Cabana Pictures wishes you a Happy New Year!

Getting ready to face the day this morning, Zeus and I could not help but think about how much has happened to us in just one short year.  2009 has been a long and wonderful road, hopefully leading us to bigger and better things in 2010.  We not only got married, but we also moved across the country and are settling into our new home quite nicely.  For so many reasons, 2009 was a special year.  We have had so much support from our families and friends, and we just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who helped us make 2009 a year to remember.  We love you all. 

We want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Love,
Jenn and Zeus

Maria and Andres

With blue skies and no trace of humidity, it was the perfect day for Maria and Andres to get married.  As we arrived at the Setai hotel to film Maria getting ready, we found a happy and calm bride ready to become Mrs. Mejia.  We knew as soon as we met them they were no ordinary couple.  Their wedding was an intimate celebration of who they are- fun, sophisticated, and GORGEOUS.  Maria in particular has a wonderfully infectious smile that kept us smiling the whole time we were editing this piece.  We dare you not to smile as you watch their trailer.  

You are beautiful as a couple and individually.  We wish you all the best.  Thank you for including us on your special day! 


Maria and Andres Wedding Trailer from Cabana Pictures on Vimeo.

Photographer: Elizabeth Antunes //  Wedding Planner: A Joy Wallace //  Location: Kampong Botanical Gardens

Music: Coldplay, Life in Technicolor ii

Holiday Inn

As promised, it is time for our first movie of the week!  It wasn't easy trying to come up with the first of our series.  There are so many favorites and so many greats to choose from.  Where to begin?  But with the holidays in full swing, Zeus and I put up our Christmas tree.  And decorating for the holidays always makes me want to see my favorite holiday movies.  So, we might as well start there.

One movie that always gets me in the spirit is Holiday Inn starring Fred Astaire as Ted Hanover, Bing Crosby as Jim Hardy, and Marjorie Reynolds as Linda Mason.  Ted and Jim are a popular song-and-dance duo at a nightclub.  After retiring to a farmhouse in New England, Jim opens it up to the public as an Inn, but only on major holidays.  Linda Mason joins him and not only becomes part of his live entertainment act for guests, but his love interest as well.  Ted comes to visit Jim's inn and becomes determined to make Linda his new dance partner.  And so begins the love triangle.

As an Irving Berlin musical, this movie is full of great numbers.  Fun fact: the popular Christmas song, "White Christmas", was first introduced in Holiday Inn.  In addition to Bing Crosby's crooning, Fred Astaire has two exceptional numbers.  The first being his "Drunk Dance" with Marjorie Reynolds.  Story goes he took a shot before each take and they did 7 takes.  The final take was the one used in the movie.



The second, and perhaps the more well-known, is his 4th of July number in which he throws firecrackers on the floor.  



All in all, a fun film with good music and superb dancing.  Cozy up on the couch, grab some hot chocolate, and enjoy!

Who Loves Movies?

It's not every day that you find someone who is as passionate about the same things as you are.  In that respect, Zeus and I feel so lucky to have found each other.  For us, we are most alive when we are creating and coming up with new ideas.  We talk about our ideas for hours.  Seriously... hours.  And we draw a lot of inspiration from watching movies.  But not just watching movies, we try to look at it from the director's perspective and how he/she was able to convey the story, especially through use of camera placement and movement.  When we shoot weddings, we can't control the details: lighting, colors, props, actors.  But we like to film as if we do.  The way we see it- every wedding has a tone just like every movie has a tone.  The more styles we learn about in movies, the more we can bring out the personalities of our clients.  

As a film major from Wellesley College, I got the chance to study some great films.  Some good, some bad, some... interesting.  So, in our quest to keep learning, we are dedicating ourselves to watching one movie a week.  And for those of you who love movies as much as we do, we'll pass them on to you.  Old, new, bizarre, frightening, all countries, all genres.  If you watch them or if you've seen them already, we'd love to hear your thoughts.  We are also open to suggestions!  We hope you enjoy.  Expect our first pick later this week.