W@W VideoFest aftermath: The Suppliers
(just some of the wedding suppliers who attended the videofest [click to enlarge] | photo by ImagineNation)
Lighten up! Don’t take yourself too seriously.
That may be one of the most valuable lesson we’ve learned after the videofest. With all the good words we’ve heard in the five videos presented last Friday, it’s hard not to get carried away. We have to constantly remind ourselves that its just one side of the coin.
Beginning of change
Truth be told, we are aware that there are some suppliers who feels the exact opposite. Usually, it stems from a bad feedback from their client who happens to be a W@Wie. We understand that it’s hard not to take it personally when a supplier hears a negative comment about their product or the services they’ve rendered especially if they think the feedback is inaccurate or exaggerated. We should know. We’ve been exactly in the same boat when an affected supplier takes it personally and starts to blame everything on W@W. We were always on the defense when W@W’s reputation is on the line. Come to think of it, maybe we still are. But realization is always the start of change. 🙂
If you’re a wedding supplier and you get a negative feedback, try to let it slide and take it with a grain of salt. All of us could learn something from criticisms and do better the next time. Things like that will be only as big a deal as you make it. Yes, it may bother you but you have the option to move on and re-focus that energy into pleasing your other clients, W@Wie or not. We honestly believe that truth always comes out in the end.
But if you feel that a comment made in the group may adversely affect your business due to inaccuracy, please let us know and we will air your side of the story in the group. We just humbly ask that you don’t take bad feedbacks against Benz & I or W@W in general because its really hard to help someone who is also critical of us and how we do things here. We’re just human and cannot be magnanimous all the time. Be assured that we have everyone’s best interest in mind. It’s always been a balancing act. Some suppliers may think that we are pro-W@Wies. By presenting the supplier’s side of the story, it’s inevitable that the concerned W@Wie would think that we favor that certain supplier. No matter how good our intentions are, we’ve come to accept that we simply cannot please everybody.
I apologize if the above post dampens anyone’s spirit. I tend to get sentimental (read: balat sibuyas) in milestones such as this. But I just have to unburden and get that off my chest. I know it’s not exactly a fair segue considering how fun and lighthearted the video below is. I just take comfort in the fact that the featured videographers today are three of the closest I have in this industry.
About the videographers
Our friendship with these guys have gone a long way. Way before W@W ever existed. I’m talking about the guys of Threelogy.
Actually, if we relate the Threelogy boys to the cast of “Friends,” Jon would be Ross, Bong is Chandler and CJ is undeniably Joey. Bwahaha! 😀 People love working with them. How could I tell? Well I’ve heard clients call CJ “teddybear.” and witnessed a wedding planner called Bong a “gigolo”. Come to think of it, Jon is the only one who seems distant. But behind his couldn’t-care-less-facade, he’s actually someone who goes out of his way to lend a hand without ever needing to seek it.
These guys make hard work seem fun and easy. Christian Andaya, their fellow videographer, couldn’t have described them it in a better way:
“I love the guys! they are really “COOL”. I was also privileged to shoot & work with them (maybe play is the right word because, it’s like they’re just playing while covering an event). They are really generous in giving advice, how to maximize time in editing an onsite video & to show grace under extreme pressure.”
These guys may not take themselves too seriously but their passion in their work shows in their output. That is immediately apparent in their videofest presentation. All the suppliers they interviewed were obviously comfortable around them. The trailer they did for the videofest gave us a glimpse of that. Having given the chance to see parts of the unedited footage made me wish that I was there with them to join the fun. Felt like I missed a party.
That trailer too showed that these guys, specifically Bong who edited the project, delivers more than what is expected of them. It was done when Bong was waiting for his creative juices to flow for the intended main feature. The trailer was direct result of his “idle” mind. Indeed, It’s sometimes frustrating to have a friend who thrives in what seem like a very stressful situation.
A three-time W@Wie Awards Top 10 (2005, 2006 & 2007), and twice landing on the Top 5. They have consistently been the W@Wie’s favorite.
They are my sounding board and on very few occasions, my emotional punching bag, when things get too stressful. Benz told me that my friendship with them stood the test of time. Men are not big in BFF stuff, but I’ve been through it all with these three — from my very memorable bachelor’s party and up until this very day. 😉
Lighten up! Don’t take yourself too seriously. — That’s a very valuable lesson I’ve picked up from these guys.
Personally, it’s hard to write about these guys without being wary that some people may think my compliments are biases brought about by deeply rooted friendship. I’ll stop here and let their work speak for itself.