Kathy Ritondo, fresh from her trip from Vegas, opened the meeting with an invitation to those who had attended WEVA to help recap the meeting for those of us who could not attend.  Jim O’ Keefe, our new NYPV member, and first time WEVA attendee, said he and his wife, Nancy were able to visit many seminars. “It was a non stop day, from 8am through 8pm but we loved every minute of it. We'll go to every WEVA Convention, from now on.”  Jim has recently gone from part time to full time Event Videography and will be a great asset to our group.

Hector Oliveri our webmaster also attended the WEVA Convention for the first time and put together a video of the footage he shot. It was a fast paced and well edited and made us all sorry we were not able to be there. Thanks Hector for all that hard work, and so quickly too! The excitement and the energy was palpable. Click on the Las Vages Sign to view.

The meeting sponsor and vendor presentation was provided by Steve Golub and Joe D’Amico. They presented Panasonic’s latest 3 chip mini dv camera, DVX100. We have all read the phrase..” Make a Living, Flip a Switch, Make a Movie..” They were here to demonstrate what that means. Shooting at 24 frames per second and with 410,000 pixels, might seem to give us all filmmakers the edge. Features include, SMPTE color bars, xlr inputs, 4.5mm wide angle zoom lens and a larger color viewfinder. The external color viewfinder stays “on” even when in the open mode. The camera is 4.4lbs. According to Steve, it was 2 years in development and much input from WEVA Camcorder Committee members was paramount in its design. Thank you to Steve and Joe for demonstrating the camera.

Marty Grillo, Sergeant at Arms, and without whose help with projection, we would all be in the dark, showed us a Recognition Ceremony Video, the EMT's lost in the World Trade Center Attack. It was a 5 camera set up, shot at the Jacob Javitts Center. Grant plans have been drawn up to secure funds to distribute copies to be made for all involved. NYPV Member Nickki Weaver edited the piece on a Casablanca. Thanks Marty for showing us what we can all do to remember those special moments and thanks again for all your help in projection.

Workshop...Love Stories New Trends & Styles..
(Quick Highlights)
In a segment they call "A Wedding to Remember", Kathy Ritondo said “We involve the parents, the children (if they have any) the bridal party and,of course, the couple,” in our love story videos. It has been 10 years since she and husband Al, first saw love stories from John Goolsby at WEVA Expo. They have been working on them and adapting their style ever since. “We like to add humour, drama and try to get the couples involved....” says Kathy.“Preparation is the key, ask questions and find out their interests. Never force the issue.” Another Love Story idea is to include a "Lip Sync" of the couple. The  important and a “nugget” of how we can all do this was told. Carry a CD player with speaker so that the “players” can sing along with the song. Kudos went out to Evan Lipsman (former NYPV memember) for that tip many years ago. We shot the lipsync portion from four different locations. Also, shoot many many cutaways. When do you SHOW the video? Kathy and Al like to show the video immediately AFTER the introduction of the bridal party so that everyone is in the room. The get reaction cutaway shots of the family watching. Thanks Kathy and Al for an excellent presentation and for sharing your craft.

Tony Diaz and Tony Cucci showed us their talent. Diaz’s latest demo, edited on the
Storm with Premiere, was filled with slow motion, soft focus and emotion. Awesome.
Thanks, Tony.

September tribute:

A tribute to a Firefighter shot and edited by Cucci, depicted the memorial mass in tribute for the family. A very moving piece. Thanks, Tony.
Meeting wrap up.

The upcoming “Summit” to be held on Monday, December 2nd will be an all day seminar, the focus...The Wedding Menu...More details to follow. Limited to 130 people. The seats are selling out fast so send Kathy your check!

Thanks all for yet again an excellent meeting.