I love challenges, and sitting on our last meeting before the wedding (lasting late into the night), I threw out an idea that has been laying on my heart for over 2 years. A Same Day Edit that transitions into a first dance with LIVE video. Both Rohan and Semmy didn’t fully understand how we’ll make it possible, but they gave me the “go ahead” as they knew they hired the best Bay Area Indian Wedding Cinematography team for their wedding. I automatically got excited, started testing equipment, bought adapters, bought wireless transmitters, bought more adapters and got super nervous. I knew that in order for the LIVE Same Day Edit to be epic, it has to be flawless and the bride and groom HAVE to still enjoy their first dance. I wanted to make sure that the focus is still on the bride and groom, not on us. Before I jump into all the details, I want to tell you that it was amazing and everything worked. We were 100% spot on.

We filmed less days for this wedding than usual, however, the days were more jam-packed and we sometimes required multiple teams filming. Our last day was a 20 hour work day – crazy. Our team consisted of 7 guys, each pulling a part of the load to make the show possible. Through out the day, we copied the footage to fast SSDs (Samsung 2TB T3 SSD) and edited in Final Cut Pro X to make sure that my editing is fast and seamless. Additionally, I still wanted to include the Grand Entrance into the Same Day Edit. That meant collecting the cards from all recording camera and intricate editing right after the grand entrance to make sure we make it on time for the Same Day Edit premiere.

But I want to pause here and point something out: we have done this before. Our team has pulled off Same Day Edits that include grand entrance shots that happened 15 minutes before showing of the SDE. Our challenge here was to take it onto another level – have the Same Day Edit transition into shots that are in REALTIME! Mixed live from our Drone in the sky, Crane camera, Close up camera and Stabilizer camera. This was the most difficult part to pull of seamlessly.

During our setup 3 hours before the reception, we ran into issues: wireless interference at the venue. We started trouble shooting and found solutions. 10 minutes before the SDE, one of our SDI cables was stepped on and damaged (probably by a high heel) so it started sending a corrupt signal. We re-wired that camera asap and got it to work. But once we pressed play on the computer and started the Same Day Edit, we had ZERO issues. Everything was smooth. After queueing them, watching Rohan and Semmy make their way to the dance floor for the transition to the LIVE first dance was surreal. Telling my drone operator he’s live from the sky and hearing the “wow” from the crowd was humbling. It was a challenging and an amazing experience to pull something off so that the bride and groom could have an epic moment on their wedding! And me and my team did just that!

I do want to thank Rohan and Semmy for trusting me and my team and allowing us to try my crazy idea on your wedding.

To get a more in-depth view of our Bay Area Indian Wedding Cinematography team at work, view the 6 angle view behind the scenes video below. The shot in the middle with the red border is what the audience is seeing on the projectors LIVE. You’ll be able to feel the pressure we feel when things are LIVE. But honestly, we looked pretty chill – we just might be experienced and good at what we do. (Watch the video full screen 4K)

And lastly, some Behind the Scenes photos of our team testing the setup, figuring out shots, and our actual live switching.

Song choices: Threads – Roary (Licensed with The Music Bed), Pee Loon- Once Upon A Time in Mumbai & Gidhian Di Coach (feat. Gs Hundal)

Cinematography: Aperina Studios
Photography: Aperina Studios
Sangeet Venue: Moraga Country Club
Ceremony: Grand Island Mansion
Reception Venue: Grand Island Mansion
DJ: Bol Punjab De
Decoration: We Do Designs
Henna: Yogi’s Henna
Hair & Makeup: Rukhsana’s Beauty Palace
Turban Service: Rupinder Singh Mangat
Baraat Horse: O’Hara family farms