Love things that are not routine, not standard, don't conform. Always in the mood to try out new ways of living.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Fairmont video production - for the Youth Olympics Games

The next time you walk past the Suntec LED screen this month, do watch out for 2 Fairmont Singapore commercial clips that shows how their driveway doorman transforms  into a weightlifter, and how an in-room-dining attendant becomes a sprinter. These 2 clips were produced by us for Fairmont Singapore as part of their marketing campaign for being the official hotel partner for the inaugural Youth Olympics Games 2010 in Singapore.


We certainly had great fun drafting the storyboards and eventually filming it.
The Fairmont Singapore sprinter!

The Fairmont Singapore weightlifter!

You may watch the final videos here.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Anyone wants to edit wedding movies with us?


Yes, Alvinadelineweddings is hiring editors!
We've come a long way since we started in 2003. And it all started with a family handycam (that was used to film our convocations) and an ex-colleague's wedding...

Now we are seriously looking for ppe who
1) feel that they know how a wedding-day movie should be presented
2) feel that our editing sucks and want to change us
3) wants to have ultimate flexibility in his/her working hrs.

Editing experience required? Hmm... we'll say it will be good to have. But if you don't, be ready to pick up tons of it along the way.
Drop us a note on our website's contact page and we'll grab you to have a chat! Or email us at email@alvinadeline.com.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Music licensing

The Recording Industry Performance Singapore (RIPS) introduced a dedicated licence for wedding videographs early this year (read here). Whilst all along, nobody paid anyone any licence fee for use of copyrighted music during a wedding function, this licence has certainly stirred sentiments within the local industry as well as amongst local wedding couples. From the responses that we've came across in forums and all the questions we've received from our couples, we realized that the general masses do not understand the workings behind this music licence thingy.

Hope we can help to clear up some doubts with what we know....

Some fundamentals about copyrighted music (i.e.music one buys from a CD shop)
1) every piece of music in the CD is an original artwork created by a) a composer, b) a lyricist, c) a recording company who employs a singer to sing in a studio and records it on CD for sales.
2) the composer, lyricist and the recording company each owns different kinds of rights to the music and wants to earn money from the music they create.
3) when one buys a music CD for say, $10, one only pays $10 for the right to enjoy the music on a personal basis. On the CD case, one can always find the words (or to a similar effect), "All rights of the producer and of the owner of the work reproduced reserved. Unauthorized copying, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting of this recording is prohibited." One agrees to these contractual terms automatically when one buys a music CD.

In other words, one cannot wilfully copy any music from that CD to another CD, then bring this duplicate CD to a hotel  and broadcast the music to your relatives and friends at your wedding banquet as background music. Because if you do that, 500 of your relatives and friends will get to enjoy the music and the composer, lyricist and the recording company earn only a miserable $10 from you. They definitely need to earn more! Imagine their loss in opportunity cost if you were to put it on your website as background music. Anyone can just go to your website and keeping looping that music and enjoy it without paying a single cent!

THE REAL SITUATION
Scenario 1 - Playing of copyrighted music in the background at your wedding banquet.
Every respectable hotel in Singapore should have paid COMPASS (on an annual basis) for a licence to broadcast copyrighted music on their entire premises through their sound system. This will allow them to play music in their lobby, in their lounge, in their toilets, and of course, in their ballrooms during your wedding. So there is absolutely no problem in playing copyrighted music at your wedding banquet.

Scenario 2 - Playing of video clips or photomontages that uses copyrighted music
To produce the video/photomontage clip, the videographer/photographer has to copy the music from a CD and blend it together with the visual images to create the clip. To even use the music as an ingredient in the clip, the videographer/photographer needs to seek permission from the composer, lyricist and recording company. The composer, lyricist and recording company will usually not agree to let the videographer/photographer use the music they produced for free. They'll want to earn some money from it. They will quote the videographer/photographer a fee based on the estimated number of audience who will be enjoying the music, the number of copies produced, etc. Yes, they can quote any figure they individually want. When you sum up these 3 quotes, it becomes the licence fee. This fee only give the videographer/photographer 2 rights, a) the right to synchronise the music to his visual images, b) the right to make a physical copy on CD for playback at the hotel. They do not have to factor in the fee for broadcasting rights because the hotel has supposedly paid for it (as explained in Scenario 1).

The new music licence by RIPS
14 recording companies (such as Sony Music, Warner Music, etc) all come together to get RIPS to collect all kinds of music licence fees on their behalf. This includes the use of their music in TV commercials, in movies, at Karoake lounges, at outdoor events, etc. And now, from videographers/photographer for their video/photomontage clips. This licence fee, priced at $2000 per yr, enables a videographer/photographer to synchronise any music (from the 14 recording companies) to their video/photomontage works, and burn CD copies for wedding couples. The playback of these video/photomontage works is limited to wedding banquets and private viewing by the couples themselves. It does not permit the sharing of the video/photomontage on the internet domain for mass enjoyment.

So what about the composers and lyricists? Don't they want a share of the pie? Yes, they certainly do. They are represented by Music Publishers Singapore (MPS) who will collect licence fees on their behalf.
To date, MPS still working out a licence similar to that by RIPS for wedding. When they have finalised it, it will be another licence for videographers/photographers to subscribe to.

All these licences will inevitably increase the operating costs of all videographers/photographers. This cost will be factored into the package prices eventually. Hence do expected wedding videography prices to rise in the near future.

Here at Alvinadeline Weddings, we are already licenced by RIPS since April 1st 2010.
All our couples will not face any legal issues pertaining to their wedding video works produced by us. They can get married with a peace of mind.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Oliva Ong's Photoshoot

We were called up by Kose a month ago to shoot the behind-the-scenes of Olivia Ong's photoshoot for the current Nu You magazine covershot as well as the editorial write up. Olivia, who is making waves in Japan, is the current model for Kose beauty care products.

I arrive early at the Crown Plaza hotel at Changi T3 at 9am. I was early. Altho it wasn't my 1st behind-the-scene proj for celeb photoshoots, I was quite excited. Coz one of the local top fashion photographers, Wee Kim, would be directing the day. I just hoped that I wun get in his way.

When Olivia arrived, I didn't know it was her (sorry, but I really dunno our local singers well). I thot she was one of the reps from the record label, helping to carry a guitar. Oops... Anyway, here's some of the screen captures from my footage.
Makeup session! I covered it just like any bridal makeup. It's the same to me!

Ok, that's the guitar she carried in at the hotel lobby when I met her in the morning.

Wee Kim and his assistant in action. Oh, the big guy on the top left is the art director for the shoot.
He had the "BIGGEST" say on the set.

Gorgeous right?

Touch up again at Wee Kim's studio in the afternoon. David Gan was on hand to help.
I must say he was really friendly. Had some nice chat with him in-between the shoot. Very humble and down-to-earth guy. He brought pineapple tarts to share on the set. And gave everyone an Ang Pow too (it was still CNY)!

Olivia in action. I believe everyone else on the set had an easier time than Olivia. We could sit, slouch, walk around whenever we want. But she had to stand on high heels the whole afternoon (2-8pm), posing to the demands of the art director and Wee Kim. Had to take my hat off to her for still being able to smile at the end of everything.

Throughout the day, I found Olivia a simple girl who loves music. The description of "the-girl-next-door" will suit her aptly. She is a very approachable person. She even asked for my namecard (for her sister who is getting  married soon...)

Kose Singapore has put up the video here.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Dallas & Shem Wedding

The wedding day can be a routine affair, but just a bit of creativity with a personal touch, can make the wedding really special and memorable. Dallas and Shem are indeed one creative pair whose wedding was fun and entertaining.

Knowing their personality and as much as we had anticipated, we can't help but we were still surprised with many Firsts. This is the first time we had a bride penning "Just Married" on the bridal car... first time we had a bride wearing super high heels on an AD... first time we had a bride who made goofy faces amidst laughters throughout the day yet still exuded grace... first time we had a bride wearing pants for tea ceremony... first time we had a couple who walked into the banquet hall like mega stars with a sea of fans waving torchlights and cheering for them... first time we had a super lively emcee who chatted up the crowd and asked the bride to stop talking. Boy! Shem could have talked for the next hour or so if not for the emcee....and first time we saw a bed on the stage in a banquet hall.  The couple was being cheered on to do an amusing performance. It was an easy feat for them and they carried it off well. .

Guess many of the guests could not forget the toasting match between the 2 sexes on the stage. The floor was so engrossed in the match til they forgot to do the toasts. Last but not least, they showed many videos that traced their love path to entertain the guests.

Click here to watch their Pre-wedding video.

Dallas and Shem's personality exudes every aspect of their wedding. It was truly a memorable one.

Ban Ban and Lan Lan - the 2 adorable baby sharks that signifies the couple's love for diving.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Marcus & Priscilla Wedding


Marcus and Priscilla's wedding had the elements of a romantic affair. From the point of fetching the bride in her room to the end of the church wedding ceremony, romance was in the air.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Best wedding photos in the world

Never have we come across wedding photos so well taken! Some of these really captures moments like no other!

You can view them here!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Hun Khim & Yoke Chee




A simple wedding day with the usual customary wedding need not be mundane. Hun Khim and Yoke Chee had made their day interesting with Hun Khim being engaging especially during the gate-crashing and Yoke Chee being bright and relaxed.
Throughout the day, the couple made the guests felt so-at-home. It was heart-warming and memorable for everyone.