Wedding Coordinator - Proposing Dreams
Reception site - Windows on Washington
Cake - Hanks cheesecakes
DJ - Over the Top
Lighting - Exclusive Events
Florist - Dennis (the brides Uncle)

H and H Construction Services Promo

WOW what great people at H and H!!! I met Carla and Nick when I received my award for Growth Association Business of the Month last September. We got together and discussed what they wanted and went to work.... I had a blast working with them and putting together the video which I'm very proud of. I also gotta say that Jim Hudson owner of H and H is quite the character. Thank you guys for giving me complete freedom to create this video. Enjoy!! handhconstruction.com

STL Fashion Week

Well pretty much all last week I was the main videographer for STL Fashion Week. In the coming weeks I will be editing together a few different highlight videos which I will post as soon as they are ready. I had a lot of fun and it was a great experience. Check out stlfashionweek.com to see pictures and find out more info. I will post more when I put up the videos.....

BUSY BUSY BUSY TIMES......

In these economic struggles Gebbs Total Video has been the busiest I think we have EVER been!! I would like to thank everyone of our clients for their patience and cooperation. It has been very difficult for me lately to keep up with everything that has been coming through the door. We never ever want to compromise quality and we put our heart and soul into every single project. I'm in the process of finding HARD working, self MOTIVATED people who are passionate about creating videos that stand out from the crowd to help me keep moving forward and being able to better serve our clients. This is a very difficult task but as we grow it is a necessity!!

The most important thing that I want everyone to know is that I CARE about each and everyone my clients. I'm doing my best to keep up with all the e-mails and phone calls that have been coming in. If I don't respond immediately please don't be alarmed I have not forgotten about you and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Really most people LOVE e-mail but I really prefer talking on the phone. If you send me an e-mail or call leave me a message and tell me when would be a good time to call you back and I will try to call you during that time!! Again THANKS!!! :)

FOR REAL was a hit!!

Well we had the premiere of For Real and around 175 people showed up. We felt the night was a big success. We hope it won't be another 3 years before our next movie premiere. In fact we are already working on ideas for the next one :)

I would to thank everyone who showed up that night, it all would not be possible without our fans!

Movie Premiere of FOR REAL

Alright everyone it is finally DONE. We have been working on this movie for over 3 YEARS!!! We started it right before I started my business in 2006 and then BAM it's 2009..... We hope you will all come and check it out on Saturday March 21 at Marquette Catholic High School in Alton. Doors will open at 7pm. We will have popcorn and soda and hopefully Papa Johns Pizza (which we partnered with and they are giving us coupons to hand out that night!!!). The night will be full of fun entertainment from 7 until till 8 we will showing a bunch of random things and then at 8pm the Main Feature starts. We will have around 20 minutes of fun stuff and then For Real. After that if everyone wants to stick around we are having a special showing of THE VAULT which made it into some Film Festivals back in 2005. Check out GEBBSENTERTAINMENT.COM to see the trailer for both FOR REAL and THE VAULT. Click on the image to make it larger and readable.

GEBBS Wedding Films LIVE

Well my new gebbsweddingfilms.com site is live. Check it out. Lots of cool videos on there.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Holidays and Happy Anything Else!!

Well AGAIN it's been awhile since my last post. I'm still around :) just super super busy! I have a whole bunch of videos to post and I figured I will just post them all at once (why not) For anyone interested I will be gone all next week Feb 15-20 at the WPPI convention. I will still have people holding down the fort while I'm gone. I have some cool news that I will be posting about in the coming weeks including the info about our Movie Premiere in March. Well here's a little sampling of some of the projects that we have been busy working on. ENJOY!

A Tragedy in Alton- Riverbend Billiards on Fire

Last night Tim and I were having a late night editing and we decided to make some pizza. Well when we turned on the oven it started smoking and the fire alarm went off. We got that all taken care of, got the pizza made and the I went to bed around 1. Around 4am my little dog woke me up from the snow plows. So I went to the bathroom and it smelled like smoke REALLY BAD and I thought it was from the pizza earlier. So I went back to bed and 5 minutes later Tim knocked on my door and said he smelled something burning. We looked everywhere and could not find anything until I went outside and the smell of smoke was worse outside. I went and got Tim we thought maybe the building was on fire until we looked up and saw the black smoke coming from off in the distance. We thought we would go investigate incase something was on fire that noone knew about. I got my keys and we drove off and then we saw Riverbend Billiards in FLAMES and couldn't believe what we were seeing. So we went back and got our video camera and filmed........ It is one of the worst fires I have ever seen in person. Here is the footage that we filmed. We hope that noone was hurt in the fire and hope that Riverebend Billiards will be able to rebuild and thrive again, they had great food and great pool.

THERE'S NO SOUND ON THIS VIDEO.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

THE STORY OF MIKE & KATIE

WOW!!! What an amazing couple Mike & Katie are.....They are so genuine, real, and most definitely and most importantly in LOVE!!!! I really enjoyed getting to know and hangout with Mike & Katie. They really know how to have a good time and they are naturals in front of the camera. In fact I believe when we showed their Love Story at their wedding people were saying they were Movie Stars.....One of the coolest things about this video is that they had their engagement on film. Now how cool is that! The one thing I would say to all of you out there is get a video camera and film film film film. You might not think it's important now but 10 years down the road and longer, all I can say is that it's PRICELESS! So get your box of tissues and be ready to laugh and cry when you watch Mike and Katies Love Story. Enjoy

2008 Wedding Demo

I put this little promo together to showcase a few of the weddings I have done this past year. We've already got a handful of weddings booked for next year and the dates are going fast. We have a lot of tricks up our sleeves..... Same Day Edits are becoming a standard at almost all of our weddings and we hope we can do one at yours. Also we will travel, I've been asked that a number of times and of course I would love to see new places and meet new people. We actually already have a few "destination" weddings next year that we are super excited about!!

Sara & Ryan Same Day Edit Nov. 15, 2008

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Alyson & Adam Same Day Edit- Nov. 1, 2008

WOW!!! Where did October go? I know it flew by, that's for sure. I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween.

Well this past weekend we had quite an adventure up to Columbia Missouri, where we shot a very beautiful wedding on the Campus of Stephens College. It was crazy how many people I knew at this wedding. Which made it that much more gratifying when I got to show this Same Day Edit later that night. We had a blast all day and this video is proof that when you let us do our thing something pretty cool will come out of it. ENJOY

Inside Joke

We would like to thank all the companies who have given us a chance to work with them and here is a picture to show just some of the companies we have done work for over the last year.

WE HOPE WE CAN ADD YOU TO OUR LIST!!!