Digital Media & Branding

Needed to do something interesting tonight. These are all non-manipulated photos taken with a simple zoom lens and a trusty Canon Rebel. I think the first one is my favorite.

This next one was a new trick I figured out tonight to emulate a double exposure. In case you didn’t know, Jupiter house only has one vertical sign.

I’m kind of proud of this one for some reason.

I counted down for a minute to get this one.

I hope you like. Follow us on the twitters: http://twitter.com/#!/storiedpro

-Paul Echols

Storied Productions is a company very much tied to the city of Denton. We love the city, love the people of the city, and care for the city’s well being. One of the things that has been greatly successful and beneficial for our city is Communities in Schools of North Texas which is a program that places volunteer mentors with at-risk students to help them graduate school.

If you haven’t already heard about the massive education budget cuts here in Texas you probably don’t watch the news, listen to the radio, or talk to anyone with kids. The number of valuable teachers losing their jobs is nauseating. On top of that, Communities in Schools is losing ALL of it’s state funding. ALL. For the students who need the most help, this is one of the few places they could turn to for aid.

The proof is in the pudding as evidenced by the Communities in Schools website which states “after five years of detailed evaluation underwritten by The Atlantic Philanthropies, [evaluations] concluded that Communities In Schools’ model resulted in the strongest reduction in dropout rates of any existing fully scaled dropout prevention program.”

Denton has not taken this reduced funding lightly and the Denton S.O.S. group formed specifically to Save Our Schools and privately fund the Communities in Schools project for North Texas.

The fund-raising efforts will continue through-out the summer but the first came with a concert by two-time Grammy award-winning, Denton-native Brave Combo (@bravecombo) and Brass-Jazz-Funk group Inner City All-Stars (@innercity) at Dan’s Silver Leaf (@danssilverleaf) where we enjoyed delicious Chicken n’ Waffles. Yum!

To see more photos from that night see our Flickr set here.

To see more photos from that night see our Flickr set here.

Another cartoon review? Really?

Absolutely yes!

I’m not posting this review about a newly released film. I’m also not posting this review because the film was a smash hit like Avatar.

I’m writing this review because this movie is a roller coaster of creative genius; it’s heartwarming for adults, hilarious for adults and children alike, and will leave you wishing you had 10,000 minions at your disposal every day.

This film received 11 award nominations including Best Animated Feature from the Golden Globes, BAFTA, and Teen Choice Awards. The creative cast includes the venerable Julie Andrews, the hilarious Russell Brand, Steve Carrell, and Jason Segal, as well as the lovely Miranda Cosgrove.

The story centers around a villain named Gru who has a dream to steal the moon out of the sky. As the film moves along you learn about Gru’s insecurities, watch as he grows to love three adorable orphans, and see how he approaches learning from his mistakes. The message is perfect for spurring parent-children conversations about orphans and how much it means for them to find their forever home. Chris Renaud does a superb job as director. Impeccable story telling is the distinct marker of this film.

Impeccable story telling amidst subtle yet genius humor.

If you have not already seen this movie, do it! Your funny bone and your kids will thank you.

Keep it real friends.

This week we had the cool opportunity to shoot some portraits for Shauntavia. The weather was a little chilly for a Texas spring day but the wind gave us some cool inspiration.
We kept the editing to a minimum, giving the photos some cool light-bleeding effects along with a flat, old 1970s photo feel. Let us know what you think and keep us in mind the next time you need some portraits or head shots!

Last week we gathered up all our gear, packed ourselves into a few vehicles and headed out west to Weatherford, Texas. The open range was calling. Well not really the open range…

Reining Training Online was calling.

They called us in need of some videographers and we jumped at the opportunity! We’re working on some training videos for them at this very moment but here’s a preview of the awesomeness to come.

CRAZY short post today! I just wanted to help promote The 2011 Thin Line Film Fest right here in my home town Denton, TX.

Last year was really great and this year’s line up is expected to be even better! This festival is an international documentary showcase that accepts all forms of documentaries including “mocumentaries”. You may remember the famous “This is Spinal Tap” from 1984. Although they aren’t showing that particular one, they will be showing modern day movies from all kinds of filmmakers.

The tickets have gone on sale and you don’t want to miss it!!

http://2011.thinlinefilmfest.com/
http://texasfilmmakers.com/

It is now the second day of the last month in this year! As I think back on 2010 I can recall some of the toughest days in my life swirled with some of the most exciting times. Storied Productions has seen major growth with the launch of Memories Films . We will total around 18 weddings in 2010 and we have higher hopes for 2011.

Just as any new company we have had some growing pains and hard lessons to learn. I believe that 2011 will be the year that Storied has a chance to get comfortable in the rhythms that have been set by the enormous work load we experienced these past several months. This will be the year that we really implement that old cliche, “Work smarter not harder.” So what can you expect to see from us in the next 12 months?
Lets be honest. In this industry things can change without warning. Our goal is to create a company that will stand the test of time and we can’t do that without big dreams and hard workers! We’ve been blessed with both! You will see us make quiet strides to streamline our internal efficiencies and produce a greater volume of shows, weddings, commercials, and websites. You will see a modest attempt to get our business known by our beloved Dentonites (Denton, TX). It is important to us to develop long lasting relationships with local business owners as well as residents. If you watch carefully, you will see Storied Productions rise to the next level of professionalism as we take what we’ve learned and apply it to each client, story, website, or communications set before us.

Mark Twain once said, “If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way.“Well we’ve been holding this cat by the tail since August 2008 and we don’t plan on letting it go! The continuation of education is something highly regarded around here and we aren’t really talking about degree programs and certificates. Those things have their place in the world, but I’m talking about learning from life experiences. We take each production and learn something new. You will see us become even more knowledgeable this next year and if 2010 has taught us anything, we know that 2011′s education will come with a large dose of humility!
We would be honored if you chose to follow us as we take on 2011 with a healthy dose of confidence merged with a healthy dose of fear and humility. On that note, feel free to leave your comments on our blog and visit our facebook page!
Twitter

We’d also like to make a quick shout-out to our new friends at A Different Perspective Photography. What a great crew of photographers to work with! We recommend them to anyone looking for photography work! Tell them Storied Productions or Memories Films

September 25th was a busy busy day for Memories Films! Xavier and Tiffany’s wedding started at 10 am and we arrived at the groom’s house by 7am and it was a rainy Saturday morning. Even though it was rainy and early the groom and his guys greeted us and we quickly got to work. One of our videographers stood out in the rain while protecting the camera just to get that great shot of the car in the garage. That sort of shot would have been too intimidating for some videographers…but he is fearless and it shows in his work! We’re lucky to have him… Thanks Jorge!!

We were also lucky enough to have the ceremony at a familiar chapel called The Marty Leonard Chapel in Ft. Worth. We were concerned because the clouds and rain were really taking away our light, and that chapel is made of mostly windows. It turned out to be some really nice footage despite the lack of direct sunlight.

You may expect a family like the Carter’s, who’s most well known legacy is in regards to starting the Dallas Maverick’s Basketball Franchise, to be unapproachable. Nothing could be further from the truth. We were honored to be chosen among the Dallas/Ft. Worth Videographers to capture the wedding of the franchise founder’s grandson. Each person in this family as well as the Bride’s family were all great to work with and incredibly nice! I don’t think I ever saw Natasha, the bride, without a smile on her face and Lee, her Groom, was full of nervous energy as he tried to contain his excitement.

We shot this wedding at Dallas Baptist University where their family have been alma-maters for several generations. This location was beautiful! Their chapel is less than a year old and all the natural light flooded into the rooms to make for some breathtaking shots.

We decided to showcase the exit sequence to show a little different side of our wedding videos. It’s not a traditional warm fuzzy feeling as the music of Cat Power serenades the romantic night sky with beautifully contrasting bokeh in the background. As the editor, I was hoping to bring a little more weight to the romance that many videos lose with using overtly “happy” music. I wanted to bring attention to the deep intimacy that marriage represents and I thought that this dramatic sequence would help do that. I would love to know what you think about it!

It was a warm Ft. Worth Morning as the crew and I pulled up to the labyrinth of streets that surround the Ft. Worth Club in downtown Ft. Worth. What a beautiful interior and a welcoming staff! They really know how to take care of their vendors at this venue. We were served gourmet sandwiches and some of the best cookies I think I have ever had…just don’t tell my mother I said that! Read more…